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  1. #551
    Senior Member


    Posts: 1043

    IPhone

    I'm coming down to BA for 2 months. Previously I've used my Verizon plan for roaming but their international plan sucks - $25 for a measly 100 MB of data, which I use multiple times over even though I try to restrict usage when not in a wifi zone.

    So what can I get locally and how? SIM card ? Sorry this is not my area of expertise.

    If it takes a few hours and requires good Spanish that's fine.

    Thanks.

  2. #550
    I guess the only other question I have is, what's a "monthly fee"? Is that like when someone sends you a bill and you have to pay it? I hear rumors of things like electricity bills, water bills, property tax bills, car insurance bills, and stuff like that but I don't really understand them. And what's this "alimony" stuff I keep hearing guys talk about? And child support? Why can't these children just forage?

    When I was in Ireland back in the mid-70s, you put coins in the electricity meter and when you ran out of coins, you sat there in the dark. When I need more credit on my phone, I add five euro or whatever the least amount of local currency is. When I need to go somewhere I stick some coins or a credit card in a machine and a bus, train, or subway ticket pops out. I like these better than these "monthly fees" which seem like some kind of a government plot against the common man.

    Mais à chacun son goût, as they say in Québec where I am headed in a few days. We'll see how good my language skills are there. It's been a long time since I had to use my high school French. Je regrette mais je parle peu francais et ou est le bain s'il vous plait? And hope they point to the bathroom. Merci beaucoup.

  3. #549
    Well, the last time I was in Argentina Daddy had a phone all ready to go for me, but in Europe it is a fast process. Maybe ten minutes and not five. I always have a copy of my passport in my pants pocket, although they will also take my driver's license. When I bought my $18.18 phone in Panamá it took a bit longer, but I had to choose the phone. I look at google maps on the internet in my hotel or apartment, write down turn by turn directions, and draw stupid little maps in my stupid little notebook. I mean an actual paper notebook that fits in my shirt pocket.

    In a lot of countries, it's not that I have superior language skills but that they do. Of course I do speak good Spanish, a fair amount of Italian, and a non-zero amount of French but in places like Latvia or Croatia, I am sure glad my first language is English and that the internet has led so many younger people to learn English. Cuz those languages with the weird alphabets and all the funny symbols on top of or hanging off the letters are kind of a b!tch, as are the ones like Dutch where it seems like every other word is 27 letters long.

    It's funny but in the US, if I call someone in the US it costs me about 12 cents a minute and the same if someone from the US calls me. I can call the US from Spain for 3 euro cents a minute and if someone calls me, it costs me zero. Makes no sense but there you have it.

    Again, thanks for the info.

  4. #548

    I write and look what shows up in my news feed.


  5. #547
    Quote Originally Posted by Dickhead  [View Original Post]
    Thank you for that information but perhaps I was not clear. I have no clue what Project Fi is. Not sure what you mean about it taking at least an hour to buy a SIM card? Is that what you are saying? I just buy one in the airport or train station where I enter the country and it takes about 5 minutes. Maybe I am misunderstanding something here. Sorry about that if I am.

    I looked at the link and so it gives you a better rate on your smart phone than what you would pay for using your smart phone internationally? Is that it?

    I just use my dumb phone to call up hookers so maybe that is why I was not aware of this. You are talking about calling chicas in country X while still in country Y?

    Thanks!
    Remember you have far superior language skills. I need the data plans to run my translators and I like to use Google Maps. But 5 minutes to get a sim card??? They always want to get a copy of my passport. There always seems to be a line. It takes time to find the store. Becasue I do not speak the languages I need the shop assistant to run the sign up. I guess stupidity always has its costs.

    I ordered it already. We'll see how it works. I am going to Playa Del Carmen in July.

    One thing is that you are limited to Google phones which are going up in price. The monthly fee is less but the initial investment is higher. Also Google is accelerating their replacement cycle. For example, they now are not updating the Nexus 5 that came out in October 2013.

  6. #546
    Thank you for that information but perhaps I was not clear. I have no clue what Project Fi is. Not sure what you mean about it taking at least an hour to buy a SIM card? Is that what you are saying? I just buy one in the airport or train station where I enter the country and it takes about 5 minutes. Maybe I am misunderstanding something here. Sorry about that if I am.

    I looked at the link and so it gives you a better rate on your smart phone than what you would pay for using your smart phone internationally? Is that it?

    I just use my dumb phone to call up hookers so maybe that is why I was not aware of this. You are talking about calling chicas in country X while still in country Y?

    Thanks!

  7. #545
    Quote Originally Posted by Dickhead  [View Original Post]
    Perhaps you could provide a brief synopsis of the issue for those who have no idea WTF you are referring to? I just get a different chip for $20 or so in each country for my $20 phone and have been all over the world without an international phone, but I am a borderline Luddite, or at least not an early adopter.
    Well you tend to stay in one town longer than I do. I find it a hassle to buy a sim card in every country especially if you are there for only 3 or 4 days. It takes at least an hour. Google FI charges $20 a month plus $10 per gig of data usage. I find that I use less than 1 gig a month so for me it would only be $30. I am paying $60 on my current plan. Recently, T-moblie shifted their service so they do wifi calling anyway when I am connected to wifi.

    I suppose the disadvantage would be that you could only reach girls that use Whatsapp or Viber. In some countries girls will not answer foreign phones. Budapest for example.

    https://goo.gl/fi/bHEQkm

  8. #544
    Perhaps you could provide a brief synopsis of the issue for those who have no idea WTF you are referring to? I just get a different chip for $20 or so in each country for my $20 phone and have been all over the world without an international phone, but I am a borderline Luddite, or at least not an early adopter.

  9. #543

    Project Fi

    Anybody care to review Project Fi in Argentina or any ot the other 120 countries for that matter? Does it eliminate the need for a travel phone?

  10. #542
    Quote Originally Posted by Flyer1999  [View Original Post]
    I unlocked my Samsung as soon as I bought it from tmobil, so I can use anot sim.

    Went Colombia twice this year and bought reloadable Sims there for like 25.00 us with plenty minutes to last me a week.

    Just wondering if that is a better deal.

    How much are the Sims in arg?

    With minutes ?
    Have not bought a SIM in Argentina in a few years but the cost in the past was nominal for the SIM. Voice calls and texts to other mobiles are relatively expensive (but I never averaged more than a few bucks a day) while data plans varied wildly between carriers. Navigating the whole process of figuring out the plans, acquiring the SIM, getting it activated, and recharging the phone and applying the data packs was a pain in the butt especially if your Spanish is weak. T-Mobile free data and the replacement of SMS by services like WhatsApp have lessened the value of a local SIM enough that I have not bothered with one the last few trips. It still can be an inconvenience not having a local number as nobody is going to want to call you back or text a US number, but a local SIM has gone from a "must have" to making a trade-off between cost and convenience. I do without more to avoid the hassle than to save a couple of bucks a day.

  11. #541
    Quote Originally Posted by EasyGo  [View Original Post]
    Most music services don't count against your data allowance on T-Mobile.

    The 10GB is a family plan promotion (4 lines for $120) and all the lines have to have 10GB or more. Individual plans start at $30 with 1GB of data.

    The international roaming service is great as long as you accept that it only comes with 2G speeds. If you buy your phone on one of the T-Mobile promotion plans, it's locked so a local SIM isn't an option.
    I unlocked my Samsung as soon as I bought it from tmobil, so I can use anot sim.

    Went Colombia twice this year and bought reloadable Sims there for like 25.00 us with plenty minutes to last me a week.

    Just wondering if that is a better deal.

    How much are the Sims in arg?

    With minutes ?

  12. #540
    Quote Originally Posted by BigBossMan  [View Original Post]
    10G is paying for a ton of data. You must watch video or listen to music. I use less than 2G a month.
    Most music services don't count against your data allowance on T-Mobile.

    The 10GB is a family plan promotion (4 lines for $120) and all the lines have to have 10GB or more. Individual plans start at $30 with 1GB of data.

    The international roaming service is great as long as you accept that it only comes with 2G speeds. If you buy your phone on one of the T-Mobile promotion plans, it's locked so a local SIM isn't an option.

  13. #539

    Can you buy with lower data plan?

    Quote Originally Posted by Sportsman  [View Original Post]
    I have T-mobile Simple Choice Plan with 10G of data per month and unlimited text and minutes nationwide. It also includes free roaming on data and text in most countries outside the US (Including Argentina). Whenever I arrive to a new country, I get a text message confirming that and stating that voice will cost $0.20 per minute. Be sure to turn on Data Roaming on your phone setting.
    10G is paying for a ton of data. You must watch video or listen to music. I use less than 2G a month.

  14. #538
    Quote Originally Posted by Sportsman  [View Original Post]
    I have T-mobile Simple Choice Plan with 10G of data per month and unlimited text and minutes nationwide. It also includes free roaming on data and text in most countries outside the US (Including Argentina). Whenever I arrive to a new country, I get a text message confirming that and stating that voice will cost $0.20 per minute. Be sure to turn on Data Roaming on your phone setting.
    Awesome.

    Thank you traveler.

  15. #537
    Quote Originally Posted by Flyer1999  [View Original Post]
    I was told by my US carrier (t mobil).

    That it would only cost about .15, pm.. To use my service in BA.

    Anyone have experience with this?
    I have T-mobile Simple Choice Plan with 10G of data per month and unlimited text and minutes nationwide. It also includes free roaming on data and text in most countries outside the US (Including Argentina). Whenever I arrive to a new country, I get a text message confirming that and stating that voice will cost $0.20 per minute. Be sure to turn on Data Roaming on your phone setting.

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