Mexico - Puerto Vallarta / Sayulita
 

I'm headed to Sayulita just north of Puerto Vallarta soon and I'm wondering if anyone can recommend a SIM card?

I have T-Mobile pre-paid for here in the US, but their roaming rates in Mexico are too high at $1.49/minute:

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/prepaidrates.aspx

Telcel Amigo is probably your best bet (although I don't know if they have coverage in that specific village). SIM cards are generally around 200 MXN ($20) with around 50 MXN of outgoing airtime, recharge cards are 100-200-500 MXN, airtime valid for 2 months. You can recharge within 3-6 months after that and keep the airtime (roll it over) and it can be also recharged by internet from the US (or anywhere).

There are stores selling Amigo recharge cards everywhere, but go to a larger store to get the initial sim. Pick a less busy store that speaks English and try to get them to phone up and register the card for you, as that's a very slow process mostly in Spanish. While you're at it, if you plan to make many calls to the US get them to switch you to the "pay per call" (per llamado) tariff, gives you calls to the US for $1.10 (11.50 MXN) per twenty minutes or part thereof. (local calls become 5 pesos per 20 minutes or part).

If your US phone isn't unlocked, very cheap phone+sim packages are also available.

Just in case you're not aware, the GSM band (1900) in Mexico is the same as the US. Incoming calls are free (within your home area code in Mexico), but as a result cost a caller from the US more (sometimes much more) than a call to a landline. Also, when calling a MX mobile from outside Mexico, insert a 1 between the country and area codes, e.g. a Mexicali landline from the US is 011 52 686 123 4567, but a mobile there is 011 52 1 686 123 4567.

There is another company, Movistar, that generally has poorer coverage, less stores, and marginally lower prices, but I haven't used them.

Note there is no GPRS (data) on prepaid in Mexico. International SMS, both to Mexico and from Mexico, is unpredictable and unreliable. The Telcel Amigo does roam on AT&T back in the US (handy for checking balances with *133#) but way too expensive to actually use there ($2/min+).

Thank you very much RTuesday, telcel it is.