Best prepaid offering for Mexico?

[petkow]

Thanks for that very informative reply RTuesday. I think Telcel sounds good for her. So I need her to try and get a SIM in the area code where she is based I suppose? ASNy hurdles in buying one? Is it just a case of picking one up in a local Telcel store once there?

For incoming, I do not intend to forward from Movistar direct as that is way too expensive. I plan to forward to a local Madrid DID which will get charged at around 8c/min as per her normal plan but will at least meet minimum consumption as required per her Movistar contract. The plan is that the DID will forward to her Mexican Telcel, which can be done pretty cheap through one of the Betamax offerings.

I suppose outgoing can be done pretty cheap from Telcel and calling a local Mexican calling card rather than calling direct? Anyone have any experience with that?

[RTuesday]

Originally Posted by petkow

I think Telcel sounds good for her. So I need her to try and get a SIM in the area code where she is based I suppose? Any hurdles in buying one? Is it just a case of picking one up in a local Telcel store once there?

Yes, make sure the sim is as local as possible, ideally the same town. The store (including some independent dealers) should register it for her, by phoning up a call center. A local address is needed (not always verified) and some form of ID - might be more required now as there is a plan to even start collecting fingerprints for mobile phone owners.

Forwarding via a Spain DID will save a lot, but if she gets a lot of calls she might like some way to turn it off at times. If sombody calls her at 9am in Spain it will be 3am in most of Mexico (1am in Baja California).

I suppose outgoing can be done pretty cheap from Telcel and calling a local Mexican calling card rather than calling direct? Anyone have any experience with that?

I've mainly used callback, including web/voip callback, as I already have the accounts. And the "pay per call" tariff for the US (about a dollar per 15 mins or part). With a calling card you still have the "local call" cost which is higher than most countries.

She'd be better off using a VOIP phone at home for calls to Spain, when possible. Assuming she can get internet.

There is also Movistar in Mexico (also owned by Telefonica) but I don't see any deals for their customers across borders (unlike some of the Vodafone deals), and I don't know that they can be recharged online. Telcel has better coverage and more places to get recharges.

[petkow]

Thanks again!

Originally Posted by RTuesday

Forwarding via a Spain DID will save a lot, but if she gets a lot of calls she might like some way to turn it off at times. If sombody calls her at 9am in Spain it will be 3am in most of Mexico (1am in Baja California).

Yes good point. I suppose the trick is to just switch the Mexican phone off. I presume it will then divert to the Mexican mailbox (... at diverted call cost from Spain off course).

I've mainly used callback, including web/voip callback, as I already have the accounts.

Yes, I think I will try get her to do the same, though I think most calls will just be short. I guess short calls back back to Spain via Telcel direct will still be a LOT cheaper than what she does know which is to use her Spanish Movistar paying something like 3 euros a minute!!