Mexico prepaid SIM

[petkow]

Yes. Just double check your telephone number when you buy the SIM, to make sure you are getting the right one. The area code are the first 3 digits which they call LADA in Mexico. If you are moving in the area of this LADA, you do not pay for incoming calls. An easy trick is to check the telephone numbers of known businesses, hotels, shops and restaurants in the area where you will be to see if they have the same LADA as the one on the SIM.

If you are outside your SIM's LADA, on Telcel Amigo you pay just under 4 pesos/minute for incoming calls. Still not too bad!

[mingelli]

I have just bought a Telcel sim with local LADA but found out that they charge for receiving international calls but cant seem to know how much. Do you know if is normal to be charged for incoming international calls in my LADA? And how much is it?

[RTuesday]

Originally Posted by mingelli

I have just bought a Telcel sim with local LADA but found out that they charge for receiving international calls but cant seem to know how much. Do you know if is normal to be charged for incoming international calls in my LADA? And how much is it?

I've just checked before and after a call, I don't get charged for international incoming calls (and never have been). I route other numbers (US, UK) to my Mexican mobile and never get charged (by Telcel) when I receive those.

Were you checking the balance before and after receiving the call? Remember there's a 0.88 peso (0.85 in border areas) charge for checking a balance.

I had a look at the rates and it appears Telcel have done some major updates to their rate structure, I can no longer see any national roaming charges, either incoming or outgoing. If true that's good!
Telcel: Fichas Amigo y Tarifas
(it may be different in a different region, mine is Baja California).

They've also altered the data price structure as well, maybe because Movistar made some major changes to their data rates recently. Main prepaid change is a hard cap at 3GB for 30 days, rather than slowing down the speed when the limit is reached.

[petkow]

I can also confirm that I was not charged for international incoming calls when I was in my area. On my last trip, I received more than 10 hours of incoming international calls, all within my 49 Peso startup credit. When I later went out of my area, this credit quickly disappeared after a mere 15mins of incoming calls!

Having said that, as I was using callback, many of my incoming calls did actually originate from a switch of Betamax/Finarea which may well have been within Mexico. However, I am fairly certain that I was not charged for either international incoming or national incoming within my LADA area.

A quick separate question to RTuesday, or whoever may know this: I have not used my Telcel SIM since around mid Jan 2010. It was bought around the 30th Dec 2009 but apart from the startup credit, it was never topped up. A friend is off to Mexico this week, and wants to use my SIM again. Will it now be completely dead due to inactivity, or can it be topped and reactivated? I could not find the details on validity on the site just yet...

[mingelli]

I am in Nuovo Leon Zona 4 and bought a sim amigo telcel with 892 LADA that confirmed to be the local number. I have received 4 calls initiated from Europe using SMSDiscount access number in France and I have been charged 8 pesos per minute to receive these calls. The number showing on my mobile when ringing was my fixed line home french number where the call started.
Can anyone explain and if there is a fix like using callback instead of receiving a straight call from abroad?

[RTuesday]

Originally Posted by petkow

I have not used my Telcel SIM since around mid Jan 2010. It was bought around the 30th Dec 2009 but apart from the startup credit, it was never topped up. A friend is off to Mexico this week, and wants to use my SIM again. Will it now be completely dead due to inactivity, or can it be topped and reactivated?.

Each time you recharge (for 100 pesos or more), 60 days is added to the validity of all the balance (new and old, if any). I'm not sure if the initial balance has the same rule. Using the phone does not extend validity.

So your initial balance would have expired at the latest at the end of Feb. But, you should be able to simply top it up some time in the next 2-6 months to reactivate it (most people say 6 months, some say a shorter time, maybe varies by region). You'll only get the new balance of course, not any remaining starting balance.

I have received 4 calls initiated from Europe using SMSDiscount access number in France and I have been charged 8 pesos per minute to receive these calls.

Very odd. Are you checking the balance before and after each call (sure it's not .88 pesos which is the call checking cost)? Is the caller calling with +52 1 892 ... or +52 892? (the latter shouldn't work as it's for landlines only but maybe there's a glitch which allows it and charges the called party?).

Rob

[mingelli]

[Very odd. Are you checking the balance before and after each call (sure it's not .88 pesos which is the call checking cost)? Is the caller calling with +52 1 892 ... or +52 892? (the latter shouldn't work as it's for landlines only but maybe there's a glitch which allows it and charges the called party?).

Rob[/QUOTE]

Yes I am checking and si definetely 8 pesos a minute. The person calling via SMSDiscount access number is dialing 0052 1 892 etc. Dont understand why I am being charged.

[petkow]

Originally Posted by RTuesday

Each time you recharge (for 100 pesos or more), 60 days is added to the validity of all the balance (new and old, if any). I'm not sure if the initial balance has the same rule. Using the phone does not extend validity.

So your initial balance would have expired at the latest at the end of Feb. But, you should be able to simply top it up some time in the next 2-6 months to reactivate it (most people say 6 months, some say a shorter time, maybe varies by region). You'll only get the new balance of course, not any remaining starting balance.

Thank you very much Rob for this useful information. That is good news indeed. No there was no credit left on the card as it is!

Mingelli... that seems to be a lot to be charged for an incoming call. Even when I was charged (out of LADA) it was only around 4 pesos per minute. 8 pesos is double that and that is almost 50 euro cents per minute!! Seems steep! That is comparable with some of the roaming products... only it isn't a roaming SIM! It's a national SIM that you have bought for this reason! Have you tried to ask at one of their offices?

In terms of any tricks to make the system think the phone call is not coming in from overseas, I do not know! It seems strange that they have a system that can CLI detect where the incoming call is coming from.

Originally Posted by RTuesday

Is the caller calling with +52 1 892 ... or +52 892? (the latter shouldn't work as it's for landlines only but maybe there's a glitch which allows it and charges the called party?).

This is a very valid point. When I first gave my number to people overseas, I gave it as 0052 755 .... People used to get a busy tone, and sometimes even a continuous ringing, but not an error message. This confused people, and it was only later on that I realised I need to give out 0052 1 755 ... Like Rob, I wonder if maybe this is somehow connecting for you, and your callers are getting charged the rate for calling Mexico landline (Which would be 0052 + LADA) and not the higher rate for calling Mexico Mobile (0052 + 1 + LADA). Perhaps this is what is happening, and as Rob says this may mean that the network is passing on the additional 'airtime' transmission cost to the receiving party (like in the USA) instead of ordinary 'caller pays'.

[mingelli]

Speaking with some Mexican here in place they told me that is because is prepaid that I have been cherged for incoming international call and that Ishould switch it to a post paid, in that case international calls inbound are free. Will have so visit the Telcel shop when I have some time, just disappointed now.