GoPhone for Mexico trip

**CelledAway** · 07-25-2012, 10:50 AM

I've looked at several different options for making calls to the US and other cities in Mexico while on a trip to the Mayan Riviera (south of Cancun/Playa del Carmen), it looks like the GoPhone is the best option with the roaming rates of 25 cent/min. My questions are:

1. Is this actually the best way to go or does anybody have a better solution.
2. Can I just buy a GoPhone SIM card on ebay (with $15 air time included HERE) stick it in my unlocked quadband and activate it before I go.
3. Are the 25 cent roaming rates in addition to the 10 cents if you are on the 10 cent/min plan.
4. Do I have to add more funds/time to activate or can I get by with the $15 air time included, and will that expire in a month if I don't add more air time.

Thank you all for any help or advice.

**Frontierjustice** · 07-25-2012, 07:44 PM

Originally Posted by CelledAway

1. Is this actually the best way to go or does anybody have a better solution.
2. Can I just buy a GoPhone SIM
3. Are the 25 cent roaming rates in addition to the 10 cents if you are on the 10 cent/min plan.
4. Do I have to add more funds/time to activate or can I get by with the $15 air time included, and will that expire in a month if I don't add more air time.

Okeh ..
1. The only better deal is a local SIM or the the Movistar deal for Mexican families with family members in the US. Both choices require an effort to acquire!
2. Yes.
3. I think the total rate is 25-cents...
4. Will 60-minutes cover you for your trip? The $15 card does last 30 days.
Regards, FJ

**rfranzq** · 07-25-2012, 08:42 PM

Originally Posted by shushwap

There will be Ld charges to call back to the usa

NO. 25¢ per minute (Mexico) is to call Mexico or the USA.

You will have a working and tested phone when you leave the US and it will work in Mexico also.

**CelledAway** · 07-26-2012, 10:09 AM

Originally Posted by Frontierjustice

Okeh ..
1. The only better deal is a local SIM or the the Movistar deal for Mexican families with family members in the US. Both choices require an effort to acquire!
2. Yes.
3. I think the total rate is 25-cents...
4. Will 60-minutes cover you for your trip? The $15 card does last 30 days.
Regards, FJ

Thank you very much FJ, this is all very good to hear.

Originally Posted by rfranzq

NO. 25¢ per minute (Mexico) is to call Mexico or the USA.

You will have a working and tested phone when you leave the US and it will work in Mexico also.

Excellent point, you never know what to expect abroad, even with all the research in advance.

Originally Posted by shushwap

I talked to Att about this a few months ago... And the rep had told me there would be Ld charges to call usa... Those reps are idiots... I spent 20 min on the phone with her will she tried to look it all up

Typical! That's why it's great to have howarforums available, much more reliable than any reps, from any company.

**8_8** · 07-30-2012, 05:05 PM

I called go phone customer support. They indicated that roaming is $0.25 in Mexico on top of whatever your plan rates. For example, calling a US number from Mexico would cost $0.25 + $0.10 pay as you go rate = $0.35 total cost. She didn't inspire confidence with her response / tone, but that's what she said. If anyone can confirm thru actual use please confirm.

Also posted this info on international roaming thread.

**mrcamp** · 08-08-2012, 08:34 AM

I am late to this, but this is the bottom line. It's $0.25 to call Mexico and the US period! I used this a little over a year ago when I was in Puerto vallarta for a week. Bought to gophone sims on ebay for me and wife, topped them up, and it worked flawlessly!

**Billradio** · 08-29-2012, 12:52 PM

I use GoPhone in Mexico a couple times a year and yes, ALL calls are indeed .25 per minute, nothing more. One year, though, I reactivated an expired GoPhone SIM (after less than 2 months) and it would not call the US. I was able to call 611 from Mexico and have the agent "enable" International Roaming. The agent didn't initially know what to do and tried to sign me up for "Hola Mexico" service which is an add-on for post pay phones. I told him no, there is just a box he must click in to enable roaming.

I forward my regular phone to the GoPhone and callers only know my ring 'sounds funny', and nothing else. I've been doing this for years and have created a web page about it.

**anex99** · 08-31-2012, 10:35 AM

Originally Posted by Billradio

I use GoPhone in Mexico a couple times a year and yes, ALL calls are indeed .25 per minute, nothing more. One year, though, I reactivated an expired GoPhone SIM (after less than 2 months) and it would not call the US. I was able to call 611 from Mexico and have the agent "enable" International Roaming. The agent didn't initially know what to do and tried to sign me up for "Hola Mexico" service which is an add-on for post pay phones. I told him no, there is just a box he must click in to enable roaming.

I forward my regular phone to the GoPhone and callers only know my ring 'sounds funny', and nothing else. I've been doing this for years and have created a web page about it.

I can also confirm the .25 cents/min while in Mexico. I got rid of our Nextels, and needed a cheap way to communicate to my girlfriend since she lives in Tijuana and I live in San Diego. The AT&T gophone My Account also displays all calls as well as duration, charge per min, etc.

It is mind-boggling to me that the prepaid would be only .25 cents/min but If you have a postpaid account with AT&T it is over $1.00/min.

**25jive1** · 08-31-2012, 01:17 PM

I bought a GoPhone at Best Buy a few months back for $3. just to use in Mexico as we spend winters in the Rio Grand Valley and visit Mexico often.
I once bought a Mexican TelCel SIM for an unlocked phone which proved to be a nightmare to activate because of the language barrier. I ended up having a Spanish speaking person do it as I speak little Spanish.

**rafster** · 08-31-2012, 02:27 PM

My wife is from Ensenada, Baja California originally, but lived in Tijuana before we got married. I bought her a gophone back when GoPhone still had the $1 unlimited m2m plan. The nice thing was that she lived in a part of TJ that still got AT&T signal. So most of the time no roaming. The great thing was when we went past the border (like down to Ensenada, or Mexico City, or Culiacan (Sinaloa), it was only .25/min to keep in touch with the US.

We still have the same phone number with gophone and we've had it now activated for 4.5 years now. Never let us down.

Rafster

**Mr.Cell** · 10-18-2012, 03:00 AM

Probably too late for this post but yeah the AT&T GoPhone is just 25cents a minute.

Read my Tread about my experience in Mexico
http://www.howardforums.com/showthre...-Sprint-Phones