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Was going to try to bring our own unlocked GSM (will accept a SIM card) cell phone, this time. Does anyone know if digicell uses the old regular sized SIM cards or the mini? Any idea how much one of these is with minutes? Do I need to go to digicell to get a SIM card, or do they have them at places like MegaMart and HiLo?
The digi sim I have is a "normal" size sim. I believe the only difference between each size is how much plastic "boarder" remains around the sim chip (the gold part). You should be able to cut it down to smaller size if needed. You're better off going to a digi store. You should be able to get a sim and some minutes for around $25. I'm not sure if you can get just a sim anywhere else. Maybe someone else can confirm?
A SIM and minutes should be less than $10.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin, PA
Thanks. If I need to go to DigiCel store, do you know if there is one on the way out of MoBay?Quote:
Originally Posted by TAH
I believe there's one at the Megamart.
Not really sure, we always just do that in Negril.Quote:
Originally Posted by RyanP
Yes, there is both Digicel and Lime desks at MegaMart
A Digicel SIM card, itself, is less than $10 and they is sometimes have a deal where they throw in $200J credit for free. If you add-in the international plan (so you can call home) and top-up enough minutes for a week's vacation it will be closer to $25.Quote:
Originally Posted by TAH
Well, I just got back and did exactly that and it was under $10...Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike_D
Digicel SIM card costs about 800$J, best from the Digicel shop in Negril (next to Burger King).
Includes a small amount of minutes, but they go a long way.
Typically, a 4 minute call to Europe costs in the region of 100$J.
They should have a stock of all SIM card sizes (android and iPhone).
Actually, I just looked at my receipt and I paid closer to $12us.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike_D
We'll probably try MegaMart. We are arriving during a weekend, and unfortunately, there is just more hassle in downtown Negril than I care to deal with during our first day there.
The prepaid international 1000 bundle gives you 660 international minutes and costs 1000 credits. That's almost US$10 right there?Quote:
Originally Posted by TAH
http://www.digiceljamaica.com/en/ser...l-calling-plan
For the sim and maybe a couple of hundred credits it should be about US$10 but you'll need another 1000 credits to purchase the international plan plus any additional credits for local calls. I'm using the same math as Mike_D. If you got a sim and the 660 international minutes plus some additional credits for local calls for $12 then thats a pretty good deal since you essentially got the sim for free. It costs me that much just for the credits I need each trip (1000 credits for 660 mins. of international calling (for calls to home\US) plus some extra credits for local calls).
Here are the international rates if you just use your credits and don't purchase an international bundle:Quote:
Originally Posted by Souljah
http://www.digiceljamaica.com/en/pla...national-rates
With the bundle your paying about 1.50 credits per minute for international calls. It depends how much calling you do. If you use close to 660 minutes calling internationally then you're better off getting the bundle. If you make short and\or infrequent international calls then it's not worth purchasing the international bundle of minutes.
It also depends if you make the calls or people are calling you. We make it a point not to answer calls from home because many times our friends and family are not aware they would be charged for an international call to Jamaica while the call would cost us nothing. We will call them back and use our international minutes instead so they don't get billed for Int. LD on their phone bill. If we feel like talking ;)
Our first trip my brother kept calling us from home on his cell phone and ended up with $200 in international LD charges ($2.99 per minute).
We are just going to be there for several days, and just want a phone to use around town. No need for international minutes. I think we got 100 minutes total, last time.
At the risk of hijacking the thread, I heard (many years ago) that all phones won't work in Jamaica because of differences in technology. Is this true? If so, how do I know if my phone is compatible?
Also, if I go to Digicel, is it as simple as swapping out the sim card and you are good to go? My phone number stays the same?
(Please don't laugh, I'm a bit technologically challenged when it comes to this type of cell phone chat. So please use small words. :) )
Yeah. This will take some explaining. There are two types of phones used in the United States; GSM and CDMA. I believe most new phones are GSM. In the past, only AT&T and T-Mobile (I think) used GSM, and I think the rest used CDMA. A GSM phone is compatible with the rest of the cell phone networks in the world, to my knowledge. If you wanted to use an older phone in Jamaica, it will need to be a GSM phone, so you'll need to find one that was on an AT&T network, or maybe T-Mobile (you'll have to check). If you are using a newer phone, you'll either have to research it or contact the carrier to see if it is a GSM phone. A CDMA phone will not work in Jamaica. Verizon used to use CDMA phones, and may still, to some degree. Once you find a GSM phone, you'll have to get it "unlocked", so that it will work on another network, other than the one for which it was originally intended. AT&T has a department that is dedicated to this, now, and you can apply online. If you are getting a phone from someone you know, it needs to be unlocked by them, as the unlocking process requires information that only they may know. Once you get all that done, just pop in the DigiCel SIM card, add minutes, and you are good to go. You're number will not be the same. I wouldn't recommend unlocking the phone that you use day-to-day. I am using an older phone, and would recommend that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Johio
Thanks, Ryan. That all makes sense. It should work out for me then, if I want to go this route. I have a fairly new phone and I'm 99.9% sure it is a GSM phone. My old service provider was bought by Verizon, but I switched to AT&T instead. When that happened, my phone needed to be unlocked so that the AT&T network could be used. So I already have an unlocked, GSM phone. Now I just need to get to a Digicel store, switch out sim cards and pick up some international credits to use when calling home to catch up with our daughter.
Or, I could try to find a JusTalk card and call from the hotel room phone. We'll see.
Thanks again.
You got a good deal. I wonder if that was part of some type of package. I remember paying a-la-cart for the SIM plus minutes, but this was a couple a years ago. I still have the same SIM and just top it before each trip.Quote:
Originally Posted by TAH
Not 100% positive, but I think you may be subject to roaming charges, unless you use the DigiCel network to call home. I would make sure, before I tested it out.
Yeah, I'm not sure. I know the sim was around $6 itself, the rest was minutes. Lime is cheaper yet. We always carry a Lime phone as a backup, and I always re-up that one for like $3 every trip (assuming the sim isn't expired, which is totally unpredictable).Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike_D
Not with international minutes.Quote:
Originally Posted by RyanP
Update from last week:
Went to Digicell at Mega Mart in MoBay and was told that they do not accept American or Foreign ID's anymore.
She told me she could only sell sim cards to Jamaicans...
I had a hunch she was lying as I was already cut in line twice with her waiving those behind me to the counter...
So I went to the customer service desk and they said "what?" and they said they would look into it...
Maybe she was just having a bad day but I will never go back to MegaMart as the prices were not any better than the HiLo in Negril...
Just be aware, she said the "new" Digicell system does not take foreign ID's.
May not be a fact, just my first hand experience...
Got a loaner sim from a local driver to use with my JA cell and bought some minutes at the HiLo and was good to go...
I was told the same thing at Mega Mart last week, luckily I had a local friend with me. Also, this is the second store I asked for a nano sim card and was told both times they do not have them. You can buy a sim cutter online for a few bucks and cut it yourself if you need another size.Quote:
Originally Posted by kim in socal
And I concur with the prices in the place. I see no reason to go back to Mega Mart.
I've always dealt with the Digicel store in the BK plaza
Always well satisfied with the customer service
Cap
I just web chatted with Shaneka at Digicel, it went like this
[Agent] Thank you for contacting Digicel Customer Care.
[Agent] Good day this is Shaneka your agent today. How may I assist you?
[kim chastain] the megamart digicel desk in mobay is telling american tourists that digicel no longer sells sim cards to anyone with a non jamaican id, is this accurate?
[Agent] Currently we are not aware of that policy. We will have it investigated, kindly allow me to check to advise further.
[kim chastain] thank you Shaneka
[Agent] Still checking, kindly remain connected.
[kim chastain] the girl at megamart said the "new" Digicell system does not take foreign ID's
[Agent] At present we are not aware of that policy. We apologise for the inconvenience you are currently experiencing as a result of this. Your request will be sent to the dealer relations managers for further review.
I think the staff at megamart will receive some additional training, soon come.
I use T-mobile in Jamaica. They charge only 20 cents a minute and unlimited text in Jamaica. Use my own phone and never have to do the digicell shuffle. If you have Jamaican friends they are all using WhatSapp which is free. Sounds like not many use t-mobile, but I ended up spending $6 on calls my last trip. To call another country I just use wifi connection at the hotel so those calls are free.
We went to Digicel in MegaMart on the 17th, and the woman working there told me she did not have any SIM cards. I asked if I could get one at an actual Digicel store, and she said, "Yes". I went to the Digicel store in Negril one morning, and was told that the system was down and that they would also need ID to give me one. Went back later that day, and system was down again. Coincidence? I never ended up getting a card, and just used a loaner from our driver. Is there a national shortage on SIM cards in JA?
I've never had a problem, but you do have to have ID no matter where you buy.Quote:
Originally Posted by RyanP
RyanP said "We went to Digicel in MegaMart on the 17th" - We went the same day...
What is really up with Digicel?
I just need to know prior to going somewhere and wasting time waiting in line to hear "NO foreign ID's Accepted".
Digicel (at MegaMart) should put up a sign or something saying "No foreign Sims Sold Here"!
What sucked is I spent weeks loading #'s for drivers, restaurants, etc.. and ended up having a few days with NO phone...
How is this good for JA business?
Thanks for the heads-up on these recent issues. All the more reason to hold on to the SIM I already have.
Incidentally, I took out my Jamaican phone last week, which I haven't used since November. Sure enough, it did not work even though I still had some credit on it. I took a chance and topped it up with another $5, online. After that, the phone "woke-up" and I was again able to place calls. I figured this would at least save me a trip to the Digicel store.