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Info please - I usually get one from Clive's and they no longer provide them.
1. Don't want to buy a phone there just rent
2. My cell won't work w/JA Sim card - neither will 10 old phones I have accumulated over the years I don't think.
I know I can research but too much going on today so I am short on time. Thanks bunches.
when do you leave? you're welcome to use mine if there's nuff time to mail it to you before you go - you'd just need to buy a new SIM cause mine is no doubt expired.
Keith from Westender Inn was renting cell phones at one time. You can check with him. I have rented a phone from him before. :)
coolio - thx ya'll
If you are a frequent visitor, why not buy? You could get a perfectly functional phone for about $25 - 30 USD and then all you have to worry about is minutes. If you schedule on automatic online top up for ~$5 monthly, your sim & phone number will stay active and when you come back, you will already have more than enough credits on the phone and you will be ready the minute you hit the island.
Sweetness - I'll second what SweetSue said. And theres a couple other advantages of buying a cheap one over renting.
Your JA phone number will be the same every trip. So you can give that ph# to friends/family at home before you leave.
Also your JA friends won't have to change the number they use to get hold of you each trip.
The other thing is that all the phone numbers you accumulate each trip will all be ready to go - no re-entering them from a paper list onto the rental every trip.
As SweetSue said, you just have to do online topup to keep it active - and every 90 days is enough.
if you do decide to rent, many hotels will provide, or have a connection they can call to get you one. When I stayed at NBCC, Jean had her phone guy come for me. He dropped off the phone and picked it up. I was only there for a week so it was worth it to me. But since you will be there longer, really it is a better deal to buy one there.
OB - you are right, every 90 days is "enough" but I have had it happen where I hit the island and before I could use my phone, I had to buy a little credit on the street to "reactivate" the phone. The sim card & number were still good but after a certain amount of time, depending upon the amount of your top up, the service goes into a dormant state until the next top up is applied. Plus, I did make the mistake ONCE of missing the 90 day deadline and had to get a new sim :( I like the convenience of having my phone & same number, it starts ringing almost as soon as I get there!Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohio_Buckeye_1
Sweet Sue posted: I have had it happen where I hit the island and before I could use my phone, I had to buy a little credit on the street to "reactivate" the phone. The sim card & number were still good but after a certain amount of time, depending upon the amount of your top up, the service goes into a dormant state until the next top up is applied.
If on Digicel network, you have something called Airtime Loyalty Rewards. You can activate 100J of credit to make your phone work, once you land. No need to hunt for credit.
My last 2 trips I topped up 2 days before I left and didn't have to add credit when I got to Negril to make it work.
my lime sim card doesn't expire for 1 yr - so no need to top up online unless you dont visit in 12 months.. digicel was 90 days
I have a digicel phone. When I am in the states I have no service. Can I still top off online to retain the same number with out having service? If so how exactly does that work?
You guys gave some great info. As I mentioned I don't want to buy a phone. It will be quite a while before I return to JA after this reach and hate to buy one for just 3 weeks and then be stuck with it. Plus I will be making very very few calls so many not even need one. I will find a rental - I appreciate the responses though.
rasta ronnie you go online to the digicel website and choose the "WebFlex" option - that allows you to "top up" (i.e. add credit) remotely, and that will keep the SIM active. link: http://webflex.digicelgroup.com/
there's also another website called 'EZTop.com' to do the same thing, i haven't had any experience with that one directly though.
and yes, you will only have service when you are physically IN the Digicel network area - not in the USA.
Go to www.digiceljamaica, do on line top up. If you take the time to set up an account, you can even set up automatic top up schedule...Quote:
Originally Posted by rasta ronnie
In the event that it is cheaper to buy than rent, you could always buy and then give it away....Quote:
Originally Posted by Sweetness
Thanks Sue but don't want to buy a phone - I was only looking for rental referrals. Got some great places to check so I will be good to go. Bless.
sue, i have a digicel top off account already set up. that is how i add minutes when in jamaica. can they add minutes to a phone that is not even in the country?
thanks
Rasta Ronnie, no problem, yes topping up works regardless of where the phone is.
My phone has service (roaming) when i am in the USA - perhaps it depends on the type of phone?
As Lola said, it does not matter where the phone is - and if you want, you can set up an automatic top off schedule to keep your phone active without having to keep track on your own. The credits will simply accumulate until you get back & start using it.Quote:
Originally Posted by rasta ronnie
Lola? Your phone is probably more advanced than mine - if its a quad band it will work just about anywhere. However, my little simple one did pick up a signal on a cruise ship out of Miami.
JA - soon come....
http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt...72b9/event.png
thanks everyone!
4 more days til liftoff!
Sweetness - I saw you posted your JA phone number on other thread now that you are there.
Can you let us in on where you got your rental phone - and what cost was (to compare to buying) - to close out this thread.
Thanks and enjoy your time there.