Thanks to all the good advice on SIM cards.. And LIME phone looks like great advice for those who just want a basic phone.
Thanks to all the good advice on SIM cards.. And LIME phone looks like great advice for those who just want a basic phone.
Has anybody used their regular phone when in JA? I previously had an unlocked iphone that I had a Digicel chip for and would just buy credit. A friend of mine said she used her regular phone and roamed on Digicel while down there and it was not much more than what she would pay at home? Anybody else try that?
My provider in Canada allows free texting, voice calls are like 65 cents a minute and the data roaming is crazy expensive. I wouldn't recommend using your phone down there like you would normally in Canada.
Some people were born in the wrong century....I was born in the wrong country!
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With Lime, you don't need to purchase separate int'l minutes. Calls home AND local Digicel or Lime are 3 cents/minute. Rob reported that the "phones to go" are available at most gas stations. There is a Lime counter within Megamart in Mobay - I purchased a Lime phone with sim and 100 credits for $999j in Nov/12, but that was a sale. Can't go wrong with Lime, even if they're out of stock of the cheapest ones, you should be able to get going for under $30, all in. My sim is still active as I've been twice since then, last trip I just put the sim in my son's old android which has the qwerty keyboard, easier for texting. No problems topping up online. I bring my iPhone and keep it in airplane mode to use just for emailing / data on free wifi...don't usually take it out and about so I'm not a target and no worries about losing it or damaging it.Originally Posted by Beefer
Do not recommend using your phone from home in Jamaica. It will work, but trust me that it will be way too expensive. We keep our newer iPhones in "airplane" mode like Melody advises above to access all the free wifi sites.
Last edited by frankk; 01-07-2014 at 08:35 PM.
T-Mobile USA gives you free unlimited texting within JA and back to the USA while in Jamaica. You'll also have free unlimited internet and calls are .20 per minute. No need to unlock or switch Sim cards, and you have your usual phone number, not a Jamaican one.
harrys - what does the monthly plan cost for such a service? are you saying texting to/from JA and the USA costs nothing extra and all calls both within JA and between JA and USA are .20/min? Do you have to use one of their phones or can you just buy their simm or ? Do the folks you are calling or who call you or text you get wacked with big fees?
The monthly plans start at $50 for one line, $80 for two lines, then $10 more per line up to a maximum of 5 lines, $110. For your $110 you get unlimited domestic (within the USA) talk, text and web on all 5 lines with high speed data access capped at 500mb per line, then it slows down but stays unlimited. While travelling to more than 100 countries including JA, you get unlimited texting within that country and back to the USA as well as basic data (128k) at no additional charge and calls within that country and back to the USA is .20 per minute.
If you need more high speed data, an additional $10 gets you 2.5gb of data (per line) and $20 makes it unlimited while at home, and you can purchase high speed data for your travels as well.
The thing I really like is that you're using your everyday phone number, and don't need a JA number, no need to get another phone, no need to unlock or swap sim cards.
T-Mobile also will now buy out your contracts with other carriers (up to $350 per line) so it's a great time to switch.
(I want to be clear and honest - I work for T-Mobile, but am in no way asking anyone to do business with me.)
We have an old Nokia - basic call and text type. We had it unlocked by the guy upstairs from Digicel across from Scotia bank for about $15. We went down to Digicel, and I think for $32 we got a SIM plus a 1,000 international minutes and a Digicel account. We can top it up on line for about $3 per month the keep the number.
We sent some friends down with it, and a slew of minute and told them to call to their hearts delight anywhere in the world. They did. They barely diminished the minutes since every Digi to Digi call seemed to get you more free minutes!
It is cheaper for me to do this and call my friend in Australia from Jamaica than from Canada! 1,000 INTERNATIONAL minutes for about $12-15?
If you plan to return ("if you plan to return? don't we all? That's like "left over wine" ... Left over wine?)
Go on line to the Digicel website for more info!
Great info to have, We've got an old Iphone 3 here that we will take down and have the guy across from Scotia unlock for us. And too funny - had me worried for a second when you said "left over wine" :-)
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