Question about bringing phones

[sandman66]

Dont care about internet, we are on vacation. Just want to be able to call a driver when we need a ride. Might be borrowing one from Linston, but want to have a plan "b".
I have an old flip phone lying around. If I can find the charger can I make that work? Its probably 10 years old, have no idea if would be "locked".
Like I said, phone technology isnt something I have ever concerned myself with.

[Mike_D]

I have an old flip phone lying around. If I can find the charger can I make that work? Its probably 10 years old, have no idea if would be "locked".
Like I said, phone technology isnt something I have ever concerned myself with.

The 10 year old flip phone may work, if it's on the GSM network. (old AT&T phones are, but I am not familiar with Canadian mobile service providers.) However, there is a good chance that the phone is locked. You can unlock it yourself, if you contact the customer service department of the cell phone provider and plug in a few codes and navigate a bunch of menus. Also, if the phone is 10 years old there is good chance that you need a new battery. If all this sounds technologically daunting (and it can be), it may be a lot easier to buy a basic phone at the Digicel store in Negril for ~$20.

[Crusher]

Dont care about internet, we are on vacation. Just want to be able to call a driver when we need a ride. Might be borrowing one from Linston, but want to have a plan "b".
I have an old flip phone lying around. If I can find the charger can I make that work? Its probably 10 years old, have no idea if would be "locked".
Like I said, phone technology isnt something I have ever concerned myself with.

Hey Sandman....I work for the local phone company here in Saskatchewan. The old flip phone is more than likely locked and a CDMA phone so it likely won't work with the cellular offered in Jamaica. The iPhone is your best bet and the guy above the digicel store does a good job of trimming the sim card to fit into the slot on your iPhone. Make sure you have a straight pin or the 'iPhone' Sim tool to pop open the compartment on the side of the phone to access where the sim card is. I have done this in the past and had no issues. We have also bought just a cheap Digicel phone and it cost like 30 bucks....we just top up the minutes online every few months to keep it active and send a couple of messages with it. Like its been said though keep the phone low key because things like that are very popular down there. Borrowing from Linston is likely the easiest thing to do.....