So last year I did the lazy Jahmerican method bringing my samsung down with the ATT international plan. $40 off the bat before a bunch of charges and ended up crapping out on me halfway through the trip. Then got hit with $60 (that ain't JA people) in charges while on the phone with AT&T to try to resolve it.
So with that said, what's the recommendation? Get a SIM card down there and put in the Samsung? Get a dummy phone? Any info appreciated.
Yup, this has happened to me in the past (in the Bahamas). Turns out ATT basically shuts off your service to save you from unwanted high charges (HA!).Originally Posted by bambinobu
To get started, I unlocked one of my old ATT phones (it was a blackberry I had lying around). If you call ATT customer service they will walk you through the process. I then brought it to the Digicel store by the Burger King, bought a SIM and some minutes, and I was good to go. The staff at the store even installed the SIM and made sure it worked before I left. Alternatively, you can purchase an unlocked GSM phone from ebay or even get a cheap phone right at the Digicel store in Negril. However, if you wait until you get to Negril, they may tell you the cheap ones are out of stock and you'll end up paying $50 anyway.
Our local driver always gives us a phone to use while we are on the island, we just top it off with minutes we use when done
Linston provides a phone for our visitors
Cap
Linston's Zion Hill Taxi
Captain Dave
I pay $10 a day usage with the verizon travel pass in Jamaica. I get to use all my services that I have at home (unlimited calls, text and 10GB data)
Go Bills!
AT&T has changed some of their international calling plans. Before you go to Jamaica, call AT&T and ask for the $10/day international day rate for Jamaica. They will have you give them the start and end date of the plan. You are charged $10/day while you are there. Also, if there is a day you will not be using the phone, turn off your cellular data before 11:59 PM the night before. You will not be charged for that day.
The new AT&T plan @ $10 per day of usage is a great option if, like me, you are to lazy to keep a second phone for Jamaica. We are staying in a place with no internet so I add international calling to my phone, make it a hotspot and run all of our devices off of that. If I get any unexpected charges on my next bill I’ll report back.
I used the Verizon $10 a day in Europe this summer. It was pretty great. I had everyting just like at home... as stated above. The only thing is that it was too easy to just get that "day" started so my phone bill, while I expected the increase, was higher than necessary because I mostly just needed to get some quick info, or text home, or something quick... so make sure if you do the $10 a day thing, you save all your stuff for that day. If you really need it, consider changing to an international plan for the month then back to your regular plan when you get home. I have a very cheap JA phone that I keep active, but it's phone and text only. I use the wifi at my hotel when needed for social media and streaming tv programs, etc.
I'm gonna be Iron like a Lion in Zion
Yeah, staying at White Sands, with it's great free wifi, I bring my tablet (It even has a free Verizon texting app) and only use my cell 4-5 days during my 10 day stays.
Go Bills!
I have T-Mobile which includes an international plan - unlimited text/data and very cheap phone minutes. Works great in JA and all over Europe. Nice to know there will not be any surprise charges when I get home.
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