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Best plan for cell phone with very limited usage?


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I have just entered the cell phone age and bought this phone due to the great advise from Blame The Dog on this board.

https://www.amazon.com.mx/Blu-Advance-4-0-L2-Global-desbloqueado-Global/dp/B01DYGKOWK/ref=sr_1_51?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1488447575&sr=1-51

II will only be using it for emergencies while driving and limited usage of Whats App for a small business I have here. I have a home office with a desktop, internet, Skype and a landline that has worked great for me in my 9 years here. I went to Telcel and they offered me many choices that were very confusing. I bought the Sim card and left to consider my options and consult with this board that i have gotten very good advise from in the past. I want to pay the lowest monthly rate for my limited usage and if possible pay a year in advance  to maybe get a discount and also avoiding going monthly to renew. Any advise will be  greatly appreciated. Gracias

 

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I just go to a store when my money runs out and get a $200 charge; a friend who probably uses data more than I do gets a $150 charge.

It lasts supposedly 30 days and gets you 1,000MB of WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter. $200 includes 700MB of data for Internet usage, unlimited calls, unlimited text messages. Long distance to and from US and Canada is unlimited, too. TelCel should be able to give you a chart showing the plans; I just now found one online. http://www.telcel.com/personas/telefonia/amigo/tarifas-y-opciones/paquetes-amigo-sin-limite

But these plans change so often it is difficult to actually know. This online chart doesn't show WhatsApp or Facebook, so perhaps it is now unlimited. It also shows the $200 plan as offering 1,000MB of data... only the main TelCel office is going to know for sure what is current, I imagine.

I would start with a $100p plan and see how far that gets you.

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For $199/month you can get the Telcel Max Sin Limite 1000 plan with unlimited calls and texts and includes 1gb (1000 mb) of data. You can pay your monthly bill using the Telcel app. 

Once you get a smart phone you'll find yourself using it a lot more than the cheap flip phones. 

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If you want to try out an option without a commitment until you find out what your usage is (or might be, after trying your smart phone for a bit), you can purchase a Telcel Amigo card in any Telcel location. Scratch off the code, dial *333 and press 1 to apply the card. A $100-peso card is good for 60 days and gives you a $50 bonus, so you get $150 for your $100 investment. You also get a fixed amount of Internet access and some apps. Altho the usage has a 60-day limit, any unspent airtime carries over.

And if you are in the US, you can reload at any CVS location, using US dollars, which convert to pesos as of the date of purchase.

 

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Yes, that works, but it doesn't include any kind of data plan except a limited use for WhatsApp, so if you go onto the Internet, your balance drops like a lead weight. There is no commitment with the "plans" we are discussing, either, except that once you start, each time you re-up you are still on the plan. You have to go in person to TelCel to switch back to simply phone minutes.

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31 minutes ago, ComputerGuy said:

John, I have never been able to find a chart that shows "$199", which is basically the same as my $200... does it have a time-limit on it, though?

Go to telcel.com, then click on the Planes button and show all based on a selected price range.

2017-03-24_091804.jpg.baf520c5808a6cde28a056065206c851.jpg

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Thanks. Looks like this is a plan that comes with the rental/purchase of a cell phone, as opposed to buying one of your own. Is that correct, or am I just confused by the "monthly equipment charge"?

TelCel 199 plan.jpg

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I bought an iPhone 6 and 6s using Ana at the little Telcel office near Bugambilias. She found the phones in Guadalajara at a reasonable price.

I took the phones to the big Telcel office with my old flip phone. They put in a new sim (due to size differences) and set up the same phone number. The only extra charge on the bill is the IVA. 

It took a very long time to fill out all the paperwork but once completed I haven't returned to that office.

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1 hour ago, ComputerGuy said:

Thanks. Looks like this is a plan that comes with the rental/purchase of a cell phone, as opposed to buying one of your own. Is that correct, or am I just confused by the "monthly equipment charge"?

TelCel 199 plan.jpg

Even if you have already your own phone you can still get these plans. The only difference is they won't charge the cargo mensual por equipo.

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Then it makes sense to go with the other plans I listed for more data for the same price. Not even going to ask why they have two sets of plans that are so close yet so far from each other. Pity the poor staff.

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Unless you do a lot of streaming, a gig of cell data goes a long way. Lots of places have wifi connections that saves cell data. 

When I was in Dallas last year for a couple of months I never got close to using even 50% of my 1.5gb data. In Mexico the usage is typically under 10%.

One other thing that eats cell data is leaving the option on to send all photos you take to the cloud. Friends have really been burned with that one. It's a simple process to transfer photos via USB cable or limit cloud transfer to periods when you have a wifi connection.

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Good point: many people are unaware of how their phones can eat data, and spend a lot of time sending and receiving photos and videos that chew up all those MBytes, especially iPhones that are sort of automatically connected to the cloud.

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Paquete Amigo Sin Limites- 100 pesos for 23 days, unlimited calling and texting to anywhere in US, Canada, or Mexico, plus 300 MB navegar + 1000 MB WhatsApp.

Pay as you go, don't need to go to a Telcel office, any OXO will do.

After you put the time on your number (no need to give OXO or wherever any info, just give them the 100 pesos and your #.) you will get about 6 messages from Telcel, all of which you can ignore. Then, BEFORE making any calls or texts, send a message to 5050 saying SL100. You'll then get another flurry of messages from Telcel, all of which you can also ignore and delete, except I save the one that actually says "Se activo Paq Amigo, just so I can remember when my 23 days is almost up.

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As the OP I appreciate all the suggestions however it is still very confusing. As I mentioned the phone will only be used for emergencies while driving and some limited usage for the Whats App function that is not available on my desktop. I was looking for a plan the I could get only this capacity and maybe pay a year in advance and forget about it. I do not need unlimited this or that, free calls to the U.S., internet, etc. From all the suggestions the Amigo Card seems to offer the lowest cost for my needs. Any comments or further suggestions? Gracias

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Start with the cheapest. Go to an Oxxo, tell them$100 pesos, Telcel, show them the phone number and hand them the money. They always collect before adding credit. It will be good for 60 days. If you run out before the 60 days, repeat.

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Next step is to add a contact. Tap the phone icon on the bottom row of your home screen. Tap the three vertical dots at upper right and tap. New contract. Name it balance and the phone number *133# and you are done. Your BLU phone will create a circle icon with B inside it. To check your credit balance touch the icon, touch call and you will get your balance and end day for that balance. It will ask if you want to continue, just tap cancel. Hope you like your BLU phone as much as we do ours.

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I also created a contact that I named this phone with my BLU number and I just tap it when I go to OXXO so the clerk can easily enter the number correctly. OXXO will give you a receipt and Telcel will send a text confirming.

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23 hours ago, pappysmarket said:

Start with the cheapest. Go to an Oxxo, tell them$100 pesos, Telcel, show them the phone number and hand them the money. They always collect before adding credit. It will be good for 60 days. If you run out before the 60 days, repeat.

 

I am not sure but I think this is no longer available. We pay 150 p for 28 days. My husband wanted something just for emergencies but could not get anything less.

 

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On 3/24/2017 at 9:28 PM, mudgirl said:

Paquete Amigo Sin Limites- 100 pesos for 23 days, unlimited calling and texting to anywhere in US, Canada, or Mexico, plus 300 MB navegar + 1000 MB WhatsApp.

I am also a minimal cel user like the OP and I don't even need whatsapp.  Usually I pay $50 per month for the most basic cel service,, but while traveling recently I bumped up to the above plan temporarily.  When I got back and needed to call a taxi here I couldn't get through and got a very fast message that flashed something about call forwarding, but it was too fast to read it.  So, I am still on that 23 days but I couldn't use my phone.  WTF???

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21 minutes ago, gogirl said:

I am not sure but I think this is no longer available. We pay 150 p for 28 days. My husband wanted something just for emergencies but could not get anything less.

 

Yes my wife and I use it and just topped up a couple of weeks ago. It's the Amigo plan and you don't get it at a Telcel store.

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I just loaded a $100mx card on Thursday, card purchased at the Telcel store window where you pay. I always buy a few to keep and set a reminder on my phone when 59 days are up to scratch and enter the new code at *333 press 1; the $100p cards are good for 60 days and you get $150 credit.

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3 hours ago, ezpz said:
On 3/24/2017 at 9:28 PM, mudgirl said:

Paquete Amigo Sin Limites- 100 pesos for 23 days, unlimited calling and texting to anywhere in US, Canada, or Mexico, plus 300 MB navegar + 1000 MB WhatsApp.

I am also a minimal cel user like the OP and I don't even need whatsapp.  Usually I pay $50 per month for the most basic cel service,, but while traveling recently I bumped up to the above plan temporarily.  When I got back and needed to call a taxi here I couldn't get through and got a very fast message that flashed something about call forwarding, but it was too fast to read it.  So, I am still on that 23 days but I couldn't use my phone.  WTF???

Not sure what you mean about a very fast message re call forwarding. It might just be that the number you were trying to call was busy. Did you try that or any other number after that that worked? I have never had any problem with the SL100 plan.

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