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Telcel "Checking your Balance"


pappysmarket

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OK, I know I dial *133# and my balance shows up on my phone. What I don't understand is how to interpret it. It shows, and has shown for a couple of days

"Saldos: Amigo $933.47 al 23/01/15

Regalo $143.63 until same date

0 SMS texts

Innternet 0 MB

Sorpresa $0

I text and check my email while not on Wi Fi several times a day so how does that work with with 0 balances for both?

When I recharge I just have OXXO add $200 pesos.

TIA

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Yes, thank you, I figured that part out. I'm trying to understand how I am able to text and use e-mail when it says my balance for those are zero. Are they just pulling the data charges out of my "talk balance"?

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I finally had someone explain this to me in language even I could understand.

You buy a $200.00 peso card. You get $200.00 pesos + a "regalo" of anywhere from $50.00 to $100.00 pesos. Now, I always thought that meant that I had $300.00 (m/l) total pesos to be used. Not so. The regalo pesos can ONLY be used to call another TelCel customer. Right now I have over $400.00 in regalo minutes and I can't call my home land line until I buy more amigo time. It's a pain.

So, from now on, I will simply buy $100.00 cards and forget trying to get the "extra" time......because it isn't such a good deal.

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It is not that "Regalo" is only used to call Telcel customers. The problem is a recharge lasts a certain number of days and then you are unable to call any phone until you recharge again. Your saldo shows up at that point, whatever pesos you did not use but your cell is cut off until another recharge. OXXO and other places can recharge any amount, even $20.00 pesos which lasts for 10 days no matter how much your saldo/balance is. $50.00 pesos lasts 30 days before your cell goes dead but at that point when checking your saldo it might be $500.00 pesos but you need to add another $50.00 pesos to get the cell to actívate and your saldo will be $550.00 pesos good for another 30 days etc.

You can transfer some of your saldo to another Telcel number.

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How long does 100 pesos last?

Thanks Alan for the most clear explanation of how this works.

I don´t remember because when I used to recharge my phone with more than $50.00 pesos for 30 days on the Telcel pay as you go plan I never thought to look at the expiration date. I do remember when I bought $500.00 peso cards and got a $100.OO peso or more "regalo" they would cut off my Mexicali cell phone if I was in SLP for 3 months. When I returned to Mexicali I would recharge it at OXXO for $50.00 pesos for 30 days and get my $300.00 or so peso saldo back.

My reserve saldo is over $600.00 pesos now and message I get the date they say I have to recharge my cell before this expires is Dec 2015 when it is disactivated. If I recharge it then this message goes away, I only see that date when it is disactivated after 30 days, and a new date appears with over $600.00 + $50.00 pesos 30 days from the date I went into OXXO, not Dec. 2015 but after 30 days and when it is deactivated again my $600.00+ reserve saldo will read expires on Jan. 2016. I use less than $50.00 peso per month. My wife has a good plan and we use her phone much more.

The telecommunications reform is to do away with this predatory system and let people use up their saldo without needing a recharge but so far nothing is being done.

It might be a non linear cutoff system, for example:

$500.00 pesos 90 days

$400 pesos 75 days

$300 pesos 60 days

$200 pesos 60 days

$100 peso 45 days

$50 peso 30 days

$20 pesos 10 days

My wife was out and bought me a $50.00 peso recharge at OXXO and I was out and bought a $50.00 rechage before her and they counted the last one as 30 days, not each one seperately to give me 60 days activation. Another dirty trick IMO.

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The new Telecom law says that cell phone credits must last a year. I don't know when that is supposed to go into effect though.

When my cell is in the deactivated mode it does give me the message that my reserve saldo will expire 1 year from the date my phone was deactivated if I don´t recharge it before that date and goes up 30 days every time I add $50.00 pesos to use it for another 30 days. Maybe this is the best we can expect from the telecommunications reforms. I certainly hope not.

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The new Telecom law says that cell phone credits must last a year. I don't know when that is supposed to go into effect though.

Jan. 1, 2015. Still trying to understand how the "data" shows 0 but I'm able to text and send email.

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Perhaps it is because you don't get charged for SMS texts up to a certain number? I'd also like to know what "Surprise" means...

I think it is a system where on the Telcel Amigo, pay as you go, plan you can use a smart phone to access the internet and you are charged pesos that are subtracted from your saldo as text messages are. It appears not to show any of these on the *133# screen.

The Telcel plan my wife has for her smart phone has an application where the different catagories are listed in a chart and the used and unused portions left and the date from and date until they are valid.

Minutes: ....

SMS texts ...

Innternet ... MB etc.

I tried to access her saldo by using *133# and got the message this is an invalid request.

In conclusion I presume *133# is only available for the Telcel Amigo, pay as you go, plan customers and not any Telcel monthly plans that include, talk time, text and internet access limits per month.

I also must presume that internet and talk time is deducted from your saldo as if you called someone at a rate per minute or part of when checking your E-Mail etc. with a smart phone. I know texing is cheaper than talking and also deducted from your saldo and that is why you see so many people texting all the time. When I see them doing it while driving it is upsetting.

I also presume most Amigo plan users know you can add 5 friends [amigos] whose Telcel área code is the same as your phone at a Telcel service center and get a good discount per minute when calling those 5 amigos. I think it is a 50% discount but am not sure anymore.

Also there is a smart phone chat application called Whatsapp that you can install for free that is so easy and fast compared to Telcel texting it is being used here by most smart phone owners we know. It is an instant messaging App that sends and recieves messages form other smart phone users who have the App. It rings when you get a message and you put people in your contacts whom you text and get the message instantly and can reply to them. It also allows photos and attachments you can see. It works with WIFI and 3G and costs less than a Telcel text message and is easier to use. No long distant charges and you can chat with people in other countries that have the App on WIFI for free from anywhere you are.

Also if you have a battery draining issue on your smart phone the Telcel service center told us to turn off WIFI and Bluetooth on your smart phone when not using them as they search for both all the time your phone is activated and is not in the dormant [sleep] mode and drains the battery.

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I finally had someone explain this to me in language even I could understand.

You buy a $200.00 peso card. You get $200.00 pesos + a "regalo" of anywhere from $50.00 to $100.00 pesos. Now, I always thought that meant that I had $300.00 (m/l) total pesos to be used. Not so. The regalo pesos can ONLY be used to call another TelCel customer. Right now I have over $400.00 in regalo minutes and I can't call my home land line until I buy more amigo time. It's a pain.

So, from now on, I will simply buy $100.00 cards and forget trying to get the "extra" time......because it isn't such a good deal.

Gwynne, where do you buy these cards to recharge you TelCel phone? Gracias

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Note that you can purchase as little as 20 pesos, and that will invoke your tiempo de regalo again. And you can recharge at any Oxxo/ 7/11, Soriana, WalMart checkout, and many other smaller stores. No card required: you pay and the minutes appear on your cell phone.

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I believe that when you use *133#, you get charged for that text also.

No, it's not a text and shows up on your smartphone screen like a TV picture.

In Spanish the text I received said you can check your balance "gratis" by calling that number. Now have I ever made certain I wasn't charged for that, the answer is no.

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You can also open an account at mitelcel There you can check your balance, add your 3 free contact numbers and 10 discount, numbers, report a stolen phone, as well as add funds to your account by ccard

https://www.mitelcel.com/mitelcel/login

Do you have a better link? I'm getting "page does not exist" when I click. Anyone else or just my problem?

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No, it's not a text and shows up on your smartphone screen like a TV picture.

I am reading a Tecel message they sent me:

Tu tarifa Amigo [iVA Inc.] es:

Min.[minute not mínimum] local $3.98

Min. Nat [national]$4.98

Num. Frequentes $1.19 [5 amigos you register in your área code with Telcel service]

SMS $0.88 [text messages]

MB $2.00

Mas info: *264 y telcel.com

Ouch!

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You can also open an account at mitelcel There you can check your balance, add your 3 free contact numbers and 10 discount, numbers, report a stolen phone, as well as add funds to your account by ccard

https://www.mitelcel.com/mitelcel/login

When you have an account they give you 3 contacts to call for free with another Telcel number only for 5 minutes each time. If you go to 5 minutes 1 second they charge you the whole 6 minutes.

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I signed up but didn't see how to add free and discount numbers. Can you help?

I just did also and see it is my account info. as an Amigo pay as you go plan. I think only a monthly account holder can get 5 minute calls to 3 people with a Telcel number in your área code and add "Amigos" to 10 not 5 as I have. I can recharge here with a credit/debit card, transfer some of my saldo to another Telcel number, see my account status and chat with techs etc. on this site.

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