Need cheap international prepaid phone

[Jephph]

Hey hey. My sister is travelling to Costa Rica (from NY) and she needs a cheap prepaid cell phone that she can call home with. What would you recommend?

 

[Cares]

You can search Amazon. They have an unlocked cell phones section. You can narrow down to your price range and whatever you want.

Maybe something like this? $30.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-E1086-...dp/B00495YFG2/

 

[Jephph]

All right, thank you for the response. Now, set me straight here: does unlocked mean that you can use it on any carrier, or does unlocked mean you can use it anywhere in the world? I've never had anything but a tracfone.

 

[sygyzy]

Unlocked means you can use it on any carrier. To find out if you can use it in a particular country, you need to see what frequency they use and get a matching phone.

 

[Jephph]

Ok, so I found this one on Amazon that works at GSM 1800MHz (which is what google told me Costa Rica uses). http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-E1080-...5790031&sr=1-3

So that one should work for her right? It says not for use in the US, but she can still call to the US correct? Also, will she have to buy a sim card when she gets to Costa Rica?

And one more question. She leaves this Sunday, so buying it online isn't ideal. I tried to find an unlocked 1800MHz phone on walmart and bestbuy, but didn't have any luck. Does anyone know if I can find a phone that will work from a major retailer?

Thank you.

 

[kaerflog]

Heres what you do.
Look in craiglist for "unlocked phone"
You can probably fine one for <$50.
Pretty much anything you find on there will be quad-band.
Quad-band will guaranty that it will work in any country that uses GSM.
What your sister need to do once she gets an unlocked phone is to buy a local sim card in Costa Rica. Its the cheapest way.

Where are you located ??

 

[Jephph]

Upstate NY
Does Best Buy not have quad-band phones?

 

[kaerflog]

Upstate NY
Does Best Buy not have quad-band phones?

All the phones now are quad-band but they are all locked.
Best Buy don't sell cheap unlocked phones.
Specifically where in NY ?? I'll take a quick look in CL for you.

 

[Jephph]

Oh, thank you. I live in the Watertown/Syracuse area.

 

[kaerflog]

Theres nothing under $100 on CL in your area.
I live in Orlando and there are plenty here.
Mail order is out of the question.
Your best bet now is to go to a local shop that sells used phone and such and ask for a cheap unlocked phone.
They should be able to get you one cheap and you know it will be unlocked.
Asked for quad-band.
Something like these local shops. Call and ask.
http://www.cellphonestoresyracuse.com/
http://www.kleenwireless.net/
http://www.mycellphonesforless.com/

 

[Jephph]

All righty. Thank you for your assistance.

 

[ImDonly1]

Don't know where in NY you are but this places is in NYC and sells unlocked phones. Lots of people bought high-end Galaxy S2 phones from here so I imagine they are legit. Click NYC store at the top for address.

http://www.mobilecityonline.com/wireless/store/gsm_unlocked_phones.asp?manufactureID=0

Edit: Just saw, you are like 3 hours away from that, nevermind.

 

[Jephph]

Oh, one more question. When she gets the phone, can she just get a prepaid card here in NY, or should she get one when she gets to Costa Rica?

 

[kaerflog]

The whole point of having an unlocked phone traveling internationally is to buy a a sim card in whatever country you are at because its much much cheaper.

 

[Jephph]

Hold the phone. (<----ed. Haha, pun) I'm uninformed when it comes to cell phones. A sim card just identifies your cell on a network right? Won't she have to buy a prepaid card to add minutes to the phone?

 

[pm]

A SIM card is a little chip that's like 1"x0.5" that tells the phone what network it's supposed to be and what what it's phone number is.

So there's two ways to do this: you can have a US GSM phone that works on Costa Rica's 1800MHz frequency and then you can "roam internationally" on it. Calls are expensive, but people in the US can just call you on your US phone number and it will magically ring down there... and you will pay ~$4/min ($2/min if you sign up for an international plan). Calling cards do not work. And data is ludicrously expensive, so be very very careful to make sure you don't use data while you are there or you can come back to a $400+ phone bill. To do this, you do not need an unlocked phone. You just need a GSM compatible cell phone and to tell your carrier what you want to do. Even CDMA carriers like Sprint can get you a SIM to use in a GSM phone down there - just talk to them ahead of time. Usually you will need to call a CSR and then talk to a specialist. For AT&T and T-Mobile, just have a compatible phone and call them and enable international roaming.

Alternatively you can get an unlocked GSM phone that works on Costa Rica's frequency in the US, go down there and buy a SIM. This is not totally trivial in Costa Rica because there's only one major carrier and there's some bureaucracy to deal with. When you are done you will have a Costa Rica phone number and you can use data down there without spending lots of money.

 

[kaerflog]

Yeah certain countries are alot harder to get a local SIM than others.
I've only been to mostly SE Asia and they are very easy.
You can walk to any small vendor out on the street and they will sell you a SIM card with a local number and minutes on there already.
I've never been to Costa Rica.

 

[Jephph]

Can she just buy a cell phone in Costa Rica?

 

[Jephph]

BUMP

 

[sygyzy]

Yes she can and should buy a prepaid sim card in Costa Rica and put it in her phone which she bought in the US and brought with her. However, she has unusual needs. Most people care about calling within the city or country they are visiting, not back home. It's going to cost her an arm and a leg to call internationally. Is she checking in with your parents? Can she just use Skype when she's in an internet cafe?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

[pm]

We are headed to Costa Rica in 6 weeks, and I'm planning on bringing a Galaxy Nexus and buying a 3G SIM at the ICE booth next to baggage claim in San Jose airport in Costa Rica:
http://ticotimes.com/costa-rica/cell-phone-service-sim

A friend of mine who just got back verified the booth is as described in the link above and 3G service isn't great across the country but it works in most small towns and larger cities.

I'm going to buy a 3G data plan - which looks like it's ~$20 for 15 days for "my" phone which will be the GPS and general navigation and email device..
And then for my wife, I'll get a $5 SIM for calls so that we can call each other.

For calls back to the US, our hotel has WiFi so I'll make Skype calls on the phone back over the WiFi network.

 

[Jephph]

sygyzy, Yes, she plans on checking in with parents, boyfriend, friends, etc. I told her about a place nearby here in NY that sells unlocked quad-band phones, but I'm not sure if she bought one. I think she may be planning on buying the phone and the sim in Costa Rica. Can she get a cheap unlocked phone in Costa Rica, or should I tell her to make sure she gets one before she goes? If she gets one in Costa Rica, will it have to be quad-band so that she can call the US?

 

[pm]

Can she get a cheap unlocked phone in Costa Rica, or should I tell her to make sure she gets one before she goes? If she gets one in Costa Rica, will it have to be quad-band so that she can call the US?

Yes, she can get one in Costa Rica - either from a rental car company (expensive), hotel (more expensive) or on the street (much cheaper). And, no it doesn't need to be quad-band to call home. Just 1700MHz to support the system down there.