Mexican SIM Card

We are starting our journey to Zihua today…..YYJ to YYC…… overnight then fly to ZIH in the morning…… I am looking for recommendations for a supplier/installer of a Mexican SIM card as this trip will be our longest ever at 50 days and do not and will not pay the $550 to use my CDN cell phone. Preferably someone who has recent knowledge of this .Thanks in advance

Depending on your phone, you may be able to buy an e-sim online. I understand that the OXXO stores all carry sims.

Thank you….. I have an iPhone 11 and the Telus rep I spoke to said the E-SIM wouldn’t work on my phone.

I think the representative is wrong. (Unless of course the Canadian model is somehow different. My understanding is the everything from the X series on is e-sim compatible..

It’s easy to find out. Go to settings and open cellular. Scroll down and you should see an option that says, “add e-sim.”

iPhone e-sim compatibility

Not Zihua, but Ixtapa:

Telcel across the street from the Barcelo: sim card 70 pesos, 30 days phone, text, 1.5 gig data, 200 pesos, renewable for 15 days at 100 pesos. This was January of 2022. Shouldn't be much more now.

I am sure someone will tell you how to get this in Zihua.

I believe the phone supports dual sims but the Mexican providers do not. I looked into it earlier this year and figured that you would need to make the Canadian provider the esim and the Mexican provider the physical sim.

Holafly sells an esim that works in Mexico. I saw a page that Telcel has e sims bur only for postpaid, not prepaid plans.

If you're going to Sorianas, you can purchase a TelCel sim card at one of the kiosks and have them activate it right away. The sim card should be <100 MX pesos and you can select the various Amigo plans they have available.

I've been purchasing the 200 peso Amigo plan for a couple of years now (or while I'm in Zihua) on a monthly basis using my home computer -- works out to about CAN$ 13.50 per month with unlimited calls, texts to US, Canada and Mexico. They also include some Data in the package which works great in MX and the USA but not so hot in Canada.

To date TelCel doesn't have E-sims available for Iphones (from what I've been told) but the Canadian model of the Iphone 14 comes with an E-sim capability plus the ability to take a regular sim card - but not so for the US version. You can also renew your TelCel plan while you're in Zihua at a number of TelCel outlets.

Hope this is of some help.

Roberto!

Thank you it a ESIM compatible. Appreciate the help

Thanks Stu

Thanks Roberto, this sounds like a doable solution

Thank you it a ESIM compatible. Appreciate the help

You might want to check out:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209096

The main thing is that your phone has to be unlocked to use the Mexican Sim card most of the new ones are unlocked but older models might not be I had to go to Telus to get mine unlocked after that easy peasy

the Holafly e-sim with unlimited data is $99 (US) for 90 days. Possible downside is that is data only, so you could not make or receive calls, but of course could use WhatsApp do iMessage to make calls.

How do you know if your phone is locked or unlocked?

How do you know if your phone is locked or unlocked?

Hola
If you bought your phone in Canada, it is unlocked. It is illegal to lock phones there. Don't know about the USA

Gracias

Turn on your phone, go to "Settings"
Select "General"
Select "About"
Scroll down to "Carrier Lock"
It should read "no SIM restrictions" for an unlocked phone.
At least that's how it works on my older Iphone.

Roberto!

Turn on your phone, go to "Settings"
Select "General"
Select "About"
Scroll down to "Carrier Lock"
It should read "no SIM restrictions" for an unlocked phone.
At least that's how it works on my older Iphone.

Roberto!

Hola
Your directions don't work on an Android phone

Perhaps that's because hey are instructions for an iPhone which the OP was asking about.

Thank you for the easy to follow instructions

Looks like I can get a Mexican SIM

So the budget will go up for Victoria!

Thanks Roberto

We had SIM cards installed and activated a couple of years ago at the Coppel store down the street from Scotia Bank. There are several plans available for purchase depending on your length of stay. I hear you regarding using a Canadian plan - way over priced.

Hola a todos. I just checked on the Telcel site and you can activate an eSIM on iPhones as long as you have a « plan de renta » (mensual subscription). So what I understand is that you cannot activate an eSIM for the Amigo prepaid plan on an iPhone. I think that you can use a regular physical Telcel SIM card for the prepaid plan. If someone can confirm please do so because I am coming down for one month and plan to use Amigo. Thank you

Thanks for all of the help.
We stopped in at a TelCel store/kiosk/tienda and the fella switched out our SIM cards gave us the originals back and put in the case/envelope the Mexican ones came in.
Took 5 minutes to do 2 phones $230 pesos each phone for a month and 4.5 GB

Can update at an OXXO for next month.

So $16 CDN compared to $300 CDN

Going to stick up on Victoria now with the savings

We are getting ripped off for cell service in Canada, as every Canadian knows.

ET, Llama a casa.

Felicidades!

a lot of people keep the Telcel plan all year because it covers all of North American and you can reload online... When people call you in Canada at home just tell them I call you right back that way they don t get charged calling your Mexican number in Canada

So if I understand correctly. I just reload every month and then I can use the phone/SIM card when in the US as well?

Yes!

Good news. Glad everything worked out for you.

You can use the SIM card in the US, Canada and Mexico. As I mentioned earlier in one of my posts, the Data is good to use in MX and the US but not so great in Canada because (if you read the fine print) your amount of Data is reduced regardless of what Amigo plan you are on. I usually keep my Data turned off and because it is usually only 2 or 3 G's, I don't use it for streaming movies etc. Phoning is not a problem though.

Reloading your SIM card from home is a bit tricky for the first couple of times because the pages need to be translated -- especially for moi because of my limited Spanish. Be sure you're dealing with TelCel directly because there are a couple of sites which will be more costly.

You also have to remember to notify whomever you're calling in advance when using the MX SIM card that the strange number they're about to see on their call display is from you. I usually email them in advance of the call and family and friends get used to seeing it.

Roberto!

Thank you for the advice.

I will definitely use it while travelling in the US as still will be much cheaper than the travel plan with Telus

Not so Grumpy in Zihua

cellular rates are equally as bad in much of the Estados Unidos!

in 2020 I had a TelCel SIM in my phone when I returned to Ottawa and was able to use it to call my neighbour. It was not practicle to keep it for day to day use so I stopped paying on line. I suspect it could not be reactiviated after such a long period....any thoughts?

12 months without money on the phone and the number goes away. Just buy another SIM card.

cellular rates are equally as bad in much of the Estados Unidos!

Depends the company you buy from. T-Mobile is $40/mo. unlimited everything in the US and MX. No annual contract. Unlocked phones - not that it matters because it includes MX in the plan. We used it for years before moving here. Of course TelCel is cheaper but who wants to jump through all the hoops just to make a phone call when you're outside of MX?

Ok thanks I thought that may be the case. There were no hoops to make a phone call here in Ottawa just the area code and number just like any other phone.

12 months without money on the phone and the number goes away. Just buy another SIM card.

it that for sure true?
I hope so.
I let my number go dormant when I left in June and would love to reactivate it.
It was easy to remember and would help me avoid having to make changes where that number is an identifier.

12 months without money on the phone and the number goes away. Just buy another SIM card.

it that for sure true?
I hope so.
I let my number go dormant when I left in June and would love to reactivate it.
It was easy to remember and would help me avoid having to make changes where that number is an identifier.

For what it is worth, a local in Tijuana told me that the number is deactivated after 2 months.

We use the Telcel SIM card and an app called Talkatone it is a free (or paid) VOIP app that works great with Telcel data
it gives you a CND or US phone number to call or text with and you can forward your regular cell phone number to your Talkatone number it will work anywhere you have data or wifi.

We use the Telcel SIM card and an app called Talkatone it is a free (or paid) VOIP app that works great with Telcel data
it gives you a CND or US phone number to call or text with and you can forward your regular cell phone number to your Talkatone number it will work anywhere you have data or wifi.

Cool! Google Voice is very similar. You get a Canadian or US phone number and can make free calls using WiFi to the US and Canada. There are per minute charges for calls to other countries based on the country. It sounds as if Talkatone is similar, yes? Let's see ... hmmm, there is no mention of other countries and the website says that most Canada and US calls are free while others are "low cost." Bit sketchy.

Google voice is not available in Canada you have to have an existing US number to sign up

The Rates for other countries are posted in the app, All regular Canadian & US numbers are free to call except for toll numbers. You have to purchase credits in advance for international calls, there is no chance of getting an unexpected bill.

I have not used GV with Telcel data but have used Talkatone and can say first hand that it works great, I am sure GV would also work

I do also use Talkatone and used it today to call a toll free number in the US.

The reason I wanted to try the SIM card was so I could use my phone while here and out and about for directions and looking up restaurants etc. while not on wifi at the condo.

The combination of the two has me pretty well covered I think

That is exactly what we do as well

This is a cheat sheet for calling with your Telcel service

2. How do I send a text message (SMS) to the US or Canada?

You must either send it with +1-xxx-xxx-xxxx or with 001-xxx-xxx-xxxx

3. How can I receive a text message (SMS) from outside of Mexico?

The sender must send it as +521-xxx-xxx-xxxx or as +011-52-1-xxx-xxx-xxxx

Calling rules to, from and within Mexico can be tricky, here’s a simple guide.

CALL MEXICO FROM THE US & CANADA

To call a landline, dial 011-52-(10 digits phone number)To call a cellular, dial 011-52-1-(10 digits cellphone number)

Area codes are two or three digits.

CALLING IN MEXICO

To call a Mexican cellphone from a Mexican cellphone: 10 digits cellphone number

CALL US & CANADA FROM MEXICO

Dial (001)-(Area Code)-(7 digits number)

CALL A 1-800 NUMBER FROM MEXICO

For a 1-800 number, dial 001-880-(7 digits number)For a 1-888 number, dial 001-881-(7 digits number)For a 1-877 number, dial 001-882-(7 digits number)For a 1-866 number, dial 001-883-(7 digits number)For a 1-855 number, dial 001-884-(7 digits number)

TO SEND TEXT MESSAGES (SMS) FROM MEXICO

To Mexico: You send the text message (SMS) to the 10 digits cellphone numberTo US/Canada: You must add 001 before the 10 digits cellphone number or +1 before the 10 digits cellphone number

TO SEND TEXT MESSAGES (SMS) FROM US & CANADA TO MEXICO

You send the text message (SMS) to +52-1-(10 digits cellphone number)

Call landline phones in Mexico: Dial 045 first, then enter the phone number.

Call US numbers: Dial +1(area code) OR 001(area code) first, then enter the phone number.

To receive calls to your Telcel number from the US, tell your friends and family: Dial +52 (1) (your Telcel number) OR 011-52 (1) (your Telcel number)

Check your balance by text: Dial *133#, then press send. You’ll receive a response text.

Check your balance by voice: Dial *333, then press send and listen.

*133# press send to check balance by text.