Movistar
This is a post about my experience using an iPhone in Mexico this fall. This is the second year I have used my unlocked iPhone in Mexico. I have a
Movistar SIM card which allows me to use Movistar as my prepaid carrier in Mexico, so no contract necessary with Movistar.
The process is pretty easy once your iPhone has been unlocked. If you don’t have a Movistar SIM card this will cost you about $15, and can be reuse for future trips to Latin America (but not Costa Rica yet). I recommend going to a larger Movistar store, with alot of employees and hopefully where someone speaks English. The smaller Movistar stores or kiosks are usually manned by employees that may not understand iPhones, or not have SIM cards in stock and maybe only capable of selling additional Movistar minutes. If your Spanish is weak or you are using Movistar for the first time, make sure you complete the entire process in the store. Have the Movistar employee activate the SIM card, add minutes to your phone, and make a test call from the store.
There are only two major carriers in Mexico: Telcel and Movistar. Telcel is more expensive (AT&T of Mexico) and Movistar (TMobile of Mexico). Movistar is a Spanish company and they sell cell coverage all through Central and South America, as well as Spain. I never had any coverage problems in Baja or on the Mexican mainland.
So when I arrived in San Jose del Cabo (Baja), I immediately removed my TMobile SIM card to avoid any potential international roaming charges. I purchased 200 pesos ($15 USD) worth of Movistar prepaid minutes. That week Movistar was offering double minutes, so I immediately received 400 pesos of Movistar minutes. After 6 weeks in Mexico, calling and texting the USA most of the time, I still have 256 pesos worth of time and I probably will not be able to burn all my remaining minutes. I did not pay for the data option with my prepaid plan, but data can be added on later and works like other “metered” data plans.
If you need to “up” your Movistar prepaid minutes, this is very easy too. Every small town has a Movistar kiosk and most grocery stores or “Super Minis” also sell the Prepaid Movistar cards in increments of 100, 200, 300, or 500 minutes. Just rub-off the number on the back of your prepaid card and follow the dailing instructions to call-in your newly purchased minutes. You will also receive a text message from Movistar confirming your new balance. To get your current Movistar balance just dial: *133#.
Movistar is a great deal and I will definitely use this carrier again when in Mexico.
