Cell Phone Rental In Mexico
Guest Author - Niki Spence

Cell phone rental in Mexico is really quite simple if you know the basics. Having a rental cell phone can be a tremendous time saver and can alleviate a lot of stress if you are away from a landline. If you are using your cell phone that is still on a North American service, it will work fine; however, your next invoice is going to be rather haunting, so beware! Check out some of the options and you may find a more cost-effective approach to staying connected.


Cell Phone Rental

One option is to rent a cell phone when you get to Mexico. Cell phone rental in Mexico is very easy. Many of the good hotels now have mobile phone rental agency booths available for the guests.

The cell phone rental agency will request proper identification and take an imprint of your credit card, as collateral for the phone.

A modest daily charge is withdrawn from your credit card. Check to make sure whether this includes insurance. After that, the only other charges will be the airtime you use. The charges will vary, depending on where you are calling and what time of the day it is, so be aware of the different rates. Roaming outside of the region you signed up in, or making international calls, will cost significantly more.


Prepaid Cell Phone Service

An alternative to cell phone rental is purchasing a prepaid cell phone. A prepaid cell phone service is one where you pay in advance for the calls that you make. This is very different from what most North Americans are used to from their local cellular companies. Many cell phone companies in the USA and Canada heavily market their service by enticing you with cut-rate or free cell phones, in exchange for a long-term contract that over time costs much more than pre-paying for your service.

#1: You Will Need A Cell Phone

If you have an old cell phone hiding in the back of your junk drawer, you are in luck. Almost all North American cell phones will work in Mexico. If you do not have one, ask a friend if they have an extra one. I’ve even seen cell phones on Ebay for a PENNY!

Once you get a phone, charge the battery for a day, then take it off the charger and leave it turned on for a day. This will test the battery to make sure it is still healthy. Taking a common model phone, such as Ericsson or Motorola, will help because it is likely that the technicians in the Mexican city you are visiting will be familiar with reprogramming them, in case you do not have the manual.

You can also take your current cell phone to Mexico and have it reprogrammed there. Make sure to record your current system ID number and the cell phone number somewhere safe because these items will be changed once you bring the phone down south.

Once you are down there, if you spontaneously decide that you would like to have a phone, you can buy a brand new cell phone for about 800 pesos (about $90 US) which will include 200 pesos worth of airtime. You may want to find out if the phone is “locked” – in other words, it can only be used in Mexico.

#2: Shop Around

Once you arrive in Mexico, visit some of the cell phone shops or kiosks and ask questions! Each vendor is going to offer a different package. You will want to ask about:


* Activation costs
* Initial airtime
* Cost per minute for local calls
* Cost per minute for international calls
* Cities covered



If you want to use the phone for emergency purposes only, then you will want the lowest initial cost. Or, if you anticipate that this is going to be a major form of communication for you, then you will want to find a service that offers the best cost per minute for local and international calls.

Cell phone rental in Mexico has many options, provided you know what you want. There are some companies that offer an activation fee for about 40 pesos and initial airtime credit for about 100 pesos, totaling 140 pesos, or around $15 US. Others waive the activation fee if you buy larger packages of prepaid minutes.

#3: What To Expect Next

It could take 24 to 48 hours before your cell phone is up and running, and sometimes longer if a weekend falls within that time. You could leave the phone with the company activating it, and tell them that you will pick it up, and pay for it, when it is activated – this will keep them motivated to provide the service as quickly as possible.

You may wish to pay cash for this item so that there are no opportunities for unauthorized charges showing up on your credit card statement.


Making Calls From Your New Cell Phone

The way you will make a call from your new cell phone in Mexico is quite different from what we are used to in USA or Canada. You will be assigned a ten-digit number, similar to what we expect here in North America. But, making outgoing calls is very different:


* For Local Calls: dial the local seven- or eight-digit number (example: 555-1234 or 8282-4949 (some cities in Mexico, such as Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, have eight numbers.)

* For National Calls: dial the long distance code, area code, and local number (example: 01-986-555-1234)

* For International Calls: dial the international code, area code, and local number (example: 001-416-828-4949)

* For Calls To A Cell Phone: dial 044 in front of the number. When giving your number, add the 044 in front of it – callers will have to dial this in order to connect (example: 044-986-555-1234). In Mexico, the calling party pays for the airtime when dialing a cell phone number. Dialing 044 first is acknowledgment by the dialer that they are paying for the airtime.



Miscellaneous Topics of Concern

Each person is going to have different needs, so it is critical to ask the right questions so as to get the package that is right for you.


* Are you planning on making mostly international calls back home? Then find the right package that offers the best rates to USA or Canada.

* If you want to have voice mail, be sure to understand the charges. You may find that some companies charge you for incoming voice mails at the same rate as if you had answered the call, while others may charge you for simply picking up your voice mail.

* If you plan on traveling throughout Mexico, ask for a coverage map. Also, you may want to ensure that you have an adequate credit balance of minutes, in case is is difficult to add credit to your account in more remote parts of Mexico.

* If your Spanish is at a beginner’s level, you may want to find out whether there is an option to receive your credit balance in English.



As you can see, cell phone rental in Mexico or actually purchasing a cell phone in Mexico is a relatively straightforward task and it is worth knowing that you have your modern conveniences readily available to you. Good luck!