I recharged our Mexico cellular account yesterday. I had let it expire at the end of April because I knew that we didn't need it while we were here at the park. But we'll be hitting the road tomorrow and so I wanted to make sure I was going to be able to recharge it online from here.
It turns out that it was fairly easy to do, but there are a lot of options and some are fairly expensive if you're not careful!
Cellular internet in Canada is expensive. And, they make it tough to find the best deal. You could spend a day searching the various providers. Plus, plans and pricing changes all the time.
Because we own our device and we travel a lot internationally, it doesn't make sense for us to have an expensive monthly plan. So when we are in a different country, we simply find the best deal that we can, and buy a new SIM card from that provider. Here's a great website that keeps track of the best prepaid options for different countries...
http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.com/wiki/Prepaid_SIM_with_data
In fact, the above website states...
Because of the high rates in Canada, SIM cards and plans on roaming from other countries can offer more choices. They are especially appealing when you travel north from the US or Mexico having bought a SIM plan for the previous country already.
Well, there are some countries where the providers are finally arranging good roaming deals for their clients.
Telcel in Mexico is one, although I know that when we were in Romania they did as well.
The Telcel package I had included 4 GB of data, unlimited calling to USA, Canada, or Mexico, unlimited text messages, and unlimited Facebook that doesn't use any of your data allowance.
For 500 pesos ($33 CAD, $26 USD).
This plan also has unlimited free roaming across North America. The only thing is that it's supposed to be temporary, but I've read where people use it outside of Mexico for months at a time without an issue.
But the problem is that you can't renew online using a Canadian credit card. One of our readers told us about some 3rd party websites that you can use that will recharge your account for you. So I did some searching, and there are actually a lot that advertise this worldwide service now. But the fees for using this service vary widely.
One of them wanted $50 USD to do that 500 peso package. A rip off, yet they obviously get people sucked into paying. I shopped around and finally found one that did it for $39 CAD ($31 USD).
The one I used is at www.keepcalling.com
So, I paid $39 CAD for a prepaid package that would cost $77 CAD from Sasktel here in Saskatchewan. Quite a difference!
After I paid, I instantly received an email from them saying that I had to make a one time phone call to them to confirm my new account. I spoke to a nice lady who processed my payment and said that I would immediately receive a text message from Telcel confirming that a "gift" had come through with a new 500 peso "paquete" (package).
And while I was talking to her, it did!
So, it looks like we should be able to use our Telcel SIM card up here in Canada for the summer. That will make our communications with you much cheaper than if we had to buy from one of the Canadian providers. We even used it yesterday to call my mom for mother's day. Worked perfectly, but I had to dial as if I was still in Mexico. No problem.
Last day of work... better get at it!
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So did you pay $39 CAD plus the 500 peso equivalent and do you have to do it every month? I used to have a mexican sim card. I wonder if I can get one online or maybe I should ask a friend to buy one and bring it up with her in June. Problem is - I still need my Telus phone number active for my online business.
ReplyDeleteNo, sorry I didn't make that more clear. I paid a grand total of $39 CAD.
DeleteAnd I will have to do that every 30 days or as I use up the 4 GB of data.
DeleteOk thanks for clarifying. I am interested in seeing how it goes with the antenna.
DeleteWow, good deal! Enjoy your last day of work!
ReplyDeleteWe think it is a great deal compared to other prepaid plans in Canada.
DeleteIt was a good last day and now we are excited to get back on the road again. :-)
That's a great deal! Can't wait to see you on your Northern Canadian Adventure!
ReplyDeleteWe are happy that our Telcel card is still working here in Canada and that we have now found a way to recharge it at a reasonable price.
DeleteWe are so looking forward to our next adventure, it's going to be a good one! :-)
Hi. Silly question but..i buy in mexico 8 months of credit with telcel and go to Canada. I know what my plan will cover but for my friends..work to call me...would they in Canada have to pay extras or have north america coverage as so they don't get a huge charge? Thanks
DeleteYes, your friends, work etc. would have to pay long distance charges unless their plans include Mexico as part of North America. What we did when we were there was have them send us an email, or message us and then we would phone them.
DeleteSo for years I have taken my Mexican SIM/cell to Canada with a Sin Limite pkg and it's worked flawlessly, until today- it just stopped working. The data still works, but not incoming or outgoing calls. It doesn't connect or tell you anything, just a loud, flat "bing" sound, and incoming goes to voicemail. So sad!
DeleteI made the switch from Movistar to Telcel this year. I'm very happy with the service. We still maintain two sticks, one Movi and the other Telcel for internet use on the road. We always have coverage.
ReplyDeleteWe have always been so happy with our Telcel card there. It has always had great coverage at a reasonable price. It never hurts to have two different ones though especially at Mexican prices!
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ReplyDeleteFor straight mobile internet while in Canada i like the Bell Mobile Internet Plus Plan . We use a Mifi and the Plus plan flexes between five and fifty GB ( $60 up to $150 ). When we go south we switch to the regular Mobile Flex Plan for $10 a month to keep our account active although i could just close it and reopen it in the spring as we own our own MIFI.
Yep, for Canada, that's not a bad deal. Except then I would have to buy a device as well. Not sure how much it's going to get used up north anyhow, depends on the coverage.
DeleteLast day of work for awhile that sounds nice. Looking forward to your next big adventure! Glad you found good phone coverage.
ReplyDeleteYep, it was a quick season this year! :-)
DeleteWe are looking forward to this new adventure too.
We use our Canadian Visa to recharge our Telcel account using this portal.
ReplyDelete(https://www.mitelcel.com/mitelcel/login;jsessionid=7C0670D5DD66A1BACF30661A013A49A7.mt-as1-site-1)
Kevin has tried that one before and it has worked once or twice but hasn't been consistent. In fact the last few winters he hasn't been able to use our Canadian credit card on it at all. He always tries first before using any other method.
DeleteI recharge my and my wife's and my friends Mexican Telcel Amigos Sin Limite 200 plans from Canada with my Canadian credit card every month
ReplyDeleteMy Rogers bank card didn't work so I tried my Canadian Tire Triangle card and it works fine. The payment page asks for a Mexican postal code, I used the one from our condo in Mexico .
The 200 peso plan gives you 30 days of calling to, from, or within Mexico, the US, or Canada. No roaming charge and 3gb of data.
Glad that you found a good way of recharging it. We loved using our Telcel SIM card in Canada, it was so much cheaper that the Canadian options but we also found that the Telcel plan would only work for so long when it was used outside of Mexico and then it would cut off. Not sure it that has changed or not since we did this back in 2018.
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