Phones
INTERNET CAFES are ubiquitous in Mexico. Getting online or accessing a hot spot is possible even in small villages.
REGULAR MAIL SERVICE is slow and can be unreliable. Most expats use a service like "Mailboxes, Etc.," which collect your mail in the US and deliver it to an office in Puerto Vallarta.
Phone service in Mexico is expensive by US standards. Review the following options before you go. A little advanced planning can save you expense and hassle. If you are comfortable with text messaging, you can save even more.
Calling Codes
US Cell Phones
Hotel Phones
Calling Cards
Mexican Call Phones
Internet Calling (VoIP)
Other Related Pages:
Banking
Medical
Calling Codes
Mexican numbers are the same as in the US and Canada: (AAA) PPP-PPPP, where (AAA) represents the area code and PPP-PPPP represents the local phone number. Phone number displays divide the digits in various random patterns because, until recently, most phone calls only required five digits.
NOTE: An exception is that some city area codes only have two digits, for example, “55” for Mexico City and “33” for Guadalajara. In these cases, the phone numbers have eight digits: (AA) PPPP-PPPP.
International Calls
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From the US or Canada, dial 011-52 followed by the ten-digit phone number (AAA) PPP-PPPP to reach Mexican landlines. Dial 011-521 to reach Mexican cell phones.
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To reach a US or Canadian phone from Mexico, dial 011 (no other country code is necessary) followed by the ten-digit number (AAA) PPP-PPPP.
Calls from Mexican Landlines
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For local calls from Mexican landlines, do not dial the area code. Simply call the seven digit local number PPP-PPPP.
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For long-distance calls from Mexican landlines (including toll-free (800) numbers), dial 01 followed by the ten-digit Mexican phone number (AAA) PPP-PPPP.
- To reach a local Mexican cell phone from a Mexican landline, dial 044
followed by the ten-digit Mexican phone number (AAA) PPP-PPPP. To reach
a long-distance Mexican cell phone from a Mexican landline, dial 045.
Calls from Mexican Cell Phones
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To call any other Mexican phone from a Mexican cell phone, simply dial all ten digits.
US Cell Phones
US cell phones generally work only in major metropolitan areas. Check with your cell phone provider for rates and coverage areas. Roaming rates are around USD $1.50 per minute. When you get a signal, all the messages you have not yet received will download and you will be charged a one minute roaming fee for each of them. This can be expensive if you get a lot of phone messages.
Some providers do offer Mexican SIM cards. Replacing the SIM chip in your US cell phone with one of these converts it into a Mexican cell phone (with a Mexican phone number). CellularAbroad.com offers these for USD $39.
T-Mobile now has a plan that costs USD $4.99 per month and allows calls from US T-Mobile cell phones to Mexico for 7¢ per minute for landlines and 26¢ for mobile phones. This is an option if you have someone in the US who needs to be in frequent communication with you while you are in Mexico. This compares to 39¢ per minute without this plan.
Hotel Phones
Check for rates first, as long distance calls dialed direct from your hotel can be very expensive (like in most parts of the world). Your best bet for using landlines is to use a calling card with 800 number access. You may be charged a connection fee of USD $1 or so, even for free calls.
Calling Cards
You can purchase discount long distance cards at most retail outlets (avoid Telmex cards). This will get you much better rates on long distance calls from any landline, including pay phones. Ask for a Tarjeta para llamadas de larga distancia de descuento. Cards can be recharged over the internet.
Only purchase cards that have the sealed wrapper and scratch-off panel (this covers your calling code) intact. Save by using the local access code on the back if you are in one of the big cities, otherwise use the (800) number. You will be able to choose English instructions.
Mexican Cell Phones
For local calls, you can purchase a Mexican cell phone at Telcel stores for about $40 (which includes a limited number of minutes). Telcel, the national phone provider, has offices throughout Mexico, including in Bucerías, which is on the way to San Pancho from the Puerto Vallarta airport. This works well, since you get a local number which is less expensive for local calls (see
Maps & Directions).
Although there are monthly plans available in Mexico, they are expensive and require multiple-month contracts. Prepaid service is more common, where you prepay for calling credits. The expiration date of the credits is two months. If you buy a card and add time it extends the expiration date.
You can buy cards that give you more airtime in most retail stores and at Telcel locations. To add minutes to your phone:
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Scratch off the card surface to reveal the secret code
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Dial *333 on your cell phone to access your account
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Push 2 to add airtime, then punch in the secret code
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Dial *333 and then push 1 to get your saldo (account balance in Spanish)
Telcel is a monopoly, and the Mexican cell phone system is still under development. As a result, costs are high by US standards. Mobile phone calls within Mexico are USD $0.37 incoming and $0.60 outgoing. Calls to the US are USD $1.22 incoming and $1.31 outgoing. This is nonetheless a considerable savings over the rates charged by many hotels. You can save further by using text messaging.
VoIP (VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL)
VoIP is a great inexpensive internet phone service alternative (Mexico to US calls are as little as 2¢ per minute). Do not be intimidated if you are unfamiliar with VoIP services, like Skype (owned by eBay, it is the biggest and best known). They are relatively simple to set up, and are user-friendly with many helpful features, like automatically figuring out country codes for you. You can log in and use your VoIP service from any computer.
To use VoIP, you will need to buy a VoIP phone or laptop headset (a combination of earphones and microphone) in the US before you go to Mexico. Some laptops already have these built in. Radio Shack is a good place to get advice on your choices. You can also shop online, including through one of the VoIP providers listed below.
1) You can use your laptop with a headset. The USB connector style headset is preferable to those with audio plugs. This requires downloading software from the service provider (see links below), which is easy and fast to do.
Another option is to take a headset without a laptop. That way you can access your VoIP account on a computer (at an internet café, for example), using the USB headset to make calls.
2) Alternately, you can purchase a VoIP phone that basically functions like a regular telephone when you are in a WiFi (wireless internet connection) location. These are also known as hotspots.
In any case, you will need to be connected to the internet with your laptop VoIP or phone to use VoIP. Many hotels have WiFi hotspots or Ethernet cable connections (ask before you go, if this is important). Otherwise, internet cafes are easy to find, even in small villages.
There are several different service options. A useful one from Skype provides you with a Skype number in whatever US area code you choose. People can call you from any phone; it works exactly like any other number in that area code. If you are not available online, they can leave a voice mail message which you can easily access online (or with your Skype phone at any hotspot). This incoming call and voice mail service costs $18 for three months ($60 per year). Prepayment credit for outgoing calls can be purchased in USD $10 or $25 increments. Outgoing calls from Mexico to the US cost 2.1¢ per minute.
3) A third option, which makes more sense if you have a home in Mexico, is to purchase a telephone router (from Vonage, for example). You plug the router into your home internet connection and plug your own phones into the router. Routers must be purchased in the US or Canada and carried to Mexico.
You will receive a US or Canadian telephone number using the area code of your choice. Callers from that area code in the US or Canada can reach you in Mexico as if they were making a local call. You can also get a Mexican number for an extra USD $5 per month.
Vonage charges a USD $30 activation fee and a USD $15 shipping fee, which come with a 60-day money back guarantee. The router is free; however you will be charged USD $40 if you disconnect with two years. Monthly service runs about USD $30 and includes free local and long distance calls.
Remember that open WiFi networks are not secure.
VoIP providers
Calling card resellers and VoIP providers