One thing you need to do before you go is to contact your cell company. Even though we are mere miles from the border, it is international roaming. If you call ahead you can probably upgrade to a plan that includes Mexico and then go back to your old plan the next month. Otherwise it is $.99/minute.

Yes it is very expensive. I did add an additional plan to include Mexico on mine for the time that I was there....but it was still very expensive. I was so homesick that I called alot, so my bill was horrific. I wish that I would have gotten a pre-paid phone card instead. That would have been much cheaper.

hugs 'n love,

Lisa

One thing you need to do before you go is to contact your cell company. Even though we are mere miles from the border, it is international roaming. If you call ahead you can probably upgrade to a plan that includes Mexico and then go back to your old plan the next month. Otherwise it is $.99/minute.

I never have that problem, I always catch the US towers. And if you can't then borrow a staff phone (if you go to Aceves). I wouldn't pay those fees, I'm too cheap! ;o)

I've heard (but I haven't verified it yet) that you can receive calls there for no additional charge with AT&T. I sure hope that is the case! My DH is trying to find out all about our plan & stuff. Otherwise, I'll just be emailing family updates! I'm too cheap to pay the fees, too. I think the cell phone companies rip us off enough! :wink0:

I've got t-mobile and was able to pick up the U.S. tower in Almater Hospital but not in the Lucerna Resort. I could text message in both places.

Another way to do it would be if you have an internet connection, and take a headset with your laptop, you can pay something like $10 to yahoo IM and phone people's real numbers from IM. It's something like 3 cents a minute, so ten bucks goes a long way.

I forgot to take my MagicJack with me. It is the greatest. I've used it worldwide, even in the middle of the Med. You plug it into your computer and as long as you have an internet connection you can make phone calls. Just plug the phone into the jack and you are on your way. It costs $19.95/yr.

How about skyping as long as you have an internet connection!

Another good idea. You don't even need skype. You can use Msn messenger or yahoo too.

I had an AT&T connection the first hour I was there, then it went to roaming. Dr. A told me to walk over to the fence, turn off my phone and then turn it back on again, and I should be able to pick up AT&T again, but it did not work. I kept telling people to stop calling me as I was paying

.99 per min. I had a huge phone bill when I got home.

Well, we checked & it is .99 a minute for outgoing or incoming calls. So, I really hope I can get an AT&T tower! Otherwise, I won't be calling home much. The bad part about that is I won't get to talk with my kids. They've never been away from me & my DH for more than one night, so it's going to be tough on them. We could email, but my in-laws are staying with the kids and they won't even attempt to work our home computer...they honeslty don't know how.

Buy a phone card. I did buy a phone card at the little store at the hotel, but it hardly had any minutes on it. I am sure you can find a phone card way cheaper before you go that would have way cheaper rates.

I had AT&T and the when the phone bill came, the calls said Cabo San Lucas. I would assume that would be the closest AT&T tower.

Are you bringing a computer? If so, quickly order a MagicJack. It costs $19.95/yr. You plug the jack into the computer and then plug a phone into the jack and call anywhere in the world from anywhere. I used it on a cruise ship in the middle of the Med. I'm not sure if the phones in the hospital unplug from the wall so they could plug into the jack or not, but you can bring an old-fashioned phone from home.

I use this phone to call my son in Canada and now use it for all my long-distance calls from home.

My DH will be bringing a laptop from work. We don't own a personal laptop. I'll check into the MagicJack & the phone card.

If you live near a Costco, their phone cards are cheap.

Thanks, Rosebud. I'll check into it.