I'll be in TJ, what is the best and most economical way to use cell phones in Mexico? Are you charged for roaming even if you don't answer your calls? and what about texting?

Who is doing your surgery?

You should call Verizon. I know that when I visit family in Mexico, I'm not allowed to text/call people lol my mother can be very cheap... Sorry for not being very helpful :/

When I was in TJ I could not get service on the streets or the clinic but the clinic had a vonage phone with a US # we could use and our family could use to call us. After we left the clinic the next day after surgery we stayed at the Hotel Ticuan for 2 nights and we could hit a US tower while up in our room on the 6th floor but we were only 2 miles from the border. I would also recommend you call Verizon. I had Tmobile pre-paid.

What type of phone do you have? If it is a smartphone then you should be able to turn off international roaming. Make sure you do this, because international roaming rates ar astronomical. 1email can cost you $15, and your phone uses data every few minutes to check for emails. And toe, you will be charged for incoming text messages.

So I will say again turn your international roaming off. Download google talk, or talkatone, or Skype and use them on wifi. Also you might get an American tower depending on where exactly you are.

I put my Verizon Thunderbolt into airplane mode and then turned WIFI on at the same time and my bill was exactly the same as any other month. I only txt'd with my husband and another sleever who was there with me. I am unsure if putting myself in airplane mode did the international thing that OTR is advising , but I/it must have done something like that because I did get any emails till I got back over the boarder. Then again I told everyone I know I was going out of town for a week and they should leave me alone :ph34r:

I have Verizon. They let you prorate the international plan. I think I did five days and my bill was maybe only an extra $10 that month. If you don't do this you will get charged $0.05 per incoming text and $0.50 per outgoing text. Not sure what the rate is for data and calls but I'm sure it's high.

I put my Verizon Thunderbolt into airplane mode and then turned WIFI on at the same time and my bill was exactly the same as any other month. I only txt'd with my husband and another sleever who was there with me. I am unsure if putting myself in airplane mode did the international thing that OTR is advising ' date=' but I/it must have done something like that because I did get any emails till I got back over the boarder. Then again I told everyone I know I was going out of town for a week and they should leave me alone :ph34r:[/quote']

Yes, airplane mode turns off all cellular connections, the only real difference is if you just turn off international roaming you still have a chance of grabbing an American tower.

I have Verizon. You could call them and add a plan that covers you while you are there. I think it was 25 dollars or so. But I just opted to use skpye for calling and using the wi-fi for internet. you can indeed turn the phone on airplane mode and just connect to the hotel wifi... no roaming charges will incur.

Thanks everyone for posting and bringing up some options I hadn't thought of. My phone is a business phone, paid for by my employer so adding an international plan to that phone was not an option. But my husband is self employed and has 2 phones, so I'm borrowing one of his and adding a limited international plan. Thanks again everyone.

Love these forums! So many things come up that I didn't even think about! Thanks for asking!