Phoning Home
There are several options available to phone home from Mexico. Unfortunately, the most convenient can often be the most expensive. Here at Mexico Vacation Central, we aim to save you money and hassle and to make calling home a breeze.
Here are some Dos and Don’ts, as well as some other info for calling home from Mexico:
…………DO:
• You can purchase Telmex Phone Cards in Mexico that you can use at any Telmex payphone. They can be purchased at any merchant that displays the “Telmex/Ladatel” logo and they come in denominations of 20, 30, 50 or 100 Pesos. The rate to call the US or Canada is approximately 5 pesos per minute.
• You may be able to use your own cell phone in Mexico for a relatively inexpensive price. Contact your cellular service provider before your vacation to see if they have roaming agreements with Telcel, Movistar, Nextel or Iusacell, and exactly what kind of charges will apply if you use your cell phone in Mexico. Often, the total charges are more expensive than using a calling card, but each cell phone company is different. If you feel more comfortable using your own cell phone, do some investigating before your vacation and ask specific questions to avoid unexpected charges.
• If you are internet savvy, phoning from a computer using websites such as www.skype.com is an excellent and cheap option. If you have a laptop, check with your hotel prior to vacationing to see if they have wireless access, or if they a hotel computer lounge. Always remember to check prices for usage!!!
• Internet cafés are also very popular in Mexico and this makes sending an email or chatting online very convenient and very cheap. So if it is not necessary to make a phone call, you may want to opt for this inexpensive option. Some internet cafés have headsets available for use, so you can connect via various free service providers online (MSN Messenger or Yahoo) and have live conversations if necessary.
• Usually attached to internet cafe's are calling booths. Rates for long distance calls on their phones are posted so that you are aware of how much you are spending per minute. This is often a cheap and popular way for locals who make long distance calls.
• If you travel to Mexico on a regular basis, you may want to buy your own local "pay-as-you-go" cell phone from Amigo Telcel. You can purchase a low-end cell phone for about 400 Mexican Pesos (about $40 US Dollars) and refill it with credit as needed. You can conveniently have a phone available with you at all times should friends and family back home need to have immediate contact with you. In addition, you will be fully aware and in charge of costs of calls and the amount of money you are spending. The cost of long distance phone calls to the US or Canada will cost about 5 Pesos (50 cents) per minute. Incoming calls are to Mexican cell phones are FREE. You can purchase pay-as-you-go phones and credit at any location displaying the Amigo Telcel logo. This includes supermarkets, corner stores, and designated Amigo Telcel stores.
• If you are travelling to Cancun, Mexico, Mexico Vacation Central recommends Cancun Valet. Cancun Valet offers cell phone rentals at great rates, in addition to grocery delivery and other rentals. Check out their website for more information: www.cancunvalet.com
…………DON’T:
• Don’t call home from your hotel, the rates are generally very expensive. The rates posted in your room or at the front desk may be different than what you will find on your bill, with little or no explanation. To avoid being overcharged, use the tips we gave you on the above “Do” list to phone home from Mexico.
• Don’t call home from a pay phone with your credit card. It will cost you a fortune.
• Don’t call home collect. Your parents, friends, and relatives may not like you after they get the bill
• Don’t buy a phone in your home country and expect it to work in Mexico. Most of these cards are specifically for calling FROM the US or Canada TO Mexico. There is a difference.
• Don’t buy long distance discount phone cards in Mexico unless it is from a trusted company or name. Telmex is the telephone company for all of Mexico and can be trusted to purchase your online PIN numbers or calling cards for long distance calls within Mexico.
How do I call home?
Dialing home is easy!
If you are dialing from a regular phone:
1) To dial out you would begin with: 001
For example, if you were calling Florida, you would dial: 001-904-123-4567
How do I make phonecalls within Mexico?
If you are calling a number locally in Mexico, you would just dial the number as given.
If you are calling another state in Mexico, you would dial 01 + state code + number. So if you were in Puerto Vallarta and wanted to dial to Cancun you would dial: 01-998-123-4567
If you are calling a Mexican Cell phone locally within Mexico, the number will start with 044. Dialing a Cancun cell phone, for example, would be 044-998-123-4567.
How do I call Mexico?
If you or your family members would like to call Mexico from Canada or the USA, they will need to enter the country code, the city code and then the local number after dialing “011”.
For example, if they are calling Mexico City, they would dial 011-52-55-123-4567.
To call a Mexican cell phone, you will have to drop the “044″ from the number and add a number “1″ after the city code. A Mexican cell phone number will look something like this: 044-624-123-4567. Drop the “044″, add a “1″ and dial the city code with the remaining 7 digits:
011 + 52 + 1 + city code + 7 digit cell phone number
For example, calling a Monterrey cell phone from the US or Canada should be dialed as follows: 011-52-1-81-123-4567
City codes for Mexico are as follows:
Acapulco 744
Mexico Vacation Central wants you to have a trouble free, reasonably priced way to call home to let your loved ones know you have arrived safely and are having the time of your life! |
