PHONES THAT WORK IN MEXICO: Depending on your plan, phones with the following US carriers can work in Mexico: Choose Your Carrier The Mexico Travel PhoneAT&TBoos InfiniteConsumer CellularCricket WirelessMetro by T-MobilePrepaidSprintT-MobileUS CellularVerizon Wireless AT&T AT&T has extensive coverage throughout Mexico, most of it on their own newly upgraded network. They now offer  "AT&T Mexico Roaming Bonus" to Mobile Share Value consumer and business customers for free which allows unlimited texting to anywhere in the world and unlimited voice calling within Mexico and from Mexico to the United States. Additionally, customers will get 1 GB of data to use while in Mexico (with overage charges of $20 per GB). BOOST MOBILE With Boost's roaming add-on you can make calls, send texts (both SMS and MMS), or use your phone with 5GB of roaming in Mexico or Canada for just $10/mo. First and most Calls and Texts must be in the US. To ensure you have uninterrupted data while traveling to Mexico and Canada, make sure Data Roaming is toggled ON in your phone settings. CONSUMER CELLULAR Consumer Cellular has coverage throughout Mexico. There is a small charge for calls FROM Mexico: .01-.06 per minute Talk, .01-.06 per Text and .01-.06 per MB of Data, and International Roaming must be enabled. Wi-Fi Calling is available. CRICKET WIRELESS Cricket is a prepaid service owned by AT&T. Cricket phones will work in Mexico for Talk, Text and Data at no additional charge with the $50 and $60 plans and mostly uses the AT&T Mexico network. METRO BY T-MOBILE Metro by T-Mobile is a prepaid service that roams in Mexico with an add-on that gives you the same Voice, Text, and Data allowance while Roaming in Mexico as you have in the US. Limited to plans $40 and over. Depending on when you add the feature, the "Mexico Unlimited" plan is either Free or $5/month. Yes, Metro roams on the same networks as T-Mobile. T-MOBILE T-Mobile phones work well in Mexico and reports are they use multiple networks. T-Mobile's regular plans allow you to roam in Mexico with either reasonable, or no, additional fees. Their "Mobile without Borders" plan allows you to roam in Mexico (and Canada) with no additional charges for Voice, Text or Data. This includes calls TO & FROM the US, Mexico and Canada with Data included, with download speeds up to 4G LTE rates, if you can find it.  T-Mobile Pay-As-You-Go phones will also roam in Mexico but the per-minute rate is very high. T-Mobile's "Wi-Fi Calling" app allows voice calls made through wi-fi at no additional charge but in light of their broad roaming capabilities, Wi-Fi calling is a better option for where you have no cellular signal but do have Wi-Fi. US CELLULAR US Cellular phones with postpaid plans can roam in Mexico, although your roaming ability is phone model-dependant. Rates include a $3 per day surcharge, plus $.99 per minute, plus any pass-through toll charges from the foreign carrier. Text and Data roaming are not currently available. VERIZON Verizon phones will roam on one of the Mexico GSM networks. They offer Mexico plans which allow roaming in Mexico for about $15 more than regular plans. Data roaming charges are $.005/KB ($5.12/MB). Plans without free Mexico Roaming, incur a charge of .99 per minute for both incoming and outgoing calls within Mexico. Text Messaging in Mexico is .50 Sent, .20 Received. Both postpaid and prepaid Verizon phones work in Mexico at the same per-use rates. Verizon offers a Global Data Roaming option. While it's not cheap it could prevent you from getting surprisingly high foreign data roaming charges. PREPAID PHONES There are several prepaid phones and plans that will work in Mexico, some are preferred over phones from the above Postpaid carriers.

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THE MEXICO TRAVEL PHONE

A Step-by-Step Guide for setting up an inexpensive prepaid wireless phone or SIM for use in Mexico. Choose this option if your current phone does not automatically roam in Mexico or does not have a Mexico roaming add-on available.

Step 1: Choose a Prepaid Carrier: Choose from this list, or the list of Prepaid services that roam in Mexico.  You may already have one of these Prepaids and just need to change your plan.  Each can also be used in the US. Simple Mobile is one of the most economical and useful US Prepaids that can be used in Mexico. Other Prepaids are almost the same with slightly higher or lower fees and requirements. Global Travel Phones are usable in most counties in the world.  Most are Prepaid and can be refilled only when you want to travel. SIMPLE MOBILE PHONES & SIM's Simple Mobile is an economical and useful way to use Prepaid wireless in Mexico. You can purchase a phone or SIM and roam in Mexico and also have a phone that works in the US.  Simple Mobile plans are as low as $20. You could use your own phone, one you have sitting around, or buy a new one. Simple Mobile is owned by Verizon. OTHER PREPAIDS THAT ROAM IN MEXICO There are several choices among prepaid phones that will easily roam in Mexico.  Make sure to choose a Prepaid that offers the amount of Talk, Text and Data that you'll need south of the border.  Some choices do not include Data and some change a per-minute or per-use fee to roam in Mexico. WORLDWIDE "TRAVEL" PHONES & SIM's If you'd rather have a Prepaid phone or SIM that works worldwide, check the list of Global Travel Phones and SIM's. You'll have a phone that can be used in Mexico and the rest of the world. Step 2: Activate Your Account: Once you have your Prepaid handset or SIM, you will need to choose a home location and a plan. The location (Zip Code) should be local to your current wired or wireless phones or to friends and family. It can be anywhere in the US. Once you are activated and have an assigned number, make sure "Mexico Roaming" is activated.  With some carriers this is done by default.  If you don't know, contact Customer Service. Don't let the agent sign you up for any special Mexico roaming plan, they may only need to check a box on their screen, if it isn't already. Step 3: Direct Your Incoming Calls to the Travel Phone: Just before leaving the US, choose the way to have your calls find you: Activate Call Forwarding from your home or regular wireless phone to your new Mexico prepaid phone. It should be a local call. If your regular wireless phone is from the same carrier, the calls could count as "Mobile to Mobile," if not, minutes can be charged as Forwarded calls. or, Tell your callers to call your new Prepaid phone number. or, Activate a new or existing Google Voice number. You can program where calls are directed online. You can also use the Google Voice voice mail which can be reviewed online without using minutes on the phone, then return calls on your new Mexico Prepaid phone. You can add the number of your new Mexico Travel phone to the list of phones that rings with incoming calls to your Google Voice number.  Step 4: Test Your Connections Before Leaving the US: Make sure calls work as intended. (If you use any of the above recommended "Travel" phones they should work in the US before you leave.) You could take your "regular" wireless phone to Mexico with you just to make a test call...or you can have a stateside friend call you. Make a call before you leave the US and another once you arrive in Mexico. Fortunately, if something is wrong, you can call customer service free at 611 from the US or Mexico. If you are Forwarding calls from another stateside wireless number, that carrier's customer service should be able to also change your Call Forwarding status, but that may not be a free call. Additional Considerations: By using using a US phone instead of a Mexican cellular phone, you will still have a working phone with some balance available that can be used when you return to the US. Be sure to check Mexico Calling Procedures Get additional reviews of these and other Prepaid phones at Prepaid Phone Reviews. Mexico Wireless Resources: Home About Mexico Cellular Privacy Site Map Contact Us US Phones in Mexico Set Up A Travel Phone for Mexico US Prepaid Phones in Mexico Making Calls in Mexico Mexico Wireless Carriers Mountain Wireless Networks Wireless Noise