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Mexico

troyfy
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

I plan on getting a sim card from Movistar in Mexico, because they are cheap and even work here in Canada! While I am away, what is the best way to get my text messages from Public Mobile?

16 REPLIES 16

@Miyawsin 

Here is my suggestion....download the fongo app and a text forwarding app. Call forward your pm number to the fongo number and forward your texts to the text app. Leave your sim card in a working phone plugged in at home (this is only necessary for your texts to be forwarded the sim card does not need to be in a phone for calls to be forwarded).

 

You will then receive your calls to the fongo app and texts forwarded to the text app while on wifi. If you absolutely need to recieve an incoming call or text while away from wifi but with your spouse you can hotspot his data so your fongo app and text app will still work or consider a local sim.

 

Bell charges per day when used so be careful to make use of each days roaming fee if its already been enabled for that day and resist the urge to use his phone if wifi is available for that day and the roaming fee won't be charged.

 

Bell offers two roaming options both with unlimited calling and texting. The first allows use of up to 500mb per day from account holders plan that is then throttled down to 512kbps. The second allows for 100mb of use per day that doesn't come out of the account holders plan. Both are $14 per day.

 

Best to set your services to forward to apps accessible thru WIFI so that one incoming call or text doesn't trigger a daily roaming fee but you can access the mobile data if needed and the roaming fee has already been enabled for the day. You will also still have the option to purchase a local sim card and not be dependent on having access to your spouse's phone to get your calls or texts.

 

7 days of roaming service with bell is $98+tax (about $110). You can get a 3 day local sim card package with 3gb of data for about $10 cdn. This would give you access to your forwarded calls and texts and calling, texting and data with a Mexican number as well as the fongo number.  More info on mexican sim cards can be found here or searching yourself on the internet.

 

https://toomanyadapters.com/buying-sim-card-mexico/

Miyawsin
Great Neighbour / Super Voisin

WiFi will be on at home. Spouse is with Bell and will have a roaming plan with them and keep his Canadian phone number, so I can call forward my phone calls to him (I know how to set that up on my phone).  Also I can put his number into the text app and he will get those.  There is WiFi at the hotel.  I think I'm good now.  I appreciate your help in clarifying this. 

Anonymous
Not applicable

 @Miyawsin : Not forwarding to a Mexico number. You can only call forward from here to another Canadian number. The voip option is only while on the internet either by wifi or local service cell data. If you can find a cell service with a Canadian number that also works in Mexico then well...that's roaming with that service. A whole other option not related to this place.

Miyawsin
Great Neighbour / Super Voisin

I think that makes sense to me now.  Keep my phone plugged in and on at home in Canada, but call forward all calls and texts to a texting app or another phone number with Mexico service on it.  Is that correct?

Anonymous
Not applicable

 @Miyawsin : Sorta kinda in a literal sense of all possible options...no.

You could get one of the mentioned voip apps and then, while in Canada with active service and keeping the service active, forward your calls to that voip number. You would need an additional app to forward texts to it. Then leave the SIM in a phone and on and in Canada. Calls and texts can then forward to you wherever you can connect to the internet whether by wifi or local service cell data.

 

But if you happen to take the phone with this SIM in and land in the US on your way there and not in airplane mode then the forwarding will break.

Anonymous
Not applicable

@Miyawsin 

No, only for US Roaming 10 day packages...


@Miyawsin wrote:

I am somewhat confused by the answers that I have read about traveling to Mexico. I still have a basic question:

 Is my phone number (my incoming calls and texts) completely inaccessible while in Mexico? 


PM only has coverage in Canada and US (via roaming). So your phone won't work in Mexico.

If you don't stay long and have access to plenty of free wifi, maybe a voip app like Textnow is enough.

Otherwise, there are plenty of cheap month-to-month phone plans in Mexico to buy with a local SIM.


@Miyawsin wrote:

I am somewhat confused by the answers that I have read about traveling to Mexico. I still have a basic question:

 Is my phone number (my incoming calls and texts) completely inaccessible while in Mexico? 


 

@Miyawsin   Short answer :  You WON'T be able to use your phone in Mexico to receive and make calls or use data.  Of course, Wifi will work

 

You best bet is to buy a local SIM in Mexico and use the data with the local SIM.  

 

You might also want to setup app like TextNow or Fongo to get local Canadian number.  This is VoIP, they will work as long as you have Mobile data (via local SIM) or wifi

Miyawsin
Great Neighbour / Super Voisin

I am somewhat confused by the answers that I have read about traveling to Mexico. I still have a basic question:

 Is my phone number (my incoming calls and texts) completely inaccessible while in Mexico? 

troyfy
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

Thanks, This community is so responsive!

@troyfy 

Public SIM won't work at all in Mexico

 

2 easy options

Use a web based app (eg WhatsApp) or else enable TXT forwarding on your other phone (needs to be powered on)

 

If you use Apple you can associate the Mexican number with iMessage as well to retrieve seamlessly (just remeber to REMOVE when leaving Mexico to come home!)

 


@troyfy wrote:

Sounds complicated! So I cannot just use my sim to check texts every few days?


 

Anonymous
Not applicable

@troyfy wrote:

Sounds complicated! So I cannot just use my sim to check texts every few days?


The Public Mobile "SIM" only works in Canada or roaming in the US. Nowhere else. Anywhere else will see your SIM trying to find something to connect to and will ignore it.

Just have a vacation from the screen. 🙂

troyfy
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

I don't want to use my service, I just want to check text messages once in a while. Otherwise they delete after 3 days, right?

troyfy
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

Sounds complicated! So I cannot just use my sim to check texts every few days?

stonechucker
Mayor / Maire

Unless you know a way to forward SMS to your future Mexican sim service, there is no easy way to do it.

 

To easily contact friends and family back in Canada, use FB Messenger, WhatsApp, or other social media type chats that do it all over WiFi.

 

Personally, if you're on vacation, I'd give someone import at home your hotel information so you can be reached that ay, and just enjoy your vacation.

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