Prepaid cell phone SIM card

[Joe]

If you get it unlocked it will work in the USA.

I read other posts about buying SIM cards (chips) at the train station. Since you can buy any carrier's chip then do you first need to first get the phone unlocked if you are using a different carrier, e.g. Claro to Movistar?

 

[betts]

Thanks to everyone I got a SIM (chip) from Personal for $6 pesos (just FYI for others - you do have to wait about 1 day before the chip can be activated) and then got a $30 peso card phone credit.

However, my Nokia phone that I purchased in Germany doesn't work here. I got the phone outright not with any plan, so it shouldn't be an issue of being "locked". But it seems to not get a signal. Does anyone have any experience with a phone from Germany not working here? I thought the European phones worked here?

Fortunately, we had a second phone that we purchased (legally) in Thailand and that works no problem, so it is not the chip but definately the phone. Any info you guys would have would be great!

 

[Conorworld]

ISn't there different mobile phone signal bands in different countries and regions? You know the way some phones are tri-band/quad-band etc, maybe your Nokia is like that. I had that same problem before with my old Samsung phone.

 

[tedder]

5 pesos for a chip at many Retiro bus station stores. Or I also bought one right a the Belgrano C train station. ALso 5 pesos. No questions asked and no passport needed. No need to pay 20 pesos.

 

[zork]

There's another "secret" place where you can buy an already activated sim card for 10 pesos, no questions asked. I went there, handed the woman a 10 peso bill, she gave me a sim card (with its original packaging and all), that was it, no signatures, no names, nothing. I put it in my phone, charged some credit and it worked right away, pretty handy che!

This place is in the underground hallway on 9 de julio between lavalle and corrientes, it connects Pellegrini and Cerrito and the subway lines too, just look for a small Movistar stand kind of in the middle, close to cerrito.

And yes european phones work here too but not all of them, if depends on the band you use back at home, I could be very technical about it and bore the crap out of everyone so all I'll say is: the more bands your phone can use, the better, if you get a dual band phone back at home chances are it won't work here OR it will work with only 1 or 2 cellphone companies, make sure it's a 3 or 4 band phone if you want to make sure it'll work in most countries.

 

[erindanelle]

Thanks to everyone I got a SIM (chip) from Personal for $6 pesos (just FYI for others - you do have to wait about 1 day before the chip can be activated) and then got a $30 peso card phone credit.

However, my Nokia phone that I purchased in Germany doesn't work here. I got the phone outright not with any plan, so it shouldn't be an issue of being "locked". But it seems to not get a signal. Does anyone have any experience with a phone from Germany not working here? I thought the European phones worked here?

Fortunately, we had a second phone that we purchased (legally) in Thailand and that works no problem, so it is not the chip but definately the phone. Any info you guys would have would be great!

My Nokia was sent to me by my dad in Australia. I initially couldn't get it to work either. Went to Movistar and then also called the provider in Australia to make sure it wasn't locked. Turns out I just had it locked on flight mode or offline or something like that! When I was initially making the enquiries and trying to sort it out it seemed that Australia and Argentina shouldn't have differences in these tri-band, dual-band things. I would have thought a European phone would be the same as i've used australian phones in europe and vice versa without problems

 

[Maikito]

Actually, Argentina and Germany operate on different GSM bands. Argentina operates on 850/1900 just like Canada and the US. Germany operates on 900/1800 like most Euro countries. If you have a 900/1800/1900 triband unlocked phone from Germany, you are supposed to get service, since Personal only uses the 1900 band. Claro and Movistar use both, 850 and 1900. If you have a 900/1800 dual band phone, you will not have reception. You must have a quad band phone, 850/1900 dual band phone or an 850/1800/1900 tri band phone for it to be fully functional in Argentina. Quadband phones work worldwide. Triband phones work worldwide, but have some limitations.

Even if you get a phone without contract, it might still be locked. If you get a phone without a contract from a service provider, its very likely that its still locked to them. You might need to get it unlocked or like erindanelle said, make sure its not on flight mode. For unlocked phones, its suggested to always puchase an unlocked OEM phone.

 

[erindanelle]

Actually, Argentina and Germany operate on different GSM bands. Argentina operates on 850/1900 just like Canada and the US. Germany operates on 900/1800 like most Euro countries. If you have a 900/1800/1900 triband phone from Germany, you are supposed to get service, since Personal only uses the 1900 band. Claro and Movistar use both, 850 and 1900. If you have a 900/1800 dual band phone, you will not have reception at all. You must have a quad band phone, 850/1900 dual band phone or an 850/1800/1900 tri band phone for it to be fully functional in Argentina. Quadband phones work worldwide. Triband phones work worldwide, but might have some limitations.

Even if you get a phone without contract, it might still be locked. If you get a phone without a contract from a service provider, its very likely that its still locked to them. You might need to get it unlocked or like erindanelle said, make sure its not on flight mode. For unlocked phones, its suggested to always puchase an unlocked OEM phone.

I should have told you to respond to this thread before I did maikito!! You have actual names/numbers... I call them dual/tri band thingies.. lol

 

[katti]

If you buy a cell phone in europe you need a triband or else it doesn't work in argentina; if you leave BA. New Samsung phones cannot be used in Argentina anymore (most of them are duo). Nokia has a few models that work (the more expensive ones). i-phones and blackberries don't have any problems.

 

[Maikito]

If you get it unlocked it will work in the USA.

not necessarily. It depends on the GSM bands the phone is set to use.