Anyone take their touch pro2 to Costa Rica?

BoilerUp · #1 (**permalink**) 12-15-2009, 12:08 AM

I'm heading to Costa Rica next month and will need my phone to work to make a few quick calls. I'll need to call both the U.S. and my stepbrother, who has a brazilian phone, but will be in Costa Rica with me.

What's the best way to do this, should i get a prepaid sim card? or activate international roaming through sprint.

Any input would be appreciated, thanks.

chong67 · #2 (**permalink**) 12-15-2009, 04:17 AM

For me in Malaysia and Singapore, using their local prepaid SIM is 100x cheaper than using Sprint.

BoilerUp · #3 (**permalink**) 12-15-2009, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chong67

For me in Malaysia and Singapore, using their local prepaid SIM is 100x cheaper than using Sprint.

I've never dealt with sim cards before, how does it work? Do I need to buy one before I go, or do I get one once i get to Costa Rica?

Do I need to call sprint and have them activate anything first or do i just put the prepaid card in?

Does it change my phone number and Do I need to reenter any contacts after putting the sim card in?

Thanks.

TyGeR_STD · #4 (**permalink**) 12-15-2009, 01:18 PM

if you call sprint they can setup a short term roming plan. Not sure all the details but I asked about it a few days ago. Not sure if its the best option but just something you might look into.

Barnaldo · #5 (**permalink**) 01-28-2010, 04:07 PM

BoilerUp, I may need to be taking a trip to Costa Rica later this year, and so would be interested to hear how things went with your TP2 on your trip. Thanks for any info you'd like to share!

Barnaldo

**HBOOT** · #6 (**permalink**) 01-28-2010, 04:27 PM

Local Sim dude is the way to go, no need to do anything but pop a SIM card and switch to GSM mode in settings. No.Africa here....enjoying some 75 degrees man...

**jmorton10** · #7 (**permalink**) 01-28-2010, 04:27 PM

Skype & a WIFi connection sometimes works super.

~John

**Mojary** · #8 (**permalink**) 01-28-2010, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoilerUp

I've never dealt with sim cards before, how does it work? Do I need to buy one before I go, or do I get one once i get to Costa Rica?

Do I need to call sprint and have them activate anything first or do i just put the prepaid card in?

Does it change my phone number and Do I need to reenter any contacts after putting the sim card in?

Thanks.

i agree with chong67. just buy a local pre-paid sim when you get to costa rica. it's a hell of a lot cheaper if you're planning on calling locally. calling the US, check the SIM carrier's per minute rate so you have an idea how much more funds you need to load on your pre-paid SIM. or just buy a calling card from a store that sells them there (probably cheaper since you'll be calling a local access number on your pre-paid as opposed to an international number calling directly using your phone).

you do not need to call sprint. your phone will automatically know you're out of coverage area..just pop the SIM in and change your network settings to GSM and you're good to go!

unless you transferred your numbers to the current Sprint roaming SIM that's already inserted in your phone, you'll be able to view your contacts that are saved in your phone.

calling sprint to turn on roaming will cost you a pretty penny. if i remember correctly, it's a few bucks ($4 i think) per minute for roaming. save your money and buy a local pre-paid sim card. then turn around and party with the money you saved!!

have fun in Costa Rica!

kaix · #9 (**permalink**) 01-28-2010, 04:33 PM

I just got back from Ecuador and the Sprint SIM worked fine for voice.. text and data didn't work at all. Sprint Stock Rom.

CDMA and the GSM Sprint SIM both worked in Tokyo Japan, but text/data didn't work there either.

If you do use the Sprint SIM card abroad, check the rates here:

sprintpcs.com/explore/coverage/internationalroaming/Search.jsp

(add a www1. before that URL - won't let me post the URL since I don't have many posts here)

I would activate the SIM card and take it with you regardless of whether or not you plan on using it in case you do need it (emergency, can't find a prepaid SIM vendor, etc..)

Buying a prepaid card abroad in my experience ends up being an incredible value for calling the US, depending on where you go. The downside of using a prepaid card is that you will have an international phone number making it expensive for others to call you.

Also: Sprint does not charge you for calling their Int'l Customer Service while roaming internationally.

**Mojary** · #10 (**permalink**) 01-28-2010, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaix

Buying a prepaid card abroad in my experience ends up being an incredible value for calling the US, depending on where you go. The downside of using a prepaid card is that you will have an international phone number making it expensive for others to call you.

Also: Sprint does not charge you for calling their Int'l Customer Service while roaming internationally.

but that would not do him any good as far as cost savings. i travel in and out of the US for months at a time and i always use the local pre-paid sim card. the way i see it, if i was worried about saving $ for the person calling me stateside, i'd tell him/her to buy a phone card to call my local number. if im not going to talk with them for more than 5-10 minutes, it's cheaper for the caller to buy a $5 calling card and get 30-60 minutes of talk time (depending on which country being called) on that card he/she bought at the local liquore store. compare that direct dialing to call me on my sprint roaming sim and i pay the $2.29/min rate. and if i was to call stateside. i'd also buy a local calling card to call friends/families in the US since the per-minute rate would also be cheaper compared to the roaming rates of sprint.

while i agree with you on getting the sprint roaming sim activated for emergency purposes, im sure he's also looking at cost savings when it comes to the upcoming vacation he's taking.