Gonna take my burner which is a Tracfone-if it gets lost or something no problem

Will I be able to receive/send calls and texts to communicate with agencies in TJ?

Hopefully some of you more seasoned TJ VETS will have an answer
Thanks

if I were to guess, no,  but I have a smart phone which is on Verizon on which the 'voice' shuts off just after crossing the border, but the internet and text continues for some reason, at least once inside the hotel.  I generally as the taxi driver to call the agency - hand me the phone and I tell them my room number etc.

Reception for US cell phones in Tijuana depends on who is the carrier.  Not the make and model of the phone.  

T-Mobile is the best.  Cricket is also good as both provide coverage in Mexico at no additional cost.  Some AT&T plans provide reception at no additional and most Verizon plans don't provide coverage without an additional charge.  (I have no idea what coverage Tracfone provides; you'll have to ask them.)

These things change all the time, so it is prudent to shop the market before buying anything associated with telecommunications.  In times past many who visited TJ used an AT&T Go Phone.

You can buy an inexpensive Mexican cell phone from both Telcel and Moivtar that will allow you to make/receive US phone calls.  Promotional prices vary, but usually you can get a basic "dumb phone" for under 350 pesos, which works fine to talk and text.

Telcel is more common than Movistar, but Movistar usually includes roaming in the US and other features thta Telcel doesn't to build their market share.  (Again, check the details as things change fast in the telecommunications industry).

The advantage of Telcel over Movistar is that pre-paid credit is added almost instantly but it often takes 2 to 4 hours for Movistar to add pre-paid credit to your phone.  

For those who spend a lot of time in Tijuana I recommend the Movistar Vas a Volar contract plan which can be canceled after two months.  It's 199 pesos (under $10.50) a month you get unlimited calls to/from/within the US, Mexico, and Canada (meaning no roaming charges), 2GB 4G LTE data, and more data for Facebook and other social media.  There are also plans for more data that can be purchased.)  

Often you can buy basic Mexican phones at an Oxxo and at supermarkets.  Ner the Roma Farmacny, st about 5th and Constitutcion (on 5th) there are both Telecel and Movistar dealers.  Many Oxxo and super markets also sell basic phones.

I have a Sony Xperia dual SIM phone with T-Mobile and Movistar SIM chips.  It really meets my needs.

T-Mobile, ATT&T, Cricket, Telcel, and Movistar all use band 4.  So if you have an old phone with band four have it unlocked if it is locked, and put a SIM chip from the carrier of your choice in it for use in TJ. (Unlocking costs about 350 pesos at several places on Av. Consitutucion.)

 

 

 

-- Modified on 11/23/2016 3:53:39 PM

If you have a "main phone" and a "TJ phone" I recommend getting and using a Google Voice number.  It's free.

Google Voice has a simultaneous ring option I've found very useful as it works with up to five numbers.  You can have one number that, for example, will ring your "main phone," your "TJ" phone, your home phone, and your work phone.

If your US phone plan doesn't have international calling you can install the Google Voice app on a smart phone and use it to make international calls.  Mexican cell phones charges are five cents per minute--one of the best rates going.

Also, enter all your contacts in a G-mail account so you can sync them with multiple phones saving hours of data entry.  Plus if you lose your phone you don't lose your contact list

Google Fi works perfectly well in TJ also.  Fi uses both T-Mobile and Sprint networks, and as long as you have roaming data switched on, everything works just like you are in the states.  Actual calls cost a small amount, but the data cost is identical whether in the States or Mexico on the Fi plan.

Only works with Nexus phones though.