GSM SIM card for DR

[Cosmo Kramer]

I have gone through a number of threads here about SIM cards. I have also ran some google searchs and can't seem to find anyone in the US selling Orange SIM cards. I know that they don't operate here but would perfer to have a SIM card when I get to DR instead of trying to find some place to buy one there.

Any info on if they are available in the US would be great.

Thank you

[TPdog]

Sims cards are as easy to find in the DR as puta's.....walk down almost any street in Sosua and you will find a Orange place...most all of the workers speak english and will take care of you....cheap too!!



I have gone through a number of threads here about SIM cards. I have also ran some google searchs and can't seem to find anyone in the US selling Orange SIM cards. I know that they don't operate here but would perfer to have a SIM card when I get to DR instead of trying to find some place to buy one there.

Any info on if they are available in the US would be great.

Thank you

[cainer]

Since this topic is on cell phones, i thought id ask my question here.

Ive never in my life owned a cell phone, but, i was thinking if i could rent one to collect a few chica contacts and also add some of the ISOC guys numbers(who will be there when i am there) that it could be beneficial to me.

I read in an old thread that lou at NY shark bar used to rent them, does he still do this? thanks

[Dr.Kush]

I got mine on Ebay , its a Claro which is another one of the providers in the DR, I think I paid like $35 for it. I dont know about Orange but with Claro after you put your first minutes on the phone and use them all, you then have a year to add more minutes. So basically you can keep the same number as long as you visit once a year.Also when you run out of minutes you still can get free incoming calls which is very nice.

[Dr.Kush]

The card I bought was only a sim card , I already had a quad band phone that was unlocked.

[ElPlomero]

You can get a cheap phone at the Orange store across the street from Banco Popular for less than $30.

It comes with a sim card, of course, and I think 50dop worth of minutes.

You need to take your passport with you.

You can buy a sim card there, for an unlocked GSM phone, as well, but I'm sure it's not much less.

I don't think you can buy Orange sims outside of The DR.

[cainer]

You can get a cheap phone at the Orange store across the street from Banco Popular for less than $30.

It comes with a sim card, of course, and I think 50dop worth of minutes.

You need to take your passport with you.

You can buy a sim card there, for an unlocked GSM phone, as well, but I'm sure it's not much less.

I don't think you can buy Orange sims outside of The DR.

Thats not to bad of a deal, ill have to look into that, thanks elplomero for the information

[terrierist]

I haven't done a comparison in prices, but did find that Orange didn't have as good a coverage as Claro. I actually bought my date a Claro sim so her phone would keep working. Big improvement...same phone.

Can't speak for the other companies, but I'll be going Claro again next trip.

[tomgueguen]

I have experienced both Orange and Claro and I prefer Claro, cheaper and better coverage. Plus you don't need you passport with Claro.

[MyTio]

I have a Motorola V 188 that works well with orange will it be work with Claro.

[MisterPink]

I have a Motorola V 188 that works well with orange will it be work with Claro.

Claro now offers both CDMA as well as GSM service, so an Orange phone will work on Claro's network, if it is unlocked and you buy a Claro SIM card.

mp

[Donny Boy]

Hey guys I have a Claro question,
I got a Claro SIM on my last trip, I still have minutes on the card but wont be back to DR for sometime.
How do you dial from the US?
I would like to keep my number active

[ElPlomero]

Hey guys I have a Claro question,
I got a Claro SIM on my last trip, I still have minutes on the card but wont be back to DR for sometime.
How do you dial from the US?
I would like to keep my number active

You can dial direct.

They us the US country code.

So, if the number is 809-555-1212, dial 1-809-555-1212.

On a cell phone, you may need to put the + sign before the number, depending on your carrier.

[BigDave]

I got mine on Ebay , its a Claro which is another one of the providers in the DR, I think I paid like $35 for it. I dont know about Orange but with Claro after you put your first minutes on the phone and use them all, you then have a year to add more minutes. So basically you can keep the same number as long as you visit once a year.Also when you run out of minutes you still can get free incoming calls which is very nice.

I was using a claro sim card in Oct 07, I returned in January and the card was dead and unchargable. Are you sure of this? I thought it was a 90 day thing?

[ElPlomero]

I was using a claro sim card in Oct 07, I returned in January and the card was dead and unchargable. Are you sure of this? I thought it was a 90 day thing?

Like everything else in the DR, cell sim life is variable according to the whims of the company.

Each active sim card takes up a phone number and subsequently a line. They are not unlimited and are not free for the cell company.

To free lines for new clients, they can just open their list of accounts, sort them by recent activity and if they need 100 numbers, delete the 100 least recent accounts.

It could happen every year, every month, or every day, for that matter.

They can even promise you something and not give it to you.

You haven't had that experience down there yet????

[MisterPink]

I was using a claro sim card in Oct 07, I returned in January and the card was dead and unchargable. Are you sure of this? I thought it was a 90 day thing?

Both Claro and Orange are 90 days, if no "time" is added.

[greydread]

You can get a cheap phone at the Orange store across the street from Banco Popular for less than $30.

It comes with a sim card, of course, and I think 50dop worth of minutes.

You need to take your passport with you.

You can buy a sim card there, for an unlocked GSM phone, as well, but I'm sure it's not much less.

I don't think you can buy Orange sims outside of The DR.


Both Orange and Claro will sell you a cheap, new cell phone (approx. $24) with 100RD programmed in. At the end of your stay you can keep the phone for next time (100RD to reactivate with new minutes) or they'll usually buy it back for half what you paid. If all you're looking for is reliable voice communications this is a great deal. Outgoing calls are 7 cents a minute and incoming is FREE! This will come in hndy as the Chicas burn up your battery trying to track you down. My biggest problem is keeping the damn thing charged.:corky:

Whre else in the world can you rent a cellular for $12.50? Not per day, not per week but for as long as you have prepaid outgoing minutes.

[ElPlomero]

Both Orange and Claro will sell you a cheap, new cell phone (approx. $24) with 100RD programmed in. At the end of your stay you can keep the phone for next time (100RD to reactivate with new minutes) or they'll usually buy it back for half what you paid. If all you're looking for is reliable voice communications this is a great deal. Outgoing calls are 7 cents a minute and incoming is FREE! This will come in hndy as the Chicas burn up your battery trying to track you down. My biggest problem is keeping the damn thing charged.:corky:

Whre else in the world can you rent a cellular for $12.50? Not per day, not per week but for as long as you have prepaid outgoing minutes.

As long as you're not a cell snob you'll be alright, but if you are, you'll hate the phone.

If you paid what Apple wants for an iPhone, don't get the basic Orange, because it'll piss you off.

[MisterPink]

You can buy a much nicer unlocked GSM camera phone on eBay for under $50 including shipping, I paid $35 for a brand new Mot V220. (A QUAD band will even work in Brazil)

mp

[Pana]

If you paid what Apple wants for an iPhone, don't get the basic Orange, because it'll piss you off.
The Apple Iphone is the truth its the best phone ever made the only way I see anything better coming out is if Apple its self puts out the Iphone 2.

[tomgueguen]

I had a nice samsung for 24 $.

Basic but slim and nice.

[Tony Toca]

Like everything else in the DR, cell sim life is variable according to the whims of the company.

Each active sim card takes up a phone number and subsequently a line. They are not unlimited and are not free for the cell company.

To free lines for new clients, they can just open their list of accounts, sort them by recent activity and if they need 100 numbers, delete the 100 least recent accounts.

It could happen every year, every month, or every day, for that matter.

They can even promise you something and not give it to you.

You haven't had that experience down there yet????

What are you saying?

In my experience, the account is good for 90 days. And even after 90 days you still have another 30 to reactivate your line to keep the account in good standing (with Orange).

When the DR needed more phone numbers, they did not arbitiarily cancel accounts, they created area code 829. I do not believe they cancel current accounts in good standing to satisfy demand.

Lets be real here!!!

[Cosmo Kramer]

I recently picked up a Samsung A437, quad band with camera. Not the greatest phone but good enough for me to use on my trip. It cost about $20 with tax (after rebate). Go to ExtraRebates.com and you will find AT&T go phones with rebates, they come set up to work on AT&T network only but you can find the unlock code all over the internet.. Works great....