Cell phone service in Mexico

[John Mickish]

The wife and I are leaving for Cozumel on Sunday and don't know if the phones will work (Verizon and Nextel), does anyone know if they will or wont?

[harvey lee]

I dont know if they will work but I had a friend when we were down there last time that used a pay phone and hadthe call charged to thier home phone,reversed charged. Dont do that as it is very spendy.

have a great trip and enjoy.

[Eckie]

I have service through Verizon and have brought my cell with to Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Getting a strong signal in most areas isn't a problem, but roaming charges outside of the U.S. can be expensive, unless you have an international calling plan. Check w/Verizon customer service for exact rates, as it may be cheaper than using a pay phone, as Tom had indicated. If I remember correctly, calling from a pay phone or the hotel was $3-5 per minute (it's been a couple years since I've been there, so prices may have changed).

[CFRay]

I was at a resort on the mainland directly across from Cozumel three weeks ago. Members of our group would have Verizon service, but it doesn't work quite like we're used to. A recorded message offering directions is part of the process, in Spanish.

Our group found it much easier to purchase a $10 calling card from the resort and use a dedicated public telephone there. Call rate was $1.00 per minute that way. Good Luck!

[Scott K]

Where I was we had service, but could not retrieve messages, and when we got home and seen the bill, I think it was $5 a minute we got charged, lets just say the wifes phone charges were almost as much as our vacation! not really but it was an extra $250

[Roop-Dogg]

we were in puerto vallarta 3-4 weeks ago. bought a $10 phone card and i think there was 50 minutes on it. seemed to be the way to go for us.

[Tim Ellis]

I spent two weeks in Puerto Vallarta area and Mexico City and i dido the $10 calling cards and payphones, can't be beat price wise.

[MAITOI]

I was in Cozumel the first week of March and my Verizon phone worked great. I called them first and got on the international plan. $.69 a minute plus some other charges. Haven't got the bill yet. When in Mexico make sure you dial 001 first, then area code and number. I had better reception then I get in my basement. I stayed at the El Cozumeleno on the north end.

[Bryce]

You might be surprised with the extra charges you run up. I would lean towards the phone card and check messages from a land line. Outside the US, phone service can be considered a luxury item and priced as such. Worst I've found so far is Curacao. 50 bones for my wife to talk to her dad for 5 minutes. Think I paid $15 to call in my unemployment from Jamaica... worth every penny.