How to Successfully Use an Old Iphone While in DR

HopSkip · Jan 29, 2013

Don't want to bring your shiny new device and pay the international fees of your US/ Canadian/ European carrier and/ or risk losing your expensive toy, but want the convenience of being able to surf the net and the safety valve of having a phone? Follow these simple steps to use that old phone you've got tucked away in a drawer somewhere. (I did this for iphone, but assume it might also work for other smartphones that use a SIM card.)

1. Make sure the phone is unlocked before you leave. It may take up to a week to get the phone unlocked by your carrier/ Apple. This should be free.

2. Buy a SIM card from Claro or Orange. YOU MUST HAVE YOUR PASSPORT with you. This is less than $5 US.

3. Load the phone with prepaid minutes. They can load pretty much any amount onto the phone. $20US should last you a while.

4. Double check that the credit has actually loaded onto the phone while you are still at the vendor. For Orange you can do this by dialing #131#.

5. Make sure that your settings do not allow data to automatically "push" as this can run your credit down, even if you do not buy "data" minutes.

6. Enjoy use of your phone via the carrier and use of your wi-fi in hotspots all over.

Koreano · Jan 29, 2013

Few pointers on Claro...
I now have 1GB data plan but I still do remember these codes. I suggest confirming with the claro when you purchase your sim card and the minutes.

*122# tells you how much prepaid pasos left on your device.

I think *111# brings up option to purchase data for your phone. (I don't remember the sequences) I think they are $65 or $69 pasos for 100MB 24 hrs and $150 Pasos for 3 day 300MB.

If you don't purchase the internet in advance, Claro will drain all your pasos in matter of minutes.

Leines · Jan 30, 2013

Do they have mini sim for iPhone 4 or only reg sim for 3G iPhones? Any idea the rates back to Canada while using either carrier?

cobraboy · Jan 30, 2013

A week to unlock a phone?

There are phone stores on every corner in the DR that can do it in 5 minutes.

Koreano · Jan 30, 2013

Leines said:
Do they have mini sim for iPhone 4 or only reg sim for 3G iPhones? Any idea the rates back to Canada while using either carrier?

I've seen them cutting down regular sim to micro sim and it isn't hard process. I've done it myself to fit one of the phone. Google and download a paper guide that will give you, the size you need to trim off.

Eddy · Jan 30, 2013

Option "B" buy a cheap phone 500/600 pesos, take the chip out and use it in your iphone (3). Unlocked of course. You can surf etc. while in a wifi area. When you leave, put the card back in the cheap phone and give it to someone who was nice to you. Buy the credits anywhere. No passport or ID needed.

cobraboy · Jan 30, 2013

Eddy said:
Option "B" buy a cheap phone 500/600 pesos, take the chip out and use it in your iphone (3). Unlocked of course. You can surf etc. while in a wifi area. When you leave, put the card back in the cheap phone and give it to someone who was nice to you. Buy the credits anywhere. No passport or ID needed.

I thunk an iPhone has a mini-SIM, so some cutting is necessary. It's not plug-and-play.

Expat-in-Cabarete · Jan 30, 2013

If it is an Iphone 4 or above, yes, it may take a week. Otherwise, it takes just a few minutes.

What they do here in every corner is not UNLOCK is jailbreak. Never again can you update your OS nor safely connect it to iTunes. If it is a US iPhone with a contract expired, I would rather wait the week than jailbreak it here. I had mine jailbroken here a few years ago before carriers would do it for you. Crap, a few months later when by mistake I accepted a software update, had to pay for another jailbreak. Worse, impossible to transfer music and apps purchased from your itunes account.

cobraboy said:
A week to unlock a phone?

There are phone stores on every corner in the DR that can do it in 5 minutes.

Expat-in-Cabarete · Jan 30, 2013

If it is an Iphone 4 or above, yes, it may take a week. Otherwise, it takes just a few minutes.

What they do here in every corner is not UNLOCK is jailbreak. Never again can you update your OS nor safely connect it to iTunes. If it is a US iPhone with a contract expired, I would rather wait the week than jailbreak it here. I had mine jailbroken here a few years ago before carriers would do it for you. Crap, a few months later when by mistake I accepted a software update, had to pay for another jailbreak. Worse, impossible to transfer music and apps purchased from your itunes account.

cobraboy said:
A week to unlock a phone?

There are phone stores on every corner in the DR that can do it in 5 minutes.

wp3gi · Jan 30, 2013

iPhone & iPhone 3GS = Regular SIM
iPhone 4/4S = micro SIM
iPhone 5 = nano SIM

ClaroRD has all of these sims in stock as I just purchased one (nano SIM) this week for the iPhone 5 for prepaid service.

As for the unlock, just pm me and I can help if the original iPhone came from AT&T.

Eddy · Jan 30, 2013

Expat-in-Cabarete said:
If it is an Iphone 4 or above, yes, it may take a week. Otherwise, it takes just a few minutes.

What they do here in every corner is not UNLOCK is jailbreak. Never again can you update your OS nor safely connect it to iTunes. If it is a US iPhone with a contract expired, I would rather wait the week than jailbreak it here. I had mine jailbroken here a few years ago before carriers would do it for you. Crap, a few months later when by mistake I accepted a software update, had to pay for another jailbreak. Worse, impossible to transfer music and apps purchased from your itunes account.

Are you sure. I had my iphone 3 unlocked & jailbroken. Bought stuff from iTunes and was able to also get freebees using other programs. As for the iphone 4, had factory unlocked via computer and ugraded the OS without problems. Cannot be jailbroken though.

HopSkip · Jan 31, 2013

Thanks for the input everyone!

Eddy: Can you say about how much your plan "B" would cost for travelers who might want to consider that as an option?

wp3gi: Thanks for breaking down the SIMs -- Orange cuts them down by hand (at least the couple stores I was at).

cobraboy: I wanted to have the unlock through my carrier just in case there were any future issues. Although I was able to get it done quickly (over the phone) it was only because I pulled the "hand me to your supervisor please" trick.

One last general note I forgot to include -- the Claro stores seemed to have better (more/ longer) hours than Orange, so in the future I might go with them for convenience. I had gone with Orange on this trip because I'd read they had better coverage generally. What do other people think?

HopSkip · Jan 31, 2013

Oh and Leines - I'm not sure of the exact rates, but based on what I heard from some other travelers, I'm pretty sure that it's less than what you'd pay using your Canada SIM with roaming. Once guy told me $6/ minute for using his home country phone back to NoAm -- not sure if he was exaggerating or what.

Tamborista · Jan 31, 2013

It costs the same to call USA as a local call, not sure about Oh Canada?.
Roaming is ridiculous especially since you can by an activated local phone for under $10 with a card on it.

HopSkip · Jan 31, 2013

Eddy: Sorry you said the cost. My bad.

Expat-in-Cabarete · Feb 2, 2013

Totally. I had my iphone 3G (not GS) jailbroken here twice. Always an issue if I connected to iTunes. I gave up. Got another one from my son and went through AT&T to unblock. Haven't had a problem since.

Eddy said:
Are you sure. I had my iphone 3 unlocked & jailbroken. Bought stuff from iTunes and was able to also get freebees using other programs. As for the iphone 4, had factory unlocked via computer and ugraded the OS without problems. Cannot be jailbroken though.

Leines · Feb 2, 2013

HopSkip said:
Oh and Leines - I'm not sure of the exact rates, but based on what I heard from some other travelers, I'm pretty sure that it's less than what you'd pay using your Canada SIM with roaming. Once guy told me $6/ minute for using his home country phone back to NoAm -- not sure if he was exaggerating or what.

So the question is, all in for the sim and say 1gb of data and 20mins of call minutes to Canada, how much approx would you think that would cost? And is the coverage good in DR? I heard it was a testing area for 4G and has great cell service??

Koreano · Feb 2, 2013

Leines said:
So the question is, all in for the sim and say 1gb of data and 20mins of call minutes to Canada, how much approx would you think that would cost? And is the coverage good in DR? I heard it was a testing area for 4G and has great cell service??

If you are planing to travel for long period. I suggest just buy the 30 month data and use Voip app or use prepaid data on it, this will give you all the talk time you'll ever need since most of the apps are offing free calling and receiving to NA. For instance I have transferred my original cell number to google voice and i use Groove ip to call and receive calls from my family and friend from US.

And 4G? I saw an ads for 4g in capital but I don't know how reliable or fast they are. In Santiago and Moca I have a claro and I get about 4.5-5MB down and 750KB-1.2MB up in a VERY good day but I notice the coverage is very spotty at best if you are moving or in city or building etc...

Squat · Feb 3, 2013

Get an Android phone & enjoy the freedom!!!

Leines · Feb 3, 2013

Koreano said:
If you are planing to travel for long period. I suggest just buy the 30 month data and use Voip app or use prepaid data on it, this will give you all the talk time you'll ever need since most of the apps are offing free calling and receiving to NA. For instance I have transferred my original cell number to google voice and i use Groove ip to call and receive calls from my family and friend from US.

And 4G? I saw an ads for 4g in capital but I don't know how reliable or fast they are. In Santiago and Moca I have a claro and I get about 4.5-5MB down and 750KB-1.2MB up in a VERY good day but I notice the coverage is very spotty at best if you are moving or in city or building etc...

I'm only there for a week, but I'd like to be able to video chat/FaceTime and call home if possible. How much is 30days data?

How to Successfully Use an Old Iphone While in DR

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