cell phone rental?

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JERSEY DAVE

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Wife and I will be traveling to DR in April, she'll want to be calling within DR a LOT while we're there,(she has family there) Whats the most efficient/economical way to do this? And where? We're gonna be in Santo Domingo 1st. Do I understand correctly, that In DR outgoing calls don't cost the cell user, they charge the recepient? I mean she'll want to be on phone for hours, (we'll be going to Punta Cana, her family lives in and around Santo Domingo.) Also where is a good place to change money in SD?
Thanks
 
Tamborista

Tamborista

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The caller pays, not the recipient. Bring a CDMA phone from the US, go to Verizon Dominicana office, get a Dominican number for free. Just buy prepaid phone cards..... or BUY a cheapo phone down there. Renting a phone is not economical.

The VZ office is located @ 30 de Marzo in Santo Domingo 2 minutes from el Conde.
 
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rellosk

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Mar 18, 2002
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You've got it backwards, it's incoming (not outgoing) calls that don't cost the cell phone user.

Unless they've simplified the process, renting phones in the DR can be a pain. I used to rent phones at the tricomm call center in the airport. I believe that center is now closed. You may be able to rent one at the Verizon call center at the airport.

Assuming you're staying for a couple of weeks, your best bet is just to buy a cheap phone. It may be cheaper than renting a phone.
 
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JERSEY DAVE

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cell phone

What does "CDMA phone " mean? I have verizon, here in NJ. Can I use this phone? or is that the type you need the little data card in the phone? My newphew has a spare phone from cingular, I'm sure I can get a cheap phone on Ebay, I'm just not sure what the CDMA means. How does the prepaid phone cards work, like the phone cards here, you dial the phone card number, enter pin, dial number you want, or does the phonecard just put usable minutes on the phone? Can any of this be arranged online in advance?
Thanks again!!


Tamborista said:
The caller pays, not the recipient. Bring a CDMA phone from the US, go to Verizon Dominicana office, get a Dominican number for free. Just buy prepaid phone cards..... or BUY a cheapo phone down there. Renting a phone is not economical.

The VZ office is located @ 30 de Marzo in Santo Domingo 2 minutes from el Conde.
Click to expand...
 
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JERSEY DAVE

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And just how affordable (per minute) is this? She'll be on for hours a day, Am I better off getting some kind of plan? or just buy her a limited amount of phone cards to use from a landline?
 
Tamborista

Tamborista

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Just bring your US Verizon phone to The Verizon Store. Most VZ compatible phones will permit you to have 2 numbers on the phone. You buy a little plastic calling card with "calling time" on it and input the code into the phone.
You are thinking of a "SIM" card, used in a GSM phone, such as SPRINT, which does not apply to your CDMA phone.

CDMA = Code division multiple access
GSM = Global System for Mobile Communications
 
Tamborista

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It would be cheaper to get a hotel 5 minutes from her mother, than buying phone cards!

Perhaps you can get a deal from Verizon to have her cord?n umbilical cut while you are getting the phone activated!
 
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ricktoronto

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rellosk said:
You've got it backwards, it's incoming (not outgoing) calls that don't cost the cell phone user.
Click to expand...

The recipient is receiving the calls, Eddie. She said those were free. Ipso facto, QED.
 
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JERSEY DAVE

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stuck

1; "cheaper to keep her"
2; the more she talks to her relatives, the more peace and quiet I get, and the less I have to talk to her.

Thanks a lot by the way, I guess I'll do what you suggest with our phones, and buy her a set amount, and let her have at it. I guess I could also give my people here my number and they could buy U.S. phone cards to call the DR number?

Tamborista said:
It would be cheaper to get a hotel 5 minutes from her mother, than buying phone cards!

Perhaps you can get a deal from Verizon to have her Umblico cut while you are getting the phone activated!
Click to expand...
 
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johne

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For $25

JERSEY DAVE said:
Wife and I will be traveling to DR in April, she'll want to be calling within DR a LOT while we're there,(she has family there) Whats the most efficient/economical way to do this? And where? We're gonna be in Santo Domingo 1st. Do I understand correctly, that In DR outgoing calls don't cost the cell user, they charge the recepient? I mean she'll want to be on phone for hours, (we'll be going to Punta Cana, her family lives in and around Santo Domingo.) Also where is a good place to change money in SD?
Thanks
Click to expand...

you can get a phone and activation at La Tienda Calle Barahona139 (2 blocks from Plaza Lama) and then load it with minutes.
If you need more help PM me.

JOHN
 
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riravaga

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To Unluck a GSM phone is more expensive than Charge PRL and Code into your second nam. in your VZ phone, and get ready for the next time you came, you will only have to activate a new pre - paid number.
 
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gardito

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If your cel. uses a SIM card, go to any ORANGE store and find out if it works with their SIMs. (The guy at the store just popped out his SIM and placed it in my phone). If it works, it only cost me about US$12-15 to buy a pre-paid SIM with a local number on it. Cards run from 60 pesos to 300 pesos (I'm not sure if I've 500 pesos). It's like 8 pesos per minute to talk. Some of these cards have bonus amounts (pesos) in them. Incoming calls do not count on YOUR mins. I use it to call Puerto Rico when I'm over there because roming charges are MURDER !!

E.
 
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JERSEY DAVE

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sim card

Neither is free, but incoming calls are charged to the caller, not you. (I beleive this is how it works) But any calls you make, count against your cards balance, somewhere in this thread, I think, the cost per local minute should be listed. And yes as long as you do it within the time frame, you just buy another orange card, and enter the number into the phone to recharge minutes.
 
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JERSEY DAVE

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Peetie said:
Is this it?

Also, does France Telecom = Orange?
Click to expand...


They're usually convinently located, I don't know the adress('s), but one was a 10 minute walk from the Hilton I was staying at. Just ask anybody, or ask a cabbie. BTW you will need your passport when you 1st go to get your sim card.
 
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DAKRA

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Feb 21, 2007
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Tri-Fecta!!!

JERSEY DAVE said:
This post is VERY old!! The wife I was originally talking about has since been divorced, and has been in jail since Oct of 06, (drug, alcohol, arson related)
Click to expand...

Your wife is in the slammer? - for Drugs, Booze and the occasional Molitoff Cocktail? - I feel so bad for you.

Thank goodness that she does not have a cell phone in the KLINK - Your bill would be throught the roof!

:surprised
 
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JERSEY DAVE

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DAKRA said:
Your wife is in the slammer? - for Drugs, Booze and the occasional Molitoff Cocktail? - I feel so bad for you.

Thank goodness that she does not have a cell phone in the KLINK - Your bill would be throught the roof!

:surprised
Click to expand...

"The wife I was originally talking about has since been divorced"
 
J

JERSEY DAVE

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Feb 14, 2006
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gardito said:
If your cel. uses a SIM card, go to any ORANGE store and find out if it works with their SIMs. (The guy at the store just popped out his SIM and placed it in my phone). If it works, it only cost me about US$12-15 to buy a pre-paid SIM with a local number on it. Cards run from 60 pesos to 300 pesos (I'm not sure if I've 500 pesos). It's like 8 pesos per minute to talk. Some of these cards have bonus amounts (pesos) in them. Incoming calls do not count on YOUR mins. I use it to call Puerto Rico when I'm over there because roming charges are MURDER !!

E.
Click to expand...

Make sure you have an "unlocked" cell phone. (ebay?) it won't work with a locked phone, tho I understand there are places that will unlock a phone for a fee?
 
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