Recommendation/advice needed for iPhone SIM card while in country

[Allyson Smith]

Hello!My husband and I are returning to Panama on Saturday and I need advice/contact info for putting a SIM card in my iPhone 5.When we were there in November we incurred a $630 AT&T bill, that after putting international plans on both our phones. Now both our phones are out of contract and I have unlocked them. I was told that we should purchase SIM cards as soon as we get to Panama and then we can use our phones off the AT&T network and not incur charges.Can someone please tell me how that works and where I need to go to buy the SIM cards? Price for SIM cards? I'm not really sure what that means for my ability to use my phone while in country. I need it primarily for using Google Maps to make our way around by car, texting, and general internet meanderings.We arrive in PC Saturday night and will be in Boquete early Sunday morning. Is there somewhere in town I can get this taken care of?Thank you very much!P.S. I mentioned in a post a number of months ago that I am bringing a supply of veterinary surgical instruments to donate to the Amigos de Animales organization, but I'm afraid I've lost the contact information for who I need to meet to give them to. If anyone could point me in the right direction I'd appreciate it!

[PanamaRon]

That is correct.  After adding the new sim card in Panama you will have a Panamanian cell number (507-6XXX-XXXX) that people in the US can call if they have the ability to dial an international number.  And of course you can dial direct to the US for about 10 cents per minute.

[Susan Kelley]

Just download the Magicjack app---free app, and you can call any number in the US for free.  Also What's App and Viber are great for FREE calls to other What's App or Viber users globally.  So....get  your family to put these same apps on their phones.  You can use Wifi for free calls and depending on your cell carrier the phone calls using these apps are free.  Movistar won't allow me to call on What's App without Wifi, but I can on Viber.  I also put credit on Viber and the calls to US phones that don't also have Viber are 2 cents a minute.  So many places have free wifi...this is a great, cheap way to connect with the US and Canada.

[Bruce Laidlaw]

Walter, it may be how much you OWE.

[Juan G.]

I have found that the app "WAZE" works much better here than Google Maps. Just an FYI. The app is free and you can download it before you get to Panama. In my experience, Google Maps did not give me an actual GPS function (I last tried it over 2 years ago so my info may be totally outdated now), but just told me street names. Anyone who has been to Panama knows that street names are a joke here. WAZE is up to the instant information because the users are constantly updating the information. It is also very helpful with police traps and traffic jams.  

[Time4Us2Retire]

Hi, Allyson!

Seems like forever since we were all at Luana and Bond's home in Wake Forest!  We will be arriving in Boquete September 1 for a 3-month visit.

To you question ... others have given you solid advice to which I will add that Linda & I got our Mas Movil SIM cards for our unlocked iPhones from a store AT the PTY airport as soon as we got off of the plane -- and it took about 20 minutes total.  We bought two $10 cards (one for each iPhone) for a total of $20 plus tax. The sales person spoke great English, removed our old SIM cards (this requires a paperclip!!) put in the new cards and tested the numbers for us.  (MAKE SURE you test things before you leave the store!) There are also SIM card vending machines ... but you'll need to read Spanish and probably won't have anyone official to help you if something goes wrong.

Mind you, this could impact the crowd you encounter at the immigration checkpoint since your entire plane load is now in FRONT of you, but c'est la vie!  

We did need to visit the Mas Movil (Cable & Wireless) store in Boquete to add another $5 to each phone toward the end of our month-long trip — and that was equally effortless.

How long will you be in Boquete?  Hope to cross paths with you while you're in town.

T

[Bruce Laidlaw]

Go to Mas Movil in Boquete - you'll have to go Monday because they're closed on Sunday. Ask around and you'll find 'em. You can get a plan with plenty of data for about $22/month. They'll assign you a Panama phone # and then you can buy some minutes right in the store(they'll put them on your iPhone and you won't have to mess around with the phone cards). We rarely used more than $10/month in voice. It's much cheaper than in the States. You'll never get more than 3G but that's OK. For the most part you'll have reliable phone and data service. Mas Movil will give you better service than the other local providers for almost all areas of the Boquete district.

[Keith Woolford]

It's no big deal, iPhones are a global product. So are SIM cards. Sold everywhere. You want a MasMovil SIM chip. Do not let language hold you back, just write down what you want on a piece of paper before you enter the store.

[Lee Zeltzer]

Either bring asim cutter or deal with where then cut you sim. Micro or nano depending upon which iphone

[Judy Sacco]

Please contact Magaly at [e-mail] or at 6563-8686.  She can tell you who to call about donating the veterinary supplies.

Regarding the SIM card, go to Cable and Wireless when you get here.  They can help you.