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Cell Phones

Posted by on

I'll be in the Azores for 9 days. I'd like to have cell service for email, text, in-country calls, possible international calls, and GPS. I understand from web surfing that my options are: (1) use my existing iPhone with international service from my current carrier in the U.S.A; (2) rent/buy a pre-paid disposable phone with a SIM card from an Azores service provider; or buy a pre-paid SIM for my existing phone from an Azores service provider.

I'm looking to minimize my costs. Service through my U.S.A. provider is expensive and some features are only available through WiFi. Both a disposable phone with SIM card or just a SIM to use in my existing phone may only be available with a full month of service and require that I remember to terminate service at the end of 30 days, correct?

Are there any alternative ways to go about getting cell service for 9 days that won't break the bank?

Thank you in advance for any ideas and/or advice provided.

Posted by
11294 posts

" Both a disposable phone with SIM card or just a SIM to use in my existing phone may only be available with a full month of service and require that I remember to terminate service at the end of 30 days, correct?"

No. You should be able to get a prepaid SIM, meaning you "fill it up" with credit that you then "spend down" as you use the phone, rather than being tied to a contract.

If your iPhone is fully paid off, you should be able to get your current carrier to unlock it. Or, if it's from Verizon, it should already be unlocked. Then, you wouldn't need to buy a new phone - just a SIM. In addition, this means you keep all your apps, contacts, etc. If your iPhone is locked, you will indeed need to get a new phone to use a Portuguese carrier.

The Prepaid GSM Forums are a great place to get more info, but be aware that they can get VERY technical, so don't be afraid to ask for further clarification. Here's their Spain and Portugal Forum: http://www.prepaidgsm.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=fb409aa49e7b7deabd2069209bb15507&f=33

And here's their list of prepaid providers; you can then look at each Prepaid Offer for more details: http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/portugal.php

Posted by
472 posts

What island are you visiting? If Sao Miguel, the answer is easy. There is a Vodafone Kiosk in the airport that sells sim cards for about €10 and comes with around 1-3 gigs. At the mall called Parque Atlantico, there is a Meo store and Vodafone store. Each has sim card options and are very inexpensive. English is spoken by all associates.

You do not cancel anything after 30 days. If you use up your initial purchase, you can add more money or just buy another sim card.

Facebook calling and messenger worked better for us last year than iphone messenger, and it uses mimimal data vs using the value of minutes for each company. I used only 300mb including gps and calls and internet over 2 weeks. Also, SKYPE is a great inexpensive option for international calls.

If you go this route of buying a sim card, take a picture of the sim card and codes before intalling it. After it is installed, you have to enter these codes to continue. If you forget to enter the correct code, you must enter a longer sequence code. After 3 times of incorrectly entering codes, you lose the working sim card! With a picture to refer to, you will be fine.

Hope this helps!

Posted by
2 posts

Herold and Carl,
Thank you both for the excellent advice and information. I asked my US carrier to unlock the phone and will buy a SIM when I arrive on Soa Miguel.
Sheila

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