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Cell phones are ubiquitous companions. I don’t like having one but the convenience and utility are undeniable.
Living in two countries presents a challenge because cell phone contracts tend to restrict our options. We have discovered an optimal solution for those who spend time in Ecuador and the United States.
Terminate Your Expensive U.S. Cell Phone Contract
With documented proof of your move to Ecuador most U.S. cell phone companies will terminate your contract without any fees. You will need to provide any of the following documents:
• Ecuadorian Driver License
• Cedula (National ID Card)
• Real Estate Lease Agreement
• Utility Bill
• Property Deed
Activate a Pre-Pay Plan in the United States
Let’s look at Verizon as an example. If you already have a Verizon phone you can activate the pre-pay option without a connection fee (just ask to have the fee waived). You must add $15 per month to keep the phone activated. If you don’t use the phone you are not charged and your balance only expires if you fail to add funds each month.
Charges are as follows:
Click here to get more information on this plan.
Purchase a Cell Phone in Ecuador
You can purchase a pre-pay cell phone in Ecuador. Phones start at $50 and pre-pay cards are sold just about everywhere. If you are away from Ecuador for more than 3 to 4 months your number MAY expire. If this happens you will need to pay an activation fee of about $5.
Do you know of a good solution for counties other than the United States? Please post your solution as a comment to this blog.
1 comment:
Another US possiblity is TracPhone, available on eBay, at Target and many other discount stores, for $10 and up. You must be sure you get a model that is right for your area, if buying on eBay. The TracPhone site can tell you which models work for your area.
Some air time comes with the initial purchase and with every new set of minutes you buy. For buying minutes, my TracPhone now is good for airtime through January 2009. Your minutes remain good as long as you have airtime left on your phone and this info is displayed everytime you turn it on.
You can buy the prepaid minutes at stores or online at Tracphone or eBay. If bought online, you are emailed a code which you input on your phone and you're good to go.
Standard purchase of minutes works out to about .25/minute, but you don't pay daily usage fees on top of this and the phones are relatively cheap. AND there are ways to get minutes more cheaply. There are "double minutes" cards and there are cards sold on ebay that include "bonus minutes codes" that can double your minutes, lowering your cost to 12.5 cents/minute. And if you have the patience to watch and bid, you can also bid on cards that start at .99 for 60" and go as high as bidding allows. I have got cards that yielded a value of .08/minute.
As of Feb 18, 2008, eBay has sellers offering a Motorola C139 prepaid TracPhone with lifetime double minutes, all for about $30 including shipping to the US.
-Lilly, USA, bound for Ecuador
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