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ICE or Claro chip compatible US cell phones
https://forum.costaricaticas.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=47154		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  Crazyhorse0017 [ Sat Mar 28, 2015 4:32 pm ]
Post subject:  ICE or Claro chip compatible US cell phones
Anyone have a recommendation as to what a good pre-paid/throw away US cell phone will accept an ICE or Claro chip and work in CR?
Thx
CH
Author:  CRGolfer [ Sat Mar 28, 2015 5:09 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: ICE or Claro chip compatible US cell phones
Anything unlocked that uses a SIM card. I am not side the names of the technology....Cnut if it is compatible on a AT&T network it will work with ICE... ALSO, fwiw, CLARO sucks outside of San Jose.
Author:  Rac [ Sat Mar 28, 2015 5:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: ICE or Claro chip compatible US cell phones
It's not a U.S. phone, but I buy a $20 (10 Mil.) phone at the Kolbi (ICE) kiosk at the airport or at a Kolbi store in town. It works great in CR for calls and TXT messages. No camera, no touch screen. It comes with a SIM and a new number - - and loaded with about 1,000 when you buy it for $20. Or you can use another SIM if you like.

I've bought several of these over the years to give to the girls. I keep one or two activated phones in my room (locked up for security). A girl who has lost her phone will make you very happy if you give her a working $20 phone.
Author:  BashfulDwarf [ Sat Mar 28, 2015 7:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: ICE or Claro chip compatible US cell phones
a US phone must be quad band to work in CR. They are on a different band then the US carriers.
Author:  JazzboCR [ Sat Mar 28, 2015 8:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: ICE or Claro chip compatible US cell phones
Would Bro Rac's suggestion for local AND Skype or whatever through a laptop for needful US calls be an answer? Seems like the best of both worlds...Skype gives you a US number and the cheap-os can be bought by the bagful--propinas for the civilians too ( Hire a taxi for y'alls bar crawl and tip with a cell + 1K minutes or your fave barkeep/server at the end of your stay--you got a friend...)
Author:  Orange [ Sat Mar 28, 2015 9:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: ICE or Claro chip compatible US cell phones
For basis 2G (non-smart phone) cellular service, you don't need a quad band phone. You don't even need a tri-band phone. You just need an unlocked GSM phone that works on the 1800Mhz band. All 3 companies (ICE, Claro, and Moviestar) run on the 1800 band for 2G. For 3G, ICE uses 850, Claro 2100, and Moviestar uses both 850/2100.

At the airport, I believe they sell dual band phones 900/1800. Those phones will work in CR but may not work in any country that uses different bands.

http://maps.mobileworldlive.com/network ... name=Costa Rica
Author:  Crazyhorse0017 [ Sat Mar 28, 2015 10:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: ICE or Claro chip compatible US cell phones to b
I just need a phone that will work here on a month to month basis, and in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Argentina with local SIM cards
Author:  GoodDayJohn [ Sat Mar 28, 2015 11:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: ICE or Claro chip compatible US cell phones to b
Crazyhorse0017 wrote:
I just need a phone that will work here on a month to month basis, and in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Argentina with local SIM cards

If you are going to be doing much texting, you need a smart phone. Trying to type letters on a numbers keypad is painful. You can get a new, unlocked BLU Dash Jr smart phone (Model D141T) for under $45 on ebay. It operates on 850, 900, 1800, and 1900 bands; so it should work in all the countries you listed, and in the US. Also, you can use it for Whatsapp. You can't use Whatsapp on the non-smart phones. I bought one and was impressed with the quality. The screen keyboard is responsive and displays the letter/number you type. Some of the no-name Chinese phones that cost almost twice as much have keyboard problems. The screen is small (3.5"), but the phone is small enough to easily fit in your pocket.

And for entertainment, you can exchange photos with the chicas! :)
Author:  JazzboCR [ Sun Mar 29, 2015 1:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: ICE or Claro chip compatible US cell phones
Here's the exact listing for that phone: http://www.ebay.com/itm/BLU-Dash-Jr-TV- ... 4ae52be58e << It's not mentioned (it may be too obvious to say) but either a charger comes with it or it can use one you already have.
Author:  GoodDayJohn [ Sun Mar 29, 2015 1:27 am ]
Post subject:  Re: ICE or Claro chip compatible US cell phones
Jazzbo, you have to look at the pictures. A charger, USB cable, battery, screen protector, and ear phones come with it.
Author:  JazzboCR [ Sun Mar 29, 2015 10:58 am ]
Post subject:  Re: ICE or Claro chip compatible US cell phones
GoodDayJohn wrote:
Jazzbo, you have to look at the pictures. A charger, USB cable, battery, screen protector, and ear phones come with it.

Got me good, yes you did.
Author:  Orange [ Sun Mar 29, 2015 2:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: ICE or Claro chip compatible US cell phones
I heard really bad reviews of BLU phones. Get an LG smartphone, they aren't too expensive, about $100. It will be quadband 2G, and usually covers all 3G bands too.
Author:  GoodDayJohn [ Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: ICE or Claro chip compatible US cell phones
Orange wrote:
I heard really bad reviews of BLU phones. Get an LG smartphone, they aren't too expensive, about $100. It will be quadband 2G, and usually covers all 3G bands too.
Orange, why do you need to have a negative response to everything? I am not talking about reading reviews, I am talking about personal experience.
Author:  JazzboCR [ Sun Mar 29, 2015 8:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: ICE or Claro chip compatible US cell phones
GoodDayJohn wrote:
Orange wrote:
I heard really bad reviews of BLU phones. Get an LG smartphone, they aren't too expensive, about $100. It will be quadband 2G, and usually covers all 3G bands too.
Orange, why do you need to have a negative response to everything? I am not talking about reading reviews, I am talking about personal experience.

...It might have gone better if he had just mentioned that LG phone by itself, as an alternative, w/o the commentary.
Author:  SinCity [ Sun Mar 29, 2015 10:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: ICE or Claro chip compatible US cell phones
I've got an unlocked Motorola moto G 4G LTE phone I was gonna bring with me to CR. Will this phone work fine in sjo & jaco? If so, which carrier is best to set me up for 7-10 days light usage of calls, texting & data-is the ICE booth at the airport as good as any of the others? How much will I need to spend to cover a week or so?
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