Can I get a prepaid SIM card for my GSM phone in Argentina?

November 24, 2004 6:51 AM

ArgentinaFilter: Are pre-paid GSM sims available in Argentina (Buenos Aires)? If so, where does one go to buy one, and how much should one expect to pay? T-Mobile US wants $2.00 a minute to roam there!
posted by reverendX to Technology (4 answers total)

If you manage to track down a prepaid SIM, you will of course need an unlocked phone to use with it. T-Mobile may be willing to tell you how to unlock yours if you have been with them for six months or a year or so. If you don't already know whether your phone is unlocked, finding out (and remedying it if necessary) should be your first order of business.

I don't know about Argentina in particular, but every country I've heard of with a GSM network has at least one carrier who offers pre-paid access.
posted by kindall at 8:54 AM on November 24, 2004

Response by poster: Thanks kindall, I already unlocked my phone :-)
I called T-Mobile a couple of months after signing up and told them I would be going abroad. They supplied the necessary codes to unlock my tri-mode nokia 3650.
posted by reverendX at 10:59 AM on November 24, 2004

can't you enable international roaming? t-mobile told me i could add it on for the length of time i would be out of the US, and could thus get a lower rate while traveling (and still use my same home phone number).

(and kindall - if anyone in the US sells prepaid GSM sims i'd like to know about it. i have a couple of old phones i'd like to stick a sim card in and give to phone-less relatives, but as far as i know there's nobody selling prepaid cards. they all come with phones that can be "refilled" via credit card, but all i want is the damn sim card... t-mobile sells them in the UK, so why not in the US as well?)
posted by caution live frogs at 12:49 PM on November 24, 2004

Response by poster: caution live frogs: international roaming is usually MUCH more expensive than buying a local pre-paid sim. For example, the rate is $2/minute in argentina.. A local pre-paid sim can be as cheap at 10 cents a minute. (finally found here) Also, incoming calls would be free if I was using the pre-paid sim.
posted by reverendX at 10:34 PM on November 24, 2004