T-Mobile USA GSM
T-Mobile has some very interesting benefits for traveler in Mexico. Unlimited text messages while in Mexico and more than 100 other countries. Unlimited data roaming while in Mexico and more than 100 other countries. Plus WiFi Calling.
These features aren't a priced add-on. They are standard with the Simple Choice Plan. The least expensive is $US50 for a single line (multiple lines are discounted). In the USA - this includes unlimited internet, unlimited SMS text messages, and unlimited calls. However the unlimited internet has the first 1 gigabyte of data to be fast - LTE or HSDPA+. These are 30 megabits per second and 14 megabits per second, respectively. If you exceed 1 gigabyte then the excess is at Edge 2G speeds. Edge is slow - 0.16 megabits. Of course you can sign up for more expensive plans that increase your fast internet cap while in the USA.
With Edge 2G you can still effectively do email, FaceBook, web browsing, Google Maps while almost stationary, and even stream music. Forget video. Uploading photos will be agonizingly slow at high resolution. Mostly text will give good results.
If you spend more than 35 days contiguously in Mexico using your T-Mobile phone - your plan is subject to review and cancellation. Thus, this probably is not a good option for the snowbird that stays many months.
These features aren't a priced add-on. They are standard with the Simple Choice Plan. The least expensive is $US50 for a single line (multiple lines are discounted). In the USA - this includes unlimited internet, unlimited SMS text messages, and unlimited calls. However the unlimited internet has the first 1 gigabyte of data to be fast - LTE or HSDPA+. These are 30 megabits per second and 14 megabits per second, respectively. If you exceed 1 gigabyte then the excess is at Edge 2G speeds. Edge is slow - 0.16 megabits. Of course you can sign up for more expensive plans that increase your fast internet cap while in the USA.
With Edge 2G you can still effectively do email, FaceBook, web browsing, Google Maps while almost stationary, and even stream music. Forget video. Uploading photos will be agonizingly slow at high resolution. Mostly text will give good results.
If you spend more than 35 days contiguously in Mexico using your T-Mobile phone - your plan is subject to review and cancellation. Thus, this probably is not a good option for the snowbird that stays many months.
WiFi Calling
I am in WiFi most of the time. Perhaps you are too. T-Mobile has a WiFi calling feature that is tailored to those of us who are in WiFi a lot. There are a lot of VoIP services, like Skype and Hangouts - but none are so well integrated into your cell phone as T-Mobile's WiFi Calling feature. You can configure it and forget it. It is seamless.
Suppose you are at your residence in San Carlos or at a restaurant or health club with WiFi AND that you have connected to WiFi AND that you have turned the WiFi Calling feature on. If someone calls your cell phone (remember it has a T-Mobile US phone number) - it rings, you answer it, and you pay nothing. The other party only pays if they would have had to pay for the call to your US home.
Suppose that you are originating the the call via WiFi Calling. It is as if you are back in the USA. The called party will see your cell phone number just as if you had made the call via the cellular network. Will if be free? It depends what you are calling. If it would have been free from your US home - then it is free with WiFi Calling.
International travelers LOVE this feature. Perhaps you can use it to your advantage.
You will need a smart phone from T-Mobile - not an AT&T phone with a T-Mobile SIM. The feature is highly integrated into the software on the phone. The phone needs to be Android or Windows. Apple iPhones don't implement the required international standard.
Suppose you are at your residence in San Carlos or at a restaurant or health club with WiFi AND that you have connected to WiFi AND that you have turned the WiFi Calling feature on. If someone calls your cell phone (remember it has a T-Mobile US phone number) - it rings, you answer it, and you pay nothing. The other party only pays if they would have had to pay for the call to your US home.
Suppose that you are originating the the call via WiFi Calling. It is as if you are back in the USA. The called party will see your cell phone number just as if you had made the call via the cellular network. Will if be free? It depends what you are calling. If it would have been free from your US home - then it is free with WiFi Calling.
International travelers LOVE this feature. Perhaps you can use it to your advantage.
You will need a smart phone from T-Mobile - not an AT&T phone with a T-Mobile SIM. The feature is highly integrated into the software on the phone. The phone needs to be Android or Windows. Apple iPhones don't implement the required international standard.
Internet in Mexico
You have unlimited data roaming in Mexico. That is the good news. The bad news is that it is at Edge 2G speeds. So you can do things like email, FaceBook, web browsing, Google Maps, Google searches, text based news, and WordReference. Note that if 2G is NOT available, then you get 3G for free.
If you are in WiFi a lot, this might be quite acceptable.
If you need higher speed you can buy a pass, although it is not cheap: $US15 for a day capped at 100 megabytes, $US25 for a week capped at 200 megabytes, or $US50 for two weeks capped at 500 megabytes. When you exhaust your pass, either by time or data use, you revert back to unlimited 2G data.
If you are in WiFi a lot, this might be quite acceptable.
If you need higher speed you can buy a pass, although it is not cheap: $US15 for a day capped at 100 megabytes, $US25 for a week capped at 200 megabytes, or $US50 for two weeks capped at 500 megabytes. When you exhaust your pass, either by time or data use, you revert back to unlimited 2G data.
Cost of calls while in Mexico
Flat rate of $US0.20 per minute for calls within Mexico. Land line or cellular.