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Re: Island phone question
[Re: sxmsandbum]
#181479
01/21/2019 10:07 PM
01/21/2019 10:07 PM
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,278 Maryland/DC Metro
BeachKitten
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,278
Maryland/DC Metro
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Oh!! That's good that you did that. It is only certain phone's that were no longer supported on SXM after Irma. You can take that SIM and put it into another phone and still have your number! Very good that you kept it current. Let me look back through the forum to remember what the system issue was.....I know that I bought a new phone in May on SXM to transfer my SIM card into. Edit: I believe it was that the Chippie system no longer supported a G2 phone? Got a cute little inexpensive Samsung at Blue Point in P-Burg, which was were Rima's used to be.
Last edited by BeachKitten; 01/21/2019 10:15 PM.
"It is good to do nothing all day, and then to rest"
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Re: Island phone question
[Re: sxmsandbum]
#181493
01/22/2019 05:31 AM
01/22/2019 05:31 AM
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 18,586 St Maarten
BillandElaine
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 18,586
St Maarten
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Do you have the card the SIM came with. If so, you can take that to UTS and they will issue you a new sim with the same # and retained $ that will work. The SIM cards issued before Irma typically did not work when UTS came back up with a changed network.
Elaine ********************************* God Bless the broken road....
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Re: Island phone question
[Re: sxmsandbum]
#181500
01/22/2019 07:50 AM
01/22/2019 07:50 AM
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 18,586 St Maarten
BillandElaine
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 18,586
St Maarten
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Yeah, the old phones don't work anymore. Need a smart phone. Finally had to say goodbye to our flip phones!
Elaine ********************************* God Bless the broken road....
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Re: Island phone question
[Re: the captain]
#181518
01/22/2019 10:23 AM
01/22/2019 10:23 AM
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 600 Eastern NC, N Topsail Beach
SXMFOX
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 600
Eastern NC, N Topsail Beach
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None, IMO. You can call your carrier, for $10.00 a day international plan is unlimited data and phone use. You only get charged if you use it. Ours through ATT always stays on our plan. Some might say that’s too much, but for us it works and it’s easy. To be honest, as advanced as phones are today with all the apps, every time this conversation comes up it really amazes me. Keep it simple, call your carrier, add the plan, and just use your phone, this is soo easy.
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Re: Island phone question
[Re: Renee]
#181521
01/22/2019 10:52 AM
01/22/2019 10:52 AM
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 18,586 St Maarten
BillandElaine
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 18,586
St Maarten
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Perhaps because a lot of folks, like me, don't have access to internet all the time.
Elaine ********************************* God Bless the broken road....
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Re: Island phone question
[Re: sxmsandbum]
#181524
01/22/2019 11:09 AM
01/22/2019 11:09 AM
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 18,586 St Maarten
BillandElaine
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 18,586
St Maarten
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We have no wifi on our phone, unless we hook up to it somewhere in a bar or restaurant or at home. I know people pay for those plans to have it all the time, but not everyone does.
Elaine ********************************* God Bless the broken road....
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Re: Island phone question
[Re: BillandElaine]
#181525
01/22/2019 11:17 AM
01/22/2019 11:17 AM
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,278 Maryland/DC Metro
BeachKitten
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,278
Maryland/DC Metro
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We have no wifi on our phone, unless we hook up to it somewhere in a bar or restaurant or at home. I know people pay for those plans to have it all the time, but not everyone does. Ditto. And if I'm driving and need to call someone I can, because I have the island phone and number. No wi-fi while on the beach or driving.
"It is good to do nothing all day, and then to rest"
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Re: Island phone question
[Re: sxmsandbum]
#181528
01/22/2019 11:59 AM
01/22/2019 11:59 AM
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 2,990 Connecticut
The_Lurker
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 2,990
Connecticut
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We used WIFI calling in November and it worked great. No charges. The only issue, I believe, is there will be a small charge if you are calling a local number in SXM, since it is out of the USA. So if you want to call local restaurants for reservations, it might be a dollar or 2.
We did have international calling if there was an emergency out of a WIFI area and luckily we never had to use it.
It would be nice to know what restaurants have Whatsapp, then you could use this app to make local calls---
Last edited by The_Lurker; 01/22/2019 12:04 PM.
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Re: Island phone question
[Re: sxmsandbum]
#181549
01/22/2019 02:13 PM
01/22/2019 02:13 PM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,146 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
islandgem
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,146
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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I also had a sim card from Sharon. I kept it active every two months and was able to transfer everything to a new sim card in November at no charge. Go to a UTS store and they will make the transfer for you and you will keep your number if you have kept it updated. If you have not kept it updated, you may lose your number and they will give you a new one. You have to have an unlocked phone to get this to work and it must be 3 or more. The old phones are no longer compatible. Good luck with your transfer.
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Re: Island phone question
[Re: sxmsandbum]
#181559
01/22/2019 04:44 PM
01/22/2019 04:44 PM
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 18,586 St Maarten
BillandElaine
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 18,586
St Maarten
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Wifi IS internet access. Unless you have a plan on your phone, the only way to get internet is via wifi.
We also have Vonage for calling to the states. But again, you need internet access.
Elaine ********************************* God Bless the broken road....
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Re: Island phone question
[Re: sxmsandbum]
#181561
01/22/2019 05:22 PM
01/22/2019 05:22 PM
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,250
sxmsandbum
OP
Traveler
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OP
Traveler
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,250
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Thank you for all the replies. Could someone tell me where the UTS store is? I have my smart phone from home that has the international plan and Whats App on it that I will be using. I bought my island phone several years ago when it was more convenient to use a local phone. I just would like to activate my island phone and use up the money I have on it plus I can call friends on island that don't have WhatsApp.
Last edited by sxmsandbum; 01/22/2019 05:25 PM.
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Re: Island phone question
[Re: Airlegs]
#181666
01/23/2019 01:11 PM
01/23/2019 01:11 PM
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Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 411 the Long Island
the captain
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 411
the Long Island
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Whatsapp is the best. We’re split between 4 different countries and I have seriously saved thousands of $$$ the past 3.5 years. If you were trying to make reservations with a restaurant, either the restaurant or the manager would have to have the app on a cellular phone and you’d have to be contacts to communicate. Plus they would need to check their messages often for it to be effective.
I think it’s a wonderful tool and it saves everyone time and money. 👍 If I ever really needed to use my carrier service, I activated it, paid about US $10 per 24 hours. (Although in my currency it translates to about $30). In my experience, wifi on the island is very weak and unreliable. But I’ve rarely needed it if wifi wasn’t available.
Good point. I think I used Whatsapp a few years ago. my brother is a world traveler & he swears by it. I think my only issue is that I would have to find internet cafes or find public wife and I am leary about public wifi.. And like someone already said, you can use whatsapp to call a landline. My only issue is security.. And also the "free" aspect. Something for nohting always carries a risk IMHO Agreed, that $10 a day is peace of mind, I think.
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Re: Island phone question
[Re: BillandElaine]
#181705
01/23/2019 04:51 PM
01/23/2019 04:51 PM
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,091 Massachusetts
boucharda
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,091
Massachusetts
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Wifi IS internet access. Unless you have a plan on your phone, the only way to get internet is via wifi. Correct...can't do "wifi" calling without "wifi"
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