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What Is a Pocket WiFi? How Does It Work? And How to Use It
In this post, we will deeply explore what Pockets WiFi are, how they work, how much they cost, and what are the alternatives.
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When it comes to traveling around the world, there are many things people need to keep in mind. It’s especially important to know what services and fees are available to use on your UK phone when traveling to Mexico. So, if you live in the UK and intend to travel to Mexico any time soon, this one is for you.
So, here we will provide a guide that will let you know everything related to what we just mentioned previously. The good thing is that all the information we will give here will help you on future trips. And, you can even show this guide to your fellow travelers too!
Table of Contents
Can I use my phone in Mexico?
At first sight, there’s a simple answer to this question as we can say yes, everyone can use their cellphones when traveling to Mexico, even if they are from the UK.
Still, there are some things people need to know about how they will use their devices there. When traveling, you need to know about the coverage areas in the country, the band frequencies for cellphones, and much more. These are simple things all travelers have to remember as much as possible.
Try to look for all this information we are discussing here, so you can learn more about the place you are traveling to. Sometimes, it’s not all related to what places you have to visit, or where you want to go; staying connected is also important for people when they are out there adventuring.
As for now, there are some options you can get to know about how to use your cellphone in Mexico, and that’s what we will talk about moving forward. There’s a lot to know, and many options everyone should know about.
What are the options for using a UK Mobile phone in Mexico?
When talking about the options we have for using our cellphones in Mexico, we can tell there are many, many options that can come to minds. Whether it is roaming services, or Pocket WiFi devices, among many others.
Still, some of these services are better than others, and that’s why we need to focus on the best services. Nowadays, traveling and staying in contact has become a must, as we dive deeper and deeper into the digital era.
So, what are the options on our list for people to remain connected when in Mexico? Well, we can mention 4 of them, SIM cards, eSIMs, free WiFi, and pocket WiFi devices. But, which one of these options is among the best for travelers? That’s what we want to discuss here for the alternatives to use our cellphone in Mexico.
So, if you aren’t sure what service you will use, we will tell you everything about them so that you can make the proper decision easily.
eSIM for traveling abroad
For those who don’t know much about eSIMs, these digital SIM cards have become quite famous recently. They work in the same way and provide tourists most of the features we are used to seeing on a traditional SIM card.
But, how can people get one, and what do they need to know about this service? Well, we can find many cellular provider companies out there offering this service to those interested. In most cases, they are pretty easy to get as travelers can buy these cards through online stores.
Such is the case of Holafly, which is also one of the eSIMs we recommend using. The only thing you need to remember is that you will need a last-gen device to use an eSIM because, other than that, there’s no need to worry.
And, as for prices, we can tell people have the chance to choose the price that suits them better, as prices start at $19 for 5 days of unlimited data. But, if you need to stay longer, other options are also available for the Holafly eSIM for Mexico!
Advantages
- Have a pretty decent coverage in most destinations.
- Easy to install on your cellphone.
- Only requires a QR to be activated.
- It works with 4G network speeds most of the time.
- Doesn’t occupy a physical space on a cellphone.
Disadvantages
- It only works on last-gen devices.
- It can’t be used on more than one device at a time.
- eSIMs only last for a certain amount of time.
International SIM Card
In the second place, we have the SIM card. These are well-known among people from all around the world. They have been around for quite some time, and now they can be used as an alternative for traveling.
These SIM cards work differently, as people must have an open-band device for them to work. If this is not the case, people won’t be able to use one of these international cards.
Other than that, the overall purchasing process is something simple and fast. And, once you install it on your cellphone, you won’t need to do much to use it! For this, we recommend using the Holafly SIM card as it offers good prices and coverage.
Pocket Wifi
Time to talk about pocket WiFi devices. These can be easily rented, and people can even receive them in their home in just a few days!
The thing with these devices comes with the price. The renting price for a whole week of usage varies from around 50 to 100 dollars. It can even be more depending on how many days people travel.
Other than that, renting a device of this kind can cost up to $400, depending on whether there’s a penalty to pay or not.
Free Wifi
One of the alternatives for people to stay connected when traveling is to use a free WiFi connection. In Mexico, this is something common to see, and there are many places where we can find one.
But, we won’t always be connected to one. And that’s something to consider, as people need to stay connected as much as possible. Still, it is a good choice to keep in mind; it just has some downsides.
Can I use my UK phone service in Mexico?
Yes! That’s the short answer we can give to people. They all can use their cellphones with their cellular services in Mexico when they travel there.
For those wondering, in this particular case, we are talking about the roaming services that each one of these companies offers. If you are from the UK, then chances are you either use Three, O2, or Vodafone.
Thankfully, these companies offer roaming services with excellent coverage for Mexico. But what about the prices? Let’s talk about that.
Using my Mobile phone in Mexico with Vodafone
When it comes to Vodafone, they offer people the chance to use their cell phones with their roaming service with ease. The company has divided the roaming areas into three, with Mexico being one of the most expensive places as of now. The daily roaming price here is $8, so keep that in mind.
As for the phone call, they charge about $0.05 per minute, and for SMS, they charge about $0.02 per message sent.
Using my Mobile phone in Mexico with O2
Time to talk about O2. They have a pretty similar service compared to what we can see in Vodafone when it comes to using our cellphone in Mexico.
For cellular data, they have a roaming price of $7 per day, whilst for SMS and phone calls, they have different rates. For text messages, the price is $0.02 for a message sent, and for phone calls, they charge $0.05 per minute.
Using my Mobile phone in Mexico with Three Mobile
The last cellular operator we have on our list is Three Mobile. They are well-known among UK users, and we couldn’t leave them aside here.
But, there’s a downside here. They don’t offer their roaming services in Mexico currently, which means users will need to find a different alternative.
Local mobile operators in Mexico
In Mexico, we can find many cellular operators to use. Movistar, and Telcel, among others, are part of the list we can find to use there.
For now, the best option is Movistar. They have wider coverage, and better plans, and they are overall more accessible for people. Still, for travelers, things are a bit different.
Travelers can get one of these cellular operators when traveling to Mexico, but it is something hard to do, so keep that in mind.
How much does it cost to use my UK phone in Mexico?
It will depend a lot on the service we are going to use. We could say prices will vary from $9, which is the price we can find a Holafly eSIM, to up to $400, which is the price of what we can spend on a Pocket WiFi.
The Holafly SIM card is also a suitable alternative, as we can find it for 29 euros to up to 239 euros, the final price depends on how many days we will stay traveling. Other than that, these two alternatives are pretty good, offer decent coverage, and are effortless to get!
