Recommend a temporary cell phone in Panama City, Panama?

Question

I will be in Panama for 1 month. I need either...

#1 a cell phone for making brief local calls for one month of business (low minutes) or

#2 A cell phone where I can do the above PLUS make calls to USA that are not too terribly expensive to keep in touch with business here

or #3 a cell I han have people call a local number here is USA and get in Panama

or a combo of all three would be great!

I have no idea how to do this. Any suggestions? Are there rentals? Good plans to look for? Better plans for calling USA?

Answer 1

Okay..I need to be honest with you,in Panama are some companies that rent cell-phones,but the prices are too high,around 0.80 the minute,no matter if incoming or outgoing calls,also you have to pay for the roaming service,another charge,plus the cost per day of the phone.....my suggestion is that buy a pre-pay cell phone ,could be from cable and wireless or movistar,the minute is around 40 to 50 cents inside panama,but they have offers about to triplicate the minutes when you buy a card,for example..5 dollars card is 15 dollars to call in minutes,so in that way and with minutes more cheaper,you could be handle it better...also in Panama exists many locals of Internet that you can make calls to US at very low price..my suggestion is buy a pre-pay cell phone..no contract...no plan..for 20 30 or 40 dollars.and then use cards to call, I made many calls from my cell of movistar from Panama to US several times the last year,and was very cheaper for me comparate with other choices.when i was working in rent a cars companies in the airport ,I suggest that many times to the customers,and they said that was very Good choice...so I hope that this ideas help to you...also you still have the choice to make calls to USA with your own minutes and they will be more cheaper that a rent cell........at the end, you can make calls using your cell phone,using the internet places and also and for last,you can buy pre-paid cards from companies like CLARO COM...and cable and wireless ,that you can use in any phone...so you have 3 good choices...

best regards...

p.s I'm from Panama,chitre-herrera and now I'm living here close to Sacramento, i live in Panama  for 40 years,until 2006,and my wife was in californa for a couples months,I had to made calls to her all the time,so as you can figure out,I usually take all the tricks possibles to call to US...I know the issue very well.....I worked en AVIS until 2006...we rented cell to the customers,but I don't liked to do that because was very expensive to the customers..not fair at all...

Answer 2

Look pal, I'm from Panama and I am currently living here.

Call to US are not rounded $0.80 USD, right now there are cheaper prices around the half of it ($0.40 USD)

There are many Call Stations where you can take seat and made a call inside a cabinet, good prices.

But if you really need to move around the city or if you go outside the city you should buy a SIM card or Cell phone chip, inserting it on your cell phone, this SIM card will not cost more than $10 USD, so then you buy a telephone card to do the calls (each call inside Panama is near $0.30 it depends on card denomination: $2, $5, $7, $8, $10, $12, $20, or $50)

There are basically 2 telecommunications companies which offers these cards: "MOVISTAR" & "CABLE & WIRELESS"

Hope to help u