SIM CARD SWITCHING FOR NEWBIES

But if you only occasionally travel to new international destinations, it's probably a lot cheaper to just do a simple SIM Card Switch.

It's really, really easy to do...but there are some tips, tricks and cautions to know, to avoid a big mess.

So, here you go, SIM CARD SWITCHING FOR NEWBIES! Compiled by Jim & Lisa from Idaho.

PRACTICAL WARNING: UBER and LYFT always require a mobile/cell phone with data plans.

However some countries (including the DR) DON'T ALLOW RIDE-SHARE SERVICES TO PICK UP PASSENGERS AT THE AIRPORTS!!

• So you may not be able to catch Uber/Lyft from the airport. Yes, it's quite the rip-off, but you're a guest in the country, so deal with it.
• So, you're kind of stuck with taxis, or walking out somewhere to meet the Uber a bit off the property. 
• Some brave Uber drivers will pick you up in the parking lot, but it is not without risk for them.

Now, let's start at the very beginning:

STEP ONE: Plan ahead by packing one of those little pointy tools for opening your sim card TRAY!! So you can do the switch by yourself if needed.

• You probably got one of these with your phone when new. However, if you've lost or never received one, don't worry.
• Just stick a regular thin paperclip in a secure place your wallet or purse. Plain metal paperclips are best, NOT the Jumbo or coated varieties.

STEP TWO:  Decide which local network you want to use -- the SIM cards are unique to each network, and not tradeable. 

• We always use the most-common/largest/most robust mobile network provider in the country we're traveling to.
• You can save a (very) few bucks by using a smaller network provider, but you'll also encounter more coverage gaps and probably less useful customer service.
• In the DR, the largest mobile phone network provider is Claro (Spanish for "Clear").

WARNING: In the Caribbean, Central American and for that matter all of Latin America, your apps and instructions will come in Spanish.

Learn to love and use Google Translate. It will be your best friend until you learn the language.

STEP THREE: PURCHASE THE SIM CARD

You have two basic options here -- buy from an official Network Store (our recommendation would be Claro in the DR), OR buy from a Taxi Driver or maybe the corner Colmado or whatever. Lots of places will sell them, but you're trusting that you're not getting a fake that won't work.

• We've never bought from anywhere but an official Claro Store, so I can't offer too much advice.
• OTOH, we've had multiple taxi drivers offer to sell us "Claro SIM Cards," so they're out there. Many people buy from taxi drivers and it works out fine.

IF YOU'RE BUYING FROM AN OFFICIAL STORE, THEY WILL INSTALL IT FOR YOU!

• If arriving at the Santo Domingo (SDQ) airport, there is a Claro store IN THE GRAND HALL to the right as you depart the controlled area.
• Turn hard right off the ramp, you'll see the Claro. You can check hours on the claro website.
• The Claro SDQ Store may have an English speaker on duty, but may not. Plan accordingly.
• If you buy from a larger Claro store in Santo Domingo, you'll have far better odds of encountering an English-speaking tech/rep, but it's still hit-and-miss.
• If all else fails: SMILE BIG, point to your phone and say "SIM CARD!" They'll know what you need. Write down your needed days/data on a notepad, then use Google Translate (or whatever)
• We were never overcharged during our first three trips here, despite our language shortcomings. Then, we learned a bit of Spanish, and it helps a lot.

If arriving in Punta Cana (PUJ), THERE IS NO Claro (or any  other mobile seller) inside the airport, or immediately adjacent.

• Most all major malls and many strip malls will have a Claro Store. Just ask your Taxi or Uber driver to take you to the nearest Claro Store.
• If open, the local Claro stores aren't far from the PUJ airport (there's one in Blue Mall, and another in the mall immediately adjacent to the Jumbo in "downtown" Punta Cana). Always check hours first!!
• Taxi drivers WILL wait for you to go into the store...you're not the first arrival to make that request.
• However, you should expect higher fees & more tipping for them to wait for you while guarding your bags.
• Claro Service in Punta Cana is good, but English speakers are VERY rare. BE PREPARED TO USE GOOGLE TRANSLATE TO FACILITATE.
• Learn how to use the voice feature to speed up the translating.

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?  We recently paid RD $1300 pesos for TWO Claro SIM Cards at a Claro store in Punta Cuna's Blue Mall -- so that's RD$650 pesos per SIM, or less than $12/card. The are valid for 15 days with 5 Megs of data, to include texting, phone data, internet ACCESS, and GPS access.

• You can pay less for shorter/smaller plans...we always try to buy the longest ones available. We ALWAYS use lots of data, because we frequently use our smart phone's MOBILE HOTSPOT to connect our laptop to the internet when we're doing sensitive stuff like accessing bank accounts.
• Your mileage may vary. This latest purchase was a little more expensive in Punta Cana than we previously paid in Santo Domingo. However, we're not sure if it was more expensive in PC because it is a tourist area, or it was just higher because of generalized inflation.

FINISHING UP: The reps will set your phone up completely and hand it to you. BUT DON'T PAY OR STEP AWAY FROM THE COUNTER until you have made and received phone calls on each phone, AND verified texting (if purchased) AND verified GPS service.

Smile and keep asking, nicely. (NEVER raise your voice, they might connect you to Botswana and your minutes disappear in seconds.)

Most techs will help you with that verification -- and we gladly tip those folks 50 or 100 pesos. We don't tip the ones that try to rush us away from the counter.

IF YOU'RE BUYING FROM A COLMADO OR TAXI DRIVER, YOU MUST INSTALL THE SIM CARD YOURSELF.

• I'll talk about installing SIM cards in the next major paragraph. For now, let's talk about taxi drivers and SIM cards!
• Many, perhaps most, taxi drivers can sell you a Claro (or other) Sim Card. Just ask a few, you'll find one. They carry bundles of them in their pockets and taxis! (The price will be a little higher than a Claro Store, but it will get you what you need faster.)   
• BTW, be sure to negotiate with the driver a bit. It's expected. They'll probably quote you a price of $20 for a 5 day/5gig voice/text/data plan.
• Nudge a bit, and you should be able to get for $15 or less without too much trouble. OR, just look and step toward the next driver in the line, and the first likely will suddenly have a change of heart and meet your price.           

STEP FOUR: INSTALL THAT SIM CARD YOURSELF! (if you didn't have it installed)

FIRST, YOU TURN OFF YOUR PHONE!! DON'T SKIP THIS STEP!

THEN, PULL OUT THAT PAPERCLIP, bend it straight and stick in the little hole in the top of your phone (for Samsungs, but your phone might be a little different).

• Hold your phone level to the ground as you do this...and do it over a flat, contained surface if you can.
• The SIM and/or your memory card are both quite small, and either one can pop out of the tray if you jar it. BE CAREFUL. If you lose it under the soda pop machine in the terminal, the Claro store WILL NOT give you a free replacement! [And YES, I know that for certain!
• I have occasionally traded out active SIM cards on the plane before landing in Santo Domingo -- and had panic attacks when I dropped the SIM and couldn't find it (though I eventually did).
• Do yourself a favor -- pull a jacket or sweater or whatever out of your bag and spread it WIDE across your lap, and keep your legs spread wide so you have stable surface.
• BEWARE OF USING COUNTERS WITH GAPS BETWEEN THEM. Someone apparently installed SIM Card magnets deeeep in those gaps.

BACK TO THE TRAY: A little tray will then release and pop out slightly -- slooowly pull it all the way out. The SIM card is the small card in the tray -- smaller than a postage stamp, Your phone will probably have a larger memory card too, but you shouldn't mess with that at all!

• BEST PRACTICE: Take out the old SIM card and IMMEDIATELY TAPE IT to something you're going to save. We usually just use the larger credit-card-sized plastic that the SIM card comes embedded within; also, take the time to WRITE DOWN your new phone number on your carrier card, if it isn't already there.
• PRO TIP: Plan ahead: before leaving home, place a couple of small pieces of tape on the front of one of your credit cards you don't plan to use, then use that tape to secure the SIM card.

Some SIM cards have their carrier's name printed on it, others don't.  Since the SIM card is sold to you embedded in larger plastic card from which you pop it out of, we usually save that larger plastic card, ensuring we use a permanent marker to write down the new number on the larger plastic card.

• The new and old SIM cards have distinct shapes...it can fit into the tray in only ONE way. That's how it goes into the tray, and it should lay absolutely flat and even when properly inserted.
• Then, slowly and carefully insert the tray back into your phone. Don't go all spastic here, or get rushed and force the tray in. If you've got everything set up correctly, the tray will slide smoothly back into the phone.
• IF YOU MEET ANY SIGNIFICANT RESISTANCE to the tray's return, you've done something wrong. Pull it back out and double-check the SIM and memory cards, perhaps double-check that you haven't bent the tray. GENTLE is the watchword.

If you happen to snap one of the tray's sides, don't panic. I did that back in 2019, myself, and it lasted for 3 more years!!

Just carefully push everything back together, and then back into the phone.  When you get a chance, get some instant/krazy glue and use the tiniest of dabs to glue the parts back together.

if you happen to break the tray so it's unusable...time to head to a local phone repair shop. Trust me, you're not the first person to do that.  But, it is a very rare event, if you're going slowly, gently, carefully.

STEP FIVE -- YOU'RE NOT DONE YET! INSTALL THE Mi CLARO APP ON YOUR SMARTPHONE:

• As soon as you can, download the MiClaro app (or equivalent for other networks). Makes it easy to track minutes/data and recharge when needed.
• PRO TIP: If you have a local DR bank account, you should use that DEBIT CARD as the paying method inside the Mi Claro App.
• Here's the thing: when you go to recharge minutes or upgrade plans, Claro sends a very small (temporary) transaction to your bank account via the Debit Card. YOU USE THE AMOUNT OF THAT TRANSACTION TO CONFIRM YOUR ORDER IN THE APP! 
• But you need to do it quickly, there's a time limit.
• It took me several years to figure that out...you should learn from my mistakes.

STEP SIX -- SOME MISCELLANEOUS TIDBITS:

• LEARN HOW TO USE GOOGLE TRANSLATE with the miClaro app (or whatever else). you might have to switch screens back and forth, G-Translate isn't all that friendly to apps, nor apps to G-Translate. The DR market doesn't supply much in the way of English as an alternative language for apps or websites.
• IF YOU WANT TO KEEP THE SAME SIM CARD FOR EVERY TRIP TO THE ISLAND...you have to keep your account AND your number active.
• That means recharging with at least $50 DOP every other month, in my experience.
• Personally, I've found that to be more time and money than it's worth, as I built up huge balances in my Claro Account.
• On the other hand, nothing beats the convenience of switching SIM card in the plane before it lands, and having your phone already working when you walk up the ramp. Saves a lot of time and hassle.
• The option is there, if you choose it.
• YOU MAY GET SOME STRANGE PHONE CALLS IN SPANISH.
• Odds are, someone else "previously owned" your new phone number, and the odds are WAY strong that it was a local.
• For whatever reason, few of those previous owners told any of their friends or relatives they were changing/losing their cell numbers.
• Thus, YOU will be getting phone calls from all ages/sexes/types at any time of the day or night.
• Some of them will be convinced that YOU are hiding or protecting their son/daughter/friend/enemy/colleague, and be quite curt to you.
• Others will try to convince you it is your responsibility to connect you to the person they're trying to call (I think they believe English-speakers all work for the network provider, and thus can order you around).
• Be friendly and polite, don't raise your voice. If you don't understand Spanish, just be nice and end the call.
• THEN make sure to block that phone number in your phone...or you'll keep getting calls from those very same people, no matter how many times it doesn't work.
• If there's a better way of handling these "heritage callers," I haven't figured it out. If you know a better way, please share below.

Now, it's time for the DISCLAIMERS:  I'm sharing personal experiences and advice. Unfortunately mobile phone providers do change over time -- prices, plans, coverage, equipment and software ALL change over time. This advice should be enough to get you started, but I'm not responsible for anything that happens to you!

To stress one more time: If you don't speak the language, a broad smile and kind tone of voice can solve most problems. The DR natives are generally wonderful, kind, hard-working people. Treat them nice, and they'll treat you like royalty.

If you get some extra help or kindness, be sure to tip a little bit -- but do it discreetly, don't make a spectacle of it, especially in a store.

• If someone climbs a mountain for you, tip a LARGE amount...but first check out the forum's articles on tipping in the DR to figure out just how much is a large or small tip.  Some folks will actually be offended if you offer an outsized tip -- they see it as you rubbing in your wealth and prosperity. Be thoughtful.
• Personally, my largest-ever tips have been !,000 pesos...which is less than $18 USD at today's rates.  Those are BIG tips for the DR, and I give them rarely.
• For example, we had hotel housekeepers who cleaned up after my wife and I suffered several days of a nasty stomach bug, and they definitely deserved a HUGE tip.     
• They literally wept for joy at getting 1000 pesos each -- and explained it was an answer to a prayer.  One was heading out to buy a son's birthday present, the other was buying a First Communion dress for her daughter (if I got the translations right). 
• So, be wiling to tip, but tip modestly...usually. Tip bigger when truly deserved; even then, don't go "stupid big" on the tip.

Okay folks...I hope this post helps someone out there in Expat-land!!

All you old pro expats, please review and suggest corrections or improvements. Add your own experiences and tips. It's about helping ease the road for those that come behind us.

Jim

ExpatRusher

Great info!  Thank you for copying the original and expanding the information you have provided!

Hey ExpatRusher,

I would like to join planner in thanking you for sharing such useful information here.

Keep it up!

Cheers,

Cheryl

Expat.com team

One difference in my experience with Claro - when you add the credit card, there is a four-digit code that is part of the authorized transaction. That is what I've had to use to authorize the card on my account. You simply go to your credit card company's app/website and look at the pending transaction. The code will be right there.

Thank you so much for your help in this area.  Super helpful!

@ddmcghee That is a better, more complete explanation than I offered.  THANKS!

What about buying a sim card on a monthly plan, is this something you would recommend, we will be there for e months.

If they will give you a monthly plan, sure.  Prepaid plan is more likely than post paid

For me, I keep losing those tiny sim cards.

Instead I bought a mini router which has a built in sim card.  The Altice router is small and lightweight, like a deck of cards but thinner, and provides internet access to your devices like laptop, phone and TV(s).   I just rent apartments so this works good for me.  You just bring this mini router with you at all times.  After I get to DR  I go to Altice  to activate it on a prepaid plan, pay per use plan.  You need to have a 1000 peso balance in your account with them or it stops working.

I went to Altice because Claro had the same but double or triple the cost so I went to Altice.  Once you buy the hardware, you have to stay with the same provider (so they told me).

When I arrive at the Punta Cana airport, I use the free wi-fi there until I get my router activated the same day or next day.   This is not ideal if you need to use it and there is no wi-fi (as soon as you leave the airport).   But for me this is fine.