Prepaid cell phone in Mexico and S. America

[KB]

My son is taking a hitchhiking/backpacking trip to Mexico and South America soon and is wondering the best way to have prepaid cell phone service. We checked with Sprint which is our carrier and they suggested using a prepaid phone. I've tried to do some research but didn't really come up with anything.

Can anyone suggest a prepaid carrier that will work in Mexico and further south? Thanks.

 

[MichaelB]

Hi KB

Telcel/America Movil is a carrier across most of Latin America. He (you) can buy a GSM phone, get a new sim card in Mexico, and then buy international roaming prepaid minutes there. Alternatively, if he will be mostly in large cities, he can get new sims with local minutes in the countries he visits. This may be less expensive, but requires access to large cities where they have offices.

Yo soy Telcel
América Móvil

 

[KB]

Thanks MichaelB. We'll look into it.