Claro or Orange?

[Reidy620]

Hi all,

I am over on holiday this October and am looking to purchase a SIM card for use primarily in the Sosua/Puerto Plata areas, and am unsure which is the best one to buy. In the readers' experiences' of the above two, which gives the best reception/coverage in these areas, are they easy enough to buy and what are the call charges like from cell to cell in the DR?

Also, as the SIM is to be used primarily for a bi-annual holiday, will whatever credit that is left on the card be able to be carried forward to the next holiday or does it expire, after say a month, as it does here in the UK?

Your comments would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Reidy

[rio2003]

Hi reidy
You can purchase either a Claro or Orange sim card very easily in either Sosua or POP - as long as your phone is unlocked you will be up and running.....
IMO Claro has a much better coverage especially if you are going to be out and about. A lot of people, especially locals, are using Orange because it is cheaper and has had some very good offers. Having said that I think they are struggling to serve the amount of business they have attracted and a number of us have experienced awful problems with connection and signal this year. Grrrr......
I am in the UK and usually use my own UK phone if neccessary over there (Orange) but this year I have bought a "disposable" Claro phone just for holiday use. This was bought in POP for 400 pesos with credit included! Throwaway price......
Credit only lasts for a month - you are right.....
Sorry don't know about call charges, other members will be able to advise you on that one.
Hope this helps and have a great trip....... I am going out next week, can't wait!
Rio

[gringosabroso]

I've been living in POP for 12 years; I know 10 - 15 - 20 different people, mostly foreigners, who use either. The verdict? Most, including myself, prefer Orange. Each has its own faults. Why not buy an inexpensive cell phone; then try each, using the card, for 6 months. 1 will emerge as superior.

[Reidy620]

Originally Posted by gringosabroso

I've been living in POP for 12 years; I know 10 - 15 - 20 different people, mostly foreigners, who use either. The verdict? Most, including myself, prefer Orange. Each has its own faults. Why not buy an inexpensive cell phone; then try each, using the card, for 6 months. 1 will emerge as superior.

I believe that they are relatively inexpensive...some RD$400 to RD$500 for a "throw-away" one, will give your idea a try when I come over.

Thanks,

Reidy

[eralc777]

I personally use orange and have used it for 18 months. Recently the signal seems a little bit worse, but the complex where i live has had the 4th level added so i didnt know if all the concrete was making it worse. But i get by! The calls are reasonable, you get 10% extra if you top up the credit in the orange store, you collect points when you top up and can exchange them for a new phone. I presonally like orange and wouldnt change.

[sweetdbt]

Originally Posted by gringosabroso

I've been living in POP for 12 years; I know 10 - 15 - 20 different people, mostly foreigners, who use either. The verdict? Most, including myself, prefer Orange. Each has its own faults. Why not buy an inexpensive cell phone; then try each, using the card, for 6 months. 1 will emerge as superior.

Not a bad idea, but I doubt you can do it with a cheap phone. Claro and Orange are both GSM carriers, but Claro operates on the 850/1900 bands, as do US and Canada carriers, while Orange uses the 900/1800 bands common in Europe. To do what you are suggesting would requre at least a tri-band and preferably a quad band phone. I doubt if the 4-500RD "throw-away" phones you can get in the DR would have this feature. Since you are going to use one or the other, it wouldn't be a bad investment to get a decent unlocked quad band phone on ebay. I'm sure you could get something for under $100 US.

[olddog]

Hi there..

I have used Orange two or three times and found them fine. Now as a lazy bum, I don't even go visit the Orange office which is to the left of the bank which is on the corner, which is to the left of Bailey's Got that???<grin>

I use my own SIM card from AT&T (Cingular) FL and eat the roaming charge. Calling cabbies is about all I need. I gave my phone # to a couple of "business girls." Wonder what they think of a 561 area code....???

My giving my FL # to the local gals is like putting hubcaps on a tractor....gettin' OLD.

BTW..if card is not used for about 30 days the number goes poof!

Ol' Phil

[SosuaJoe]

I've been with orange for at least three years. I can honestly tell you that Orange service is an embarrassment. Too bad they're not embarrassed about it.

Dropped calls? Check.
Missed calls for no reason? Check.
Dead spots? Check.
Send/receive text? Nope.
Get voicemails as they come in? Nope. Try three days later. If at all.

Were it not for the fact that changing companies would involve too much work notifying everyone of my new number, I'd have dropped them long ago. Not sure if Claro uses sim cards.

Note that I have also heard bad things about Claro, so not like I'm recommending them. More like recommending you NOT use Orange.

[Gringo]

I always carry two of the skinny little Motorola Motophone's they are only RD$ 500 pesos each and it enables me to have both Claro & Orange service so when one is down the other is functioning...

[ffritz]

We have Orange phones.

My parents recently moved to Sosua & we have no reception in their house so they have bought Claro & clear as a bell signal at their house.