Mailing a cell phone to the Phil

[superphish 0]

Hi everyone. I just mailed my fiancee her packet for her interview. I thought about putting her new cell phone in the Fedex envelope but after asking the woman who was waiting on me about doing that she looked it up. She read to me the law about needing a permit to mail any type of telecommunications device to the Philippines. So I was really glad I asked.

I want my fiancee to have a cell phone that works in the states so she can call me the moment she gets here and I also want to track her trip with the built in GPS. So if anyone else has knows a way to work around this or another idea that would be great!

[LBeachey 44]

I want my fiancee to have a cell phone that works in the states so she can call me the moment she gets here and I also want to track her trip with the built in GPS. So if anyone else has knows a way to work around this or another idea that would be great!

What about sending her a pre-pay SIM card from AT&T (the one US carrier I know who uses SIM cards). If she has a cell phone in the Phillipines that uses a SIM card, once she lands in the States, she swaps in the new card and she can call.

It is what I do when I am back in the States visiting.

[yhang 20]

Hi! I will be bringing my itouch when I leave Philippines. It has wifi connection and you can install Skype, Yahoo, Facebook (all sorts of stuff). We will be skyping each other every stop or lay over since the airports has wifi connection. We got mine for $200 (itouch 4th generation). There are some who are cheaper than that (like their 3rd and 2nd generation). You can skype each other (and see each other) at the airport.

[Anh map 2,098]

You could meet her at her POE and complete the trip together.

[Theresa0828 65]

Hi everyone. I just mailed my fiancee her packet for her interview. I thought about putting her new cell phone in the Fedex envelope but after asking the woman who was waiting on me about doing that she looked it up. She read to me the law about needing a permit to mail any type of telecommunications device to the Philippines. So I was really glad I asked.

I want my fiancee to have a cell phone that works in the states so she can call me the moment she gets here and I also want to track her trip with the built in GPS. So if anyone else has knows a way to work around this or another idea that would be great!

Philippines also has roaming sim cards which can be used outside the country... Just make sure that she has enough load before boarding the plane.

[pookaphilus 12]

You could meet her at her POE and complete the trip together.

I would also agree with the advice above especially if she will have flight transfers. If you are worried, why not just educate her about her POE airport or the airport where you will be waiting for her, especially where the telephone booths are, just in case you guys don't see each other. There are some international airports which has websites where you can check the airport map and orient her(you can even print the map). That's what we did few days before my flight. It was really helpful and i didn't get lost at the airport as well..God bless!!

[James and Cynthia 70]

Wow. I was just getting ready to send my fiancee a cell phone with her papers tomorrow. Really? We can't mail a cell phone? What if we take the battery out during shipping? We can send cameras and laptops, but not cell phones?

-James

[tallcoolone 102]

What about sending her a pre-pay SIM card from AT&T (the one US carrier I know who uses SIM cards). If she has a cell phone in the Phillipines that uses a SIM card, once she lands in the States, she swaps in the new card and she can call.

It is what I do when I am back in the States visiting.

Every Time I buy a cell phone in PI, it don't work in USA, I think they are on a different signal or wave.

You can take a USA phone to PI and get it unlocked over there or have it unlocked in USA and you will be fine....

Wow. I was just getting ready to send my fiancee a cell phone with her papers tomorrow. Really? We can't mail a cell phone? What if we take the battery out during shipping? We can send cameras and laptops, but not cell phones?

-James

Best way to send electronics, phones, etc is via Balikayan Box, No customs and duties....

[tallcoolone 102]

Send her a preapaid phone. ATT / MetroPCS / Boost.

I pay $40 per month for my MetroPCS prepaid phone, It gives me unlimited calls, text, and internet, and plus I get free unlimited text to Philippines.....

[A and T 82]

Hi everyone. I just mailed my fiancee her packet for her interview. I thought about putting her new cell phone in the Fedex envelope but after asking the woman who was waiting on me about doing that she looked it up. She read to me the law about needing a permit to mail any type of telecommunications device to the Philippines. So I was really glad I asked.

I want my fiancee to have a cell phone that works in the states so she can call me the moment she gets here and I also want to track her trip with the built in GPS. So if anyone else has knows a way to work around this or another idea that would be great!

Fedex is nuts, i tried to mail a cell phone and they gave me the same spill about a permit, which I checked with the philippines the permit is some business permit for constant imports.

But you can easily go to the normal post office and mail a cell phone , just send it the slowest way possible and write NO VALUE for all the customs items. Hopefully you will by pass customs, often they open the box and demand a receipt so they can tax you 100X the cost of the item. So you have to fake a receipt showing a low amount

In all its almost not worth the trouble,

[superphish 0]

Wow thanks for so many replies. I will go ahead n just mail her the free phone I got when I added her to my family plan. I'm also going to look into getting her a prepaid at&t roaming sim. She will have her laptop with her at all times so I'm also sure we can connect her at the airport hotspots. Of course I plan on having her print out maps of the airport so she won't get lost. Anyway thanks for so many suggestions and keep them coming!!

[Deputy Purple 1,294]

I just sent an unactivated AT&T SIM to Anna a few weeks before her flight. While she was int he air I called AT&T and added a line for her, since I have the serial number of the SIM she had they were able to provision her line to that SIM. When she landed she had service using her iPhone.

[James and Cynthia 70]

Send her a preapaid phone. ATT / MetroPCS / Boost.

I pay $40 per month for my MetroPCS prepaid phone, It gives me unlimited calls, text, and internet, and plus I get free unlimited text to Philippines.....

So I can sent a prepaid phone but not a normal phone? That doesn't make sense. I simply want to send her a new phone I received so that she can call me from the airport when she gets here. She won't be using it there. This is much easier than having her use a pay phone, buying and sending a prepaid phone, or finding a sim card to send her.

So is it a customs law or not? Should I put on the customs form that there is a phone inside? I need to mail it on Monday. There is no time for slow mail if it is to get there before her appointment on the 15th. I'm sending her documents at the same time.

-James

[Darnell 8,478]

just get her a sim card, send the sim card -

she can bring her handphone with her, pop in a new sim card at the POE whilst she's waiting in line for the immigration check.

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezies.

I just sent an unactivated AT&T SIM to Anna a few weeks before her flight. While she was int he air I called AT&T and added a line for her, since I have the serial number of the SIM she had they were able to provision her line to that SIM. When she landed she had service using her iPhone.

This is actually the best way to handle 'this'.

[James and Cynthia 70]

just get her a sim card, send the sim card -

she can bring her handphone with her, pop in a new sim card at the POE whilst she's waiting in line for the immigration check.

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezies.

This is actually the best way to handle 'this'.

Sounds like this is what I should do then. Thanks. How do you get a sim card here in the states? I've never bought one before. I just use verizon. Will it automatically work when she puts it in her phone so that she can call me at 503-xxx-xxxx, nothing else needed?

-James