TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Buying a Cell Phone on SXM

Our cell phone will not work on SXM. We need advice on where to buy a phone just for use on island. Just an inexpensive phone for emergencies, no bells and whistle needed.

I bought an unlocked DOOGEE smartphone on Amazon for less then $70. Bought a Chippie sim card on SXM. Worked great.

You can go even lower than that since you don't need a smartphone, as you say "no bells and whistles"...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O5EU7TQ/ref=psdc_2407749011_t4_B009IRGQPO

If you can remove the sim card on the phone you use at home, you can buy a Chippie sim and just swap it out while you're on the island. Just don't (1) leave your phone on your beach chair and let it get stolen, or (2) lose your home sim card while you're using the Chippie one. Having done both of those things, I can confirm that each one is a pain.

If you have a UTS Chippie SIM card, you will have to have at least a 3G compatible phone. We got a Samsung J Mini for about $100 at Blue Point.

I’ve been using old unlocked Motorola Razr flip phones for years. I’m anticpating upgrading to one of my old iPhones this year. I expect that I’ll be disabling cellular data and just using it as a phone.

We also had a wonderful, reliable flip phone for many years. After Irma it no longer worked on the new network

Elaine--we have one of Sharon's phones, not a flip phone though. I'm hoping it still works!

I'll bet it does not work. Be prepared.

Thanks for all the info. It seems that that I need a 3G unlocked phone. Maybe it’s best to buy it when I get to the island. Looking on Amazon some phones seem to be 3G, then in reviews they are not. Is the store inside Carfour on Bush Road a good place to buy an inexpensive emergency phone?

Elaine--I will start another thread about this.