Using Cell Phones in Brazil

[Jan 156]

TIM pretty much is worthless in Rio. In Brazil is not unusual for people to use phones which support multiple SIM Cards because calls between the people with the same operator is either free or at a reduced rate. I have noticed when my friends are using TIM calls always get dropped. Claro seems to be about the best in Rio.

Claro to Claro long distance calls are also very cheap.

[Exec Talent]

TIM Sucked in Rio during the World Cup. It was very difficult to connect to a TIM number. Per a local I texted today, TIM still SUCKS. FYI.

TIM pretty much is worthless in Rio. In Brazil is not unusual for people to use phones which support multiple SIM Cards because calls between the people with the same operator is either free or at a reduced rate. I have noticed when my friends are using TIM calls always get dropped. Claro seems to be about the best in Rio.

[Java Man]

TIM is fairly easy to top up.

TIM Sucked in Rio during the World Cup. It was very difficult to connect to a TIM number. Per a local I texted today, TIM still SUCKS. FYI.

[Jan 156]

In Sao Paulo you need a CPF number to activate your SIM.
I don't know how it works in Rio.

While that is usually correct, Claro brought out some "visitor packs" at the time of the world cup which I've seen recently at newsagents in downtown SP. The pack is about the size of a DVD case and comes ready with instructions to activate using your passport. I've always found Rio less hassle personally though and TIM, in spite of their reputation, more reliable. A TIM sim card from Rio Sul gets activated within an hour or two for the times I've used them. Claro didn't get it right even with a CPF (in SP) for ages. TIM is fairly easy to top up. I find the menus easier and quicker. If you don't have any Porto, most Rio newstands will do the top up for you when you buy one.

[Sperto]

In Sao Paulo you need a CPF number to activate your SIM.

I don't know how it works in Rio.

When you activate a TIM SIM card they'll ask for your CPF number. If you tell them you have no CPF they'll accept your passport number. I've done this in several of the brazilian capitals, same procedure.
You can activate the SIM card by phone calling TIM or get it activated in a TIM store or by a TIM promotora in e.g Lojas Americanas. Doing it yourself by calling TIM demands some patience as TIM has some really dumb staff attending the TIM number.

[AltoBomGosto]

No problem at all. The last chip I got activated was by a TIM promotora in Lojas Americanas. It took less than 5 minutes.

In Sao Paulo you need a CPF number to activate your SIM.

I don't know how it works in Rio.

[Sperto]

Every year, I come down, I bring along a Noosy Cutter and head to Centro to buy a prepaid chip for R$5. Then I use a friend's CPF to activate the sim chip (once or twice a year for the last couple of years). After many years, my friend is starting to get concerned with so many activations using their CPF.

Has anyone had recent experience getting a prepaid chip activation from an official carrier store using a passport? The last mentions were back in 2012.

No problem at all. The last chip I got activated was by a TIM promotora in Lojas Americanas. It took less than 5 minutes.

[Tonyels]

Every year, I come down, I bring along a Noosy Cutter and head to Centro to buy a prepaid chip for R$5. Then I use a friend's CPF to activate the sim chip (once or twice a year for the last couple of years). After many years, my friend is starting to get concerned with so many activations using their CPF.

Has anyone had recent experience getting a prepaid chip activation from an official carrier store using a passport? The last mentions were back in 2012.

[Jan 156]

That's what I did this trip: Bought a Claro MicroSim at a Lojas Americana express in Copa. Had a friend call and activate it. No problems. My last trip, last year, I used TIM, wasn't too happy with the service: dropped and missed calls. Problem with Claro, per an Oglobo report its rates are the highest of all carriers. The pre-paid rates are 132% higher than the post paid rates. In other words, it's expensive to call other mobile carriers from a Claro number.

I think you do get free claro to claro calls though. Last time I bought one they said I had to wait for them to activate it. I was miles from the nearest shop by the time the 'activation' failed to occur.

[Perkele]

Lot of people often wonder why there are so many problems with Brazilian cellphone operators and I might be able to enlighten a few things.

First of all the number of the users have increased over the capacity that operators are willing to provide, meaning that even though the number of the customers is increasing they do not do any investments. Also maintenance is quite poor. Another issue is that they use worst quality network elements, mainly from China like Huawei and ZTE. These issues will cause problems like no access to the network, drop calls etc.

One of later issues has been network freezes. I mean that at least TIM and Claro have had the whole network down during the day for over 12 hours. I can only guess that the NW elements have been overloaded and crashed, which takes lot of time to recover. Quite annoying when there is no service what so ever.

Greengo here was pointing out that he couldn't get the SMS through to Claro, now this kind of problem can be within user settings of the cellphone OR Vivo doesn't allow sending the messages to Claro. Simply somebody in Vivo forgot to add this "address" into particular user profile. This happens a lot here.

Now, what makes it all more frustrating is that trying to rectify these things is a mission impossible. If you are lucky and if you can explain the problem to someone in the operators shop you might get it solved. But 99% of the cases you need to CALL to their technical support, where someone who has no technical training will "evaluate" your problem. Obvious requests from these geniuses include of restarting the phone, changing the chip to another phone and such things. Then eventually after approximately 20 calls and as many hours later they will pass you to the first level of real technical support and the whole show starts again. Resuming, no help avail. But hey, who needs a phone here anyway. Beer, beach and bitches. That's what everybody is here for.

[Java Man]

I've often found more problems in recent years using chips in Brazil. It used to just be a case of taking an unlocked phone then spending half an hour in a TIM or other phone shop; or else buying a chip from a newsagents or the market and a quick phone call to activate it.

That's what I did this trip: Bought a Claro MicroSim at a Lojas Americana express in Copa. Had a friend call and activate it. No problems. My last trip, last year, I used TIM, wasn't too happy with the service: dropped and missed calls. Problem with Claro, per an Oglobo report its rates are the highest of all carriers. The pre-paid rates are 132% higher than the post paid rates. In other words, it's expensive to call other mobile carriers from a Claro number.

[Jan 156]

I've often found more problems in recent years using chips in Brazil. It used to just be a case of taking an unlocked phone then spending half an hour in a TIM or other phone shop; or else buying a chip from a newsagents or the market and a quick phone call to activate it. In the past couple of years I've been offered long queues, hours of paperwork, expensive chips that don't work as soon as I travel out of state, or don't activate within the promised time period, chips and microchips that refuse to work on my phone, and even international chips that stop working as soon as I enter Brasil.

Using a phone in Brasil is not cheap, especially if you are calling from one city to another, but there are also some good deals available from some companies if you can get them to work.

[Greengo]

I'm using a Vivo chip and msg to Claro user "not delivered".

I can receive a msg from Claro, call Claro, but can't send a msg. Any ideas why.

Seems msg to other providers work fine.

Greengo

[Baggio67]

A couple of basic things which might help.

If you go out of Rio. Even just a little way upstate. Your prepaid SIM will run down fast than ice-cream on a hot day.

Rio Sul Shopping is user-friendly (one or two people there can speak some English) but allow plenty of time.

TIM is maybe the easiest (in my experience and maybe the most mentioned on this board, but I might be wrong).

You can buy a SIM with no questions asked for a four or five reis in Uruguiana (Saare) market. But you will probably need to get a registered Brasilian to unlock it.

If you get stuck, for instance, topping up your card with the endless Porto recorded messages, your local newstand (where you bought the re-charge) is your friend.

The best place for your mobile phone is down the front of your jeans. (Or your hotel safe.)

Skype is often cheaper. Even to landlines and mobile phones.

I have also used this site to recharge a prepaid TIM account. It's pretty reliable, especially if it is late at night and you need credits. The last time used the exchange rate for US dollars was pretty close to what I saw at the cambios.

https://www.aryty.com/

[Jan 156]

Ps if you are in some civilisation-forgotten place like Iguacu or Sao Luis, your objective is achieved if you can find any bank, phone company, or sometimes even hotel, that will do what you want without exorbitant hassle !!