I went with Digicel Jamaica. I looked them up online first. They’re a massive Carribean mobile network, with ads coming at you the minute you step out of the airport. There’s a storefront conveniently located right outside the KIN airport.
My local Jamaican SIM card and phone number was 3000JMD or $30CAD. I’ve got decent coverage between Kingston and Port Antonio, but data was spotty at times.
Get the My Digicel app to top up and monitor your balance.
It’s important to note that you may need to unlock your phone when travelling to use SIM cards on other networks. Locking phones is no longer legal in Canada, but many older phones, like one you might want to bring travelling or as a backup, will need to be unlocked. The good news is that all major carriers will unlock your phone for free now. Do it before you leave.
Prepaid Rates (JMD)
| Rate | |
|---|---|
| Calls to Digicel Mobile | $7.99/min |
| Data | $20/MB |
| Calling CAN, US, China, and landlines in UK & Spain | $8.99/min |
| Local Digicel to Digicel SMS | $3.75 |
| SMS to other local networks | $4.75 |
| International SMS | $6.75 |
This still works out to about 8¢ CAD minute for local calls, which is better than $2.50/min, but data is expensive, so get on a Nuff Data & Unlimited Talk prepaid plan.
The 5GB + Unlimited Talk plan lasts for 28 days and costs 2450.00 JMD, or $24 CAD.