Now You Know

Actually this is a ‘how-to’ for me so I don’t keep forgetting

As you might remember back in February I purchased a cell phone in Panama so now I have a Panama phone number.  I purchased a phone from the Claro store and so obviously my provider is Claro.

At the end of my 14 days, I just recharge the plan which allows me to keep my number and continue the same service listed above for another 14 days.

I purchased a pre-paid Claro Super Pack option that cost me just $10 for 14 days. In this pack I get:

  • Unlimited Data, plus 3GB to share (ie. hotspot to my laptop)
  • Unlimited minutes from Claro to Claro
  • 30 minutes to all operators and / or for international calls up to 13 destinations (USA, China, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Israel, France, Puerto Rico, Peru, Spain and Brazil)
  • 50 SMS from Claro to Claro
  • Unlimited data
  • Free social networks (Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram and Twitter) (ie. It doesn’t use data, but data is unlimited anyway)

How To

The Steps To Recharge

At first it was a little daunting of a task to be fully honest, but now that I have figured out the order of sequence it’s actually super simple to do.

Also, a helpful tip is that I actually purchase 4 prepaid cards at a time so that I don’t have to go back to the store every 2 weeks to buy a new card. 

I think that the prepaid card expires 60 days from purchase but I am not 100% sure so I just buy a hand full at a time.

 

Step
1

  • Deactivate the data and the WiFi on your phone.
  • Scratch off the secret code on the back of your Prepaid Card.

Step
2

  • Dial *106* + Secret Code on your PrePaid Card + # + Send

You should receive a message popup stating that the activation was successfull. 

Step
3

  • Dial *123#
  • #2 Super Pack (Datos + Minutos)
  • #4 Super Pack $10 x 14 Dias
  • #2 Activar

You should receive a message within a few minutes in a popup confirming that you have activated the SuperPack.

Step
4

  • Turn your WiFi and Data back on.

Important Numbers to Remember

Create Each As a New Contact in Your Phone

There are a couple of numbers that you can call to inquire about some details about your phone.

I stored these numbers as contacts in my phone so I don’t have to remember them or remember where I put the little card that came with my SIM card.

  • Claro: My Number
    *555 + # + Send

  • Claro: Activate Data
    *123 + # + Send (this is detailed above)
  • Claro: Balance
    *103 + # + Send (See note below)

Note: The number to call to check your balance doesn’t work for these Super Packs.  I believe that number only works if you prepay for a set amount of cash.  But I am not entirely sure, I only know that you can not dial *103 + # + send to find out when your Super Pack needs to be recharged.  If you need to ask when your Super Pack expires, you need to message them on Whatsapp. 

If you don’t speak Spanish you can use Google Translate to help communicate.  In case you didn’t know….Whatsapp can also be used on your computer using the WebApp: https://web.whatsapp.com/

Claro Support WhatsApp: +507 6179-9999

Please note that I have not received these products for free or at a discounted price in exchange for my opinion.  There may be links that are affiliate links but at the time of posting this review, I have not received any monetary kickbacks.