Communicating in the DR can be difficult. Face to face may still be the ideal method in the DR. Although some may think it is the cheapest method; it is not unless you only talk to your neighbors and you have about the same schedule. It’s good that you don’t need a phone but to communicate with others just to socialize or to get information a phone may just be better. A smartphone can be a lifesaver but you may need a home phone too.

While in the US, I found it unnecessary to have a home phone its almost a must here. Calls to landlines are cheaper from a landline or a cell phone and some landlines don’t have the ability to call a cell phone. My grandmother’s phone can’t. Even US companies that provide VOIP service the DR will charge you the cheapest rate to a landline than a cell phone. Some VOIP may even provide free service to a landline after their monthly fee to add it. Just
getting a number can cost about $7 USD a month.

The ones I would call the main carriers because it’s the only ones I know about is – Claro,
Viva, and Tricom.  They all have a specific number and limits and you have two plan options that you pay monthly with a bill – control and postpago.

Control is when you have fixed monthly fee and are unable to add minutes. Yeap you read right you don’t get unlimited calling minutes. The good news is that everyone in the DR understands that and they are self-trained to talk less than 5 minutes on the phone at a time especially if they call you because they are paying for the minutes. My grandma has like 200 minutes and when they are done. They are done no more calling from her landline but she can still receive calls. I barely use the 400 claro minutes I got.

Postpago means that it is a postpay plan where you get a bill (not really more on this a little later) but unlike control plans, if you go over you get charged.  NOTE: All Control plans are technically also postpay plans but they specify control to mean that you can’t go over.

Most plan minutes include local and the US calls at no additional charge (yay) but do not include local cell phone minutes. Most cell phone numbers have a 2 or 4 in the middle (829, 849) while regular landline includes just a zero (809). There are some cell phone plans that are 809…just to confuse you or bill you higher.. even in hotels they charge you to use the phone so beware.

NOTE: Viva also has a prepay landline plan where you pay at least $2 USD to use it.

If you have anything you want to add please leave a comment.