Talk:Panama/@comment-190.140.96.145-20180209054526

Hi. This is a good article but there's some information that's missing. This post will focus on general information about Panama and cell phone service there. I'll write about each provider in a separate post tomorrow.

1-Panama’s official currency is the Balboa and it is pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar but all coins (except the B/.1 coin) are of the same size, shape, metals and denomination as U.S. coins and are used interchangeably. There are no Balboa bills, only dollar bills. For all intents and purposes the U.S. dollar is Panama’s currency.

2-At 173% penetration rate and 96% of the population covered, Panama has one of the world's highest cell phone usage rates, yet only 38% of its territory is covered as of 2017. Outside the main population centers, Panama is sparsely populated. Coverage is mostly in, around and between those centers and over the sea between the mainland and the more populated islands. It is fairly continuous, so you shouldn't be without service unless you venture into very remote areas. As said in the article, some rural areas get better coverage from certain providers.

3-There's indeed constant debate about which provider is the best, but the consensus is that Movistar, +movil and Claro are better overall while Movistar and Claro offer the best LTE speeds and Movistar and +movil offer the best LTE coverage. All three provide excellent LTE service in and around the main population centers.

4- 4G is referred to as LTE (pronounced eleh-teh-eh in Spanish) as Claro used to call their HSPA+ network 4G and Digicel still does. The reason why that's legal is because HSPA+ can in theory reach maximum speeds equal to LTE's averages.

5-There are quite a few options for top ups (recargas). The following are available to everyone: Many frequent visitors also have local bank accounts. In that case, you can also top up through online banking, mobile banking apps and ATMs nationwide. You can check your balance on the apps, online user account, USSD menus, by text or phone call.
 * Prepaid cards available at most convenience and corner stores (known as chinos), supermarkets and drugstores.
 * Electronic vouchers (recargas electrónicas) mostly the same as with prepaid cards but more common at mall stands.
 * Online on each provider’s and many third-party websites. Providers’ sites don’t charge fees but do collect Panama’s 7% sales tax*, are more secure and accept any Visa or MasterCard branded card. Digicel’s site also accepts American Express, Maestro, Discover, Diners Club, PayPal and a few other payment options.
 * On each provider’s app† with the same forms of payment except for Claro which, as of early 2018, does not have an app.
 * Pasa saldo‡ (literally “pass balance”), balance transfer between two numbers of the same provider. Can be done through text, on USSD menus or the apps. Minimum transfer amount is $1. There’s no sales tax on balance transfers.

6-Similarly, you can add data plans‡ online, on the apps, USSD menus or by text.

7-All four providers give x5 bonuses (quintuplica) on any top up $3 and up. Total balance (paid+bonus) is available for talk and text (if text allowance is used up) only.

8-Most data plans come with bonus allowances for LTE usage, valid for the duration of the plan. In areas without LTE coverage you will only have the data plan’s basic allowance available. LTE bonuses will be available to use once back under LTE coverage minus any previous use if any.


 * Movistar’s site collects sales tax immediately upon payment. Claro and Digicel collect it at time of delivery meaning the receiver will get 7% less than the top up amount.

†Movistar has an app for each country/region it operates in. For Panama, download their Central America app. Digicel’s app works for all their networks.

‡These are discounted from your paid balance (saldo de recarga), not bonuses (saldo promocional). Make sure to add data plans and/or transfer balance before making phone calls.