Community Forums

sirpurrcival · 04-04-2017, 10:38 PM

I am looking for some feedback about what people have found in the way prepaid cell phone plans that are available south of the border. I have an unlocked iphone that I was thinking would make a good spare phone for those occasions that I am traveling in the U.S. My only real gripe is that some of what I have looked at all seem to expire after 30 or 90 days. I may travel once or twice per year and really am only looking for something that I use when really needed or perhaps use it as data hotspot when I am looking for campgrounds etc. on the tablet sort of thing.

Has anybody found something that really works for them and maybe has a bit of a longer term before expiring. I could see paying 30 - 40 bucks once a year as that is all I would really need it I think but I certainly don't want to be spending that much anytime I spend a week here or there especially if I have already spent that money and not used it.

Murf2u · 04-05-2017, 05:59 AM

If you have a Rogers phone their 'Roam like home' offer, if it applies to you, means you pay a flat rate of $5 / day for a max. of 10 days per billing period to use your existing phone. This gives you everything you get now, the same long distance, text, data, etc.

jacksonmacd · 04-05-2017, 07:47 AM

I purchased a cheap phone from TracPhone, and once per year purchase their $usd100 pre paid card. This gives me 1200 minutes of talk and virtually unlimited texting. Accumulates year to year. Very small amount of data, though. Suits my needs for talk and text while in USA.

SoonToBeFT · 04-05-2017, 09:59 AM

We also have had a tracfone since 2009 (not the best phone in the world but has sufficed for the most part), that we top up US$100 each year and the minutes roll over to the point I doubt we'll ever get caught up LOL.

For long trips wife has a Verizon MifI on a pay as you go and can add for a month or two months till expiry. Starts at US15/month, so maybe if you are travelling the USA less than 4 times a year of say under a month each time but more than a handful of days, might work for you also. We got our MIFI at less than half price on sale at Best Buy last Fall.

For shorter trips or where we know we will likely have ample Wifi, we just add a travel add on to our Bell Mobility accounts on our regular iphone. Used to be $20 for a month of unlimited text and IIRC 200mins voice, and $20 for a month of small data plan (?200mb?) just use to check emails generally. Bell now I think they have rolled both these plans together into one package at minimum $40/mth!!!

Not sure if depending how long you are down south, one or a combination of these might work for you.

As a general heads up: We looked into Roam-mobility which is basically from what we could gather T-Mobile, with less benefits (doesn't offer Binge On), and coverage is still a hit and miss especially where we travel more rural.

Another Canadian FT'r, that has been snow birding on the West side this winter, is trying Roam Mobility this winter and I'm looking forward to reading his assessment when he posts it: Welcome to Love Your RV! | Full Timer RVing Blog

TIP: Before you add on any travel add on packages, make sure you know without a shadow of a doubt which roaming partner the Canadian provider uses down in the USA. Bell used to be Verizon, then last time it was T-Mobile with terrible service, so think they might with all the complaints and credits they had to give back to customers change again!

rlott2k · 04-09-2017, 11:34 AM

STAY AWAY FROM TRACFONE. I have had 2 now. Great option if you stay in one place, but bought ours near Seattle on our !st snowbirding trip last fall. Got to San Diego and had problems. It wouldnt connect. Tech support (?) said bad sim. Sent a new one , same problem, then was told it was registered in Washington and wouldn't work outside its registered area! I thought theses were "Mobile" phones. Had to buy US roaming on DW Virgin Plan.

winniman · 04-09-2017, 12:50 PM

We just came back from a month in the US. I added 1 gb of data and unlimited talk and text for 50 dollars to my Bell plan. 2 gb would have been 80 dollars. Bloody rip off, but I didnt want to take a chance on getting a whopper bill. I needed my phone available to look up campsites and get information as we traveled. I used wifi when it was available as well. 1 gb was not enough and I had to add an additional gb to get the trip completed.

Excesses · 04-10-2017, 11:28 AM

When we go south of the border for a substantial amount of time (>2 weeks), we take our unlocked old phone and go to AT&T and purchase a pay as you go plan. Works for us and is pretty reasonable for this thrifty Canuck of Scots heritage

Murf2u · 04-10-2017, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Excesses

When we go south of the border for a substantial amount of time (>2 weeks), we take our unlocked old phone and go to AT&T and purchase a pay as you go plan. Works for us and is pretty reasonable for this thrifty Canuck of Scots heritage

How many zero's are there on a pay as you go plan?

Excesses · 04-11-2017, 10:56 AM

We usually buy $50 worth of time. Usually free long distance to Canada and throughout the USA and free texting. Then we top up as we need it.

Data costs are a whole other story.

So just the one zero...... Two if you yap a lot LOL!

Murf2u · 04-11-2017, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Excesses

We usually buy $50 worth of time. Usually free long distance to Canada and throughout the USA and free texting. Then we top up as we need it.

Data costs are a whole other story.

So just the one zero...... Two if you yap a lot LOL!

Thanks. So then I'll stick with the 'Roam Like Home' deal.

$5 / day it's used for a maximum of 10 days per billing period. Unlimited talk, long distance and text & 6 gb of data, same as back home.

Ron_H · 04-14-2017, 07:51 AM

We've tried a number of solutions of the years including a US package with T-Mobile, Roam-mobility and this past winter, the 'Roam Like Home' deal with Fido (same as Rogers). Of these, the 'Roam Like Home' package has worked out the best for us.

luckyd · 04-18-2017, 09:38 PM

We have a Telus plan that works in the USA
The first call or text each month costs $20, and the rest
of the calls and texts are free. We can call back to Canada or
anywhere in the USA.

We also use a Tracfone because we have Dish "pay as you go".
They will only accept a USA phone number so we use the Tracfone
all across the States to get local programming.

Scout1947 · 05-02-2017, 10:42 PM

After having done 2 winters in various areas of the US South, here is what you do.
Go to Verizon, buy a cheap smartphone. You will have to pay cash, their system will throw you out if you try to load in a Canadian postal code.
40 bucks for 1 month, 10 xtra bucks for 1000 international minutes to Canada. Forget Fido 80 bucks for 100 minutes......ARE THEY KIDDING???

Re internet get a Verizon hot spot hub. Another 40 bucks for 5 gigs of data. Plenty unless you want to download movies.

There is a little bit more but this is the bulk of it.
Keep the phone, keep the hub and reload them when you return to the US. You may have to change your phone number, it gets recycled after a certain period of time.

bobmac · 07-29-2017, 06:36 AM

Just returned from US. Had been using Bell travel packages but they are now grossly overpriced. Switched to ATT Go Phone now branded ATT Prepaid. For $45 for 30 days (not a month) , you get unlimited calling in the US, to Mexico and to Canada along with 6GB of data. You can also roam in Canada with it on Rogers providing more than 50% of usage is in the US. There is also a similar plan with unlimited data for $65. Get your Canadian phone unlocked and you likely have the best value going.