Harvey51
Alberta
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I just read a thread on cell phones for visitors to the US and thought it would be nice to start one for Canada. I've been using a Speakout cell phone from 7/11 stores i Canada for several years, pay as you go at 25 cents a minute. Minimum $25 a year. Buying a phone at the store will probably cost close to $100. Not all that great.
If you happen to have an unlocked phone, it becomes a great deal. I just got an unlocked iPhone on eBay for $200, popped in a $10 Speakout sim card and it worked immediately. The great thing is they have unlimited Internet data for $10 a month! Texting is 20 cents to send, free to receive. $10 a month for 2500 sends. No contract. It uses the Rogers cell towers which have pretty good coverage in most of Canada.
They have a condition - I must not use my iPhone as a wifi router to connect a computer to speakout Internet. Most cell companies here are seen as tricky, even nasty, but folks on the speakout forum keep saying they really like speakout, so don't misuse it. It does seem to be considerably nicer than the other two companies I tried.
I think this is a great way for visitors to Canada to keep in touch with home. Probably worth buying a good used iPhone. Note that many unlocked/jail broken iPhones have unusable GPS as a result of the unlocking or Apple's punishment for it. This is unfortunate since Apple has a nice "Find my iPhone" feature that would allow your family to follow your iPhone on the Internet while you travel - if you have the GPS working.
7/11 stores can be hard to find. Recommend you check out the website, maybe order online before your trip. Or look up 7/11 store locations.
I leave it to others to post their good experiences with other brands.
http://www.speakout7eleven.ca/
http://www.speakoutwireless.ca/. Unofficial user site
Map of all cell towers in Canada
http://www.ertyu.org/steven_nikkel/cancellsites.html
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JackD
Montreal, Qc,Canada (when not on the road)
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I dropped the use of expensive cell phone in my trips.
I carry a very small laptop, installed SKYPE (free) and as long as I can find a wi-fi area, I can reach any land or cell phone in America for 2.7c/minute.
...and it is totally free within North America (no max. time) between Skype users.
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Tom/Barb
Oak Harbor
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Skype is good but be sure all your called places are on line at the time you want to talk.
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jmcarp
Colorado
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Tom/Barb wrote:Skype is good but be sure all your called places are on line at the time you want to talk.
Actually Skype has a plan for something like $3/month that lets you call from your computer to a landline or cell phone, so the party you're calling does not have to be online when you call. Of course it's voice only; no video. We tried it on our trip to Alaska last summer and the biggest problems were finding a wifi hotspot with a signal strong enough to hold a connection and with enough bandwidth to support VOIP.
Jim
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Kanata
Ottawa, Ontario
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Check out this new service. Roam Mobility
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PackerBacker
Montreal Qc Adirondacks,NY
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Looks interesting.
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Tom/Barb
Oak Harbor
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jmcarp wrote:Tom/Barb wrote:Skype is good but be sure all your called places are on line at the time you want to talk.
Actually Skype has a plan for something like $3/month that lets you call from your computer to a landline or cell phone, so the party you're calling does not have to be online when you call. Of course it's voice only; no video. We tried it on our trip to Alaska last summer and the biggest problems were finding a wifi hotspot with a signal strong enough to hold a connection and with enough bandwidth to support VOIP.
Jim
Interesting,,,, I've never tried Skype with out video.
I wonder if it can be supported by a dish/sat connection? Like if you have internet thru your satellite? never tried that either.
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dieharder
Ottawa, ON
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Link says this is for Canadian travelling to the US. This thread is about Americans coming to Canada.
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Rolin
Oregon
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I like Skype, but it does not work while you are traveling. I need the ability to be connected in-route. Speakeasy looks like a good option. I am currently looking at the Petro-Canada Mobility pay as you go option. The Petro-Canada option is convenient because there are lots of Petro-Canada gas stations where you can get sim cards or add minutes. I don't know what carrier they use or how good their coverage is.
You also need to be aware of roaming charges. I think that most plans allow standard rates in the place where your phone number is, but outside of that area you will pay roaming. Roaming can push your per minute rate to over 50 cents a minute.
Currently planning to buy an unlocked Nokia C3 phone for use in both the USA and Canada. Currently using T-Mobile in the USA. I will just swap sim cards when I cross the boarder. The Nokia C3 is not a true smart phone, but it does have wifi capability so I can check email at hot spots.
I also found "Peters Useful Crap" website to be helpful: http://www.theblog.ca/pay-as-you-go
Look forward to hearing about other peoples cell phone experiences and choices.
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dieharder
Ottawa, ON
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Prior to my current cell phone with Rogers, I had used a PC Mobile phone for years. Very inexpensive. Uses the Bell Mobility network.
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