netjam
Canadian on the road
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Likely not what you want but we use Verizon (North America plan) as our only phone in Canada and the USA. $59/month with no extras like connection fee, 911 fee, GST etc for 450 anytime minutes and 1000 off peak (After 9 and all weekend) minutes. We have used it for 3 years now and get coverage everywhere we have been. (31 states, 5 provinces) If you get a 2 year contract the phone is free too. Verizon to Verizon is not counted against your 1450 minutes in the USA. They have other plans with unlimited minutes in the USA etc. This is just what we have and it works great for us. We previously had Rogers North America plan but it was $120 month and they always came up with extra fees for less air time.
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Gadget Guy
Calgary
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Joined: 02/18/2007
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netjam wrote:Likely not what you want but we use Verizon (North America plan) as our only phone in Canada and the USA. $59/month with no extras like connection fee, 911 fee, GST etc for 450 anytime minutes and 1000 off peak (After 9 and all weekend) minutes. We have used it for 3 years now and get coverage everywhere we have been. (31 states, 5 provinces) If you get a 2 year contract the phone is free too. Verizon to Verizon is not counted against your 1450 minutes in the USA. They have other plans with unlimited minutes in the USA etc. This is just what we have and it works great for us. We previously had Rogers North America plan but it was $120 month and they always came up with extra fees for less air time.
X 2 for us as well.
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duramaxdelight
everywhere
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Joined: 10/20/2001
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We also use verizon phones. I just put our phones at home on call forwarding...pay 5 cents a minute for long distance to th US. All works well. NO problems.
Duramax 2011
2011 Cameo 37resls
"To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own"
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almcc
Ontario, Canada
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Joined: 01/15/2006
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A question or two for you Canadians using Verizon phones in Canada. Which Canadian carrier does Verizon twin with up here to provide the cell service (rogers or Bell?) and can you get a data plan as well?
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netjam
Canadian on the road
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Not sure what Canadian carrier they use but I think it might be anyone? It only shows "extended network" on the phone when in Canada. In the US it shows Verizon most of the time but "extended network" ocasionally. Like I said it seems to work everywhere unlike Rogers where I had no service in parts of Ontario and the Dakotas. Can't answer about data plans but we have the Verizon mi-fi for internet as well and are happy with it. (only for the USA....too costly to use in Canada)
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Lorne&Lorraine
Ottawa, ON
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Joined: 04/14/2003
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We use Tracfone for our USA travel (2+ months a year). For $60 a year we get over 700 minutes of talk time (which is usually adequate for us but easy to buy more time if needed) and the phone stays active for a year so we keep the same telephone number. Have used it all around the US with no problem getting a signal (albeit we needed to use our Wilson Sleek booster a few times). We hardly use a cell phone at home so our $100 a year Telus plan does the job nicely there.
Lorne Ross
2003 Pleasure-Way Ford Excel TD
Camped the lower 48 states and 9 provinces
Most multiple times and now on the repeat!
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Gadget Guy
Calgary
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almcc wrote:A question or two for you Canadians using Verizon phones in Canada. Which Canadian carrier does Verizon twin with up here to provide the cell service (rogers or Bell?) and can you get a data plan as well?
Telus or at least it was the last time I checked.
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icechip
Manitoba
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Joined: 11/21/2006
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I purchased a cell phone and had it unlocked. Now I buy a Rogers sim card for $100.00 good for 365 days for use in Canada and a T-Mobile sim card for the USA, $100/365 days. For the wife I bought a Tracphone registered for the area we were in in the Rio Grande Valley.
My phones are primarily used only for voice so for $200.00 I have all the service I need.
May consider buying a 7-Eleven sim card when the Rogers card expires as you can purchase lesser amonts of airtime and all have 365 days of service.
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ice2fire
Summer = Ontario. Winter = Arizona
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Joined: 10/18/2005
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I'd like to use ONE simple to use cell phone in Canada for 8 months, and in the USA for 4 months. Changing SIM cards or whatever as necessary. Don't need data, or any fancy add-ons. Undecided about physical keyboard or screen touch keyboard. (My left hand is lame so couldn't use two thumbs as I see many people doing on their Blackberries !) Not a big user, as we use Google Phone, Skype, and Facetime in ON and AZ to talk to the kids and grand-kids.
Someone explain to me please the difference between pre-paid and monthly, when it appears you have to pay monthly for pre-paid !?
We have a Century Link Internet service we can turn on and off (at no cost) for use in our permanent trailer in the USA RV Park. We use Teksavvy in ON, which we terminate in the Fall and start in April.
In Canada we use YAK for home long distance calling, which can also be used from the cell phone in ON & BC (just call a local number, or 1-800)
Really only need a cell phone for short phone calls to local businesses in AZ and ON (and about a week a year in BC and Mexico) and on the road to call a campground for a reservation, check when they close etc. Used in evenings in the summer to call DW when I'm away sailing a week at a time.
Currently using monthly FIDO plan at $30/month in Canada, on an unlocked phone, Virgin mobile in the USA pre=paid at 18 cents per minute on a different locked phone (have to pay $10 every 90 days to keep number), and Century Link Internet service for $30 / month in AZ, plus Bell in Canada at $30 /month. Plus Teksayy at $60/month in ON when we're here. Use Shaw satellite service in ON and AZ for $40/month. (Very good service - have separate dishes in ON and AZ). Our current phones are old-fashioned and keys are starting to not work. Our communication bills are a mess and expensive. There's got to be a better way ! Please help !
1) R-Vision Trail-Lite TT, 19'. TV = 2007 Chevy Trailblazer, 3.42 axle. 4.0L 2) Heartland North Country, on a permanent site in Arizona.
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michelb
Ottawa, ON, Canada
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We've had TracFone for about 6 years now and in general like it (price and coverage are descent) but there are a two negatives which might me consider others if I was getting one now. For the most part, you will not get service in Canada (you can on a few phones but even then, the calls you can make are limited (i.e. if your TracFone does roam, you can only call the US (the 1-800 number for calling Canada doesn't work when roaming))). This might not seem like a big deal but I find it inconvenient because it means that when you drive from Canada to the US, you need to carry (and keep charged) one phone for the Canadian side as well as your TracFone phone. Also you can't send text messages to Canada (actually there is a workaround for that; you can send text msgs to any email address so if you know the carrier of the person you are trying to txt and then search for the email domain they use, you can txt by email (e.g. to send a txt to someone on Telus, you'd send a text to 'phonenumber@msg.telus.com'. It works but one catch is that they can't reply back to the msg they receive (and they won't get an error, it just won't get routed properly) so they have to enter your actual number when replying)).
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