Traveling To Canada

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

I'll be going to Vancouver for 3-4 days in a month or so with some friends and was wondering what the best way to stay connected would be.

I currently have an AT&T and T-Mobile phone. I know on AT&T they have a $30 plan for 120MB and a $60 plan for 300MB. I know on T-Mobile they have free Edge data connection, but also have day passes for faster connections.

Also, I'm pretty sure I could get a SIM from Canada and use it there.

Basically, I'm looking for the best value for 3-4 days for 2-3 phones that would be able to stay connected (data only preferably) in Canada. Maybe even a hotspot feature that could be used for our US phones using only Wifi.

What are your thoughts?

 

[paperwastage]

For T-mobile's free 2G roaming: your phone must support the correct bands too. T-mobile routes all your data through a USA proxy, so your geo-location/ip should still be under USA

according to the site below, Canada providers: Rogers, Wind, Bell (Wind seems to be a bit faster than the others)

Bell: maybe access to LTE (good latency) but throttled to 2G speeds
http://www.howardforums.com/showthr...est!?p=15946376&highlight=canada#post15946376

Rogers/Telus/Bell: 3G access, throttled to 2G speeds
http://www.howardforums.com/showthr...ata-Speedtest!/page48?p=15885558#post15885558

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-technology/1510278-t-mobile-global-data-coverage.html



you have your choice of Canadian prepaid providers

http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.com/wiki/Canada

 

[corkyg]

There are also places with good Wi-Fi. I was in Vancouver last month and used the hotel's Wi-Fi. It was free. And, there are these:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zkPTe142zzCk.kauKt-99eBDU&hl=en

 

[mmntech]

If your phone is unlocked, I'd definitely get a SIM to avoid getting stiffed with hefty roaming fees. Data is something you really have to watch as some of those fees are obscene even by telco standards.

Wind is a good option if you're only using your phone in urban areas. They've got cheap plans but their coverage sucks. Going out into the mountains, you'll want to go with Bell, Telus, or Rogers. You might find their rates a tad high though. Par for the course up here.

 

[eelw]

But don't forget SIM coat. For Wind, it's $25 for SIM. $10 for Rogers, Telus and Bell.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

Any idea what carriers allow you to tether on their network with a prepaid data plan? Also, does Telus allow you to only get a data plan add on w/o having to get a regular prepaid plan?

I'm thinking of getting a Telus SIM ($10) from Walmart/Best Buy in Vancouver and then activating it and either getting the Basic 15 + Data 25 ($15.75 + $25) or Premium 45 ($45.75) or just the Data 25 ($25) and then use it to tether my iPhone to.

Thoughts?

 

[JAG87]

T-Mobile has free LTE roaming in Canada now, so don't bother with Canadian SIM cards. Take your T-Mo phone with you.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

T-Mobile has free LTE roaming in Canada now, so don't bother with Canadian SIM cards. Take your T-Mo phone with you.

I haven't heard about this. i thought it was just 2G speeds (EDGE/GPRS). When did this happen?

 

[Buttercream]

I haven't heard about this. i thought it was just 2G speeds (EDGE/GPRS). When did this happen?

I spend two days in Vancouver and Richmond this January on T-mobile. Roaming was fast enough that I didn't notice anything out of place compared to Seattle or SF. Definitely faster than 2G, at least HSPA+ speed, most certainly could've been LTE.

Oh, and I was using the One M8.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

I spend two days in Vancouver and Richmond this January on T-mobile. Roaming was fast enough that I didn't notice anything out of place compared to Seattle or SF. Definitely faster than 2G, at least HSPA+ speed, most certainly could've been LTE.

Oh, and I was using the One M8.

Were you able to tether?

 

[Buttercream]

Were you able to tether?

I didn't try.

 

[paperwastage]

I haven't heard about this. i thought it was just 2G speeds (EDGE/GPRS). When did this happen?

http://explore.t-mobile.com/3countryplan

they just added it mid-july. Basically, if you are in canada/mexico, it's considered home coverage (use your minutes, full LTE speed where available, music freedom is available, uses your data bucket, can tether with the normal limitations (5-7GB for unlimited, up to data plan if you have a limited xGB plan)

You need to opt in manually. If you are using a legacy/promotional plan, you have to pay $10/month to get that (per account, covers all lines under account)

Verizon tried to counter... weak effort (pay $25/line for 500 min, 500 text, 1GB data)

http://www.rcrwireless.com/20150720...-counters-t-mobile-us-north-america-push-tag2

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

http://explore.t-mobile.com/3countryplan

they just added it mid-july. Basically, if you are in canada/mexico, it's considered home coverage (use your minutes, full LTE speed where available, music freedom is available, uses your data bucket, can tether with the normal limitations (5-7GB for unlimited, up to data plan if you have a limited xGB plan)

You need to opt in manually. If you are using a legacy/promotional plan, you have to pay $10/month to get that (per account, covers all lines under account)

Wow. That's pretty awesome. I wonder what the rules are if I just want it on there for a month. I may have to contact T-Mobile later today and find out. $10 for T-Mobile vs $50 for Telus sounds like a good deal for me.

 

[JAG87]

Wow. That's pretty awesome. I wonder what the rules are if I just want it on there for a month. I may have to contact T-Mobile later today and find out. $10 for T-Mobile vs $50 for Telus sounds like a good deal for me.

And you get to keep your number.

If you have a legacy plan, at the most they may ask to keep it the $10 addon on the account for three months. Even then, for $30 it's not worth the hassle of getting a local SIM.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

If you have a legacy plan, at the most they may ask to keep it the $10 addon on the account for three months. Even then, for $30 it's not worth the hassle of getting a local SIM.

Yeah. I'm on a legacy plan. $30 vs $50 + hassle is still worth it to me. Still less than what I would've paid in Canada.

 

[thilanliyan]

Better brush up on morse code...we're kinda behind the times here

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

If you have a legacy plan, at the most they may ask to keep it the $10 addon on the account for three months. Even then, for $30 it's not worth the hassle of getting a local SIM.

Can anyone confirm how long I have to keep that add on on the account? Is there any fee for canceling? I don't want my whole plan to change because I only really need it for a month.

Better brush up on morse code...we're kinda behind the times here

It's not as fun to mess with Canadians when they take the best jokes :/.

 

[JAG87]

Can anyone confirm how long I have to keep that add on on the account? Is there any fee for canceling? I don't want my whole plan to change because I only really need it for a month.

No clue man, you have to call t-mo and ask.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

Looks like T-Mobile is a no go. Plan holder doesn't want to switch International plan. I think I'm gonna end up getting a Telus SIM and some prepaid cards for Telus (since I don't have a Canadian credit card) at Walmart and then sign up for the lowest Data + Text plan and then get a Data add on. That all seems like it'll work right?

 

[JAG87]

Looks like T-Mobile is a no go. Plan holder doesn't want to switch International plan. I think I'm gonna end up getting a Telus SIM and some prepaid cards for Telus (since I don't have a Canadian credit card) at Walmart and then sign up for the lowest Data + Text plan and then get a Data add on. That all seems like it'll work right?

Go with koodo as they have a promotion for a $20 activation credit for prepaid. It's the same network as Telus.

 

[Auric]

Heavily discounted T-Mobile plans (activated SIM with minutes) are available on eBay so would remain cheap even after adding international data roaming if necessary.

Koodoo sounds good with promo. Another Canada option (especially for future use) is SpeakOut 7-Eleven (on Rogers network) where the minimum refill is $25, which can then be used for a 30 day data add-on @ $10 for 100MB with each each additional MB @ $0.10. Besides a monthly 911 fee of $1.25, credit remains for 365 days, which is reset upon refill (like T-Mobile Pay As You Go Legacy). SIM is $10 without promo.