Forum Discussion

FULLTIMEWANABE's avatar
FULLTIMEWANABE
Explorer
Jan 22, 2015

Best Internet & Cellular Options For Canadian Snowbirds

With the demise of Millenicom, can Canadian RVers that don't stay in one set location during their visit to the USA share what package they are using effectively today whilst travelling south of the border.

We ideally go in and out of the USA on two to four visits per year, so have to consider costs of putting any packages on vacation/restarting.

We use a tracfone for calls and tend to put a monthly $20 or $30 fee on to cover text and 100 mins on our Canadian iPhone.

Appreciate your sharing what provider and plans you are finding best today for keeping a handle on the costs but still maintaining adequate coverage in your travels. We thought about just adding on a $50 per month per gigabyte from our Canadian cellular provider but that seems rather steep and wouldn't be enough for us.

Many thanks,
  • francheska's avatar
    francheska
    Explorer
    Jan 23, 2015
    We have used consumer cellular for years. You can customize the plan to whatever you need. You can turn it on and off from your computer at any time, pay your bill on line. The only inconvenience to get
    started you need to to be in the US I believe. But they have great customer service. Look them up on line.
  • rascal55's avatar
    rascal55
    Explorer
    Jan 23, 2015
    We use AT&T for cellular service. 25$ per month for 250 minutes across the US. Add 5$ per month for 250 minutes for calling to Canada.For internet service we have a Go MiFi hotspot from Walmart. 45$ gives us 3 gig of internet and does not expire. Top up when the time runs out with a card purchased from Walmart. You cannot set up an automatic update, however I have purchased a card online when a local Walmart has not had cards.
  • owenssailor's avatar
    owenssailor
    Explorer
    Jan 23, 2015
    We use Tracfone for cell phone. It is primarily for talk but will do some light browsing.

    For data to the computer this year we bought a Straighttalk hotspot. Data can be added to it as needed. 4 Gb costs 40$ and is good for 2 months. It runs over the Verison network. So far it has worked well. We've used it when campground wifi has not been useable. So far it has worked fine in Louisiana, Texas New Mexico and now Arizona.
  • rwbradley's avatar
    rwbradley
    Explorer
    Jan 23, 2015
    FULLTIMEWANABE wrote:
    rwbradley wrote:
    I like Roam Mobility. They have daily plans right up to snowbird monthly plans, with and without data. You can pick and pay for any length and as long as you buy a plan (any plan including a 1 day plan) once a year it will never expire. Their rates are quite good compared to most options and data is very generous with unlimited North America talk and text and even allow tethering.
    They are LTE on the Tmobile network. For some older phones this can be a problem for getting good data speeds, particularly older iPhones, but most quad band or pentaband phones should be fine.


    Thanks RGB, we have heard mixed feedback on Roam Mobility. Do you mind us asking how long you have been using them for and where in the USA you have travelled successfully or had problems getting service with them? Many thanks,


    Been on it for a couple of years. Used it all around the Great Lake and New England states, all down I75 and around central Florida, and down to DC. I have found it excellent in the medium to major cities and interstates. Lots of bad spot in the heart of the Appalachians all the way from Maine to Georgia.
  • FULLTIMEWANABE's avatar
    FULLTIMEWANABE
    Explorer
    Jan 23, 2015
    rwbradley wrote:
    I like Roam Mobility. They have daily plans right up to snowbird monthly plans, with and without data. You can pick and pay for any length and as long as you buy a plan (any plan including a 1 day plan) once a year it will never expire. Their rates are quite good compared to most options and data is very generous with unlimited North America talk and text and even allow tethering.
    They are LTE on the Tmobile network. For some older phones this can be a problem for getting good data speeds, particularly older iPhones, but most quad band or pentaband phones should be fine.


    Thanks RGB, we have heard mixed feedback on Roam Mobility. Do you mind us asking how long you have been using them for and where in the USA you have travelled successfully or had problems getting service with them? Many thanks,
  • rwbradley's avatar
    rwbradley
    Explorer
    Jan 23, 2015
    pianotuna wrote:
    Hi,

    It looks like Roam Mobility piggybacks on Sprint. That leads to poor coverage in the north west.

    They piggyback on T-Mobile but you can buy additional (more expensive) coverage to also allow coverage in areas where T-Mobile does not have coverage (Sprint may be one of the other partner networks).
  • pianotuna's avatar
    pianotuna
    Nomad III
    Jan 23, 2015
    Hi,

    It looks like Roam Mobility piggybacks on Sprint. That leads to poor coverage in the north west.
  • rwbradley's avatar
    rwbradley
    Explorer
    Jan 22, 2015
    I like Roam Mobility. They have daily plans right up to snowbird monthly plans, with and without data. You can pick and pay for any length and as long as you buy a plan (any plan including a 1 day plan) once a year it will never expire. Their rates are quite good compared to most options and data is very generous with unlimited North America talk and text and even allow tethering.
    They are LTE on the Tmobile network. For some older phones this can be a problem for getting good data speeds, particularly older iPhones, but most quad band or pentaband phones should be fine.

About RV Must Haves

Have a product you cannot live without? Share it with the community!8,793 PostsLatest Activity: Aug 22, 2023