I looked at the 7-Eleven links, and it looks like you pay $1.99/month for the "global distance add-on" to enable Canada to U.S. calling, and you do get it at 2 cents/minute. But that's in addition to regular air time, which is 25 cents/minute.
The biggest problem is that from what I can tell, the phones aren't available in stores because all I see is a way to order them online. When this came up and I originally posted, we were a couple of days from going to Canada, and we've now been here a week and haven't at any of this time had a place to have a phone shipped.
I was hoping to be able to go to a store and buy a burner phone and airtime for Canada to the U.S. and be done with it. I think that's impossible.
We've done some war driving looking for open wifi and it's hit-or-miss, pretty much like we find it in the U.S. So I don't think something like Skype is a good option for someone without a generous data plan.
We're using the Verizon global thing I mentioned upthread, but that means we have only one phone. So I was looking at what it would cost to call that phone (U.S. number) from a pay phone in Canada (which are wonderfully prevalent in Toronto, anyway), and couldn't find anything so I just went to a pay phone and dialed the number; I got a message to insert $5.20 for one minute of time. Yikes.
So I started looking at calling cards, and let's just say that I feel really sorry for some foreigner or immigrant trying to navigate these seas. I found one card that touts that it doesn't charge a monthly fee, or have a 3-minute minimum or whatever, but it does have these conditions (which, by the way, are found only if you drill down into "details":
Billing is based on one minute increments. Calls may be rounded to the next subsequent full minute.
Rates subject to change without notice.
A fee of 5¢ per minute applies when a card is used from the 709 area code outside St. John's, NFLD, and from some 450, 418, and 819 independent carrier area codes in Quebec.
A fee of up to 5¢ per minute may apply when a card is used outside of the province purchased.
A surcharge of 10¢ per minute applies on calls placed to the 867 and northern 250 area codes.
A destination surcharge of up to 10% and a one minute surcharge may apply.
A 25 cents per minute charge will apply when a card is used in area codes 867, 907, and northern BC.
A surcharge of 75¢ applies when using the toll-free number from a public payphone.
An additional charge of 1¢ per minute/per call applies when using a toll free access number.
An in call fee of up to 50% of the base rate may be charged based on the destination called, time of day, duration of the call and the access number used.
An in-call network initialization charge up to a maximum of 50% of the face value may apply to the 1st call.
Calls can be placed only from Canada and continental USA (excluding Alaska & Hawaii).
Here's another one:
75¢ pay phone charge may apply. Minimum 29¢/call. Maintenance fee applies: 49¢ every three days after first use (where permitted by law) or 49¢ for the 1st call each day. When the face value of the card is not used in full a 15% billing fee is applicable at the end of each call.
I just can't believe it has to be this complicated, or that people put up with it, except they have no choice. It's ridiculous.
