Cell phone in Canada

[two_travelers]

We plan to spend some time traveling in Canada. It seems our flip phone with Consumer Cellular needs to have an International SIM card; they do not offer them. I was wondering if it would be cheaper to get a prepaid phone to make calls within Canada as well as back to the states? If we go this route, any ideas where to buy such a phone and what features/functions should we look for?

[Miramichi_cruis]

bsinmich wrote:
My biggest problem with Verizon was when I would visit a Granddaughter & Great Grandson in St. Clair, MI I would always end up with roaming charges from Ontario, which is just across the river. The same problem in Algonac State Park (MI) on the river also. It works in Canada at about a buck a minute. My last surprise was my On Star would not call a Canadian number from Canada. I could call to the US from Canada but not a local Canadian call.

I have had this experience myself travelling near the border on several occasions. I will speak from experience of having 4 daughters with iPhones (well three of them) and travelling with them! It can be an experience but always worth it!

All you have to do when near borders is turn off the ability of your device to roam. It is part of every device's operating system.

[jerseyjim]

BSLINMICH: I guess the nearest tower is what we get. You might be able to contest that charge, I know I did and "won". But mine was IN the USA....VERIZON claimed it was a "dead spot", however, the town of Carlsbad NM was listed as a covered area. Got my 24 bucks roaming/long distance back.
Sometimes the Canada/US border can make for fun things. In the thousand Islands (NY) we got Canadian TV stations (over the air) and watched a Monty Python movie in French. Plus a Canadian (FM Radio) country music station that had a VERY funny song about Hillary and Bill that would NEVER get any air-time here. in the States. LOL!!!

[bsinmich]

My biggest problem with Verizon was when I would visit a Granddaughter & Great Grandson in St. Clair, MI I would always end up with roaming charges from Ontario, which is just across the river. The same problem in Algonac State Park (MI) on the river also. It works in Canada at about a buck a minute. My last surprise was my On Star would not call a Canadian number from Canada. I could call to the US from Canada but not a local Canadian call.

[Miramichi_cruis]

JimM68 wrote:
Sometimes it's hard to remember Canada is a whole nuther country...

The last time I went to Canada, my verizon phone flat didn't work, except for certain places in Victoria where it was able to get a signal out of the USA.
This was maybe 4 years ago?

FYI...Didn't know if you realized your link to your 68 is not working properly.

[Miramichi_cruis]

two travelers wrote:
We plan to spend some time traveling in Canada. It seems our flip phone with Consumer Cellular needs to have an International SIM card; they do not offer them. I was wondering if it would be cheaper to get a prepaid phone to make calls within Canada as well as back to the states? If we go this route, any ideas where to buy such a phone and what features/functions should we look for?

If you don't want to spend a lot on a new device I recommend picking up a used iPhone like this;

http://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/mob/4886173398.html

Then you have a device that will accept a SIM card from any carrier, including your current one. I have purchased my iPhone direct from apple and I use it world wide. It is by far the least expensive option and offers you the most control.

Good luck!

[JimM68]

Sometimes it's hard to remember Canada is a whole nuther country...

The last time I went to Canada, my verizon phone flat didn't work, except for certain places in Victoria where it was able to get a signal out of the USA.
This was maybe 4 years ago?

[dieharder]

If you're planning on traveling once a year (or more) into Canada, the least expensive I've found is Speakout 7-eleven. It's what I use here and it uses the Rogers network. The air time you put in is good for a year.

[kalynzoo]

Our last trip to Canada we asked/told/ordered all our family and friends not to call us unless there was an emergency as phone charges would be about a dollar a minute. We were only going to be North of the border for a week, so it didn't pay to get an upgraded plan for a month. Yeah, Right! There was an emergency, it really did require our input and advice, it could not be put off, I'm glad they called, and everything ended up alright in the end. Story with a happy ending...except for the horrendous phone bill that we still joke about.
Have a great trip and Happy Trails.

[okgc]

Sprint also has a Canadian package. Last I knew it was $2.99 month and then 20cents a min. which is cheaper than just roaming.

[Miramichi_cruis]

To put it in simple terms, make sure you have an unlocked device (meaning it will accept another SIM). Then just shop around for the best rates on SIM cards. Bell, Rogers and even (gas station) Petro Canada has SIM cards for sale.

[rgatijnet1]

I know that Vonage has an APP to allow you to use your cell phone to make calls, through your land line Vonage account, whenever you travel. You may check to see if that will take care of your Canadian travels.

[bsinmich]

Verizon has mixed info on the Canadian package. At one time I could pay $5.00 per month and use my flip phone in Canada the same as US. I have not been able to get that coverage lately and just dropped Verizon for Straight Talk that uses the Verizon network. I will just buy a phone in Canada for the times I am over there.

[jerseyjim]

Years ago, in Nova Scotia, I found my VERIZON cell worked fine. Made 4-5 calls to the States. Until I got the bill. THEN...I found out that VERIZON offered a "Canadian Package" for a very nominal fee per month. What that meant was 2 calls to the States equaled the "package" charge. A good deal. Now I know

[southernsky]

How does ATT cell work in Canada?