[caper_26]

Hi all,
Recently ditched Rogers for cell provider due to crappy CS over the years. Looking for a new provider. Here is my very limited cell usage forecast:

• Emergencies Only(CAA, babysitter needs to contact us, etc)

I don't use a cell on a daily or even weekly basis for regular communication. I understand a Pay-as-you-go is probably the best option for me. I have always been on a "monthly" plan with Rogers and am not current in the world of cell options!! I don't care about which provider (as long as it is not Rogers). Looking for the best rates considering:

• Carry over of unused $$ or minutes
• Cost per minute
• Long Distance

I think that's about it unless someone has more things for me to consider. Thanks in advance!! Oh yeah, I am in NS if that matters. Cheers.
~cape

 

[hugh]

Discussed a lot around here, search on pre-paid or speakout or 7-11 or Petrocanada and you will find quite a few threads.

 

[caper_26]

No 7-eleven in NS though

 

[hugh]

IF you search you'll find those threads have quite a few recommendations on providers.

 

[magnet]

Petrocanada is your best option for a cheaper low-usage phone; also look at Atlantic Superstore's PC phone.

 

[Tanta]

I second Magnet's suggestion, PC Mobility is your best option; 100$ for 440 minutes - expires in 365 days and unused minutes can be rolled over the following year.

 

[caper_26]

Awesome guys, thanks. I have a Superstore around the corner!
What towers do they use? (Considering coverage)

 

[Tanta]

They use the Rogers network

 

[TorontoColin]

Careful, I think you guys might be referring to two different PC Mobiles here.

Petro Canada Mobile uses Rogers.
President's Choice Mobile uses Bell.

Both are sometimes referred to as 'PC Mobile'.

 

[caper_26]

ok kool. Presidents choice was the one I was interested in. Bell has better coverage around here.
PS: So which one was the 440/$100 ??

 

[eljay]

I've been very happy with Telus. My "pay as you go" plan is $10/mo. (plus tax) at a rate of 20¢/min. I have it set up for auto top-up, so:
- it never runs out (it tops up automatically if the balance falls below $5); and
- I never have to remember to top it up (and risk losing minutes if I forget to do so).

And, if I recall correctly, I can view up to 60 days' worth of activity on my Telus on-line account. (This is a "nice to have", so that I can confirm that I'm being billed correctly. Before switching to Telus, I checked to see what my previous carrier, Bell, could offer, and all they could do was show my current balance. )

Normally, I don't make $10 worth of call per month, so I have a nice "cushion" balance on my account right now. Which I kind of like having, so I don't ever have to think twice about making long-distance calls home when I'm out of town.

 

[orville]

Cheap "Pay-as-you-go" cell

I'd recommend 7-11's Speak Out plan, if you have access to a 7-11. Pay what you like when you need more time, and whatever time you have is good for 365 days from the time you program it into your phone. I'm done with all of the "Big Boys" until the CRTC opens up the wireless market to get the pricing down. Canada still has one of the highest cell phone pricing systems in the world and it will stay that way until government involvement, via their supposedly arms-length excuse maker, the CRTC, gets a little more flexible.

 

[Tanta]

Caper_26; 100$/440 minutes = Petro Canada Mobility. No great choice of phones though, if that is important to you. If you want the basic phone, call around, they are often sold out.

 

[wprager]

Caper_26; 100$/440 minutes = Petro Canada Mobility. No great choice of phones though, if that is important to you. If you want the basic phone, call around, they are often sold out.

PetroCan mobility is $0.25/minute -- how can it be 440 minutes for $100 when you also get charged for 911 every month?

 

[MikeRo]

"Bonus minutes". I assume it's similar to the 7-11 phone plan. I got 500 minutes plus a free phone in Dec. 2009 for $100. The $100 gave me $125 worth of minutes at 25 cents per. Throw in the $5 of included time with the phone and a $10 referral bonus from a friend and I started with $140 worth of minutes, good for 365 days. When the year was up I bought another $25 worth of minutes and all minutes rolled over for another year. The only fee is a $1.25 per month cost for 911 (used to be $0.99). I seldom use the phone and currently have about $128 worth of minutes that expire in Dec 2011. Not bad for a total cost to date of $125.

 

[caper_26]

I repeat: There is no 7-eleven in NS, but thanks for the reply.
Not sure how I go about the PetroCan in my area. There is a petrocanada, but it isnt a corner store ... just a small garage type unit.
Eljay: When do the minutes/balance expire? Ie, do you HAVE to add $$$ at the end of every month or do the minutes roll over automatically?

 

[eljay]

Eljay: When do the minutes/balance expire? Ie, do you HAVE to add $$$ at the end of every month or do the minutes roll over automatically?

Most (all?) of the big providers (Bell, Telus, Rogers) expire your minutes every 30 days unless you top up your account. If you top up the account, your accumulated minutes get carried forward. The nice thing about auto top-up is that it does it for you every 30 days*, so you never have to worry about forgetting to top up and possibly losing any accumulated minutes.

(*With Telus, auto top-up will also step in and automatically top up your account if the balance drops below $5. In this case, I believe the 30-day "anniversary" date gets updated to the "step-in" date. (I can't say this for sure, because my balance has never dropped below $5.))

 

[g011um]

$10 per month automatically charged to you credit card doesn't seem like pay-as-you go. It seems like a $10 monthly plan with no time-limited contract.

The Petrocan deal, if you pay the $100 for the 365 days, seems like the best deal (especially since it includes caller ID), but the phones suck. $100 per year, or $10 / month -- I guess in the end it doesn't make too much of a difference.

 

[TorontoColin]

Almost all pay as you go mobile services in Canada include voicemail and caller ID, including the proprietary Big 3 offerings.

 

[eljay]

$10 per month automatically charged to you credit card doesn't seem like pay-as-you go.

The "pay as you go" implies no fixed contract, and you pay whatever amount you'd like to pay ($10, $15, $25, etc.) per "period" (which, with Telus and Bell, is every 30 days).

Auto top-up, which is not mandatory, merely takes care of what I would being doing manually anyway: Top up my account every thirty days with $10. Since I don't need more than $10/mo., why bother having to remember to do it manually?