[Gyork]

Hello, Im George and I was wondering if anyone of you could help me with the following: Im from the Netherlands and Im moving to Windsor in a while... Thing is, I have this prepaid card. There is still a couple dollars on it so I wanna take it with me, but is it usable in your country? Do you guys have the same options as in buying your minutes onto a card... This is really not my field. Please help me! Cheers GY

 

[Rockjock]

George the card would work, but quite quickly you would burn thru how ever many euros you have on it very quick. If you want to use your unlocked handset you have several options Most companies have pay as you go plans, chatr is good and pretty much has good deals.. Wind is good IF you can find a handset and service .. be specific on what you are looking form.. it will not be like it is back home.. so tell us what you would like.. and I am sure someone can help you out!

 

[sk1d]

If you're going to be here for a while, you'll be better off getting a local sim. What phone do you have?

 

[judyz]

Neither Chatr nor Wind offer Home Zone coverage in Windsor so they are not worth mentioning. Your choices will be Rogers, Bell or Telus. A quick google search will bring you to their sites. They are all crooks and Customer Service is equally terrible so take your pick.

Anywhere else in Canada I would say get a pay as you go sim card from the cheapest provider and stick it in your unlocked gsm phone. Windsor is a different matter though. Your best bet is to see what the coverage is like when you get here. The biggest problem in Windsor is accidental roaming. Basically your Canadian Cellphone may pick up an American network and you may be charged for roaming even though you are on the Canadian side of the river. The cellphone companies will credit you back but it can be a pain. For this reason you want to check with the locals in the area you are moving to and see which network covers it best. Then you will want to make sure that whatever phone you use is programmed properly at a dealer to ensure the network priority is done right.

Using an overseas sim card in Canada is a waste unless you are only planning on a short stay. The roaming charges will eat it up fast.

 

[17671]

if your phone is GSM then your only choice is rogers and fido.

other carriers like wind and moblicity and bellus do not have gsm network, so chances are your phone from Netherlands wont pick up their signals.

 

[nauru]

If you use your phone hardly at all, you will likely find it cheaper to go with a US sim card, such as Telestial (eKit Simple Calling). American mobile phone service providers have the advantage of not charging 911 fees, not charging taxes, not charging system access fees, and not charging other hidden fees on prepaid customers.

You will have a US number though, so if you will have a lot of Canadian people calling you then maybe not a good idea because it will cost them more. However for an emergency phone only, it's perfect since there are no recurring monthly charges. Also you use Rogers network in Canada which is very strong, and your roaming costs when in the US, Europe or any other country will be far cheaper than with any Canadian provider. Technically you will be roaming 100% of the time you are in Canada, yet still I find it cheaper than using a Canadian company (prepaid cell phone service costs in Canada are that high!).

 

[gmd]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but he has a prepaid long distance card. Not a phone, not a SIM, but a card.

Gyork, welcome to Canada. We do have long distance card available, you will not be able to use your card here.

I had the opportunity to visit the Netherlands in 2009. I hope you enjoy it in Canada.

Cheers,
-gmd