# A great cell plan if any of you out there are looking.



## hypo (Aug 11, 2010)

I've been looking for the past few weeks for a cell plan to switch to since I'm getting totally ripped off with the one that I'm on currently. Anyway, I came across this one from mobilicity that seems awesome. Unfortunately I'm not in their coverage zone so I'm not eligible  

If you subscribe to the 45$ plan, but pay a years' worth upfront, you get a discount that works out to 30$/month (359.99/12)

So for 30$/month you get everything...

-unlimited north american calling and texting and picture messaging
-unlimited blackberry service and data
-caller id, voicemail, call waiting, 3 way calling

I haven't subscribed to this plan myself b/c of the coverage issues so do your homework before paying, but I'd probably go for it if it were available to me. 

Anyway, just wanted to let yall know and maybe get some nice karma


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## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

That does sound like a good plan and it includes data. 

I use 7-11 speak out wireless. It's pay-as-you go. 

It uses Roger's network and all phone cards have 365 day expiry. It includes voicemail and call display. $0.25/ minute. They charge like $1 or so a month for 911.

Last year I used $50 of airtime. It expired after 365 days. Including tax, it worked out to cost $4.70 month. 

If you are an daily cell phone user, this phone may not be for you. But with it as an emergency "just in case" phone, we save tons of money. 

Two-three years ago, I did have an Iphone, it was like $100 month. Or $1200 year. Like I want to give Rogers more of our money..the cable and home phone is going up again.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

I switched from Bell to WIND. It was a good move for me because I 
have their $25 a month (unlimited calling cross Canada in Wind serviced areas and that includes long distance to those areas as well). 
No system access or 911 fee.

I just pay $25 a month and get voice mail. 3 way, call waiting and call forwarding if I need it. This special is on for one year, and I can downgrade
after that to save even more. 

Same with their internet service. $17.50 a month
for 6 months for "charged laptop" service.

Very happy so far, saving about $40 a month for Cell and internet over
what I was paying Bell.


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

Like Jungle, I use Speakout from 711. Once a year I buy a $100 card which expires after one year (you can top up and extend the expiry date by another year) and gives me a free phone during their promo which happens a few times a year. The phone comes with $5 balance so another little bonus. Coverage is fantastic.


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

I try to not refer to these "$25" or "$30" per month plans by those prices, because they never include taxes or the system access fee in cases where the provider has one, and therefore they don't reflect what you actually pay. I have Fido's $20/month plan, but the cheapest I have ever paid is $28/month...the difference amounts to almost another $100 over the course of a year.


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## leoc2 (Dec 28, 2010)

Addy said:


> Like Jungle, I use Speakout from 711. Once a year I buy a $100 card which expires after one year (you can top up and extend the expiry date by another year) and gives me a free phone during their promo which happens a few times a year. The phone comes with $5 balance so another little bonus. Coverage is fantastic.


Addy, I too use 7/11 speakout. I buy a fifty dollar card and it last me a year. I take the phone to the states and I swap the 7/11 SIM card with T-Mobile Pay as you go SIM card and I have a phone to use in the USA.


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## MikeT (Feb 16, 2010)

I got an iPhone on a virgin mobile 6gb data plan when they were selling the data for $30.

I cancelled my home Internet connection - saving me over $40/month - and I use my iPhone tethered to my computer for all Internet service now. I regularly use upwards of 4gb a month now, but haven't gone over. Speed is decent, can rarely tell it's cellular data rather than hardwired cable.


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## ddkay (Nov 20, 2010)

Mobilicity doesn't have 911 fees, system access fees, or a ridiculous "government regulatory recover fee", which has nothing to do with the government. I'm switching to Mobilicity when my Rogers contract expires this upcoming fall. The only downside is that I'll need sell my current smartphone (Nexus One) and purchase some other if I want to continue using 3G data. The AT&T/Rogers phone I have communicates on the 850/1900Mhz bands, while Mobilicity only owns spectrum in the 1700/2100MHz (AWS) bands. Fortunately there are a few other networks currently operating on AWS, like T-Mobile in the US or Wind and Videotron here in Canada. Shaw should also be launching a wireless service on AWS in Q4 2011 or Q1 2012.


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## ddkay (Nov 20, 2010)

Mike I'll be impressed if you can stay under that 6GB limit and not go back to a wired connection at home!

In parts of the world using a cellphone as your primary internet connection is feasible because providers do not charge for transfer or are at least generous. That's not the case in Canada.


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## sprocket1200 (Aug 21, 2009)

MikeT said:


> I got an iPhone on a virgin mobile 6gb data plan when they were selling the data for $30.
> 
> I cancelled my home Internet connection - saving me over $40/month - and I use my iPhone tethered to my computer for all Internet service now. I regularly use upwards of 4gb a month now, but haven't gone over. Speed is decent, can rarely tell it's cellular data rather than hardwired cable.


wow, that must have been some slooooow hard wired cable. try shaw and hold onto your hat!


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## MikeT (Feb 16, 2010)

It was shaw actually. And speedtest shows 3.55 Mbps download speed. 1.53mb upload. Roughly the same speed as my shaw connection was.

YouTube works fine for example. 

I don't download alot of full length movies or anything. I think if you did, this solution might not be for you. But stocks, email, banking, YouTube, websites, etc... I'm saving a bunch of money this way.


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## sprocket1200 (Aug 21, 2009)

maybe you are living in TO or another big city,

todays speedtest results below...btw I only pay for 15mbps..


Ping 33 ms
Download Speed 20.44 Mbps
Upload Speed 0.82 Mbps

connection speed is not the only thing that matters. could be your router, switch, or computer too. you are running an apple product right?


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## MikeT (Feb 16, 2010)

It's Ottawa now, was Vancouver when I had shaw. And those numbers are from my tethered iPhone in Ottawa. There's no router. 

I don't have my wired connection to test anymore. But obviously your wired connection is quite a bit faster.

If you need that kinda speed or more than 6gb, wired is clearly better. I just saw a huge savings with my limited needs. I still get a good enough speed and so far enough data with the 6gb limit. I don't really think about it much, I check my usage once in a while to make sure I'm under and I always am.

My ping was 240ms, so latency is an issue too if that matters to some people.


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## steve41 (Apr 18, 2009)

Speaking of cell plans.... is there an unbiased (regional-BC) site where cell plans can be compared. Especially for 'old fogies' (just voice and voicemail)


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## sprocket1200 (Aug 21, 2009)

steve, cheapest i could find was telus with their clear choice plan for $30 (there is one other cheaper but includes nothing, so if you start to use it, it costs big). I was able to get unlimited text included for north america as part of the deal. 

i had an old telus phone so that worked for me. no contract. just dial *611 and if the phone works, you can hook it up.


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## kubatron (Jan 17, 2011)

I dunno *shrug*, I want a phone contract / service provider that will let me use my phone when I travel to the states.. so wind+mobilicity are out of that equation.


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## sprocket1200 (Aug 21, 2009)

kubatron said:


> I dunno *shrug*, I want a phone contract / service provider that will let me use my phone when I travel to the states.. so wind+mobilicity are out of that equation.


wow, why would you want a contract. the one I got was no contract, unlimited texting in north america... $30 a month.


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## K-133 (Apr 30, 2010)

> I dunno *shrug*, I want a phone contract / service provider that will let me use my phone when I travel to the states.. so wind+mobilicity are out of that equation.


Wind Mobile has a roaming agreement with T-Mobile at $0.25/minute. (calls to US / Canada)

How much do you pay roaming with your carrier - $1.00/minute?

http://www.rogers.com/web/content/add-ons/travelwithyourphone


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## sprocket1200 (Aug 21, 2009)

people still pay roaming charges? wow, I am lost...


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## Plutos (Nov 28, 2010)

Has any of you guys used PC Mobile? I am undecided between PC and SpeakOut. Too bad that neither allow unlimited incoming calls.


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## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

Plutos said:


> Has any of you guys used PC Mobile? I am undecided between PC and SpeakOut. Too bad that neither allow unlimited incoming calls.


 PC mobile sucks. They double charged my credit card and would not refund me. I even spoke with upper management and wrote a letter. The claim on their system, I was only charged once. I have on my credit card statement, I was charged twice. The management was really incompetent. I should have escalated complained to consumer affairs. But all this time I was spending fighting a $10+ tax charge was not worth it. 

Anyway, the credit card I purchased with was PC mastercard. (oh the irony) I just did a chargeback and got my money back. PC mastercard then said they were going to investigate PC mobile... 

Anyway, PC mobile cards expire on short term basis. Speakout wireless is much better, 365 day expiry on any card. 

If you are buying phone cards and having the balance expire, it's a waste of money. The phone companies set it up like this on purpose. (except speakout).


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## Financial Cents (Jul 22, 2010)

I'm currently looking for a cell plan:

~150 anytime min. per month
~100 texts per month
500 MB data
Voicemail, etc.

Anything good out there?

I'd like to get a BB Torch. My old plan (3-year with Bell) is done. Bell says I can now get a free hardware upgrade with them.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Financial Cents said:


> I'm currently looking for a cell plan:
> 
> ~150 anytime min. per month
> ~100 texts per month
> ...


Try WIND
http://www2.windmobile.ca/en/Pages/voice-plans.aspx
I saw some BB in their Kanata store (inside Block Busters).

I've had it with Bell after they screwed me last fall. Now I just pay
$25 a month UNLIMITED minutes, free texting, free voicemail..
and free LD within Canada to *any cities serviced by WIND*. 

No system access fees, no 911 fees, and
all the other "value plus" charges (ie:voice mail) that Bell charges you for!

Cut my monthly cell phone down from $60+ to $25+hst. ..but you have
to buy your own phone or BB..although they will allow $100 of the purchase
against your Windtab. 10% of your monthly bill applied to reduce that $100
windtab balance.


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## Financial Cents (Jul 22, 2010)

Carverman - nice. I will check them out. 

Do you have a data plan with them?


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Financial Cents said:


> Carverman - nice. I will check them out.
> 
> Do you have a data plan with them?


Yes, I had "charged laptop"with them until April 21st. It was half price for
6 months at $17.50, so on the surface it seemed like a good deal.

However, I do a lot of youtubing (music) and if you exceed 3Gb per month, they gouge you with 0.2c/mbyte...and it adds up VERY QUICKLY!
(I had excess data usage charges of $38 in march and $58 in April.)

I paid the March one, but got a DU meter (third party s/w) Installed after
that, so I could track my data usage).
By coincidence, I had it installed when they tried to scam
me for $58 excess data usage in April.
I haven't paid that yet, since my DU meter only showed $9.02..so that part of the bill has not been paid and is still under dispute with them.

I went to the $29 per month promotion they had in April. You prepay
$29 x 2 months + hst and you get UNLIMITED DATA USAGE. 
Now, I'm downloading like there is no tomorrow. 

Sometimes a bargain is not a bargain, but overall I am fairly satisfied with
Wind..much better than with "gougers" Bell and Rogers.


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## financialnoob (Feb 26, 2011)

carver: I think Wind has unlimited data for like $5 extra.

WIND Mobile Shop Add-Ons Data

The $5 is for 50 megs, the $10 for unlimited so long as you have a certain plan, like $25/month or up. Might be worth it instead of the over charges.

I like Wind, and we got one for my wife but had to return it. Two things kind of annoyed me:

1. No billing by the second. This isn't a huge deal to some, but for limited plan minutes, it makes a big difference.
2. No SMS capabilities. Text yes, but the SMS is useful in Toronto as you can SMS message stop numbers to the TTC to get transit times.

I think I'd rather get a wi-fi-capable phone and skip data plans entirely. In emergency, you could go on the network and get charged per use but most of the time there's free wi-fi around.


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## smihaila (Apr 6, 2009)

Not too much coverage with WIND. Not available in Kitchener-Waterloo, for example.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

financialnoob said:


> carver: I think Wind has unlimited data for like $5 extra.


I didn't see that, but since April 21st, I'm on the unlimited plan at $29 a month vs 17.50 a month...and only for 6 months. I only got burned
once by Wind in March..haven't paid a penny for extra data use since
then. I still track my data usage out of curiosity. 



> 1. No billing by the second. This isn't a huge deal to some, but for limited plan minutes, it makes a big difference.


Billing by the second???...the last time a cell plan offered that was with
Clearnet..which was my first cell phone provider. They got bought out
by Telus..which immediately went to rounded off to the nearest minute
billing..and so does Bell and so does Rogers. They make more money that
way..just like the gas companies..gouging us. I'm sure it's a collusion between
all of them.

With WIND..I don't really care. I make unlimited calls and pay only the basic
fee $25 a month..a heck of a lot better deal than with the other cell phone
"gougers"..so, I'm happy with them. 

If I want to make a LD call, I just dial the local access number for Yak 
and go over their facilities to anywhere in NA for 1.5 cents a minute. 
It's treated like a land line..but then, I have
to be in a local service area by Yak...ie: Ottawa/Toronto etc.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

smihaila said:


> Not too much coverage with WIND. Not available in Kitchener-Waterloo, for example.


It's coming to K-W. They have to deal with a court case first, as the
Big Three are after their case for stealing their customers away with
the lower rates..and the fact that the company is PARTLY Egyptian
owned, but have a minority or majority? sharehold in Canada.

No different from the other US based cellphone/data carriers but
I guess the Big Three want to make a federal case out of it.


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## financialnoob (Feb 26, 2011)

Glad to hear you found a good plan. Data charges can be insane. Add in roaming and it can be nuts. I hear of BB users going overseas and coming back with $500 bills. 

Yeah, billing by the second has kind of died out. The only two providers I know who still offer it are Koodo and Fido, though there are issues with both of those providers as well.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

sprocket1200 said:


> maybe you are living in TO or another big city,
> 
> todays speedtest results below...btw I only pay for 15mbps..
> 
> ...


For typical internet browsing, the 3G network is pretty good even for streaming 720p video... 4Mbps is considered high speed by most people and 20Mpbs is more for simultaneous gaming/voip/dling/streaming by a family at once.. otherwise for 1 person 4Mbps is pretty good. I couldn't live on 6GB dl, but it's great as mobile high speed

In Europe I pay €10 for unlimited 3G (it is throttled if you abuse it) and €5 for 50 mins because I just talk on voip or at home. Oh ya tax in included in Europe, roaming is always warned by SMS, and theres no extra random charges for caller ID and voicemail bs. My landline unlimited long distance is under €5. Competition is nice, Canada.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

financialnoob said:


> Yeah, billing by the second has kind of died out. The only two providers I know who still offer it are *Koodo and Fido,* though there are issues with both of those providers as well.


Ya, like they have limited coverage. That would be my main issue.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

Actually Fido is owned by Rogers and on their network and Koodo is Telus or Bell or both I forget. Wind and Mobilicity have their own network I believe


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## financialnoob (Feb 26, 2011)

Yes, Koodo is Telus. Not an expert, but the Wikipedia page for Koodo indicates it runs on the Telus network. However, the Fido page indicates there's some overlap with Rogers, but they maintain their own network which doesn't seem as good as Rogers, at least in my experience with Fido.

FWIW, Koodo has a low-end Android (LG Optimus One) on sale from $225 to $150 ($0 if you use the Tab), and it comes with a $50 Visa gift certificate mailed if your account is in good standing over 4 to 6 weeks. There's no mandatory data plan and the phone is wi-fi enabled.


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## Calgary_Girl (Apr 20, 2011)

I would be VERY careful with Wind. Even though I live in Calgary, which is technically in the "Wind Zone", my block is a dead zone after reviewing their network coverage. My neighbourhood is covered except for my block and one other. I am sticking with Rogers at least until Wind gets their act together and offers some decent network coverage.

Therefore, make sure you do your homework and double and triple check it!


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Calgary_Girl said:


> I would be VERY careful with Wind. Even though I live in Calgary, which is technically in the "Wind Zone", my block is a dead zone after reviewing their network coverage. My neighbourhood is covered except for my block and one other. I am sticking with Rogers at least until Wind gets their act together and offers some decent network coverage.
> 
> Therefore, make sure you do your homework and double and triple check it!


What part of Calvary do you live in that isn't served by Wind?
according to their updated coverage map..they have 5 cell towers,
7,13,16,12 & 15
http://www.coveragemapper.com/windmap.php

and generally speaking..cell towers (GSM) have a range of around 20-22km,
depending on how high the antenna array is mounted on a tower or
building. The coverage can even be extended beyond that in flat terrain.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_site

The only way you can be REALLY sure that you have NO coverage is to get a Wind
cell phone and check the sig strength in your area. Don't go by the coverage
map, as those are more generalized and may not reflect the true signal strength
in your area.


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## canabiz (Apr 4, 2009)

Wind does not work in the Ottawa boonies, read Stittsville etc.

Good luck trying to use it on the way to Toronto or Montreal. I love the *little guys* and the *underdog* as much as anybody else but until they have better network coverage and if you use the cell phone a lot (for work or personal), there are better options out there.


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## Calgary_Girl (Apr 20, 2011)

carverman said:


> What part of Calvary do you live in that isn't served by Wind?
> according to their updated coverage map..they have 5 cell towers,
> 7,13,16,12 & 15
> http://www.coveragemapper.com/windmap.php
> ...


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## newbie93 (Jun 9, 2012)

*Mobile Providers/ Confused/Newcomer*

Hey there,

I am looking for a good and cheap mobile phone plan, but I am really confused.
I mean I am a newcomer ( almost 2 months in Canada) and I am trying to get how the system of mobile providers and networks works.
You guys have all so many useful information but as I said they are so maaany! 
Besides, each of you has a different opinion and I cannot come up with a helpful conclusion.Moreover, I haven't learned some particular words/the terminology yet so all these stuff sometimes put me over the edge 

So my problem is this. The first month we definetely needed a cell phone and a valid number.
in order to go to offices and generally adapt ourselves. So my father went himself to virgnin mobile and using his little English he bought a wildfire s and made a "contract". I don't know what exactly did he do :frown: but I have paid for the two months that I use that phone plan 100+ $ and I haven't used neither mobile network nor many phone calls or sent too many text messages.
So I am going for sure to ask what is going on at Virgin mobile but first I would like to have some more information.
What we need is a provider who would offer us unlimited phone calls in Canada, unlimited text messages and mobile network all in one with a particular amount of money per month. I mean, back home I had an ordinary phone and I used a sim card in which each month I used to put a money/credits , 5$, 10$ ,25$ etc and if i ran out I used to reload it again. Undoubtedly,we also had the phone plan the you have here and that was called a "connection plan" but we knew for example that each month we would spent a particular sum of money like 30$ or 40$ but we used unlimited calls,internet and sms. We weren't charged for incoming calls or other fees and taxes!!!! :frown:
Also I don't get why should we buy new cell phones here? Can't we use our own phones? My brother bought a new smartphone before coming here and now what?? Is it useless? :hopelessness:
Well, I just noticed that this is so looong! Ooops >_< I'm sorry.
I hope it won't cause you fatigue!
Thanks in advance,


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## Guigz (Oct 28, 2010)

newbie93 said:


> Also I don't get why should we buy new cell phones here? Can't we use our own phones? My brother bought a new smartphone before coming here and now what?? Is it useless? :hopelessness:


Hello,

I will only address this part of the post as your other questions are already addressed in the rest of the thread.

Without going into anything technical, the reason why you need to buy a new cellphone is that the signal technology is not the same in each country. Your old phone may not be able to interface with the "Canadian signal technology" so you would not be able to use it to make calls or send messages or access the net (pretty useless eh?).

However, you should know that some international cell phones do work on the Canadian system. You would need to check out the specifications to confirm whether it would work or not.

Cheers,


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

Plans that offer unlimited calling/texts are very expensive. Unless you really need that, it is probably not worth it for you. For example, I checked at Virgin Mobile and their unlimited calling plan (without unlimited texts) is $50/month. If you mostly call each other, you could get a plan that lets you have unlimited calling to 5 numbers, and then calls to other numbers are not unlimited (this is cheaper than 100% unlimited - e.g. at Virgin Mobile they charge $35/mo for this).

The way you had it back home: "I used a sim card in which each month I used to put a money/credits , 5$, 10$ ,25$ etc and if i ran out I used to reload it again" is called pre-paid here, and if you don't use the phone very much it is often the cheapest. But if you talk/text a lot, you might find that a monthly plan is better. 

If your brother's phone is "locked" then it will only work on the company he bought it from's network. Sometimes you can pay to get them unlocked. The other thing that might have happened is that his phone might not use the same frequencies that we use here in North America. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSM_frequency_bands


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## Compounding1 (May 13, 2012)

I'm with Fido and pay $50 a month. Get 500mb of data per month, caller ID and voicemail, unlimited texting, 150 minutes a month but evenings start at 5pm so for personal use I find this is few minutes is fine, and I also get free picture and video messaging.

I was paying more for less than what I have now until I called fido and simply asked if they could give me a discount. I was nice about it and just took a shot and asked and they took $10 off my bill and added the free picture messaging! So if you all haven't done this, just call and ask! Works with your internet and cable companies too.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

newbie93 said:


> Hey there,
> 
> I am looking for a good and cheap mobile phone plan, but I am really confused.
> I mean I am a newcomer ( almost 2 months in Canada) and I am trying to get how the system of mobile providers and networks works.
> ...


Phone service is very expensive in Canada. The reason is there are vast distances to cover with not very many customers to pay for it. That, and everything costs more in Canada because the government and companies work together to rip off the consumer.


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## Guigz (Oct 28, 2010)

Rusty O'Toole said:


> That, and everything costs more in Canada because the government and companies work together to rip off the consumer.


I don't think so. 

Prices are high because consumers are willing to bend over and take it. Vote with your money! If you don't agree with the price structure, change company or do without!

I pay a few $ per month for my cell phone and a few cents per month for my landline. Maybe I am not as cool as the media would like me to believe, but I don't give a scratch!


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## liquidfinance (Jan 28, 2011)

Well I've just moved to Whitby from the UK and decided to try out Wind. My wife is with Rogers but I thought I would try the Wind $40 plan pay up front. My UK Bold 9900 was compatible with the network so I didn't have to worry about buying a new mobile. 

This plan seems a good all rounder especially as I don't expect I will be venturing much outside the WIND zone. However I am yet to get my self some work so depending on where that takes me I may soon find myself having to switch provider. 

All in all I thought it was a great deal although it seems to be an extra $8 for voicemail!


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