# Iphone with a pre-paid no monthly data plan



## Ana (Jul 5, 2015)

Hi,
Thinking of buying a used iphone for my parents who are seniors. It is for very low use and emergencies so looking to get Rogers pre-paid 365day plan. Is it possible to get this plan an iphone and not be forced to pay monthly data fee's or is that a pipe dream? They won't be using the web with it and just for basic calling etc. Thanks


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## leoc2 (Dec 28, 2010)

Look at Koodo prepaid. You can add talk minutes (called booster) that never expire as long as you pay a basic fee of $15 each month.


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## Guban (Jul 5, 2011)

The Rogers 1 year talk plan should work. Hope they don't text, though.


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## OurBigFatWallet (Jan 20, 2014)

I'd highly recommend koodo prepaid. My wife uses koodo prepaid and it's great, its the lowest cost iPhone plan I know of. Her base plans $15/month plus a 10% discount so she pays about $13.50/month. You have to buy data "boosters" but the nice thing is they don't expire and just keep getting carried forward each month. The base plan includes unlimited texting


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## nathan79 (Feb 21, 2011)

If it's for low use and emergencies then I would question the need for data at all. Wi-Fi is nearly ubiquitous these days. I don't have a data plan with my smartphone. I rarely find that I actually need data (when I do I can usually wait until I'm in range of a wireless hotspot).

I believe the best plan for super low use is 7/Eleven SpeakOut. A $25 top up has a 1 year expiry.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

Koodo does have good prepaid plans, and you have the Bell/Telus network coverage. You can buy a data booster that doesn't expire as well, for the times you need data without wifi. Ie if you ever leave the city


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## wendi1 (Oct 2, 2013)

Depends on where you are. An Iphone is too expensive, and way more than they need, sounds like.

I had a refurbished phone (just a phone), that I bought a Fido pre-paid plan for - $.30 a minute, and if you paid the $100 up front, it didn't expire for a year. Now I have upgraded to an Android phone with unlimited data from Wind.

You might talk to them about it - my new phone has GPS and has gotten me home when I was lost more than once. It also has a piano. And internet and email. They might enjoy playing with it.


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

The Rogers 365-day prepaid plan will work fine. I used to have it on my iphone, no problem. You will want to disable data on the phone settings, otherwise you get an annoying message saying "you are trying to use data without a data plan". They can buy data on a daily basis for $1/day (10MB) that comes out of their balance if they ever do want to use data away from wifi. Of course if they do this they will need to turn back on data in the settings, depending on their technical knowhow they may have no problem with this or it may be tough. You be the judge if you want to teach them this.


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## nobleea (Oct 11, 2013)

I got my wife's old work iphone when hers was replaced with the iphone 6. I popped in my PetroCanada mobility pay and talk sim card and it's worked flawlessly. Petro Canada doesn't offer data, and i've turned it off on the phone to be sure. Works just fine, and as others have mentioned, there are heaps of wifi places available. I pay $100, which gets you an automatic $10 extra, and it expires in a year. $110 usually lasts me about 7 or 8 months of calls and texts.

But, taking a step back, I wouldn't recommend an iphone as an emergency backup. The battery life is atrocious. A lightly used or emergency phone that has to be charged every 4-6 days is not very convenient. I'd just get a crappy brick or flip phone. The previous ones I've bought from Petro Canada (they're like 30-50$) have a battery that lasts around 3 weeks before needing a charge.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

wendi1 said:


> Depends on where you are. An Iphone is too expensive, and way more than they need, sounds like.
> 
> I had a refurbished phone (just a phone), that I bought a *Fido pre-paid plan for - $.30 a minute, and if you paid the $100 up front, it didn't expire for a year.* Now I have upgraded to an Android phone with unlimited data from Wind.
> 
> You might talk to them about it - my new phone has GPS and has gotten me home when I was lost more than once. *It also has a piano*. And internet and email. They might enjoy playing with it.


*A piano?..but no guitar or drums*? Waiting for one of those. :biggrin: 

Mine is similar. I have a emergency pay-as-you go HUWAEI Chinese brand cell phone that I bought from WIND years ago. 
I don't know if mine has GPS.. I don't download any apps for it as it has a tiny screen...its pretty old but still working on the same battery.

I top up with $40..lasts about 7 months to keep my number alive as I have a VOIP home phone that I used 99% of the time, except when I'm not at home, I take
the cell phone with me, in case I need to place an emergency outgoing call..or the internet phone is down for some reason.


With my old plan, the incoming calls are free. I believe the outgoing calls are 25c a minute, 
which they take from my prepaid balance for talk minutes, which is rolled over from month to month.

if I place an outgoing call for at least 5 minutes, the outgoing calls I make for the remaining part of the day are Free..no charge. 
It's a very good deal for me. ..about $6 a month + tax.


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## Ana (Jul 5, 2015)

nathan79 said:


> If it's for low use and emergencies then I would question the need for data at all. Wi-Fi is nearly ubiquitous these days. I don't have a data plan with my smartphone. I rarely find that I actually need data (when I do I can usually wait until I'm in range of a wireless hotspot).
> 
> I believe the best plan for super low use is 7/Eleven SpeakOut. A $25 top up has a 1 year expiry.


Thanks Nathan, Not looking for data plan at all. I actually want to avoid it. I was just offered a deal on a smartphone.


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## Ana (Jul 5, 2015)

wendi1 said:


> Depends on where you are. An Iphone is too expensive, and way more than they need, sounds like.
> 
> I had a refurbished phone (just a phone), that I bought a Fido pre-paid plan for - $.30 a minute, and if you paid the $100 up front, it didn't expire for a year. Now I have upgraded to an Android phone with unlimited data from Wind.
> 
> You might talk to them about it - my new phone has GPS and has gotten me home when I was lost more than once. It also has a piano. And internet and email. They might enjoy playing with it.


Thanks Wendy. This sounds like a great deal. Are you happy with Wind? I have good and bad things about them.


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## Ana (Jul 5, 2015)

Spudd said:


> The Rogers 365-day prepaid plan will work fine. I used to have it on my iphone, no problem. You will want to disable data on the phone settings, otherwise you get an annoying message saying "you are trying to use data without a data plan". They can buy data on a daily basis for $1/day (10MB) that comes out of their balance if they ever do want to use data away from wifi. Of course if they do this they will need to turn back on data in the settings, depending on their technical knowhow they may have no problem with this or it may be tough. You be the judge if you want to teach them this.


Thanks, then it is possible to have a 365 day plan on this. Nice to know. I iphone is an old iphone 3 so probably not worth getting it.


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## Ana (Jul 5, 2015)

nobleea said:


> I got my wife's old work iphone when hers was replaced with the iphone 6. I popped in my PetroCanada mobility pay and talk sim card and it's worked flawlessly. Petro Canada doesn't offer data, and i've turned it off on the phone to be sure. Works just fine, and as others have mentioned, there are heaps of wifi places available. I pay $100, which gets you an automatic $10 extra, and it expires in a year. $110 usually lasts me about 7 or 8 months of calls and texts.
> 
> But, taking a step back, I wouldn't recommend an iphone as an emergency backup. The battery life is atrocious. A lightly used or emergency phone that has to be charged every 4-6 days is not very convenient. I'd just get a crappy brick or flip phone. The previous ones I've bought from Petro Canada (they're like 30-50$) have a battery that lasts around 3 weeks before needing a charge.


Thanks for sharing. This was useful to know. I was under the impression iphone had a good battery. Which iphone model do you have? I'm thinking a flip phone maybe be a better route.


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## wendi1 (Oct 2, 2013)

Ana, I am happy in Ottawa, but I know some areas are not well served. You have to look at their coverage maps.

Fido uses Rogers towers, so has more consistent coverage (but when I was in New Brunswick, they were not very dependable).

There is no one answer, I'm afraid.


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

Ana said:


> Thanks for sharing. This was useful to know. I was under the impression iphone had a good battery. Which iphone model do you have? I'm thinking a flip phone maybe be a better route.


Careful about flip phones: because so few manufacturers make them anymore, it's likely you'll be getting one that's been sitting on the shelf for years and whose battery may already be declining even if it has never been used. Last year I got a Samsung Rugby flip phone as a backup since my 7-year-old cell phone was starting to shut itself down randomly, and the phone barely lasts a day on standby. If I make even one or two calls with it, I have to charge it every 6 or 7 hours -- even worse than a smart phone. I'd love to find one of those flip phones that lasts 3 weeks but I haven't yet!


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## CalgaryPotato (Mar 7, 2015)

I don't understand why you want the highest of the high end smart phone, if it's only for an emergency phone. Or will they be using the other features, just not on a network.

If that's the case you could consider two devices. You can probably find someone willing to part with an iphone that is tied to a carrier pretty cheap. Then they can just use that for wifi usage. And then get a cheap flip phone like others suggested. Or at least a lower end smart phone.


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