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Any similar providers in the US?
February 18, 2012
2:44 pm
Ray
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I might be travelling in the US for a few months and need a provider like SO with a cheap and decent top-up expiry date

Secondary things I'd like to look for is a decent SMS plan and/or internet browsing plan.

Any recommendations?
Thanks in advance!

February 18, 2012
2:59 pm
altadude
SW Ontario
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I use AT&T. I have the $2a day plan. Unlimited nation wide calling (no long distance charges unless calling to Canada $0.19 per minute) and unlimited north American texting. Only charged the $2 for days you make/receive a call or text.

Data is $5 for 10 mb, $15 for 100 mb and $25 for 500mb or something like that.

February 18, 2012
3:37 pm
iamdrumming
Niagara Falls
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Verizon has the best coverage in the USA. You can go to a Wal-Mart (or other store) and get a starter package from almost any major wireless provider.

March 7, 2012
10:49 am
harvey
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I don't suppose there is any way to use a Rogers locked iPhone in the US?

March 7, 2012
12:57 pm
iamdrumming
Niagara Falls
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Depends if they have a roaming agreement with a provider in the USA.

March 7, 2012
3:56 pm
harvey
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Of course I have a Speakout sim card in Canada. I don't think there is an agreement for roaming with any carrier in the US. If I had an unlocked phone, I could pick up an American sim card from their Speakout or Virgin, etc. that way I could carry on using my iPhone in any country without worrying about high roaming fees.

Any way to do that with a Rogers locked phone?

March 7, 2012
4:11 pm
altadude
SW Ontario
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If your phone is "Locked" to a carrier (Rogers) there is nothing you can do except unlock your phone or settle for the high data roaming fees. Another option is to pick up a cheap phone in the US and us your iPhone on WiFi (where available) for data.

March 7, 2012
4:14 pm
altadude
SW Ontario
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Also, if you go the unlocked iPhone rout, you can't get data from AT&T through a pre-paid plan. They won't allow pre-paid data on iPhone, you will need a month to month plan. Alternatively, you can use T-Mobile but will only get 2G speed and MMS doesn't work.

March 7, 2012
6:21 pm
harvey
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Thought so. How unfortunate that most iPhones are crippled by being locked.
I had a forcibly unlocked iPhone but it's gps was non-functional as a result.

Thanks for the ideas. Speakout would be perfect for visitors to Canada with unlocked phones.

March 8, 2012
4:37 am
altadude
SW Ontario
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If your phone is locked to Rogers and it's out of contract, you can pay Rogers $50 and they will unlock it. That goes for any phone locked to Rogers.

April 19, 2012
7:50 am
ajg777
Vancouver
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I have an unlocked Android phone and want pay-per-use data in the US on 3G. Can anyone comment on what network provider offers the best value and where to buy the SIM card? Also is there any issue in paying with a Canadian credit card?
Thank you!

April 19, 2012
10:40 am
pathfinder35
Regina
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April 20, 2012
4:29 am
ajg777
Vancouver
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Both links are great resources - thank you!

August 18, 2012
9:32 am
rainforest
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I would also like to know if there are any 7-eleven stores and their chains in the US so that i could purchase a cheap sim card and be able to use my unlocked phone to txt home

Is this possible or there are better ways.

August 18, 2012
9:48 am
iamdrumming
Niagara Falls
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rainforest said:

I would also like to know if there are any 7-eleven stores and their chains in the US so that i could purchase a cheap sim card and be able to use my unlocked phone to txt home

Is this possible or there are better ways.


I know that there isn't SpeakOut in the US anymore. As far as buying a sim card, I don't think the stores like 7-Eleven in the US sell sim cards, they just sell top-up cards for the various providers. Your best bet would be to go to a mass retailer and get a prepaid phone/sim card combo. They usually are reasonably priced.

August 18, 2012
10:04 am
chimpanzee
vancouver
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http://www.prepaidphonenews.co.....-data.html

if you do it frequently, T-mobile seems to be cheaper in terms of 'carrying cost'(their gold status 100 initially then 10/year). but att gives you better coverage, especially data.

August 18, 2012
10:33 am
rainforest
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Thank you very much iamdrumming and chimpanzee

somehow i have seen so many of the 7-eleven stores all over asia and ofcourse am not sure about the US.

Just want a sim may be in the US for 2 months on and off

My phone is unlocked so i dont want a phone.

September 9, 2014
10:10 pm
ddalley
Toronto
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Any Canadian travelling to the US can make very use of Roam Mobility's great plan. I have used it once, so far, plus they just upgraded to LTE since then, so overall, the service is top-notch. It will use it again, in November.

I can't say it is the cheapest, but the package is very good. I used it to call back into Canada more than in the US, plus they have a Snowbird package for longer stays.

http://www.roammobility.com/

September 11, 2014
1:26 am
dennismiller
BC
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If you look on Ebay there are T-Mobile sims available prepaid with 90ish balances available for $29 + 6 shipping to Canada. I picked up 2. They have gold status.legacy prepaid(which tm is eliminating but grandfathering) so you can have text ot voice at about 35% of the normal charge. No scam, these are good sims. The 2 I picked up will require $10 to renew in April 2015. The account was not set up online so with the info provided I was able to set up my online account with these sims and phone numbers. I understand the area code and phone number could be changed if you wish and some people have just transferred the balance to an account they already had. Micro and normal have been available.
$35 US and I have a sim with 840 minutes.

September 11, 2014
8:51 am
rainforest
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Thank you very much for all your help - appreciate it