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Best option for emergency use only
June 18, 2013
11:02 pm
emergency
905
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June 18, 2013
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I need a cell phone for emergency use only, e.g., roadside service on highway. The speakout7eleven.ca website is still down, so what is my cheapest option?

1) Buy an Alcatel 356 for $50, then top up for the minimum $25 by the 30th day, then I have an emergency phone for a total cost of $75 for the first year, then add airtime every 365 days before the SIM card expires?

2) If I live in area code 905 (Oakville), will I have access to more "local" calls with Speakout compared to my Bell landline, i.e., ANY city in the 905 area code such as Oshawa, Vaughan, and Niagara Falls (all three are long distance from Oakville with Bell), plus the 416 code of Toronto (local with Bell)?

3) If a relative upgrades to the latest cell phone model, can I use their old GSM phone and just buy a $10 SIM card from Speakout?

June 19, 2013
4:19 am
bridonca
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April 22, 2009
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$10 for the SIM, $25 for the airtime, and $10 for a Rogers compatible phone, easily available on Kijiji. Heavily a buyers market! That should last you a year if you do not make too many calls.

I do not know the Toronto situation, and frankly it give me a headache trying to figure it out. But for the most part, the area code is a local calling area so all of 905/416 should be local. If anyone is better in the know, shout out!

As for hand me downs, as long as the phone is Rogers compatible, or is unlocked, it should work with a Speakout SIM. FIDO phones may or may not work, depending on the model.

June 19, 2013
6:28 am
czg416
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September 30, 2009
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Any Rogers phone or unlocked phone will work. Chatr and Fido phones may or may not.

The local calling area includes all of area codes 905/289/365, 416/647/437, and 519/226. You may have to dial 1 before some of these numbers, but SpeakOut still charges local airtime rates.

June 19, 2013
7:50 am
46jimbo
Toronto
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March 12, 2009
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The speakout7eleven.ca website is still down

Their website is not down. I was just on it.

You might consider their promo where you get $20 off the phone when you buy $50 credit. This brings the price of the phone down to $29. And as the phone comes with a sim card worth $10, the effective cost of the phone is $19.