If I bought a $50 card last week, do I have to activate today (July 31) to get the bonus credit?

I believe so. In the past (last October) it didn't matter when you bought the airtime voucher so long as you activated it during the month when the bonus was valid. So you have until midnight tonight to get your bonus.

In other words, if I wait till August to add the $50 airtime purchased in July, can I still expect to get the bonus?

Alph said:

I bought and applied $50 voucher yesterday (July 17) and got $62.5 in my phone account, exactly 25% more, though I don't know that for $25 voucher.

I've now added a note in that FAQ section about the July promo. Normally, $25 and $50 will add $25 and $50.

there is a mistake in the quotation:"Applying $25 or $50 vouchers will add $25 and $50, respectively."

I bought and applied $50 voucher yesterday (July 17) and got $62.5 in my phone account, exactly 25% more, though I don't know that for $25 voucher.

If you're just going to use your Motorola, why not get the Nokia 1208 from PetroCan for the same PetroPoints?

I hear the 2610s are hard to find since they have been discontinued by PetroCan and Speakout. Plus their screens have this mirrored finish which probably makes them hard to see, especially outside.

The 1208 is easier to find and is newer. The screen is a little smaller, but it's probably better overall.

I don't know if the 2610 is really such a great phone, but it seems comparable to the two 1600's that I got last December.
I kinda think PCM will raise the rate to 25cents @minute soon also?

Still, it's the best deal for me, I have enough points for a free phone (sim card ).

I use about 50 minutes a month.
I'm currently paying about $45 a month with the Rogers plan..(wheeewww ripoff).

Even if PCM raises the rate to .25 a minute that's gonna be a heck of a lot cheaper.

Also, thanks to Peter for this website!!

Anyone know if the Sim card will work in my Motorola phone that I got from Rogers?
I'm pretty sure it is unlocked.

Yes it will work. It also doesn't matter if the phone is unlocked or locked to Rogers since both SO and PCM use the Rogers network.

I was hoping to get a SO phone for myself, but have been locked into a contract with Rogers which expires this month.

With the 25 cent SO rate now, and no promo this month, I have been checking out PetroCan.

I find I can get a free Noika 2610 by redeeming 105,000 petropoints.
Sweet!

Anyone know if the Sim card will work in my Motorola phone that I got from Rogers?
I'm pretty sure it is unlocked.
Thanks!

850,900,1800,1900 😛

As for myself, I waited until July thinking I would switch from Fido to SO but wanting the 2760. Not only did the free phone with $100 air time purchase promo not happen as I had hoped it might but, instead, there was a rate hike!

Now, once I've done all the math, the PC 2760 is a better deal. So, I'm heading to PC this week to get my new cell. And really, in both cases, SO and PC, I will have been able to get the best deal in town thanks to the info provided on this website.

Thanks a lot!

Bylo said:

You'd think they could send everyone a short text message to inform them of the new rates and refer them to a 7-11 store or their website for more info. That way at least they could try to explain why they had to raise rates, how the new rates work for low and high dollar refills, etc.

Good point. At any rate, I've updated the FAQ

If I worked for 7-Eleven, which I don't, I'd implement some sort of opt-in e-mail list for service updates (hint hint).

You'd think they could send everyone a short text message to inform them of the new rates and refer them to a 7-11 store or their website for more info. That way at least they could try to explain why they had to raise rates, how the new rates work for low and high dollar refills, etc.

Instead they're going to get a lot of puzzled and then irate calls from customers who wonder why they're suddenly being charged 25¢ per minute.

I just checked my balance to confirm that they're charging me the new rate. They are. But again, they missed an opportunity to add a short message to the Balance Check script to tell people what is going on 🙁

In the meantime, I think we all agree that the July promotion doesn't really merit being called a promotion. Also, the rate hike is a bit baffling, considering the industry situation and the fact that no service improvements (new features, online account access, etc.) have been made since Speak Out Wireless started.

If I worked for 7-Eleven, which I don't, I'd implement some sort of opt-in e-mail list for service updates (hint hint).

Thanks a lot for your excellent service. We saved a bundle. Speakout wireless was an excellent plan for occasional users and it worked out well for us.

Key thing to note is we all have benefited thus far from speakout (thanks to you). 7-11 changing its pricing to render it not to be the best cannot undo the benefits we got so far because of you.

Regards,
Nirvana

In fact, the the word loyalty should not even be used.

When SpeakOut came out, it had plenty of advantages and thus created a (loyal??) fan base. By creating word of mouth (like this site) and informing the general public about smaller players that offer a better deal, it encourages people to search out the best deal for themselves (a cornerstone of capitalism) and hopefully encourage the industry to offer fair rates.

Creating the best product creates users and fans, which can be mistaken for loyalty. Sometimes companies offer the best product, and sometimes they take a step back.

In my line of work I offer similar products from a variety of companies, and I can pick and choose which one I recommend. A few years I loved a product from a specific company, I was very loyal to it and constantly recommended it to my clients. Then the company changed the product a little, and it was no longer the best product in its category, so I stopped recommending it.

Can you imagine if I said "Well Mr. Client, even though this product from company ABC is the best for you, I'm going to recommend this product from company XYZ just because I'm loyal to company XYZ and they USED TO have a good product years ago." How stupid would that be?!?

SpeakOut made a business decision in changing their rates. They don't owe anyone any loyalty. SpeakOut is still the best product for those who need 365 day expiration. But now the group of people for whom SpeakOut is the best product has gotten considerably smaller, and I'm sure SpeakOut will lose some clients.

Don't take it personally, and start recommending PetroCanada if you want.

Peter said:

I do feel that many people have come to trust me on this site and on my blog. And thus I feel a certain level of responsibility to provide my honest opinion on what I think is the best deal. If I continue to effectively "promote" 7-Eleven if it is no longer the best deal, then I've failed many people.

My comment was poorly worded. Your site and informative style encouraged me to jump from Rogers to Speakout, and I'm extremely happy I did. I did my homework before making the move, though, and took a careful look at PCW and the various other prepaid plans out there.

I think you've done a consistently great job of letting all of us know about competitive deals (especially PCW). 7-Eleven is still a fantastic deal, and I really appreciate your efforts to keep us up to date on the latest news.