The Unofficial 7-Eleven Speak Out Wireless Canada Consumer Page 
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2:18 am
Hey guyz
Thanks to all of you........especially to Peter for letting everyone know about this wonderful 7-11 option.
I have Questions...after reading through almost all of the threads here.
I plan to do this:
Wait till Feb 16......buy 7-11 phone (with $25 or $75 off).......buy another GSM phone and transfer the SIM to the new phone and start using it.
1, I am leaving for India in a few months time and plan to use the cell there as well (for local call there and India to Canada calls). So when I buy a phone from here, can I just buy ANY unlocked GSM quadband phone?? Does the brand matter (sony,motorola), does the model number matter?
2, I know there is no US roaming for 7-11 phones. But is it just for the 7-11 phones or for the whole 7-11 canadian service. That is, can I use say, an unlocked GSM phone (not 7-11) and roam in US with 7-11 service?
Thanks guyz 🙂
8:07 am
I am leaving for India in a few months time and plan to use the cell there as well (for local call there and India to Canada calls). So when I buy a phone from here, can I just buy ANY unlocked GSM quadband phone?? Does the brand matter (sony,motorola), does the model number matter?
Correct. Any unlocked GSM quadband phone should work as well as another for basic voice and SMS. Some phones may have better reception or audio quality, etc. so you might want to Google on the make/model to look for reviews.
I know there is no US roaming for 7-11 phones. But is it just for the 7-11 phones or for the whole 7-11 canadian service. That is, can I use say, an unlocked GSM phone (not 7-11) and roam in US with 7-11 service?
The roaming (or rather lack thereof) is a function of the SIM, not the phone. Look at the T-Mobile SIM and artime offerings. You may also be able to find a SO US SIM on eBay or even here.
11:33 am
So when I buy a phone from here, can I just buy ANY unlocked GSM quadband phone??
If you know somebody in India and can ask for their help, you may want to check the prices for a phone there first.
I found out when I went to Asia a month ago that the prices for an unlocked GSM quadband phone there is cheaper than it is here (generally about 40% cheaper). I got it from an authorized distributor and it is the same phone model except the manual was in the local language. Thanks to the internet I was able to research how much the phone was selling for in Canada when I was there. Note that you may have to send the phone back for service warranty if there is a problem with it though.
2:48 pm
I received the GSM unlocked 1600 phone free here last year from 7-11. A basic phone that has worked well for us. I bought off ebay a t-mobile sim with 150 minutes for less than $10 . All calls are the same rate within the usa. No long distance or roaming charges. This has worked well for us. When i return to canada i just pop in my 7-11 sim and i am back in business.
Friends travelling to Asia have found it better to purchase sims/phones there.
8:11 pm
Hey Thank you..........Guyz. VERY helpful indeed 🙂
I wanna add this. I am buying the phone not just for use in India. I need to use it here (for some months) before I leave, as well. So I'll buy the phone from Canada. But thanks for the tip, friends.
Other question is regarding the "rate" on using the 'sim switched' phone, from India. I mean....I will change the 7-11 sim with something else (like say, airtel) and use the same phone there. Online, I can see that the rates are about 17US cents/minute for outgoing and 4US cents/minute for incoming.
Why such huge rates (relatively)?
Howz me using a phone (with Indian sim) in India during my trip different than someone in India using his phone? Shouldn't I be charged only the same as him (local rate) when calling local areas in India !!?
(i could be totally missing some point here......but i really can't think of what)
9:48 pm
If you used the sim you got in India in the phone you bring in from Canada and call a local number in India, then you should be charged the same local rate.
If you call a Canadian number with the same sim from India, then you'll be charged long distance. Could it be that the 17 cents/minute is the long distance rate?
10:20 pm
Please scroll down to the section, "Airtime rates":
http://www.telestial.com/view_.....=LSIM-IN02
(hope links are okay to post in here)
You can see what I am talking about.
It says
" Incoming Outgoing
$0.09 USD $0.17 USD "
International rates are shown below the domestic ones.
From what you told me, I am glad that my thinking is right (that I should be charged ONLY the local rate, just like anyone else who uses a phone in India for local calls).
But how come such high charges? I also found something like this on another website.
Anyone knows about how I can call with local rates from India?
(FYI 1 US dollar = 40 Indian rupees;
so, 17 US cents = 7 Indian rupess.
7 rupee/minute is a huge rate for local calls there, i am sure).
10:30 pm
You are looking at the rates of a US vendor. They have to make a profit importing these SIM cards. (BTW, did you notice Speakout charges 20 cents Canadian in and out?)
I'm sure India's local vendors have better rates.
2:20 am
Thanks man.
I'll check out the Indian vendors.........will try to find online and also after reaching there.
Umm.....20 cents in and out??
You mean......using the phone (with 7-11 sim) from India to call Canada? I didn't know/get it.
7:46 am
I'll check out the Indian vendors.........will try to find online and also after reaching there.
See http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/india.html
Umm.....20 cents in and out??
You mean......using the phone (with 7-11 sim) from India to call Canada? I didn't know/get it.
No, he means within Canada to make local calls (and 30c/min for LD within Canada.) Your SO Canada SIM works only within Canada. You can't use it in India (or the US for that matter) regardless of what phone you put it in.
1:07 am
will come back with more feedback in 24 hours.....very hectic schedule in univ. (2 labs and a test tomorrow 🙁
Just wanna say
THANK YOU!
for now.
12:37 am
Thanks Bylo. That site has much better rates (about 1/3rd of that of the sites I mentioned).
But still.....I don't think people in India would be paying 2 rupees/min for their local calls. I gues its better to buy the card after reaching India. Anyways.......
This site has helped me not just to get info about 7-Eleven; but also about telephony in general (prepaid, postpaid etc etc).
I still have two questions.
1, Suppose I opt to go with a 7-Eleven phone, what are my options.......ofcourse as said before, I need an Unlocked, Gsm, Quadband phone. So does 7-Eleven offer any such phone/phones? Is there a link where I can see all the 7-Eleven phones?
If 7-Eleven does NOT have a Quadband phone, I would have to buy their phone and then buy another phone (quadband). Is that the case here?
2, What if after a while I just decide NOT to use my cell phone (7-11) for some months. Is it just a matter of NOT buying any more prepaid cards? Will everything be alright then...and can I just start buying cards again whenever I feel like it? (guess thats how all prepaid systems work....no?)
7:42 am
1
None of the phones 7-11 sells work outside NA (they are all 2-band.) You will have to buy a quadband and then sell the phone you got from 7-11 privately. Lots of people do that here.
2
The issue isn't the phone but rather the SIM. Airtime expires after some period (365 days for SO) and then, if you don't recharge the SIM, it and your phone number expire a few months later. After that the phone will continue to work but you'll need to buy a new SIM and more airtime.
11:50 am
Excellent bud.
Bylo, I am going right ahead and will buy a 7-Eleven phone, Sim and Airtime from any store that offers the PROMOtion (since I don't wanna wait till mid year to see if they are bringing the $75 off, as said here)
My plan is to buy the CHEAPEST cellphone that 7-11 offers, since I would have to buy a Quadband one too.
And one silly question too.
Regardless of what phone I buy from 7-11, the SIM will be the same in all of them; right? And the prepaid card options that I can buy are the same regardless of the phone...no?
Thats all man.........thanks very much.
1:11 pm
My plan is to buy the CHEAPEST cellphone that 7-11 offers, since I would have to buy a Quadband one too.
That's a good plan. I would do the same if I am in the same situation.
Regardless of what phone I buy from 7-11, the SIM will be the same in all of them; right? And the prepaid card options that I can buy are the same regardless of the phone...no?
Only the phone numbers are different. The rest are the same.
6:26 pm
Thanks slomo.
One thing I couldn't find in the FAQ was about the rounding up of calls.
Do calls round up to one minute. Say, I speak and hang up after 20 seconds, it still counts as a minute?
6:36 pm
Based on what I've observed ( I check my airtime useage often ) that does NOT seem to be the case.
Just today, somebody called me long distance.
The call lasted 1 1/2 minutes and cost me 40 cents.
A ' rounded up " call would have been a full 2 mintes, i.e. 60 cents.
8:04 pm
somebody called me long distance. The call lasted 1 1/2 minutes and cost me 40 cents.
Sounds like the incoming call wasn't considered LD, you were charged 2 minutes at 20c per minutes and therefore they do round-up your minutes.
11:10 pm
bylo should be right; otherwise you should have been charged 45 cents, it looks like.
7:52 pm
Nokia 1600 and Nokia 2610 are the ONLY phones offered in the stores I checked (i phoned them). Heard of any other, guyz?
About the phone number...........
What difference does it make if you get a 416 number or a 647 number? I mean...i really cannot see any benefit. But I have seen posts here where people wanted to change from 416 to 647 or vice versa....but to what advantage?
Does it matter what AREA CODE or what PHONE NUMBER you get?
