Anyone use Fido and have an Apple phone? Roam questions

[FigmentSpark]

I was told to turn off Roaming in my settings, then turn off the data. I did these before leaving home. I don't need $12 a day, since my DH will have it on his phone.

Well, we got to the border and Fido gave me my "welcome to the US" text to tell me that I could use Roam. Okay. That was a surprise, since I had turned it off, but maybe it was an offer.

But now, I called Fido, and the girl (who was perky but patronizing... really, yes, I do know how to google YouTube videos) told me that she couldn't help me and I should call back tomorrow. We're on the road tomorrow (again, as we are already in the US).

Anyway, My Roaming is off and my data is off, but the phone tells me it's on the Verizon network (whom Fido's Canadian rep had never heard of!) and that I've use 322mb of my Roaming data. Now, how is that possible with my Roaming off?

Am I in for a nice $600 Roaming bill when I get home (3 phones for 2 weeks!) We've tried to turn them off using Fido's own instructions. What else can I do (besides what the call rep said, which was call Apple, because maybe they can figure out what's going on)

 

[TammyLynn33]

I would call again. We are with Fido and when we were in Nfalls I got gr same text I got a decent service rep who **** it off on their end. Was super easy and I knew I wouldn’t have a billing issue.
I would call again. I had no issues and if they say they can’t ask to be transferred to someone who can.
have a great trip

 

[koncra]

Even if your roaming is on you should only get charged $10 per day to use your phone like normal in the USA as that is their "Roam like home" price. Although if your roaming is turned off and your "data assist" too then i'd think you should be fine

 

[FigmentSpark]

Even if your roaming is on you should only get charged $10 per day to use your phone like normal in the USA as that is their "Roam like home" price. Although if your roaming is turned off and your "data assist" too then i'd think you should be fine

Roam like home went up to $ 12 a day as of March 1st.

 

[koncra]

Roam like home went up to $ 12 a day as of March 1st.

Bummer! Not surprised though lol. Either way if your cellular data/roaming is turned off you should be fine.

 

[PalmettoPath]

We've had issues like this as well with our Rogers phones (parent co of Fido). Short of turning off the phones entirely unless you are in a WiFi connected area, we haven't found a way around it. It is confounding. They told us something like certain apps will still try to connect in the background for updates (even with everything off...? Supposedly yes). Anyway, you are not alone and now I just leave roaming on and pay the daily because I need my phone on vacation and there doesn't seem to be any way to stop things from sneaking through. This is for iPhones on the latest iOS always.

 

[MyPrince&Princess]

We ran into the same issue last fall. I turned my data and roaming off the minute we landed. I turned it on when needed to get a ROR boarding pass for the THREE days that we were going to HS. And kept it on for the rest of the day since I knew I was paying the 10$ anyway. Low and behold. One day I turned it off at 12:05 am and was charged for the next day as well, despite not using the phone and going straight to bed, I was charged for 5 mins of some activity that I wasn't even aware of. Other times that my data and roaming were off and I was charged:. I accidentally answered a call (GD duct cleaners), and I replied to a text without thinking. So even though data and roaming are off, if you do either of those, you'll get charged for the whole day. I combed through my receipts and so many days that they were charging me, I had ZERO activity. It took me a month of arguing with FIdo to get them reversed. But they wouldn't reverse the ones relating to the one text and the accidental receipt of a phone call. I'm done with FIdo. In Jan we were at Niagara falls CANADA and my phone apparently connected to a US provider and I was charged roaming.
Also, while at Disney, only ONCE did I get a welcome to roaming text and email. They were claiming that I got it each and every time I was charged. When I asked the rude rep from Montreal for proof, he put me on hold for 40 MINUTES and then hung up. So on top of it all, they lie. I had to keep calling back and finally one decent person reversed 10 days worth of fraudulent roaming charges.

Money grab for FIDO. Disgraceful. You're better off just getting a US SIM card.

 

[youngdeb12]

Sorry to hear you're having these issues! I have an Apple phone but on the Telus network. Anytime I turn off my cellular data and roaming, I'm good. No charges, no issues. Definitely sounds like a network issue, not a phone issue.

 

[Benchedguy]

Anyone here try a US sim card?
Leaving for Disney on Friday and I was looking at my options too as the Roam $12 price tag adds up in a hurry. Was hoping to get info and saw this thread (OP, not meaning to detour your thread)

 

[Sue M]

I have Fido. I just keep the phone on Airplane mode and use wifi. The only oops I had was when I had to use cellular like other poster to get Boarding Pass for ROR. Wifi was too slow. Then left it on for the day since I was already paying for a day then forgot to put it back in Airplane mode so had an extra day Charged. In my 2 week trip I had 4 roaming days because I use it on my travel days to get flight updates for gates and times. Etc.

 

[FigmentSpark]

We did the airplane mode and turned off roaming and turned off data. I can't do much more. I'll try wasting my night again tonight (at hotel) to see if I can get better answers.

I've never tried the SIM card switch thing, but I've heard others have done it. Do you get a different phone number when you do that?

 

[isabellea]

Reading all those stories, I think I will switch my daughter's plan with Fizz from QC only to Canada+USA for the month we travel to the USA since it's only 10$ extra and then put my phone on airplane mode (I'm with Telus). That way I can use her data when needed. DH has the dual SIM cards in his phone because of his work so I don't know what we will do for his phone (not even sure we can have one line on airplane mode and the other active).

I know Fizz is not available everywhere in Canada, but check it out if you live in QC or Ottawa. Their Canada+USA plan might be a good option (cheaper than all the other plans I've looked at). For us, it would be 32$ for unlimited texts and 1Gb of data Canada+USA (vs. 22$ for QC only).

https://fizz.ca/en/coverage

 

[Marc D]

Are you still expecting to use your phone line ? If so, as long as you are auto-selecting cellular networks, your phone will connect to US networks and Fido will charge you 12$ a day. That fee is not linked only to data roaming but to all types of roaming - voice, text and data. They will charge you if your phone uses any of the three services on a US network. I’m not certain what you are trying to achieve since everything you mentioned in your original post relates only to data roaming, not voice/text roaming.

If you want your phone only to use wifi networks when available, you need to turn off the antenna, or put the phone in airplane mode then turn on the wifi.

 

[migel]

We've had issues like this as well with our Rogers phones (parent co of Fido). Short of turning off the phones entirely unless you are in a WiFi connected area, we haven't found a way around it. It is confounding. They told us something like certain apps will still try to connect in the background for updates (even with everything off...? Supposedly yes). Anyway, you are not alone and now I just leave roaming on and pay the daily because I need my phone on vacation and there doesn't seem to be any way to stop things from sneaking through. This is for iPhones on the latest iOS always.

With the jump from $7 a day, to the $10 per day I paid in November, and now $12 (for Rogers), I'm done. And the kicker is; once subscribed, Roam like Home kicks in whether you've set 'roaming off' on your phone or not. And of course, there is no way to disable it without personally contacting Support. I just un-enrolled' via Roger's online chat. I know everyone doesn't have the option to cancel this add-on, but I can't justify dumping more money into Roger's pocket.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Are you still expecting to use your phone line ? If so, as long as you are auto-selecting cellular networks, your phone will connect to US networks and Fido will charge you 12$ a day. That fee is not linked only to data roaming but to all types of roaming - voice, text and data. They will charge you if your phone uses any of the three services on a US network. I’m not certain what you are trying to achieve since everything you mentioned in your original post relates only to data roaming, not voice/text roaming.

If you want your phone only to use wifi networks when available, you need to turn off the antenna, or put the phone in airplane mode then turn on the wifi.

I had no intention of using the calling feature either. I wanted to use the phone for one app which was on a wifi system only on the ship. So far, airplane mode has worked, I think. I guess we'll see when I get my bill.

My sister is with Telus and she just bought a special one month addon for about half the price I would pay. I may well look into Telus when I get home. Not happy with this turn of events. I thought Roam like home was a convenience, but at that price and without the choice to turn it off, it's a scam. Not convenient at all.

 

[Marc D]

I thought Roam like home was a convenience, but at that price and without the choice to turn it off, it's a scam. Not convenient at all.

I believe you are not setting your phone up properly. I’ve always been able to control which days I get charged for international roaming on Fido. But it involves turning off the antenna either directly or by using airplane mode. If you don’t, your phone will connect to an available cell network. There is no dedicated option on iPhone to turn off roaming entirely - meaning data, text and voice - only data roaming.

 

[FigmentSpark]

You're probably right, but I did exactly what two customer reps and their website said to do, so I assumed that was enough.

You think that just keeping Airplane mode on will help? That's my only recourse at this point.

 

[Marc D]

You're probably right, but I did exactly what two customer reps and their website said to do, so I assumed that was enough.

You think that just keeping Airplane mode on will help? That's my only recourse at this point.

Here’s what on the Fido FAQ :

To minimize roaming charges or avoid them altogether while travelling, you can control your data usage easily. Just follow these steps:

1. Turn your data roaming off;
2. Make sure the Airplane Mode setting on your phone is turned On; and
3. Turn your WiFi on. This will allow you to use the internet on your devices when Airplane mode is on and you are connected to a Wi-Fi Network.

Important: By completing the steps above, you will not be able to make/receive calls, send/receive text messages, or use data.

That info reflects what I mentioned in earlier posts : unless your cellular antenna is off (either by turning it off from the pull down menu or using airplane mode), you will be charged the daily roaming rate. I don’t think the Fido sight is misleading at all.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Thanks, Marc. I couldn't find that, so thanks for posting it.

 

[ElCray]

I found this 21-day tourist plan from Ultra Mobile for $30 USD. You can purchase it at T-Mobile stores. We're going to try it for the first time this trip! https://www.ultramobile.com/tourist/