Best Canadian Cell Phone Plan to use at Disney?

[epcotfan]

Hi everyone!
I'm considering getting a cell phone for myself. (I used to have one a number of years ago but the plans have changed vastly since then) What I am wondering is have you used yours at WDW and what were your roaming costs incurred. I'm having a hard time deciding between providers at the moment. Any ideas?

 

[epcotfan]

Bumpity Bump Bump

 

[TimNDansMom]

Hi epcotfan, don't know if this helps you but I used my new Rogers cell phone to call my mother back here in Niagara Falls just after we arrived in Orlando back in March. Total charge on my Rogers bill for the call was $6.80.

The Long Distance Cost was $3.00, Airtime Cost was $3.80 for 4 minutes @ .95/min. My bill says they had used the exchange rate at the time of 1.00US = 1.5904 CDN.

Make sure that the company you choose has roaming available in Orlando.

The plan I have allows me 150 anytime minutes, long distance was @ .25/min but it came with a promotion that reduces long distance charges I make, to .15/min. The .95/min I paid above was because it was out of country.

 

[epcotfan]

Thanks Julie!
One more question: If you are dialing local Orlando numbers on your Canadian cell are you charged the roaming?
That's what I've been trying to find on the various websites. I emailed one company (Fido) and they told me only 30 cents a minute for US long distance when I was inquiring about roaming charges. UGH...Love those auto reply emails.

 

[TimNDansMom]

Yes, it has been our experience to pay a roaming charge when making local calls in the US. However, I suggest that you go into the various cell phone shops to see what the range of their cell phones is and what their roaming charges are. If I remember correctly, Fido's range is limited since it is digital only, whereas Rogers AT&T and Bell Mobility use both analogue and digital towers, so the range is wider. That is the way it was explained to me. Keep in mind that the Monthly Plan you purchase will reflect what you pay for long distance charges etc.

We have had both Rogers and Bell ~ you might try calling their Customer Service Dept for info, too:

Rogers ~ 1-877-764-3772
Bell ~ 1-800-667-0123

Hope this helps.

 

[taquiner]

Not sure of the others but I know Rogers:

Incoming calls from Canada are billed at $0.95/min. plus $0.25/min. long distance charges

Outgoing calls originating in the U.S. and terminating within Canada or the United States are billed at $0.95/min. plus $0.75/min. long distance if applicable.

Local calls (outgoing calls you place in Orlando to Orlando) will be .95/min.

I would also advise to call whichever company you decide to go with before you leave to check rates in case of any changes.

 

[DSNY FN]

If you are just looking at getting a phone to use there without much hassle and don't plan on calling home often then go to one of the shops in Orlando and buy one of their pay as you go phones then no long distance in Orlando for local calls and the long distance just gets deducted from the time alotment you pay for. Just a suggestion

 

[twinz]

I have a TELUS phone, and I LOVE it, I use it in the US all the time. I am not too sure of the roaming charges, as I don't have an old bill near by. I have never had a problem using it in the USA. Good luck!

 

[DSNY FN]

Wow we were only able to use ours in 99 at WDW itself we couldn't get coverage without using a calling card or credit card to chargte the calls to when we drove from London to WDW. We tried it in Ohio and nothing same with Tenn and Kentuky and Georgia I guess they upgraded the US coverage.

 

[Belle2002]

This is tricky. I have a plan with Telus it's called an anywhere north america plan. I don't know how long you will be in Florida for and how you plan to use your phone afterwards, but I got this plan because I was living in the U.S. for a while. This plan is $75 a month, it includes 250 minutes a month and I think it's .30/min over and above to call anywhere in north america.There is one for $100 too, it has more minutes. It also includes all long distance and roaming fees. When in the US, there is no flat rate for roaming fees, it all depends on which cell tower picks up your call and they can charge you anywhere from $2.50 to $5.00 per call. I did a ton of research before selecting my plan and Telus was by far the best (they are great to deal with!) Fido was the most expensive. Also, with telus, they are pretty flexable with changing your cell plan if you decide it's not the one you want or need.
Good luck!!

 

[marty3d]

I have Fido - while it's true that range is limited because it's digital only, it does work everywhere in Orlando (including everywhere at WDW) on VoiceStream's network. Fido's US rates are the best of all:

No "add-on" roaming charges - all calls are $0.20 US per minute + $0.10CDN per minute for long distance charges. I use my phone extensively in the US and that is the primary reason I use Fido.

 

[epcotfan]

marty3d thanks so much for the info! Do those Fido rates apply to incoming and outgoing Orlando area calls?

 

[marty3d]

They apply to outgoing local calls - however, Fido doesn't have local access numbers (that I know of - you might want to check) so even if you are in Orlando, you need to call your "home" number - which is long-distance.