Calling all Canadians......cell phone use??

[Eddygirl]

Help!!! We have 2 iphones both with Telus.

We want to use them in DL to check wait times (I have touring plans and the other wait app that escapes me right now...duh) and to text as we are planning on splitting up with the kids as they sometimes have different things they want to do....ie no super scary stuff for DS. I was also hoping to take some pics to send to my folks with my phone so I don't have to wait till I get home to unload the memory cards.

We got an e-mail from Telus for some US roaming deal they have....$10 gets you 1MG of data, another $10 gets reduced calling for $0.50 a minute and yet another $10 get you reduced text rates of $0.30 per text. Yay...some deal!!! lol

We very most likely won't use the phones to call. Texting, yes but we will have to adjust and not send the one worders back and forth.....and have to drop the habit of sending "k" to sign off! That could get spendy!!

As for the data.....how much data will 1MG cover me? Will it be enough for the apps and perhaps e-mail? Could we get around the texting with instant e-mail? Is there wifi in DL?? I am lost!!!!

Anyone have any advice or experiences that could help me? I'd be forever grateful!

 

[rosie2283]

Well I am not a whole lot of help but we have cell plans with telus also and last fall when we went, we put the three $10 plans on each phone. I know our bills didn't change at the end if the month but we turned the data off and only actually turned them on and used them after we had left the park.

 

[lkperich]

k.....Canadian here.....also iphone on telus....I called them and got this plan added....not sure if it's good or not, but better than nothing at all....

$40.....50 min calling, after that 45 cents/min
.....50 texts included....after that 20 cents/message
.....25 MB included....after that $1/MB....have NO idea how much this is!

Roaming included?

on from Sept 8th - 20th

 

[KateDrake]

I'm not Canadian, but I have tried to use my smart phone overseas! So here are some ideas at least!

I went to Ukraine for a grad school fellowship last summer, and it is pretty much impossible to get a good rate there, so I feel your pain! The thing that actually worked out cheaper for us was to pre-purchase a package from our cell provider. It was like $30, but allowed me like 50 texts and some data. I was able to text my husband at least once a day to let him know that I was OK.

The other thing you can do is leave your phone on airplane mode most of the time. That will allow you to use a lot of your apps, as long as you can connect through wifi. If you need to make calls, you could use Skype, and that's free. I did that a ton while in Ukraine, so I could see my husband and DD3. If you are trying to connect with someone in the park, you might be able to use instant messaging instead of texts?

Anyway, I'm sure some super friendly Canadians will chime in soon, because Canadians are awesome! But I thought I'd throw that out there as some ideas that might be worth looking into! Hope you can work something out!

 

[jory29]

Personally, we take our Canadian SIM cards out of our phones the moment we are on the plane leaving Canada - you can't chance extra charges appearing on your bill if you have a data app running in the background. When we arrive at LAX we insert the USA Tmobile SIM card.

We have unlocked cellular phones - sometimes you can purchase an unlock code on ebay for your phone. We use T-mobile SIM cards purchased through ebay - then we add air time to the sim card as well as data. Guess what? Whatsapp works like a charm when you uninstall and reinstall it with your new number!! FREE texts to and from Canada, and picture texting, when you have that app. (Android or Iphone.) It is data or wifi, obviously 3G data when in the parks, that is used for this, and when you pay for the $2 or $3 per day plan, works great. We do have to enter data settings for T-mobile settings, but that's not too difficult. We also use mousewait, works great!

I have never found a less expensive, or better way to do this. Regular texts on the plans on T-mobile back to Canada are like 10 cents each, (free incoming on a plan) and not sure pic. texts work, so the whatsapp android or iphone app works great for that.

Let me know if you have questions, it sounds confusing, but is not too bad once you try it.

 

[TagsMissy]

we do the same with our androids,.. they are unlocked; just swap to our T-Mobile cards.


Posted from DISboards.com App for Android

 

[jory29]

we do the same with our androids,.. they are unlocked; just swap to our T-Mobile cards.


Posted from DISboards.com App for Android

 

[Eddygirl]

Well I am not a whole lot of help but we have cell plans with telus also and last fall when we went, we put the three $10 plans on each phone. I know our bills didn't change at the end if the month but we turned the data off and only actually turned them on and used them after we had left the park.

We were thinking we would use wifi at he hotel....but they want $10 per day PER DEVICE!!! hahaha!! I am thinking we may be stuck with the $10 "deal". I don't think we would put the calling plan on...just the data and texting.

k.....Canadian here.....also iphone on telus....I called them and got this plan added....not sure if it's good or not, but better than nothing at all....

$40.....50 min calling, after that 45 cents/min
.....50 texts included....after that 20 cents/message
.....25 MB included....after that $1/MB....have NO idea how much this is!

Roaming included?

on from Sept 8th - 20th

Is this for this year? I might have to pop in to the Telus store to check out all my options. My problem is I also have NO idea about the data usage and what I need. Sad....I know.

I'm not Canadian, but I have tried to use my smart phone overseas! So here are some ideas at least!

I went to Ukraine for a grad school fellowship last summer, and it is pretty much impossible to get a good rate there, so I feel your pain! The thing that actually worked out cheaper for us was to pre-purchase a package from our cell provider. It was like $30, but allowed me like 50 texts and some data. I was able to text my husband at least once a day to let him know that I was OK.

The other thing you can do is leave your phone on airplane mode most of the time. That will allow you to use a lot of your apps, as long as you can connect through wifi. If you need to make calls, you could use Skype, and that's free. I did that a ton while in Ukraine, so I could see my husband and DD3. If you are trying to connect with someone in the park, you might be able to use instant messaging instead of texts?

Anyway, I'm sure some super friendly Canadians will chime in soon, because Canadians are awesome! But I thought I'd throw that out there as some ideas that might be worth looking into! Hope you can work something out!

Thanks for the input!!! BTW I think Americans are pretty awesome too.......especially Americans that love DL!

Personally, we take our Canadian SIM cards out of our phones the moment we are on the plane leaving Canada - you can't chance extra charges appearing on your bill if you have a data app running in the background. When we arrive at LAX we insert the USA Tmobile SIM card.

We have unlocked cellular phones - sometimes you can purchase an unlock code on ebay for your phone. We use T-mobile SIM cards purchased through ebay - then we add air time to the sim card as well as data. Guess what? Whatsapp works like a charm when you uninstall and reinstall it with your new number!! FREE texts to and from Canada, and picture texting, when you have that app. (Android or Iphone.) It is data or wifi, obviously 3G data when in the parks, that is used for this, and when you pay for the $2 or $3 per day plan, works great. We do have to enter data settings for T-mobile settings, but that's not too difficult. We also use mousewait, works great!

I have never found a less expensive, or better way to do this. Regular texts on the plans on T-mobile back to Canada are like 10 cents each, (free incoming on a plan) and not sure pic. texts work, so the whatsapp android or iphone app works great for that.

Let me know if you have questions, it sounds confusing, but is not too bad once you try it.

Thanks for the advice.............now can you please translate that into english? I am so technically inept it is really embarrassing! And now lots of people know........ Where do you get the T-mobile SIM card? Ebay? If that is the case it is probably too late.....mail from the US takes FOREVER to get to me right now. There is a cell company here that will unlock the iphones.....for $50 a piece. So not sure it would be worth it in the end for the 2 phones?

 

[jory29]

k.....Canadian here.....also iphone on telus....I called them and got this plan added....not sure if it's good or not, but better than nothing at all....

$40.....50 min calling, after that 45 cents/min
.....50 texts included....after that 20 cents/message
.....25 MB included....after that $1/MB....have NO idea how much this is!

Roaming included?

on from Sept 8th - 20th

Your data plan is what scares me - it can quickly/easily reach that, and higher - make sure you know how to turn off your roaming data, etc. etc., and try to uninstall a lot of apps you aren't using, in case they connect automatically to the data services.

 

[Eddygirl]

K....seriously shows how challenged I am at this. The deal I was offered was $10 for the pleasure of paying $1 per MB of data. Sounds like the $40 for the limited calling, texting and data might be my best bet.

Can I set my phone to warn me when I am approaching my data limit?

 

[sweethannah]

k.....Canadian here.....also iphone on telus....I called them and got this plan added....not sure if it's good or not, but better than nothing at all....

$40.....50 min calling, after that 45 cents/min
.....50 texts included....after that 20 cents/message
.....25 MB included....after that $1/MB....have NO idea how much this is!

Roaming included?

on from Sept 8th - 20th

Hello! Another Canadian with Telus going down at the end of this month (omg!).

I just got the telus email today advertising the different $10.00 packages.

The deal you have quoted ( found here for bc subscribers ) seems pretty good. Gives a little of everything, enough to check some of the wait time apps at least! I'd probably get the $40 pkg for my phone but I'm not sure we'd even use DH blackberry.

Does anybody have any clue as to how much kb/mbs is used during the average use of a wait app? I know that visiting the fullsite can cost HUGE in kbs nowadays.

And Pinterest will definitely be out

eddygirl: On my Galaxy you can. I have it set to warn me when I get close to 1/2 my limit.

I need to figure out the best way to make sure I turn off all superfluous apps that might try to connect to the internet and then turn off the wifi and only connect when I want to check a wait time.

 

[Eddygirl]

Hello! Another Canadian with Telus going down at the end of this month (omg!).

I just got the telus email today advertising the different $10.00 packages.

The deal you have quoted ( found here for bc subscribers ) seems pretty good. Gives a little of everything, enough to check some of the wait time apps at least! I'd probably get the $40 pkg for my phone but I'm not sure we'd even use DH blackberry.

Does anybody have any clue as to how much kb/mbs is used during the average use of a wait app? I know that visiting the fullsite can cost HUGE in kbs nowadays.

And Pinterest will definitely be out

eddygirl: On my Galaxy you can. I have it set to warn me when I get close to 1/2 my limit.

I need to figure out the best way to make sure I turn off all superfluous apps that might try to connect to the internet and then turn off the wifi and only connect when I want to check a wait time.

Gah...such a total pain in the butt!!!!!! I don't want to have to connect everytime I want to check a wait time!!! **tantrum** Canadian cell plans suck rocks!!!! I think the $40 plan is better then paying 10 bucks x 3 for a reduced rate when the $40 plan includes some usage and has a better discounted rate if you go over. However for $40 each we can get unlimited texts....and $40 I can get 100 MB of data. We could shut off dh's data and just do wifi when we can. The hotel's club lounge and lobby has free I think. We really would not use our cells for phone calls. I too wish I knew how much data these apps use!!!! Would 100 MB be enough if I uninstalled most APPs and turned off my location services...like icloud? I asked Touring plans and no one had an answer for me.

 

[sweethannah]

I think on average it's about 300kbs. The sites with the fewer pictures the better so check out your favs and select the best but also the less flashy. Simple is probably best.

 

[StyledSugar]

We aren't with Telus but when we went to Vegas in June we did the $50 plan through Rogers and received 100MB of data (didn't do text or voice). We also didn't realize how much 100MB actually is so while we did take lots of Instagram pics and I checked Facebook, hubby checked email, etc., we did try to watch how often we were on it. Well, it wasn't until the day we were leaving......ON THE WAY TO THE AIRPORT we recieved an alert telling us we had used HALF of the plan. We were bummed! We didn't realize how long it would last and were upset we didn't take more pictures and such. Oh well, we'll know for next time. lol

Found this little chart regarding usage:

1 hour of instant messaging 0.25-1MB
1 hour of web browsing 1.5-25MB
Download 100 emails 1-10MB
100 minutes talk on Skype Around 50MB
Download 1 photo 0.05-2MB
Download 1 MP3 3-8MB
Download 1 film trailer 7-50MB
1 software download 70-800MB
Download 1 film 700-1500MB
Streaming 1 hour of video 250-500MB
Streaming 1 hour of audio 50-150MB



Hope that helps!

 

[Zebbie]

For me, the answer would come down to cost of unlocking the phones at around 25$ (through 3rd party) to $50 (directly via Telus) vs, cost of Telus $40 plan. You can get cells unlocked at most malls via kiosks, or flea markets much cheaper then directly from a cell company. A quick craigslist or google search will pull up many options and rates. Just to list one:
http://www.cellunlocker.net/

The Telus plan as mentioned, does offer a little of everything you are asking to do here, and its really only the data that would concern me. Touring plans, and Mouse Wait.. etc might not eat up 50 mb's that quickly, but its the other background process that could. If you plan to go the Telus route on things, I would suggest leaving data off... unless 100% needed and shutting off email accounts on the phone if able. If you go over, your bill will raise quickly. I have seen posted that there is free wifi in a few of the Disney hotels and you can sometimes find wifi when sitting near them and that's free data.
http://www.telusmobility.com/en/BC/us_travel/index.shtml

If you are going to the states for longer then 5 days over the life of your current cell phone! The price of a 25$ unlock, and the $3 a day tmobile ppd plan would start saving money. It would pay for it self in 4 days on a phone just using voice, text and limited data with the 2$ a day plan. The unlock further would take stress off of possible overages. As mentioned before... you can even use apps like whatsapp, for free sms with a data plan. BB's are a special case however, and you would not be able to use touring plans at all.
http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/pay-by-the-day-cell-phone-plans

As far as getting the sim cards... not sure where you are located or the time of your travel. But there is 4 ways to get a sim card 1) depending on your location, a quick trip over the border can usually find one. 2) have it sent to your home address 3) have it shipped to your hotels address 4) a Tmobile dealer is less then 3 miles from DL.

https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&i...A&ei=R5dJUMyyJuSsigLUjoAY&sqi=2&ved=0CIcBELYD

One more choice would be to buy a prepaid phone package at Walmart for $50 or less, this would include phone and pretty much unlimited sms and voice. It would not include your touring plans apps. But, it would offer safety of not loosing/damaging your cell or going over in roaming fees. Something like this phone listed below cost $35, and you would have this phone for future trips to the states.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/STRAIGHT-TALK-LG-220C-Phone-with-30-Card-Refurbished/17113675

Lastly, on a side note, I have read in the past that a lot of posters thought there phones with touring plans would be a huge part of their DL trip... only to find in hind site that it was not needed as much as they thought, if even at all. When going on rides you have to secure the device and pockets don't offer much protection. Water rides could be death of a pricey Iphone. Strollers offer no safe haven from thief's when it comes to smartphones. It can become almost more of a hassle then a helper. Only you could really judge this one.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=40505772

I hope this helps some.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

...As far as getting the sim cards... not sure where you are located or the time of your travel. But there is 4 ways to get a sim card 1) depending on your location, a quick trip over the border can usually find one. 2) have it sent to your home address 3) have it shipped to your hotels address 4) a Tmobile dealer is less then 3 miles from DL.

I read other posters say that they ordered from Amazon.com and had the SIM card mailed to their hotel, to be waiting for them upon check-in. If your trip is coming up very soon, this may be an option.

One more choice would be to buy a prepaid phone package at Walmart for $50 or less, this would include phone and pretty much unlimited sms and voice. It would not include your touring plans apps. But, it would offer safety of not loosing/damaging your cell or going over in roaming fees. Something like this phone listed below cost $35, and you would have this phone for future trips to the states.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/STRAIGHT-TALK-LG-220C-Phone-with-30-Card-Refurbished/17113675...

In case you cannot get to a Wal-Mart before your trip, the Best Buy vending machines in DtD (one by the AMC movie theater and one by WOD) sell cell phones with SIM cards and calling plan included. Last time we checked, the price was around $40.00 + the cost per minute. It's nice to know that this option exists in case you need it.

 

[KateDrake]

k.....Canadian here.....also iphone on telus....I called them and got this plan added....not sure if it's good or not, but better than nothing at all....

$40.....50 min calling, after that 45 cents/min
.....50 texts included....after that 20 cents/message
.....25 MB included....after that $1/MB....have NO idea how much this is!

Roaming included?

on from Sept 8th - 20th

This sounds a lot like the plan I used on my fellowship, though obviously it was with an American company (AT&T). It worked great! 50 minutes of calling should be enough just to check in with each other if you are split up, same with the texts...

That is a totally ridiculous price for wifi! Hopefully you'll stumble upon it for free somewhere!

Also, on wait times, at least you'll be there in the off season, so you probably won't check your apps as often as you think. I took a few on our October trip last year, and the lines were so short, I ended up not needing them! So hopefully that will be the case for you!

 

[kindakrazy2]

Another Canadian checking in - I'm with Telus too and no way do I turn my phone on down there. Even with their plans, its still stupid expensive for what they give you.

I go old school and take walk-talkies to use in the parks! lol! I'm really high tech that way!

 

[ShaunaM]

Personally, we take our Canadian SIM cards out of our phones the moment we are on the plane leaving Canada - you can't chance extra charges appearing on your bill if you have a data app running in the background. When we arrive at LAX we insert the USA Tmobile SIM card.

We have unlocked cellular phones - sometimes you can purchase an unlock code on ebay for your phone. We use T-mobile SIM cards purchased through ebay - then we add air time to the sim card as well as data. Guess what? Whatsapp works like a charm when you uninstall and reinstall it with your new number!! FREE texts to and from Canada, and picture texting, when you have that app. (Android or Iphone.) It is data or wifi, obviously 3G data when in the parks, that is used for this, and when you pay for the $2 or $3 per day plan, works great. We do have to enter data settings for T-mobile settings, but that's not too difficult. We also use mousewait, works

K , this is timely I was just trying to figure this out. Hope it is ok to jump in here. I just checked eBay and i can find an unlock code for my android. I get that part. I am not clear on the sim card though, I understand sims are attached to a carrier, mine is telus. But does a sim also give you a phone number? If I buy a new sim it will come with a new phone number? If I buy a t- mobile sim for example it will have a new number and then I can go online to t- mobile, punch in the sim card and my credit card activate it and add what I want for data?

K I think my head just exploded, some days a feel like a tech fossil

 

[Maddysdaddy]

Please check out the sticky on the Canadian board for more of my posts. 25cent version - Telus will now unlock iPhones - take your unlocked phone to anyT-Mobile store - purchase a sim card for $10 and sign up for their $2/day unlimited talk/text/data package - go online and sign up for Google Voice - voila, unlimited everything in the US plus free calling back to Canada.

Only downside is that iPhone data on T-Mobile is slow - they are in the process of rolling out 4G for the iPhone this fall.