Calling home from WDW - Tracfones in Canada?

[kelsco99]

Do we have anything like the Tracfones here in Canada? If you purchase a phone Tracfone for Orlando area, can it be used to call Canada or will it only work for the United States.

I don't have a cell phone and the last time I went to WDW I was gouged with the cost of calling back home from payphones/collect.

Any Suggestions?

 

[Rubbertops]

I was thinking about getting a Tracfone (buy in Buffalo) to use while down at Disney.

I will get a $5 PC calling card to use to phone home (Canada).

 

[dizneygirl3]

Hi, we bought two Virgin phones at Target in Buffalo, they are the only phones we use down there, we use them to call home (Niagara)The 2 phones we bought were $19 each, well worth the money.

 

[kelsco99]

Hi, we bought two Virgin phones at Target in Buffalo, they are the only phones we use down there, we use them to call home (Niagara)The 2 phones we bought were $19 each, well worth the money.

Thanks - I have a couple questions if you can help.

Are the Virgin phones pay as you go? Do you have to pay to activate them? Do you have to reactivate for each trip?

 

[canron]

we got the trac ohone at walgreens for $19.00 it works great you can call from any park or get a call from home .you just use 14209z ip code thats buffalo area the only thing thats not good is you got to top it up state side it wonnt work in canada.we tried on line but they said you have to have the phone on and it wonnt pickup the card here so make sure you top it up there but they are handy we have ours going on 2 years now.and you got to make sure your going to be state side to get the card before it expires we go every month to shop so its ok for us.but if you never go there for the day to shop it may not be the best for you

 

[Rubbertops]

Might be okay for $20 to just use it for the week at Disney and then give it away? Can you transfer it to someone? (Sell it on EBay?)

Why do you use Buffalo zip code? Would you not use an orlando one?

 

[janjandis]

Hello
I bought the Virgin Mobile phone in the States too. I have it attached to my credit card and they automatically top it up every 3 mos with a 20.00 card(this is the minimum amount). I travel to US frequently so this way its always ready to go.

 

[ZipaDeeDooDah]

You can call Canada from the US on the Tracfones, but it costs 2 units instead of the usual 1 unit per minute. Ours worked great, I bought them off ebay already activated with preloaded minutes, and it was so worth it!

 

[kelsco99]

Thanks Zipa...that is good to know. I was worried I wouldn't be able to use it to call home at all. I love the idea of having it to call each other around Disney and also to call home because I will be going with friends and taking DD in January but DH and DS will be at home.

 

[canron]

we got to buffalo once a month so we just used their zip you caqn use 32808 orlando it donnt matter but we use it to keep in touch when we go shopping and the girls take it with them when they go away to so its a good litte thing to keep around.

 

[dizneygirl3]

Hi, the Virgin phones are pay as you go, you can get a Virgin $20 or more top-up card at any store, you have to put top-up with $20 every 90 days if you don't it,s no biggie you can just re-activate it when you decide to go back vacationing. Very easy to activate online. I lve across the border from Buffalo so i just use one of their zip codes (14213)

 

[drag n' fly]

I know this sounds like a dumb question but I am going to go ahead and ask. I have never heard of a tracphone but when we go to Disneyland we use those long distance walkie talkies and they have always worked. Some I see now work up to 27km. Why do you not use those? Is their too much interference?

 

[F4disneyfan]

We just use our regular cell phone if we really need to call home and in teh parks we have a set of the GMRS radios with 26 KM range they work just fine for commuinicating with your group.

 

[drag n' fly]

We just use our regular cell phone if we really need to call home and in teh parks we have a set of the GMRS radios with 26 KM range they work just fine for commuinicating with your group.

That is exactly what we were going to do. That was why I was asking I was wondering if their was a problem using them.

 

[F4disneyfan]

That is exactly what we were going to do. That was why I was asking I was wondering if their was a problem using them.

No problem with them at all and with the newer GMRS radios there are far more privacy codes available to you so much less cross talk from others using the same radios it just makes it easier to find your own channel to talk to your party on.

 

[kelsco99]

The radios won't work for me because I am going with a large group of people...about 8-10 families (DIS friends).
The reason I am looking into the tracphones is because I don't have a regular cell phone and I wanted to be able to call the others in my group plus use it to call home to my DH and DS.

 

[canron]

we use the trac phone to order food to pick up or to phone kitchener ont. its cheaper then useing rogers or bell from disney plus you can call anywhere we donnt travel in a group anymore the kids are gone!!!!!!yippppppeeeeeeeee