Disposable phones?

[Freesia123]

Are they available? How much do they cost? Can i change the SIM card in my Canadian iPhone with a us carriers pay as you go? Anyone have any clue?

 

[nikkislaght]

I dont know about the SIM card.. transfer sorry , but the phones are available in Fred Meryer's , Walmart, and some grocery stores like Safeway and QFC.. well in WA they are...!!

My husband got one for $20. and I have seen them as cheap as $9.

 

[lana772]

It sounds like you just want a burner phone. They range from $10 to $50 and can be purchased at most drug stores. I don't think you can use your sim card. That would make it your old number and acct.

 

[bcla]

Are they available? How much do they cost? Can i change the SIM card in my Canadian iPhone with a us carriers pay as you go? Anyone have any clue?

Unless you have an unlocked or jailbroken iPhone, that's not likely to work.

Here's an article on some that you might try, but I still believe that getting one to work on your phone depends on whether or not your phone has been unlocked.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2414494,00.asp

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

One scenario where I see this working is you buy one of these burner, pay-as-you-go phones previously mentioned, add an appropriate amount of minutes to your new, activated number then forward your number from your old phone to your new one until you return home from the United States.

Two questions: Why does the Canadian phone not work in the US... is that standard procedure? And is call forwarding available from your existing provider to a US number?

 

[sweethannah]

Canadian phones will work but I think the roaming charges are ridiculous, especially for data.
http://www.tracfone-orders.com/bpdi...teType=TR&market=GSM4&gotoPhonelist=true&AID=

you can order online maybe and/or there is apparently a radioshack not far RADIOSHACK
120 S EUCLID ST
ANAHEIM, CA 92802
Phone : N/A

where you can pick one up or maybe even try the 7-11 on Katella


Also OP, are you posting french? just wondering!

 

[canadiandisneycruise]

Roaming charges are horrible! You have to get a plan ahead of time, & even then it's expensive! My cousin accidentally left her phone on while she had it in the safe for the week they were at Disney. Just the Facebook notifications she was getting cost her over $300 in roaming!

 

[bcla]

One scenario where I see this working is you buy one of these burner, pay-as-you-go phones previously mentioned, add an appropriate amount of minutes to your new, activated number then forward your number from your old phone to your new one until you return home from the United States.

Two questions: Why does the Canadian phone not work in the US... is that standard procedure? And is call forwarding available from your existing provider to a US number?

Oh - they work. Canadians have found out via experience that they work, with the roaming charges to show for it.

The issue is that pretty much all smart phone sales are tied to a contract. In exchange for subsidizing, they will lock a phone such that it will only work with that carrier's network and SIM cards. My wife and I are on different AT&T plans but have swapped our phones with no issue. They don't really care that a particular phone is registered for use with a particular SIM card but that the phone is only used with that carrier's network. I do understand that AT&T will unlock a phone once the contract period is over, but they don't publicize this.

One could purchase an unlocked phone. However, they can literally be discounted several hundred dollars with the contract subsidizing the phone's cost. Apple sells a 16 GB unlocked iPhone 5 for $649.

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

OK, I get it now. Roaming charges make this out of the question. I know something about pay-as-you-go plans, so my next questions to the op:

1) Who is your carrier?
2) Is your phone unlocked?
3) Do you need data or is this just to use for talk and text?

 

[Freesia123]

Canadian phones will work but I think the roaming charges are ridiculous, especially for data.
http://www.tracfone-orders.com/bpdirect/tracfone/Start.do?action=view&zip=92803&locale=en&siteType=TR&market=GSM4&gotoPhonelist=true&AID=

you can order online maybe and/or there is apparently a radioshack not far RADIOSHACK
120 S EUCLID ST
ANAHEIM, CA 92802
Phone : N/A

where you can pick one up or maybe even try the 7-11 on Katella

Also OP, are you posting french? just wondering!

Oh! A burner phone! I thought those only existed on tv shows definitely what we need. I want to be able coordinate with my mom without $3 a minute charges.

Eh oui, je viens de la belle province de Québec!

 

[bcla]

Oh! A burner phone! I thought those only existed on tv shows definitely what we need. I want to be able coordinate with my mom without $3 a minute charges.

Eh oui, je viens de la belle province de Québec!

I think TracFone might be the biggest player in the market. It doesn't sound like they have any phone for more than $90, but you'd also have to load prepaid minutes and/or data.

T-Mobile has better phones that work with their prepaid plans, but I think you might not want to get their high-end smartphones.

 

[aussie shaz]

We bought Tracfones from the 7/11 near Disneyland. Phones I think we're $10 each and we added $20 credit each. We used them to text or call each other if we got separated. We had heaps of credit left after 3 weeks holiday.

We go back in about a week and are taking them with us again. We will just re-activate them and add more credit.

They have been to the States about 3 times since we were there. We lend them to any friends who are going. They've been great.

 

[Freesia123]

$10 sounds perfect! Ill get my Mom and I one each and we'll be set to go. Thanks everybody!

 

[dansamy]

We bought Tracfones from the 7/11 near Disneyland. Phones I think we're $10 each and we added $20 credit each. We used them to text or call each other if we got separated. We had heaps of credit left after 3 weeks holiday.

We go back in about a week and are taking them with us again. We will just re-activate them and add more credit.

They have been to the States about 3 times since we were there. We lend them to any friends who are going. They've been great.

This is the best option for most folks traveling to the USA. Another choice, for people who know their phone is unlocked & uses frequencies used by the major USA carriers, is a Tmobile sim & $30 plan from Walmart. The walmart plan is 100 minutes, unlimited text & unlimited data. It's perfect if you KNOW your phone is compatible.

 

[mytymom79]

I was there in November and we are in Ontario . I have Telus and I just added a $40 USA data/talk plan for the month and then took it off. I used my cell constantly for facebook and texting. I even called home everynight and came nowhere near using all that was included in the plan. I never paid a single dime in roaming charges either.

 

[ronandannette]

Thanks so much OP, for asking this question and to everybody who answered it! Pretty sure this is the route we'll take and will likely make DS leave his iPhone at home. It wouldn't take too much "stealth use" even after we tell him not to, to result in massive roaming charges.

Does anyone have an idea of how many minutes/texts you can get for $20.00?

 

[mgrace79]

You might want to ck w/your carrier and chg plan to Internation plan during your travel dates then switch back once home. It may actually work out better for you or less expensive. My husband does this for work a lot of people don't know so I thought I'd throw it out there.

 

[CanadienneDisneyfan]

My carrier, Rogers, has an Intl. data pass for 31 days. 10MB costs $50.00, 25MB is $100.00 and 75MB is $225.00 (plus taxes). Is this expensive? I have no idea! I want to be able to use apps for freeways and traffic (directions), and apps for scheduling our fun at the parks, but I have no idea how many mb I will use. Any ideas?

 

[CanadienneDisneyfan]

Hold on, Rogers also has a talk and text plan. I am really confused. 40 min. and 100 texts is $35, 40 min. and unltd. Texts is $40, and 100 min. and unltd. Texts is $60.

Do I need a combination of a data plan and a talk and text plan? I don't travel often enough to know or even understand what to do. Please advise.

 

[dansamy]

Considering that most US carriers charge $30 for a data plan that includes 2gb of data, $225 for 75mb is insanely expensive.