Phones at Disney

[crossey]

What do people from Canada do that are traveling with other people to communicate while separated? Do you get a special plan on your phone for U.S. calls and texting?

 

[amie416]

I swap out the sim card in my phone as soon as I cross the border so I can have phone, text and data from Roam Mobility. I can buy as many or as few days of service as I need, and since I travel to the US a few times each year, it was worth buying a Roam sim card.

 

[xlxo]

Another vote for Roam Mobility...

• by Canadians (based in Yaletown, Vancouver), for Canadians, Love Canadians
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccTKzDWLTqo
• http://www.roammobility.com/
• http://www.roammobility.com/plans
• $10 for a sim card!
• love the heavy user 12gb for $72 option! My data consumption sky rockets when travelling as I'm constantly checking on news at home and researching my day's itinery.
• Roam Mobility allows you call Canadian numbers at home or fellow travel companions. US prepaid sims do NOT!
• Roam operates mainly off the TMobile network
• very flexible day, weekend, weekly, and monthly options
• not recommended for Alaska, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, or Jellystone. Look to an ATT sim. Roam extended $1 coverage is very limited (10mb a day).
• $35 for Telus to unlock your phone. Otherwise you can get yourself an unlocked phone
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RsoCK0YqIA
• available at the border, airports, and select electronic stores. You can activate it at home or where there is public wifi.
• yes they charge GST

If you are a Wind customer, they also have an attractive US plan on the TMobile network. If you have a Wind mobile hotspot.... be warned... I had to login into the hotspot to approve US coverage each time I turned the device on. Huge pain!

 

[dsneygirl]

We used to swap a SIM card but in California last month we just used our Rogers "Roam Like Home" $5 a day and easy as pie.

 

[Evelyne]

We are with Koodo we take the Us package and we have unlimmited text.It is 20$ for 30 days.

 

[crossey]

Wow! Thank you all for your help. It seems like I have some options. I'm with Bell Aliant and I might be okay with just texting so I'll check into that as well as your suggestions.

 

[disney is my life]

We are with Wind and on our past trips we have just paid the roaming charges for talk and text. However on our next trip we are going to add unlimited US talk text and data for the month for $10 per person on top of our regular plan. So for $30 we'll have unlimited everything for our 2 week trip.

 

[bdoyledimou]

We are with Wind and on our past trips we have just paid the roaming charges for talk and text. However on our next trip we are going to add unlimited US talk text and data for the month for $10 per person on top of our regular plan. So for $30 we'll have unlimited everything for our 2 week trip.

We did this with Wind as well , and it was awesome. keep in mind you need to cancel it before the next billing period or you will pay for it again the following month.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We also use Roam Mobility, and love it .

 

[ccudmore]

With Rogers new Roam Like Home package the cost of roaming has dropped enough that for me I don't bother with sim switching. I just turn on the data roaming and go. Roaming talk, text and data simply counts towards my regular caps, no special roaming rates (there is a daily fee for doing this but it's only a few dollars)

 

[ccudmore]

Also free WiFi has become so pervasive that a lot of times you won't need cellular coverage. If you have iPhones you can use FaceTime and iMessage to communicate using just wifi.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Please pardon my ignorance. I have an iPhone. Is it possible to switch out the SIM card on an iPhone? I'm with Telus and have purchased a US package in the past but for our upcoming cruise it will not be worth it. Trying to figure out the best options for the 3 days we're in the US. If I send a text to another iphone while using free wifi, will I be charged?

Wish I understood more about this!!

 

[xlxo]

Please pardon my ignorance. I have an iPhone. Is it possible to switch out the SIM card on an iPhone? I'm with Telus and have purchased a US package in the past but for our upcoming cruise it will not be worth it. Trying to figure out the best options for the 3 days we're in the US. If I send a text to another iphone while using free wifi, will I be charged? Wish I understood more about this!!

Yes, it's possible to switch out the SIM. Just call Telus to have the phone unlocked for $35. To clarify, which iPhone do you have. iPhone use different SIM sizes for different models.

SMS does NOT use wifi. Yes, you will be charged for long distance for both sending and receiving. Better to use a messaging service... I use BBM.

 

[canadiankim]

Please pardon my ignorance. I have an iPhone. Is it possible to switch out the SIM card on an iPhone? I'm with Telus and have purchased a US package in the past but for our upcoming cruise it will not be worth it. Trying to figure out the best options for the 3 days we're in the US. If I send a text to another iphone while using free wifi, will I be charged?

Wish I understood more about this!!

If you are messaging iPhone to iPhone and you are in a WIFI area you can use iMessage which is free of charge. You must be in the WIFI or it will be like sending any other type of text message and you will be charged roaming.

 

[mort1331]

We are with Koodo we take the Us package and we have unlimmited text.It is 20$ for 30 days.

I second Koodo, and I think for \$30 its unlimited talk and text for 30 days. We only do data where its free wifi, not even big data people at home, so talk and text is great.

 

[suziespice]

I have a stupid iphone question.. how do you force it to only use imessage, when we were down in the states last year, it seems like it would be hit or miss on if it would imessage or send it as a text, fortunately we had a plan, but if we didn't, it would have been 75 cents each time it sent a text. We're going again in 3 weeks, and I'm planning on adding a text message/talk bundle to our phone for $30 with Bell. Going to try it without a data plan this time...hoping the wifi is good enough!
If you are planning on going to the states and not buying a plan, make sure you turn your data roaming off!!

 

[CaperCris]

There is also a new app for Telus customers called Telus Extend and you can call or text anywhere in North America for free by going through the app. You just need wifi!

 

[Doylemom22]

I have a stupid iphone question.. how do you force it to only use imessage, when we were down in the states last year, it seems like it would be hit or miss on if it would imessage or send it as a text, fortunately we had a plan, but if we didn't, it would have been 75 cents each time it sent a text. We're going again in 3 weeks, and I'm planning on adding a text message/talk bundle to our phone for $30 with Bell. Going to try it without a data plan this time...hoping the wifi is good enough! If you are planning on going to the states and not buying a plan, make sure you turn your data roaming off!!

We put our iPhones on airplane mode and managed quite well using the wifi throughout the parks for 13 days.

Just be sure to check your phone when you change locations (resort to park etc.) to make sure you are connected to the network. A few times DH or DD didn't do this and then they were not receiving until they went to send and realized they were not connected. By going on airplane mode it also preserves your battery life. More than once we drained a battery on a park day (I think it was because I was using the MDE app so much)!

 

[shaynar]

oops

 

[hockeygirl14]

I used to have a US sim card that I would pop into my iphone but now since there is free wifi at all the parks + rogers decent roaming package I just buy that for $40 and use wifi whenever possible.