Texting w/Bell Mobility while at Disney

[vacation_junkie]

For those of you with Bell Mobility.
I called to inquire about Text messaging while down at Disney. Last time we were down I ended up paying 60 cents a "sent" message. Incoming are included within my plan.

I was advised that I can add on a US Roaming Texting plan for the time I'm down there.
$5 for 50 sent messages
$10 for 100 sent messages
$20 for 1000 text messages

Seeing how my trip is on the 13th...They did recommend however to call right before my next billing period (1st of the month) to have it added for the full month. If its added part way through the billing cycle the text messages are pro rated and I won't get the full amount. If I add it on the 12th..I am only charged for half the month and only get half the texts...

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I always purchase their $20 for 1000 text messages and it was smart thing I did, because I always send a lot of texts while I am down there.

 

[minnie56]

What about receiving texts? Are they a different price? My DD is heading to WDW for a year in May and she reallllly wants to take her new Iphone.. She's a big texter..and will need to be able to text her friends there back and forth more than anything else...

Thanks!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

What about receiving texts? Are they a different price? My DD is heading to WDW for a year in May and she reallllly wants to take her new Iphone.. She's a big texter..and will need to be able to text her friends there back and forth more than anything else...

Thanks!

You would also be charged for getting a text message because any plans you have are not good in the United States. For example I have unlimited texting, however once I cross into the United States that is no longer valid.

 

[minnie56]

Hmmm..and the incoming wouldn't be under the plan?
Thought not..ugh...

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

What ever plan you have with Bell that covers in coming will cover you in the sates. However any outgoing texts is where you need a plan. At least that is what Bell told me when I added the Connect Florida plan for last august/ September.

 

[minnie56]

Okay, I guess I will have to call them and get the details. Might be better to beef up her plan rather than pay a hefty deposit to get her only a 1 yr plan in Florida.

Tks...

 

[vacation_junkie]

You would also be charged for getting a text message because any plans you have are not good in the United States. For example I have unlimited texting, however once I cross into the United States that is no longer valid.

IF you are on a text messege plan with Bell they are free to rcv' regardless if you're in Canada or the US.

Text messages
When you send a message from the U.S., you'll be charged $0.60 for each message sent*. Sent messages are pay-per-use and are not included in the Text Messaging bundles. Received text messages are charged the same way they are when you're within Canada.

 

[minnie56]

But then I could add the 1,000 texts for $20 for her outgoing though couldn't I? As above?

 

[amberg@eastlink.ca]

ya know i asked them a few months back after i got my new phone and the prices they quoted me were significantly higher than those above!!! i have i think 200+100 free minutes a month and unlimited texting(reason i got the phone).

 

[vacation_junkie]

But then I could add the 1,000 texts for $20 for her outgoing though couldn't I? As above?

yes..her incoming are free... and you can add that for the outgoing. The Bell rep said make sure to activitate right before your monthy billing date. my billing date is the first. She said if I do it after that before Ileave on holidays ie: the 15 of the month .....then they will charge me half a months $10 but that means for the remainder 15 days of the month i'm only entitled to 500 texts..not the full $1000.

 

[jory29]

We like to use an unlocked GSM phone so that we can just buy a prepaid T-mobile SIM card to use in the phone (on eBay, I can find one with air time for around 30-60 days and around $28 air time for around $20 or so including shipping.) To top up if I have to, I use pinzoo.com if I have to. With T-mobile you can check air time left from Canada, and can send texts, too to check it out. There are 2 plans you can go with with their prepaid. (The $1 a day on the days you make any phone call, or no plan but rates are higher.) My spouse and I will each have an Anaheim area code phone (we selected the area code we wanted) that we can talk for free to each other back and forth on their $1 a day prepaid plan because we are both Tmobile customers. (Sometimes we split up to go on certain rides with each child, etc. so it will be nice to keep in better touch.) Once we are done our trip, we will let our air time lapse, but for those traveling a lot to the USA it would be worth it to pay the $100 for one year expiry I would think, plus you get better rates on the air time then. Long distance calls will cost us .60 a minute to call to Canada on the $1 a day plan (you are only charged that $1 each day ON the days that you make a phone call.) Local minutes are around 10 cents a minute on that plan, and free local calls during evening I believe. The texts are only 10 cents to send, 5 cents to receive (to and from Canada) and people can also send an email (short like a text) to your T-mobile phone using their own email if they don't normally text. I checked into some of the cheap phones being sold at Walmarts and Target in USA but I believe texting wasn't going to work.

If you have a GSM phone already, it's not expensive to unlock, you can do it yourself manually if you get an unlock code. I love to go with this company to unlock a GSM phone: http://www.mobileincanada.com/?l=en&u=all&coupon=school It's only $5 (for now, sale price I think) to unlock most phones, and sometimes they provide unlock instructions within a few minutes - several hours, but it is a really user friendly process, just be sure to read and follow the instructions carefully.

I will still take my Bell phone with me to use when still in Canada. I just hate any roaming rates and won't take any chances, so will have it off when we are in the USA... can you imagine if your phone was using data and you didn't know it? (When you travel to the USA?) Data charges when roaming are very very steep. Better to not use your contract phone I think, just in case!!

 

[minnie56]

I called Bell Mobility...It was 'do-able' and wouldn't hike the monthly cost significantly..but the bottom line is, it will work for her, but her friends at Disney will still have to call her Canadian number or text her internationally so THEY are up for the charges!! Soooo...we will just get her either an Iphone or Blackberry for the year and pay the deposit not to be locked in to a contract beyond that.

Great tips here!!!

 

[amberg@eastlink.ca]

We like to use an unlocked GSM phone so that we can just buy a prepaid T-mobile SIM card to use in the phone (on eBay, I can find one with air time for around 30-60 days and around $28 air time for around $20 or so including shipping.) To top up if I have to, I use pinzoo.com if I have to. With T-mobile you can check air time left from Canada, and can send texts, too to check it out. There are 2 plans you can go with with their prepaid. (The $1 a day on the days you make any phone call, or no plan but rates are higher.) My spouse and I will each have an Anaheim area code phone (we selected the area code we wanted) that we can talk for free to each other back and forth on their $1 a day prepaid plan because we are both Tmobile customers. (Sometimes we split up to go on certain rides with each child, etc. so it will be nice to keep in better touch.) Once we are done our trip, we will let our air time lapse, but for those traveling a lot to the USA it would be worth it to pay the $100 for one year expiry I would think, plus you get better rates on the air time then. Long distance calls will cost us .60 a minute to call to Canada on the $1 a day plan (you are only charged that $1 each day ON the days that you make a phone call.) Local minutes are around 10 cents a minute on that plan, and free local calls during evening I believe. The texts are only 10 cents to send, 5 cents to receive (to and from Canada) and people can also send an email (short like a text) to your T-mobile phone using their own email if they don't normally text. I checked into some of the cheap phones being sold at Walmarts and Target in USA but I believe texting wasn't going to work.

If you have a GSM phone already, it's not expensive to unlock, you can do it yourself manually if you get an unlock code. I love to go with this company to unlock a GSM phone: http://www.mobileincanada.com/?l=en&u=all&coupon=school It's only $5 (for now, sale price I think) to unlock most phones, and sometimes they provide unlock instructions within a few minutes - several hours, but it is a really user friendly process, just be sure to read and follow the instructions carefully.

I will still take my Bell phone with me to use when still in Canada. I just hate any roaming rates and won't take any chances, so will have it off when we are in the USA... can you imagine if your phone was using data and you didn't know it? (When you travel to the USA?) Data charges when roaming are very very steep. Better to not use your contract phone I think, just in case!!

yep! my friend took her bell phone down with last year....she thinks she was on the internet on her cell and fell asleep...the next months bill was over 1600$ she did get part of it fixed but was still on the hook for 300 of it. all i can say is ouch!


my mortgage broker suggested we just pick up phones at the airport down there since theyre so amazingly cheap. we didnt as we didnt have time/patience/whatever, 2 small kids, were at disney world...they werent waiting for momma and dad to get new cells! lol

 

[vacation_junkie]

yep! my friend took her bell phone down with last year....she thinks she was on the internet on her cell and fell asleep...the next months bill was over 1600$ she did get part of it fixed but was still on the hook for 300 of it. all i can say is ouch
my mortgage broker suggested we just pick up phones at the airport down there since theyre so amazingly cheap. we didnt as we didnt have time/patience/whatever, 2 small kids, were at disney world...they werent waiting for momma and dad to get new cells! lol

I have a net 10 phone that I use when down in Texas. Super cheap to buy and to refill with airtime. I am only going to be using it to Text back to Canada to check in and stuff or I'd use it for that. On the Net 10 you can't text to canada...but you can call for 10 cents a min.