Using cellphone in Orlando

[AprilFool]

My daughter will be doing the Cultural Exchange Program from May - Aug. Any recommendations for phone plans while she is down there? She will need to swap the SIM card from her iPhone. Currently under contract with Rogers but Roam like Home would be so expensive to use. Sucks that she will still need to pay her monthly Rogers bill and not be able to use it.

 

[ottawamom]

Roam mobility. I would suggest a Snowbirds plan (for travellers staying a minimum of 3 months).

Roam - Snowbird plans

I've used Roam for travel to the US over the last few years. They piggy back on T-mobile.

 

[bankr63]

Since she is under contract, RLH may not end up looking like THAT bad of a deal. If she has a robust plan already then it is max C$120 extra/mo to use it down there. There are cheaper plans available in the US, but do they have all the data and other features she already has, and how difficult will it be for her to change her phone number with all her contacts? The C$120 equates to US$88/mo, so her plan down there would have to be less than that (not TOO hard to beat, but keep in mind levels of service too).

Roam Mobility is a good option too at only $65/mo if the data limits are sufficient. Also note that for my family data usage goes WAY up when travelling; lots of online time staying in touch, so be sure of a robust data plan. The down side of Roam Mobility is that it ONLY roams on T-Mobile and we have experienced service gaps in Orlando area. With Rogers RLH we find we surf across several networks based on availability; mostly ATT and T-Mobile, but have seen others come up on my display, so less service dropouts.

For comparison, T-Mobile plans are US$70/85 for 3/20GB of 4G data (single line plan). 3G data is unlimited after the 4G runs out, but it is sloooowwwww. That price does not include Long Distance (calls to home) which can be free on Rogers if you have the NA dial option.

 

[accio]

My daughter will be doing the Cultural Exchange Program from May - Aug. Any recommendations for phone plans while she is down there? She will need to swap the SIM card from her iPhone. Currently under contract with Rogers but Roam like Home would be so expensive to use. Sucks that she will still need to pay her monthly Rogers bill and not be able to use it.

Hey April,

Rogers can temporarily suspend your daughter's account for two to four months, check out this thread for more details (scroll to the very last response from Rogers). I would call Customer Care to verify information and up-to-date pricing.

I have used Roam Mobility before in the past, but have now switched to Roam Like Home. It worked out well on our land-based vacation in Paris and Mediterranean Disney cruise last year. However, for a longer stay in the US, a snowbird plan through Roam Mobility is probably your daughter's better option. The plan is available for three month increments, but you can add an additional month increment for a maximum of six months. You can purchase a US SIM either through the website or at a local store.

Good luck!

 

[daydreamer101]

I did the CEP in 2017, and honestly, I just switched my plan to the cheapest I could and kept my phone on airplane mode. I was really looking to save money, though, and didn't want to pay for two phone plans at the same time. (I was already paying rent twice--that was a killer.) I relied mostly on wifi in the apartment complexes, the parks, and the resort I worked at. I talked to ppl back home using iMessege and FB. Every now and again I would turn my phone off airplane mode and just use Bell's Roam Better program for the day. Wasn't ideal, but when you're broke you gotta do what you gotta do LOL