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Old 03-04-2017, 12:11 PM   #1
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2017 30' International
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phone and internet going from USA to Canada

Went to London Ontario recently and had no phone coverage at all.
Was wondering what everyone does for phone and internet when traveling to Canada ?
I have sprint. All help gladly accepted.
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Old 03-04-2017, 03:24 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Milo1952 View Post
Went to London Ontario recently and had no phone coverage at all.
Was wondering what everyone does for phone and internet when traveling to Canada ?
I have sprint. All help gladly accepted.

Call your carrier and they can tell you what's best.

CDMA phones (Sprint and Verizon) tend to not work in other countries whereas GSM phones (ATT, T-Mobile) work fine.
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Old 03-04-2017, 05:27 PM   #3
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AT&T should work in Canada; though like everyplace else, there are dead zones.
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Old 03-05-2017, 08:28 AM   #4
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Be aware: out of country cellular costs can be huge!! Here in the Pacific NW there is no problem with our AT&T (iPhone) in British Columbia other than the "normal" - cellular coverage in the mountains and backcountry. That said most phone companies have a decent special package for out of the USA usage but sign up or check on it before crossing the border..
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Old 03-05-2017, 08:31 AM   #5
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When we were in Canada, I bought a cheap throwaway and a one month package at one of their big grocery stores. My USA provider had nothing for Canada, which I did not find out until I was up there and tried it. Oh, internet was a non-event. WiFi connected me as in the USA.
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Old 03-05-2017, 10:47 AM   #6
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You are always best to get a Sim card or phone from the country you are in. Canadian cell phone companies have options just like US cell phone companies do. When I worked in Ireland, Scotland, Germany or any other place I've worked for longer periods I always just find the local cell phone company and see what they have. In the past, before universal phones I usually got a throw away, but now with Sims I get one of those. Although with European phones most of the frequencies are slightly different, but in relation to US and Canadian phones they are similar if not the same. Always check with the new carrier if they are compatible however. Sometimes the hoops you have to jump through to get them switched over isn't worth it, but with modern phones this is less likely.
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Old 03-05-2017, 11:49 AM   #7
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We have just been told by a Verizon Rep that the regular verizon plan covers Canada and Mexico. We are heading to Canada so I'll check again. Phone reps have sometimes been known to err.
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Old 03-05-2017, 11:58 AM   #8
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We have had great coverage with T-Mobile in our travels in Canada and Europe. If I recall properly the are no additional charges in Canada. Call T-Mobile to confirm.
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Old 03-05-2017, 12:32 PM   #9
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No different from we Canucks going to the US. We have to arrange for roaming coverage with our provider. Otherwise you get a message requiring your Credit Card. Roaming without an arrangement with your provider gets really expensive...both ways! Never had a compatibility issue with either of our phones over 14 years One a dinosaur flip phone the other an i-Phone
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Old 03-05-2017, 03:03 PM   #10
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Going from Canada to the US, we've typically purchased a travel pac on just one of our phones using our own service provider, on the grounds that we can do most of our calls and texts on the one phone; and with limited data roaming. It generally costs around $40-50 per month in addition to our usual bill. Then we wait for Wi-Fi coverage for the Internet, unless it's something fairly important like checking on severe storm warnings on the road ahead.
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Old 03-05-2017, 06:27 PM   #11
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We have Sprint and have traveled in Europe with no problems.
They now have no roaming charge difference as you change countries and I do not recall the actual cents per minute for cell service. It was not bad at all.
Just call customer service and they will explain the plan and set you up. They will also provide the info to make changes in your phone setup so it will work.
Our Iphone and Android both worked great.


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Old 03-05-2017, 06:42 PM   #12
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I purposely bought as my current phone an "unlocked" phone that uses sim cards. It came setup for ATT but will work on any network that uses sims. Phone has good enough frequency coverage that it will work in most countries. I buy a sim card in the destination country and plug it in. Generally a lot cheaper than home country roaming, but I do get a different phone number. Just remember, don't store your contacts on the sim card!!

FWIW, if you are out of your warranty period, most phones can be unlocked. Internet search will who how to do it.
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Old 03-05-2017, 06:54 PM   #13
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Our Verizon plan includes Canada for phone and data, but you have to tell them before you get there to start that coverage. It costs $2.00/day additional. If you don't notify them and add the coverage ahead of time, you'll pay int'l rates. Worked for us last year.
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Old 03-05-2017, 08:07 PM   #14
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Check out this article by Leo Laporte, "The Tech Guy":

http://techguylabs.com/episodes/1368...-phone-iceland

And this website: http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.c..._SIM_with_data

Leo usually has pretty good advice. You can view that episode of Leo's show in a day or two. I think they have to embargo it for a couple days because it's a radio program. Lots of great advice from him and his crew.

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Old 03-05-2017, 08:47 PM   #15
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with Rogers AT&T in Canada we get our full plan in the USA for an extra $5 per day... pay for a max of 10 days and the rest of the billing period is free .... so if your billing period is the first of the month and you enter say the 2nd you pay $50 until the 12th and the rest of the month is free. Its great as you have your existing number etc... Its not bad for a week or a month visit any more than that and I would buy a local Chip and us a local plan.
In Mexico I get a TelMex chip and I get 28 days unlimited calling/text in Mexico...Canada and the USA plus I think its 600mb of data for $150p = $7us ....cant beat that!!!
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Old 03-06-2017, 11:17 AM   #16
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Verizon is advertising their unlimited data plan with voice to also include Canada and Mexico. We no longer go to either country so not sure, but you might want to check it out.
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Old 03-06-2017, 11:55 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robert claus View Post
Our Verizon plan includes Canada for phone and data, but you have to tell them before you get there to start that coverage. It costs $2.00/day additional. If you don't notify them and add the coverage ahead of time, you'll pay int'l rates. Worked for us last year.
We did the same thing, made two trips to Canada in 2016, had a great time and spend about $20 extra for phone service.
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