Trip to US - Mobile phone use, roaming charges, etc... - Page 2 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Jimmy Stang · 05-23-2012, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

OK, let me see if I understand this... I am old so bear with me... I pay someone $8-10 for a BB "unlock code". I arrive in NY and get an AT&T sim card, which I replace my Rogers card with, and activate it using the "unlock" code. This will make it as though I have a local phone? Will my phone # remain the same? And this will prevent roaming charges?
Is it that simple or is there more to it?

I'll leave the technical BB stuff to someone who knows, but assuming an unlock is possible, you would buy a sim down there and you would be assigned a local number wherever you buy it. You would then be able to make and receive calls at that number for pretty cheap - just as a local person would.

Obviously, you'd have to either tell everyone your temporary US number, and/or leave it on the voice message of your Canadian number. You could even forward your calls from your Canadian number to your US number, but there would be some long distance charges involved. But still likely cheaper than long distance plus roaming.

There's no ideal solution, unfortunately.

Tron_fdc · 05-23-2012, 10:24 AM

I'm down in the states a lot for work. Roaming charges can EASILY add $500 to my bill if I'm there for a week and don't use a package.

I have an unlocked iphone, and an AT&T pay as you go sim card. As soon as I land in the US I plug in the AT&T sim. It's a different number, but $100 prepay lasts me about 5-7 days of heavy long distance, email, and web browsing. It's cheap as heck. Be prepared to get looked at like you're from another planet when you go into an AT&T store and explain to them that you live in Canada, and need a sim card. Their system can't figure out postal codes, so I had to use the zip from the hotel.

Canadian roaming charges can go eff themselves. It's obscene what we get charged abroad.

VladtheImpaler · 05-23-2012, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tron_fdc

I'm down in the states a lot for work. Roaming charges can EASILY add $500 to my bill if I'm there for a week and don't use a package.

I have an unlocked iphone, and an AT&T pay as you go sim card. As soon as I land in the US I plug in the AT&T sim. It's a different number, but $100 prepay lasts me about 5-7 days of heavy long distance, email, and web browsing. It's cheap as heck. Be prepared to get looked at like you're from another planet when you go into an AT&T store and explain to them that you live in Canada, and need a sim card. Their system can't figure out postal codes, so I had to use the zip from the hotel.

Canadian roaming charges can go eff themselves. It's obscene what we get charged abroad.

This is a solution for calling and email, but what about receiving calls?

Jimmy Stang · 05-23-2012, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tron_fdc

Canadian roaming charges can go eff themselves. It's obscene what we get charged abroad.

This is the larger problem. When you have to jump through hoops (unlocking, buying a foreign sim, having a different number, relying on wifi hotspots to use Skype, etc.) and it is still FAR more favourable than just using your phone, you know there's something wrong. Unfortunately, because of the regulatory bubble that our communications companies exist within, this won't change until proper competition is allowed. /rant

Street Pharmacist · 05-23-2012, 10:40 AM

I unlocked my BB when I went to Europe and it was simple. As you said, you just replace and enter in the unlock code. The difficult part would be the phone number as it would now be a local number. Could you get it forwarded? Maybe leave your voicemail message with the new number for people to call?

Nammer403 · 05-23-2012, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

OK, let me see if I understand this... I am old so bear with me... I pay someone $8-10 for a BB "unlock code". I arrive in NY and get an AT&T sim card, which I replace my Rogers card with, and activate it using the "unlock" code. This will make it as though I have a local phone? Will my phone # remain the same? And this will prevent roaming charges?
Is it that simple or is there more to it?

If you like Vlad I can get you an unlock code free of charge. Theres a few sites that dont charge for an unlock code and I've used them many times.
When you do get a sim card in NY you will have a different number but it will be local, your phone number will not remain the same unless your using ur Rogers sim card

I went to Cali last July for two weeks and I got a sim card from T-Mobile and for unlimited North America calling/data it was about 40 bucks.

Tron_fdc · 05-23-2012, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

This is a solution for calling and email, but what about receiving calls?

You're SOL. If you forward your CDN number to your US phone, you'll get charged roaming.

I leave a message on my local voicemail saying that I'm out of the country until Friday, will be checking voicemail throughout the day, and that I can be reached immediately at (insert US number).

Tron_fdc · 05-23-2012, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

This is the larger problem. When you have to jump through hoops (unlocking, buying a foreign sim, having a different number, relying on wifi hotspots to use Skype, etc.) and it is still FAR more favourable than just using your phone, you know there's something wrong. Unfortunately, because of the regulatory bubble that our communications companies exist within, this won't change until proper competition is allowed. /rant

It's soooooooo annoying.

When I go to china I buy a $100 card (that's the MOST you can even get at one time) and that lasts me 7 days of continual heavy email, phone calls home, heavy web browsing, and text messages overseas.

I didn't pick up a Chinese Sim one time I was there, and came home to a $1000 phone bill after 2 days of email, texts, and light web browsing. Thanks Rogers, but again GFY.

Because of my travel schedule, it's still cheaper for me to buy an unlocked iphone from apple every year, and buy prepaid cards wherever I go. I haven't had a phone contract in over 5 years.

VladtheImpaler · 05-23-2012, 11:49 AM

Thanks for all the info guys. I am just going to see if my sister (Rogers management) has access to some sort of secret Rogers "insiders" deal before deciding what to do. It sounds like Tron's suggestion is best... land in NY, get a card, change my voicemail... of course, then I am in Chicago the next week, so would I have to repeat?

GoFlamesGo89 · 05-23-2012, 01:58 PM

I do the same thing as Tron and have had the same ATT sim for the past couple years and my wife just picked up a plan from T-mobile from Walmart with a phone. Each provider has their own pay as you go plan, but within $50/month you can easily get a plan that covers unlimited phone/text/data within the US. They don't have national roaming (ie all US numbers are treated equally, unlike here in Canada), so your NY number will work just as well in Chicago. Outgoing calls to Canada cost 19 cents /min, which is ridiculously cheap compared to any roaming plans for a canadian carrier in the US (incoming from Canada are generally free). Hope that helps.

VladtheImpaler · 05-23-2012, 02:09 PM

Do you recommend unlocking my phone and picking up a SIM card or just buying a temporary US phone?

GoFlamesGo89 · 05-23-2012, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

Do you recommend unlocking my phone and picking up a SIM card or just buying a temporary US phone?

Personally I think it depends on how dependent you are on your phone-- if you can get your contacts off the phone pretty easily and don't need any specific apps, its easy to buy one in the US. You can get pretty reasonably priced smartphones for about $100 (we picked up an android device) and that serves well and is fully featured. Or if you don't need a smartphone you can pick up something even cheaper.

On the other hand, if you're not interested in learning a new OS and like the way things are set up now, the unlocking the BB / SIM combo is going to be cheaper and keeps the learning curve pretty shallow. When I travel like this I tend to swap the US / Canada SIM once in a while to make sure i'm not missing any important texts/VM. The other issue here is to make sure you're on a compatible network -- T-mobile uses SIM cards with GSM infrastructure, but on a different band from ATT / Rogers. So depending on how many bands your phone can access, you might be limited to specific carriers.

EDIT: I should mention that I don't have any experience with BBs, so I don't know how the data part works and if you need to set up anything special. I use an iphone and that requires a configuration change everytime I swap the sim to access data. Voice and text should be no problem at all.

VladtheImpaler · 05-23-2012, 02:46 PM

If I buy a SIM card, will I be able to use it in the future by paying to "reload" it? So, I'll basically have a US number I can always use in the future?
I apologize for the stupid questions, but if I just swap SIM cards my phone will be exactly the same in terms of set-up? Also, once it's "unlocked", it stays unlocked? Is there any downside to that?

Nammer403 · 05-23-2012, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

If I buy a SIM card, will I be able to use it in the future by paying to "reload" it? So, I'll basically have a US number I can always use in the future?
I apologize for the stupid questions, but if I just swap SIM cards my phone will be exactly the same in terms of set-up? Also, once it's "unlocked", it stays unlocked? Is there any downside to that?

Yep! Your phone will stay the same, bbm, contacts etc. The only thing different is your phone number, your phone number will be attached to your sim. and once its unlocked it stays unlocked.. I dont find any downside to being unlocked. Upside it puts more value into your phone

VladtheImpaler · 05-23-2012, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nammer403

Yep! Your phone will stay the same, bbm, contacts etc. The only thing different is your phone number, your phone number will be attached to your sim. and once its unlocked it stays unlocked.. I dont find any downside to being unlocked. Upside it puts more value into your phone

And I can keep this US phone # for future trips?

Jimmy Stang · 05-23-2012, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

And I can keep this US phone # for future trips?

I can't comment on the US numbers, but my UK number expires (and gets re-used apparently) after being inactive for 6 months. It would be handy if the US did it differently and let you keep that number.

GoFlamesGo89 · 05-23-2012, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

And I can keep this US phone # for future trips?

That depends on the amount you put on at the beginning and how long until you let it lapse. With my ATT phone, different refill amounts extend the SIM validity for different periods. For example $50 is good for 90 days, while $100 is good for 365 days. It doesn't matter how fast you burn through the credit-- I can use my $100 in two days, but the card and number will still be good for another 363 days. Since I know I will use the phone enough eventually, I always put the $100 on. As mentioned previously, this is still peanuts compared to any kind of roaming if you're using the phone in any meaningful way, and goes a long way. I've had the same NY number for almost 2.5 years based on the trips of various frequencies, and now that I'm in the US permanently I have an instantly useful number.

VladtheImpaler · 05-23-2012, 03:24 PM

I can set my primary business number to ring on any phone in NA, and for the people that actually know my cell #, I can leave a message. I think this will work well. $100 will be well worth it because I would probably run up a $1,000 tab easily in 2 weeks of roaming...

Hemi-Cuda · 05-23-2012, 03:54 PM

if you travel back and fourth frequently, you might want to get a dual-sim adapter

http://www.magic-sim.com/make.php?Make=5

VladtheImpaler · 05-23-2012, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

if you travel back and fourth frequently, you might want to get a dual-sim adapter

http://www.magic-sim.com/make.php?Make=5

Well, apparently, BB Bold is being tested with the adaptors, so not sure if it would work. Anyhow, I don't think I will be there that often, aside from occasional Vegas poker jaunts...