Cell Phone for Canada from States?

January 4, 2008 11:20 AM

I'm looking to get a cell phone from some provider in the States that has good States and Canada coverage and decent long distance rates.

I presently have a phone plan with Bell that I use in both the States and in Canada costing $100/month for 200 minutes of anything calling (no evenings/weekend/local minutes free at all). I do use about 200 minutes but I could easily use a lot more if they were included.

There's gotta be a plan in the States that works well in Canada and has much better rates. I'm using the phone to call during the day and don't really care what my phone number becomes. I need good coverage in Montreal and Toronto especially but all of Canada would be a big benefit - any suggestions?!

posted by royalchinook to technology (6 comments total)

I moved to BC about two and a half years ago from the States and just before going, I looked at getting a plan from a US company that would offer good coverage. I didn't find anything I liked, but Verizon had something in the neighbourhood of 80 USD that worked on both sides of the border without any crazy fees, IIRC. Might be worth checking into.
posted by Nelsormensch at 11:49 AM on January 4, 2008

T-Mobile works great in Montreal. Anyone who travels outside the U.S. should avoid Verizon. It's useless anywhere outside the U.S.
posted by wfc123 at 12:21 PM on January 4, 2008

i dont know about canada but verizon worked great in Mexico and BVI and St maarten for me.
posted by beccaj at 12:26 PM on January 4, 2008

I didn't find anything I liked, but Verizon had something in the neighbourhood of 80 USD that worked on both sides of the border without any crazy fees, IIRC.

We have this. I was going to suggest it, but the plan's home page says that they're not offering it to new subscribers any more.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:53 PM on January 4, 2008

Anyone who travels outside the U.S. should avoid Verizon. It's useless anywhere outside the U.S.

Our Verizon phones work fine in Toronto and Ottawa, and on the road between Sarnia and Toronto.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:54 PM on January 4, 2008

You want to look for a plan called North America's Choice from Verizon Wireless. It's basically $20 more than their normal calling plans and works anywhere in the US and Canada. It also covers portions of Mexico. The international rates outside of North America can be pricy so I'd recommend a calling card or other setup if you are calling outside those areas. If you run into trouble finding it please Mefi mail me and I can get you some more info. It was discontinued for a period but I am fairly sure it was re-opened but not marketed which means it wouldn't show up in an easy to find area on verizonwireless.com.
posted by Octoparrot at 8:33 PM on January 4, 2008