Cell phone...worth it?

I have a Walmart PAYG fone pretty good too.. I decorated mine with pink gems from MGM Studios!

Anyway the good thing about getting a phone down here is that they will give you a 407 number,... which means you can phone it for free from your apartment (because 407 is a local number and therefore no pennies needed! hence why all calls to disney are feeeerrrreeee)...so if all your friends have 407 numbers you don't have to pay to call them or indeed if you lose your phone in the mess of your apartment...well it's easy to find without having to pay!

 

Thanks Sara, I'm with telus as well and was wondering what I could do. Saves me the trouble of having to ask them! Telus isn't the most pleasant company to have to deal with...

 

Haha no kidding!
I am not the biggest fan of Telus, but I am at school in the martimes and at the time that I got my phone it was the only one I could find that would switch me between an Ontario number and a Nova Scotia number for free.

I have been shopping around and I think the best phones are on the cingular pay as you go option, they have the most choice and the phones are not too expensive. Thats what I am thinking Does anyone use cingular? My friend in Florida told me that everyone uses either Verizon or Cingular but the verizon phone are expensive :-\

I also want to let anyone thinking of keeping their cell know that I did that last summer when I was down there and it cost a ton of money and I wasnt able txt for some reason.

 

Has anyone gone with Virgin Mobile?! I was just looking at their website and looks like they have some great plans... like the minute-to-minute one... so many decisions haha You're right though Sara, cingular has the pay as you go option as well, and it seems to be a pretty good plan. How am I going to chose?!

Since i'm going for the year, I guess I wouldn't mind getting a 1-year contract? Has anyone done this?

ohhh the questions...

Thanks guys!

 

since we are in the same arrival group we can go cell phone hunting together. i want a one year contract as well. i was looking into t-mobile. and if they only have 2 year contracts it might be possible to put them on another name when we leave and give the plan to someone just arriving

 

haha sounds like a plan! Thanks Sabrina. I was looking at T-Mobile too... they have a few good plans as well... I'm lost. All I know is that I will absolutely need a cell phone.

 

me too i would feel bad if my friends and family get the time confused and call the appartment in the middel of the night and wake everyone in the appartment. then i rather have my phone next to me on vibrate.
with t-mobile i am sure that the sms to germany will get through. with sprint i never got one when someone was sending me one.

 

I should remind you all that in America you won't have any form of Credit Score. I asked a friend of mine who works for Verizon as to whether or not i'd be able to get a Contract phone in America, he said you could, but as someone with no Credit HIstory they would ask you to put down a deposit, probably about $200.

Hope that helps,

Colin

 

This cell phone thing is KILLING ME!! WHO DO YOU CHOOSE?? WHAT TO DO?? ???
I am getting flustered just looking around!!
So, can I bring my cell from CANADA with me??? Keep the unlimited TEXT messages for $10 a month???
WHAT company can I have UNLIMITED texts with???

I am SO very sorry but I have spent the entire night searching and searching!! I don't want to use it for LONG DISTANCE if I don't have to!! I just want to keep in contact with my parents back home in CANADA!!

If anyone...............ANYONE out there can help me.......I would GREATLY appreciate it!!

ONE CONFUSED GIRL HERE!! ;D

 

Looks like both Cingular and Virgin Wireless have phones for $30 that are 10 cents a minute - only thing is you have to pay 35 cents a day on Virgin to get that rate, and $1 a day on Cingular as an "access fee" to get the rate.

Virgin looks like the best phone by far for pay as you go...

Does anyone down there have a Virgin Wireless phone?

 

I think I am going to go with T-Mobile http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/default.aspx?plancategory=4

Buying a Sim Card Only through http://www.fonepool.com/ussimpack.htm

Only issue with this is you have to have a tri-band phone (Canadians are OK, I think they use same technology as USA) that is SIM Unlocked so you can put any networks SIM Card in. Mines unlocked so its not an issue

Colin

 

Thanks for the info Colin! I think i'm more confused than I was before haha When are you leaving?

 

Sorry wasn't my intention to confuse you

I'm a September 12th Departure But going to California next month so i'm gonna buy the SIM in time for that so I don't pay roaming rates

If you've got a specific question abotu what I said in my post I can try and explain hehe!

Colin

 

haha it wasn't you, i'm confused in general

My friend Jenn is going on Sept. 12 too... Canadian merch. I wish I was going to California!

So why are you chosing T-Mobie over all the others?

Steph

 

Cos I can sort it out before I go, and use my existing cell phone which I like

One less thing to buy once over there, right?

Plus the plan looks quite cheap, if you put $100 at once on, the credit stays for 1 year (ie doesnt expire after 30 days), you also get more minutes for any credit you add on during that year, texts are only 10c each... that sort of thing... Just seems like a reasonable deal

Colin

 

hmm sounds like a good plan! I would like to find a company where I can use my existing cell... and the rates do look good... but so do all the others!

Thanks Colin

 

Colin, that sounds like the same thing I'm doing. I went to the US to Super Walmart on the weekend and scoped out the phones and the T-mobile looks like the best plan. VERY ugly phone but I'm going to get mine unlocked and use it because I need the bluetooth.

 

I am SOOOOOOOOO confused!! NOT HELPING!!!

So, I cancel out my plan here in Canada and bring the phone with me?? NOT so much!! I want a phone that has UNLIMITED TEXT MESSAGES........or INSTANT messages whatever they call it down there!! However, it has to be able to text back home. As far as anything else goes, NOT going to calling long distance.....they can ALL call me!! AHAH I shall just text em when I am ready to talk!!

So, any ideas for me?? ANYONE???? ???

 

Okay, Im not entirely sure SLG but I'm not picky about texts so this might not work for you.

I found a T-mobile Pay-as-you-Go phone in the US for $40. Cancel your phone here and get it unlocked if you want to keep the same cellphone, if not just use the one in the pay-as-you-go package. You can buy phonecards and with the T-Mobile deal, if you put $100 on it you minutes dont expire for a year, which is a really good thing. I do believe it has text messaging on it but I honestly don't know if you have to pay more for it. Sorry I cant be more helpful :-\ My brother and mom and cellphone whizes and they're the one's helping me with this.
I do believe, however, this could be the same phone Tessa got and she's been able to text me no problem. So *shrugs*..this doesn't help at all eh?

 

the deposit thing wouldnt go out of my head and i couldnt find any infos online so i just called a t-mobile shop in orland ( i know i have way to much time of right now to wonder about stuff like that)
the guy on the phone told me that most likely there will be a deposit but it wont be that high and since the system changes all the time there might be none. he said if you get a fresh ssn your credit score is not as bad as many americans got it. well we will see
the map says there is a t-mobile store next to wal mart in kissimi is that the wal-mart the busses stop at?