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Van., BC
Canada
274 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2012 : 08:44 AM
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I don't have a cell phone and my wife is getting a little tired of worrying about me when I go on solo adventures for a week.
I realize cell coverage is not universal, but I'd like to get one anyway.
I don't own any other electronic gadgets, I just want a simple phone where I can buy some time on a card or however you do that and use it on an occasional basis to check in at least when I can get coverage.
Any hints?
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over the hills and far away
Canada
709 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2012 : 08:50 AM
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| I've looked into this recently myself. It seemed like everyone wants you to buy contracts. I'd be interested to know as well. I have an older Telus cell phone, but when I went to the Telus store-- no more pay as you go. |
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Abbotsford, BC
Canada
183 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2012 : 09:04 AM
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| I think Virgin Mobile still does Pay-As-You-Go. You can find super cheap super basic plans. We got one for my grandparents that was cheap. The problem with using a phone though is that there's a very high chance you won't get reception. There's not too many trails (especially ones where you'd be out for a week at time) that you would have reliable reception. If you had planned check in times and you couldn't get reception I could see your wife worrying even more. A better option is something like a SPOT device (http://www.findmespot.ca/en/). This works via satellite so it's more reliable. You can check in with it letting your wife know where you are and that you're OK. More importantly you can call for help if you do get in trouble. |
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Maple Ridge, BC
Canada
344 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2012 : 09:16 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by rustysheep
I think Virgin Mobile still does Pay-As-You-Go. You can find super cheap super basic plans. We got one for my grandparents that was cheap. The problem with using a phone though is that there's a very high chance you won't get reception. There's not too many trails (especially ones where you'd be out for a week at time) that you would have reliable reception. If you had planned check in times and you couldn't get reception I could see your wife worrying even more. A better option is something like a SPOT device (http://www.findmespot.ca/en/). This works via satellite so it's more reliable. You can check in with it letting your wife know where you are and that you're OK. More importantly you can call for help if you do get in trouble.
This.
Whether it's spot or a similar service, your money is better spent there. Pay as you go is like grocery shopping at a 7-11: it'll never be worth it. Also, if you live in BC, then basically every park is in a mountain valley and you'll only get reception on the peaks, if ever. If you already have a cell, I think it's reasonably wise to bring it with you as it gives you options. But to actually get a cell expressly for that purpose is a waste of money and time spent wandering the forest holding it up, hoping for a reception pocket. |
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Jasper, Alberta
Canada
11 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2012 : 09:46 AM
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| Candy Sack, Telus does offer "pay as you go" only they don't call it that - they call it a prepaid plan. At least they offer it in Alberta; I know this because it's what I use - $10 a month, automatically updated either every month or when the balance drops below $5, and I carry forward any unused time. I just signed up for this in May, and it still shows available on their Alberta website. I wanted to provide a link for the OP but I can't find the url for BC, since their site can tell from my IP address that I am in Alberta and it keeps defaulting to the Alberta page. |
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Calgary, AB
55 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2012 : 09:53 AM
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| I live in Alberta and Bell has a Pre-paid plan. There is no monthly charge and you buy credits.If you buy a $100 credit you have a 365 day expiry. I can get by for a year on this, costing me less then $10 a month. You have to buy $100 credit to get the 365 days as lesser values have lower expiry dates. I looked through most of the available plans in Alberta and this was the cheapest option for light use. |
Edited by - Ger on 06/29/2012 09:58 AM |
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Calgary, Alberta
Canada
68 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2012 : 09:56 AM
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It sounds like you would use a phone very rarely. I got my mom to switch over to the 7-11 Speak Out prepaid service.
You can can top of the phone with $25 and it doesn't expire for a year. |
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in the valley, BC
Canada
1459 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2012 : 12:30 PM
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If you are going to be going in areas where there is a possibility of not having cell coverage then I'd definitely recommend a SPOT device. We used it last year when we paddled the Nation Lakes and it worked like a charm to let our family know each day that all was well. We now take it with us where ever we go.
Your cost would be buying the SPOT and then the annual subscription fee. We have the SPOT Messenger which I think was around $130 and the subscription is currently $99.99 US per year. If you spend any amount of time in the back country out of cell range it is well worth it, especially to calm family members fears and worries.
Cheers! |
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32 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2012 : 5:06 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Chingyul
It sounds like you would use a phone very rarely. I got my mom to switch over to the 7-11 Speak Out prepaid service.
You can can top of the phone with $25 and it doesn't expire for a year.
I second the 7-11 Speakout. Cheapest pre-paid that I am aware of and they definitely have the longest expiry dates. Often they have promos that include a free phone when you buy $100 worth of airtime. |
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Vancouver
1820 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2012 : 5:09 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Chingyul
It sounds like you would use a phone very rarely. I got my mom to switch over to the 7-11 Speak Out prepaid service.
You can can top of the phone with $25 and it doesn't expire for a year.
Our family all use various phones with SpeakOut SIMs. PetroCanada also offers such phones. This is the best solution for those who don't use cellphones much, or want to get familiar with them.
If you're looking for something really cheap, I could sell you a Nokia 1616 from 7-11, for 5 bucks. It's surplus to us, and the clear screen over the lcd panel is cracked. The panel itself is not, and the phone works perfectly otherwise. A SIM from 7-11 will put it into service.
There have been a couple of discussion topics about using cellphones with gps systems, beyond cellular range. A nice setup for the use you mention is a phone with wifi and a gps receiver. They commonly come with mapping apps now, such as Maps on Nokia. Or you can add apps such as TrekBuddy, ViewRanger, or TopoSports (for Blackberry). With the wifi, you can browse over your planned route and the phone will store the maps internally without using costly amounts of data transfer time.
The Nokia I'm now using has three mapping apps on it, all with different maps for the same places. I can have all three active at the same time and switch between them depending on what sort of information I want.
If you are going bushwhacking/off-trail, some of these apps, such as Nokia Maps have a satellite mode, so the phone downloads and stores the satellite views as you scan the route. This takes surprisingly little memory capacity, and then you have a choice of topo or satellite views of the route. In areas with high resolution, this can be extremely handy. So far as I know, no "real" gps can do this. |
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Vancouver
1820 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2012 : 6:20 PM
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I should add that you can buy a SpeakOut SIM without buying one of the several phones 7-11 offers. You can use these SIMs with any cell phone that is "GSM" and "unlocked". Whether you buy a 7-11 phone with SIM, or a SIM by itself, you are required to buy some level of air time purchase to go with it.
Because of the rapidly changing technology, there are a TON of used cellphones that are going to waste, and can be used with these SIMs. The small size of these phones conceals the fact it takes a huge amount of energy and resources such as clean water to make them. We should be doing more to reuse them. Used phones are available on eBay and Craigslist, for instance. They typically cost 20% of the new price.
You can also get phones that are not "unlocked", and go through a process costing $8 to $100 to get them unlocked, but you risk running into a few that cannot be unlocked. |
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Hope, BC
Canada
7098 Posts |
Posted - 06/30/2012 : 07:27 AM
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| Telus pay as you go is the way to go. Good coverage, and you can top up the phone at most Petro Canadas or even online. |
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220 Posts |
Posted - 06/30/2012 : 10:21 AM
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hint .... the various bell brands share the TELUS network when they cant find bell towers in the west ... and vice versa back east
solo, virgin are owned by bell
koodo is owned by TELUS
id go with something on the TELUS (or thus bell) for the superior reception in rural areas
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63 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2012 : 10:09 AM
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If TracFone is available in Canada check 'em out.
I've been using thier simple (not smart-) phone for over a dozen years and it's a great service especially for just-in-case/emergency use. Here in Missoula, a phone can be had for $15, less if on sale, and it comes with a month or two or three of service and 60 minutes or so of service, maybe a little less, maybe a little more. Another 90 days of service with 60 more minutes costs another $20.
So for US$35 one has the summer covered...
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Pay as you go cell phone?
