Canadian Phone Carriers?

[Pharoh]

Hi all,

I'm wondering if someone can give me some insight on signing up with a carrier in Canada. My wife is already on Telus, and I plan to sign up with them, and do a family plan. I know there's differing opinions as to what network is best (e.g. Telus, Rogers, Bell, etc).

What I'm wondering, however, is your experiences signing up with a carrier. As someone waiting out for PR or someone who has recently landed, did you have to pay a security deposit, not having Canadian credit, or was that not an issue? Are you able to go in and sign a 3 year contract right away, or do they check to see if you have a SIN number?

In the States, when you sign up with a carrier, they ask for your Social Security Number to run a credit check, and if your score is below a certain amount, they can ask for a $250-$500 deposit or more.

I'm just wondering what to expect. I'm thinking about signing up with Telus the next time I'm up, though I won't be landing for a couple of months. I don't know if it will be possible or not. I can pay for a phone, and supply a Canadian address (of my sponsor), but obviously no SIN or anything like that.

 

[heatherusa]

We just did it today through Bell and my husband only had his PR card and I dont have any credit in Canada since I have been gone for so long. He didnt need a security deposit and neither did I but the Bell Rep wasnt sure if we would need a deposit or not. It turns out we didnt because it would let us have one phone without the security deposit. So maybe it wont be a problem for you.

 

[Love_Young]

First of all sorry for any typos I may have since I am on my phone. I just want to say that I am a visitor in Canada and here with my hubby. In April we decided to purchase cell phones. We investigated all the companies but liked the support we got from TELUS so we went with them. Not any problems so far. When we first got the phones my hubby had no credit but was able to get a family plan without a deposit. They added me to the plan with no problems. So maybe you should just have your wife talk to them about adding you to a family plan. Then if you are worried about cost then just pay her half the bill instead. A couple of days ago though I woman in The Source store and a misses there was wanting a phone. She had just came from Australia and she explained she had no credit but needed a phone. The guy just asked if she had any Canadian ID and she said she had a PR card to which he said that would work so I am guessing all they are concerned about is Canadian ID or at least from my understanding of it. Hope you find the answer you are looking for and good luck.

 

[TreeLover]

Pharoh,

Since you will be in Edmonton, check out this one too: mobilicity.ca

It's a little different, but they don't do a credit check and you don't need an SIN. I had telus for a few months and found them expensive (you pay a lot and don't get much) - I had a pre-paid phone. You can always do a month to month or pre-paid and have no contract, BUT you have to buy the phone. For mobilicity, you have to buy the phone and there is no contract, but they have some great deals and right now there is one that is $40 for unlimited local, long distance Canadian, AND long distance to the USA, plus roaming in the USA or outside your local area in Canada for 20 or 25 cents/min. Check out the website. The unlimited part of it is only available in these cites: Vancouver, Edmonton, Ottawa and Toronto. Otherwise you roam when you are elsewhere in Canada (or the USA).

The cell phone plans are different than in the states, they generally charge for long distance. Although my experience is only with telus and mobilicity and I didn't look at any others, so I am not sure what they might offer.

 

[Oil Sand Guy]

pharoh

I am afraid, Canada is backwards and behind Europe when it comes to contracts, call plans, cell phones..etc etc, though it is getting better and much better recently.
Do not rush and ask your wife to shop around and do little search. Shaw is offering good plans and package (cell + home landline +Cable + and more).
wait till Xmas is over

Season greetings and happy new year to you , your family and to every member of this forum

 

[heatherusa]

Pharoh,

Since you will be in Edmonton, check out this one too: mobilicity.ca

It's a little different, but they don't do a credit check and you don't need an SIN. I had telus for a few months and found them expensive (you pay a lot and don't get much) - I had a pre-paid phone. You can always do a month to month or pre-paid and have no contract, BUT you have to buy the phone. For mobilicity, you have to buy the phone and there is no contract, but they have some great deals and right now there is one that is $40 for unlimited local, long distance Canadian, AND long distance to the USA, plus roaming in the USA or outside your local area in Canada for 20 or 25 cents/min. Check out the website. The unlimited part of it is only available in these cites: Vancouver, Edmonton, Ottawa and Toronto. Otherwise you roam when you are elsewhere in Canada (or the USA).

The cell phone plans are different than in the states, they generally charge for long distance. Although my experience is only with telus and mobilicity and I didn't look at any others, so I am not sure what they might offer.

Mobilicity has a really great deal right now.... I went there before we went to Bell. Unfortunately, although we live in Edmonton we werent in their coverage area and basically any phone call we make from home would be roaming. Thats the thing to watch with the smaller cell phone companies...

 

[Jurjen]

At the moment I call so little that with my Dutch subscription I'm off cheaper then any Canadian option. If you don't expect to call a lot and you already have a cheap deal back where you came from, you could keep it up until you REALLY need it.

 

[Leon]

It all depends on your usage. So people talk about great deals calling long distance in Canada or to the US but if you don't know anybody long distance in Canada or in the US, then it's not a good deal for you. I found that the best deal for me was a landline with Telus and long distance with Telehop and a pre-paid phone from Telus with a $10 automatic top up every month. With Telus, as long as you always top up, your unused minutes roll over and you keep the lowest minute price.

All cell phone companies have their own deals and you will have to really look at your usage and read the small print on each of your options before you can decide which is the best for you.

 

[QCSunshine]

We originally used Telus on a family plan, and I had no trouble being added, even without PR and no SIN. However, we got tired of the expensive bills and switched to president's choice mobile this summer. We have found it to be MUCH cheaper (even with us both having internet on the phone with both plans) and you pay in advance. Very pleased these last 4 months with PC.

 

[itscoezy]

I work for Rogers, and Rogers you don't need a SIN #, your PR will work just fine. You need one piece of picture ID, and 1 other piece of info (ex: Credit Card, Bank Account #) You can walk in and walk out with a phone in hand..or do it over the phone and they will send it out to you. You don't necesarily need a deposit.. if your credit rating is bad then you will be asked for one, if it doesn't exist than you will probably just have spending limit that you can't have a balance of over X amount of dollars.
I switched to Rogers before i worked for them and absolutely love it. You get new phones every 2 yrs, I think Telus and bell are every 30-36 months now (dont quote me on this).. And the coverage is fabulous.. If you are out in the rural areas you may wanna check on their website first cuz it may not work. You get bundling discounts if you want cable/internet/rocket stick or rocket hub as well (depending on location) and the customer service is 100X better than Bell. I haven't been with Telus before so i can't really comment on them but I didnt have a good experience with Bell. Anyway, just go with the plan that suits you best!
Goodluck =D...P.S competition is getting way better in Canada so I would wait until you get here to get something as prices and plans im sure are only going to get better! WAHOO!

 

[Hycore]

Also, if you are out gathering information and shopping around, don't hesitate to try and negotiate a better deal with the sale's person. Although I am not a fan of any of the big three (Telus, Bell or Rogers) I was able to get a free cell phone; it was a basic one that allowed phone calls, texts and connect to the net, but it wasn't anything fancy. I also did not have to sign a binding three year contract, I only had to pay my monthly bill.

If I didn't try to "haggle' I would of had to buy the cell phone and sign the contract. It is definitely worth a try.

Best of Luck to you.