topic Re: adding extra minutes to $10 50 minute plan in Get Support

adding extra minutes to $10 50 minute plan

Gremlins345 — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 10:28:30 GMT

Hi everyone,

i am looking to get a cell cell phone plan for my grandparents. If I sign up for the $10 50 minute/text plan and add the $15 400 minute add-on or the $8 200 minute add-on, can those minutes be used for local calls as well if they us up the initial 50 minutes? I want them to have an option for extra minutes just in case so they’re never stuck without the ability to call.

thanks in advance for the help!

Re: adding extra minutes to $10 50 minute plan

austinhuang — Thu, 23 Aug 2018 00:39:09 GMT

Yes.

In addition, these addons go over to the following months as well, so they don't have an expiry.

Re: adding extra minutes to $10 50 minute plan

srlawren — Wed, 22 Aug 2018 22:20:37 GMT

@Gremlins345 yes, this plan is an exception plan on Public Mobile--it is the only plan where the long distance add-on minutes can be used as a substitue for talk time for regular plan talk time.

On any other plan with Public Mobile, you either have unlimited minutes (either within your own province, or Canada-wide, or Canada-wide and to the USA (but only while you're physically in Canada), or you have no phone call ability at all. On any plan but the $10/50/50, the LD minutes add-ons are only good for long distance calls.

Re: adding extra minutes to $10 50 minute plan

krazykiwi — Wed, 22 Aug 2018 22:21:00 GMT

@Gremlins345 wrote:
Hi everyone,

i am looking to get a cell cell phone plan for my grandparents. If I sign up for the $10 50 minute/text plan and add the $15 400 minute add-on or the $8 200 minute add-on, can those minutes be used for local calls as well if they us up the initial 50 minutes? I want them to have an option for extra minutes just in case so they’re never stuck without the ability to call.

thanks in advance for the help!

Honestly I was considering doing the same thing but then realized that if you going to spend $10 for a plan and maybe $15 every month for LD minutes I might as well spend $30 and never have to worry about minutes and text and you get data to boot!

Re: adding extra minutes to $10 50 minute plan

srlawren — Wed, 22 Aug 2018 22:28:18 GMT

@krazykiwi wrote:
@Gremlins345 wrote:
Hi everyone,

i am looking to get a cell cell phone plan for my grandparents. If I sign up for the $10 50 minute/text plan and add the $15 400 minute add-on or the $8 200 minute add-on, can those minutes be used for local calls as well if they us up the initial 50 minutes? I want them to have an option for extra minutes just in case so they’re never stuck without the ability to call.

thanks in advance for the help!
Honestly I was considering doing the same thing but then realized that if you going to spend $10 for a plan and maybe $15 every month for LD minutes I might as well spend $30 and never have to worry about minutes and text and you get data to boot!

@krazykiwi this is a good recommendation for many but I also see the value in doing it the other way for very infrequent callers or emergency use phones. Since the add-on mins don't expire, you could pre-load a number so that if your parents/child are in an emergency situation and need to make a call longer than 50 mins (or a number of shorter ones to family members or doctors or whatever), they won't get disconnected in the middle of a call.

Re: adding extra minutes to $10 50 minute plan

krazykiwi — Wed, 22 Aug 2018 22:37:27 GMT

@srlawren I agree, it all depends on how much the grandparents intend to use it. From my experience working with Seniornet, (a non-profit org dedicated to assisting seniors with modern tech) i found that every senior that told me that just wanted it for emergencies, came back to me in 2-4 wks, saying they keep running out of minutes. In the end I had to set them up on unlimited plans.

Cheers

Re: adding extra minutes to $10 50 minute plan

srlawren — Wed, 22 Aug 2018 22:59:52 GMT

Thanks for the first-hand experience, @krazykiwi!

Re: adding extra minutes to $10 50 minute plan

MoreYummy — Thu, 23 Aug 2018 01:10:17 GMT

When they have the ability to make call anywhere, easily, they use the minutes very quickly.

Re: adding extra minutes to $10 50 minute plan

dna2016 — Thu, 23 Aug 2018 13:50:51 GMT

@Gremlins345, the 400 and 200 minute add-ons are both Canada Wide, so you definitely don;t have to worry about local calls. The good thing is these add-ons carry over to the next month if they don't get used up. Your 50 minute from the actual plan will start being used once the add-ons have been used up. Definitely a great option for your grandparents. I'm doing the same thing for my dad, very inexpensive option.

What makes it even better is the $25 referral credit is back until September 13, so you can set up both your grandparents and get $25 for each plus the automatic standard $1 referral credit. SWEET

Re: adding extra minutes to $10 50 minute plan

lukey02 — Sun, 09 Sep 2018 00:58:34 GMT

Hey Community!

I am also moving my grandparents to PM and just had a quick question about the $10 plan. So if I bought either 400 min or 200 min add-on will my 50 minutes be used before my add-on minutes?

Re: adding extra minutes to $10 50 minute plan

Luddite — Sun, 09 Sep 2018 01:01:35 GMT

@lukey02 wrote:
Hey Community!
I am also moving my grandparents to PM and just had a quick question about the $10 plan. So if I bought either 400 min or 200 min add-on will my 50 minutes be used before my add-on minutes?

Yes. The add-on minutes do not expire until fully used; whether that is 5 or 500 days.

Re: adding extra minutes to $10 50 minute plan

calldave — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 20:18:41 GMT

I've got the $10/50/50 and my monthly 50 minutes of calling is being used for Canada wide calls, before the 400 minutes of INTL long distance (except where I'm actually making calls to the US).

Re: adding extra minutes to $10 50 minute plan

GR — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 20:24:47 GMT

@calldave thats how it works, it uses your inplan minutes first and once those 50 are gone then it will go on the 400 add on minutes! If you want to save those minutes for us and international then you should buy the 5$ 500 Canada minute add on