New Province-Wide Calling Plans + Limited-Time Offer on Canada-Wide Calling Plans

[Catherine_T]

[Edited: Feb 16, 3:45PM EST]

Hey Community, 

Public Mobile is introducing some changes to our suite of rate plans. Effective February 16, 2021, we will offer two types of plans: plans that include Province-wide minutes, and plans that include unlimited Canada-wide minutes. The Canada-wide calling plans will be priced at an additional $5/month, compared to the Province-wide calling plans.  All of our plans will continue to offer Canada-wide data and unlimited international texting.

We never take the decision of changing our plans lightly.  That's why, for a limited time, we’re offering our Canada-wide plans at a $5 discount. That means customers who value Canada-wide calling can still access these plans at the original prices before they change. 

The introduction of a Province-wide calling plan comes as a result of our commitment to give you more options on features and provide savings to help you create and customize the plan that’s right for you.  If you don't value Canada-wide calling, you can still access our plans starting at $15 per month.  If you value Canada-wide calling, it will continue to be available for an additional $5 per month. 

See below for more details on our new plans: 

New province-wide calling plans: 

Province-Wide Calling
Monthly Rate	Province-wide Minutes	Data (*with 500MB Autopay)
$15	100 Minutes	250MB
$25	Unlimited	1GB*
$35	Unlimited	2.5GB*
$40	Unlimited	5GB*
$45	Unlimited	6.5GB*
$50	Unlimited	8.5GB

For more information on how province-wide calling works, check out this Help Article.

Concurrent with this launch, we are offering $5 off all Canada-wide rate plans for a limited time. 

Canada-wide calling plans:

*Current promotion: $5 off Canada-wide plans for a limited time

Canada-wide Calling
Monthly Rate (*Promotion price)	Canada-wide Minutes	Data (*with 500MB Autopay)
$30 $25*	Unlimited	1GB*
$40 $35*	Unlimited	2.5GB*
$45 $40*	Unlimited	5GB*
$50 $45*	Unlimited	6.5GB*
$55 $50*	Unlimited + U.S. Talk	8.5GB

How to change your plan: 

1. Log in on Self Serve
2. Go to “Plan and Add-ons”
3. Select “Change Plan”
4. Select your preferred plan. You will have the option of changing your plan immediately or upon the next renewal date.

FAQ’s:

What happens to existing customers’ plans?

There is no impact to existing customers' plans. All customers’ plans will be grandfathered, including those who had scheduled rate plan changes before this update. Note, if you change your plan you may not be able to go back to your previous plan if it is no longer available on our website. 

What is happening to the $15 plan?

All plans in the Canada-wide suite have unlimited Canada-wide minutes. The $15 limited talk plan will remain in the Province-wide suite and will have 100 Province-wide minutes with 250MB of AutoPay data bonus.

Can I buy an add-on with Canada-wide calling?

Yes, we currently have a $5 for 500 Canada-wide minutes add-on available which you can purchase in Self-Serve.

How does Province-wide Calling work?

For more information on province-wideon how province-wide calling works, check out this Help Article. 

To learn more about Public Mobile plans, click here.

- The Public Mobile Team

[Nezgar]

@carlaspapa heh, that's when you first call with the "known" number, and then say "hey, I'm gonna call you right back from another number!" 😋

[carlaspapa]

I phone my mom back in Nova Scotia every Sunday for like an hour so even though I have canada-wide calling on my $15 plan it wouldn't really make much difference because I would still need my $5/500 minutes add-on. I would use my fongo app to call her but then she wouldn't recognize the phone number and bother to pick up the phone to answer it because I've had my same phone number forever so it's just worth it to pay a penny a minute.

[Koda42]

Thank you for the update 

[prairiedogbob]

@KamWest 

I have the new $15 province wide calling plan I haven't found much of a difference in my usage even though I have the $5 / 500 minutes add on just in case I call outside of my province. But sure anybody would prefer Canada wide calling if given the choice.

[darlicious]

@KamWest 

The competition's postpaid plans reverted back to canada wide calling. Prepaid plans remain province wide. It is unfortunate that pm has eliminated the $15 canada wide calling plan so that those who choose to keep it by grandfathering lose the flexibility of changing plans based on need as will those with $25+ plans once pm implements the $5 price increase.

Keep in mind though.....the change to the $15 plan only having province wide calling has the least affect on the price unless the vast majority of your 100 outgoing minutes was across Canada vs local or province wide calling. Most on this plan  (canada or province-wide) already have $5/500 min calling add on to supplement the outgoing calling. Canada wide calling will now directly deduct from the add on before plan minutes so you will deplete it a little faster but if you regularily exceed your plan minutes every month anyways its not really costing you anymore than before and at $0.01 per minute that is exceedingly cheap and the very closest any of the competion can come to on their Canada wide long distance rates is $0.10 per minute.....that is not competitive with pm's rates at all!

[Dunkman]

---

@KamWest wrote:

Nation wide with the competition

---

That is true.  Lucky mobile's $15 plan is also provincial wide calling.  

We will see what happens in the near future.  If PM determines that they are losing customers or not attracting enough new customers, this price change may be rescinded.  But, who really knows? Like any company, PM is trying to increase profits without doing a general price increase for all existing customers.  

That is nice thing about prepaid.  No contract.  If you find a better deal, you can freely move to another company anytime.  

[KamWest]

Nation wide with the competition

[Dunkman]

---

@KamWest wrote:

Is it just me or did the 15 plan go bye bye too?

@KamWest 

The $15 plan is available with province wide calling only though.  Other features are the same (ie. unlimited texts, unlimited incoming, 100 outgoing province wide calling).  

https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/bc/plans/15for250MB-3Gspeed-Province

[Spudster]

@KamWest 

You write (in part):

"A lot of the decisions made by Public lately seem to be to drive customers to koodo but what Telus does not realize is that their customer base is smart enough to figure all of this out."

You know what, a majority of them are not, but not because they're not smart.  Most have no interest or curiosity how mobile companies are structured. They're just looking for a good deal for a little while when they either need a new phone or more data.

[KamWest]

Is it just me or did the 15 plan go bye bye too?

Both of my kids have that one and sometimes I upgrade when they need more and downgrade when they do not.

Yikes, every time I look the deals at Public get worse and worse

The thing is I am not stupid, if Public forces me to move I know they are Telus and Koodo so chances are I will not be going there. Chatr still has the $15 & $25 plan and Public has nothing to compete with that. In fact the current $25 plan is a temporary sale so for me it is also a no go because I frequently upgrade or downgrade some of my 6 lines.

A lot of the decisions made by Public lately seem to be to drive customers to koodo but what Telus does not realize is that their customer base is smart enough to figure all of this out.

Public Mobile clients are conquest clients, hard core guys like me will probably never switch to upper tier companies, most that will happen is you lose 6 lines to lucky or chatr. Public needs to be careful and not push too hard or they might find a shrinking user base.

[darlicious]

@Pawprints1986 

It doesn't matter where you are in Canada or where the call is coming from if its incoming its included. Its only outgoing that's affected. Whatever province you are in is the province you can place an outgoing call to that will be included in a province wide plan.

What is a little iffy is when you are close to a provincial boundary and if you connect to a tower on the other side of the borderline. You don't have to worry about extra charges but if you have the $5/500 min add on or the more the merrier add on gifts you won't know if you are using add on minutes or not (without logging in to check.)

This is less of a concern with the $15 plan as chances are you may be using supplementary minutes anyhow but would be an irritant if you had unlimited included minutes and you are connecting to an out of province tower. Unless of course you discover the park bench by the river will connect you to a tower in the next province where your friend lives so whenever you call them for a good chin wag its included in your province-wide minutes because as far as the connection goes your phone, the tower and pm think you are in the next province over.

[Pawprints1986]

@darlicious But is that still true about incoming calls if you are out of province, and "roaming"? Even if only by cellular tower in border location? 

I know with Canada wide, as long as you were in Canada you could receive free incoming calls from anywhere. But now will it only be incoming calls are free from anywhere as long as you're in your home province, and that's it? All else is long distance regardless of incoming or outgoing (texts aside)?

[darlicious]

@Pawprints1986

Province-wide calling has no impact on imcoming calling. All incoming from anywhere is included.

[Pawprints1986]

@darlicious that's kind of what I wonder too. Incoming calls would become free only when in your home province, correct? So then if the system read you as roaming even if you aren't due to a close border, and you got a call in that time, would you then be unable to receive those calls? Or you'd get the call itself but as soon as you answer you'd get the auto hang up "this is not included in your plan" speech? 

Or, can you still talk Canada wide as long as it's incoming on your end? Which would still be a big hassle for new sign ups but at least less so... 

[Nezgar]

 I expect billing when travelling across provincial borders mid-call would be determined by where the call started. This has always been how its been traditionally accounted for.

Back in the days of free "evening and weekends" - free calling ended at 7am, and as long as your call started by 6:59am, the entire call was airtime free, even if it lasted 2 hours....

[darlicious]

@bluejaywpg 

I think that would obvious the call would be "dropped" as the minutes would just stop. I would be curious if the same happens as you switch towers....from an in province one to an out of province one and back as you travel along a corridor adjacent to a provincial border.

[Nezgar]

@bluejaywpg correct - if you have no outgoing minutes left, you just get a generic announcement when trying to make a call "Hi. Public Mobile here. Talk is not included in your plan...." And if you run out of minutes mid-call, the call will forcibly end.

[bluejaywpg]

@Nezgar I guess another related question would be - if you have a provincial plan & you have no extra minutes for Canada-wide calling - what happens?  Does the call not go through (with an automated voice saying so)?  And if you run out of minutes during a call, does the call abruptly end?  Or can you continue for a certain amount of time (or until the call is disconnected)?

[Nezgar]

@darlicious Nothing is ever free with PM, since you still have to pay something (your base plan amount) to get those unlimited incoming calls. A better term would be "included". 😉

[darlicious]

@Pawprints1986 

There would be no issue with missed calls as all incoming calls are free.

[Nezgar]

@bluejaywpg Interestingly, I just checked the "change number" feature in self-serve - there are separate selections for Lloydminster SK and Lloydminster AB. In a traditional calling scheme, the whole city is a local call. It would be interesting to know if that remains the case, at least when physically there, or if these "province wide" plans somehow introduce an issue with bisecting the city.

Might need some testing from a willing volunteer in AB or SK to try calling some test numbers... im sure I can find some automated city / library info numbers so as to not bother call recipients.

[bluejaywpg]

One would hope that residents of Lloydminster AB / SK, Flin Flon MB / SK, Ottawa ON / Gatineau QC, Campbellton NB / Pointe-A-La-Croix QC, etc. would be allowed an exception where a provincewide plan would include border towns / cities on both sides of the border. But I'm going to guess that no such exceptions exist at all. If I'm wrong, let me know. Even the government of Saskatchewan is aware & has made an exception when it comes to sales tax for Lloydminster SK - there's no PST charged there for most things since Alberta has no PST.

[computergeek541]

@Pawprints1986 

Customers can't tell the phone which towerr to connect to. i woild say that in most cases taking a plan with only province-wide calling while near a provincial border wouldn't be a great idea.

[darlicious]

@susanjm 

The above post by @Nezgar will be helpful for you when calling your mom. 

[Nezgar]

@Pawprints1986 

The only way to "trick" the system would be to move to a location that is "closer" to a tower thats considered served by the other province. The practical method is to buy the $5/500min non expiring addon instead of paying the $5 extra every month, unless you really do make more than 500 mins of outgoing calls out of province...

A "hack" idea would be to configure your fongo line, if it has a number in your province, to forward to the out of province recipient - then call that to reach them. Your Public Mobile caller ID will be preserved when the recipient gets the call.

[Pawprints1986]

Just curious, for any newcomers who sign up after the $5 "sale" and get a province wide plan, but they live very close to a provincial border, do these people have a way to tell their device to only connect to specific towers in their province only (which is different from frequencies, for example wdcma only which you can do), or will they be forced to buy the Canada wide in order to in effect make local calls, if their home is closer to and defaults to the next provinces tower rather than their own? Will calls and messages not come through until they venture more into their own province and connect to a "home" tower, and suddenly there's 3 days worth of voice mails because they never got the calls?

And I'm not looking for the TextNow  work around, I'm wondering if someone strictly wishes to use their real phone number what would happen

Just wondering, I know no one current is facing this but I'm curious how it would work

[Mr_Bee19]

$25 for Canada wide with 500 Mb +500 Mb for autopay 

[darlicious]

@Brandinium 

Lol...you very welcome again!

[Brandinium]

That’s me 🙂 and I just scrolled back through my old messages and saw that you helped me with that switch too! So thank you again @darlicious!

[darlicious]

@Brandinium 

Ah yes....you are on the old $35 plan that was upgraded last summer. Just schedule it today to change on your next renewal to the canada wide $35 plan and you are good to go even if the price increases before your renewal.