Update as of June 19, 2018: This post has been updated to provide additional clarity that leaving a voicemail message uses minutes.
Update as of June 11, 2018: This post has been updated to rectify that call forwarding counts toward your plan’s minutes.
Update as of May 4, 2018: This is no longer a limited time offer.
Hey Community,
We recently completed a pricing review and wanted to let you know that you will be seeing some changes to our 3G pricing, effective today.
Our goal is to provide our customers with simple plans that provide great value. You can check out all the new pricing on our website, but at a high level, the big thing to note is that our Canada-wide talk, text, and 3G-speed data plans are now more competitive. Great news for anyone traveling within Canada this summer!
Additionally, we are introducing a new limited time $10 30-day limited talk and text plan.This plan is available for new and existing customers and includes:
50 minutes of Canada-wide Talk
50 International Outgoing Texts and Unlimited Incoming Texts and Picture Messages
Voicemail and Call Display
Note, checking your voicemail will use your minutes. Since this is the first time we have offered a ‘limited’ plan since we re-launched the brand, we’ve included FAQs on how this will work in the spoiler below.
This is a limited time offer and is subject to change without notice. Please refer to Public Mobile’s Service Terms. Please note that the promotion will not be honoured after it has ended. This includes SIM cards that have been purchased online, are in-transit and not yet activated.
What does and does not use my minutes?
Uses Minutes
Doesn’t Use Minutes
Making a call
Answering a call
Retrieving or leaving voicemail messages
Using call forwarding
Calling *611 (the IVR)
Making or receiving calls from 911
Using calling apps when connected to Wifi
What is the maximum length of one text message?
A text message contains 160 characters; longer texts are broken down into 160 character segments. Each segment is counted as one text message.
Will you notify me when I’m almost out of text messages or minutes?
Yes, you will get an SMS message from Public Mobile when you have 10 outgoing texts left or 10 minutes left in your plan.
If I don’t have any minutes left, but I have a voicemail message, how do I check my voicemail?
There are two ways you can check your voicemail.
From a landline or another mobile phone, dial your 10-digit phone number and press the * key to interrupt the system greeting. From here, you may need enter your voicemail password.
You can purchase a long distance Add-On such as the 200 minutes Add-On that allows you to call to Canada and the US for $8. Note, the minutes in the Add-On will rollover to your next billing cycle.
Do I have to purchase a Long Distance Add-On to get more than 50 minutes?
Yes, you need a Long Distance Add-On to get more minutes added to your plan. If you often use more than 50 minutes per 30 days, we recommend one of our plans with unlimited talk.
I’ve run out of outgoing text messages included in my plan. What are my options to keep sending text messages?
We do not offer an Add-On for text messaging. We suggest you try one of our plans with unlimited text messages included. You can select any of our other Ready-Made Plans or build your own plan using our calculator.
If you like your limited talk and text plan, you can wait until your next billing cycle or you can renew your plan early.
Why is a text Add-On not being offered?
This is the first time we have introduced a plan with limited Talk and Text, so, to-date, there hasn’t been a need for a Text Add-On. Depending on demand and market changes, we may introduce a Text Add-On in the future; however this is not available at this time.
If I purchase a Long Distance Add-On, will my calls use up my Add-On minutes or my in-plan minutes?
Making a Call to someone in Canada
Making a Call to someone outside of Canada
Answering a Call from Anywhere in the World
In Canada
Will use plan minutes, before Long Distance Add-On minutes.
Requires Long Distance Add-On. The Long Distance countries we support can be foundhere.
Will use plan minutes, before Long Distance Add-On minutes
In U.S.
Requires a U.S. Roaming Add-On with talk included.
Requires a U.S. Roaming Add-On with talk included. Aside from calls to Canada, you will only be able to make calls to people in the U.S. and its territories.
Requires a U.S. Roaming Add-On with talk included. You will only be able to receive calls from people in Canada or the US and its territories.
If you purchase a Long Distance Add-On and you’re calling in Canada, your call will use your in-plan minutes first.
If you purchase a Long Distance Add-On and you’re calling outside of Canada, your call will use your Long Distance Add-On minutes (as long as the location you’re calling is accessible through your Long Distance Add-On).
Will I keep the same plan forever? Will my plan change?
Please refer to ourTerms of Servicefor more information about our plans.
@AsianStew8,I'm pretty sure you can't do it. You can either ceep your plan or the phone number, but not both. If you move out the phone number, the plan is immediately closed. If you port in a new number (to the old plan), the old phone number is lost.
Correct. No transfer of numbers between PM accounts.
>>> ALERT: I am not a CSA. Je ne suis pas un Agent du soutien à la clientèle.
@AsianStew8,I'm pretty sure you can't do it. You can either ceep your plan or the phone number, but not both. If you move out the phone number, the plan is immediately closed. If you port in a new number (to the old plan), the old phone number is lost.
To get help you need to contact the mods. See bottom.of this post.
I would message the mods with you sim card number and get them to look into it.
I would also contact your cc company and make sure no charges were added or pending. Occasionally the portal says you cc has not been charged but in fact it has.
How can you get help with your account, activation, or service?
Please contact the Community Moderator Team to get gelp with you account.
They are Public Mobile support employees who can help with your issue (More details).
I tied to activate a SIM card online using my credit card for Autopay and the website was not working. I have nobody to contact about this.
I cannot create an account for help as I am not a customer yet. I try to become a customer but I cannot as the systems do not work. There is no phone to call. There is no email to send. There is no support ....
I tried 3 different credit cards
Then I tried with another browser ...it says the SIM card is under activation under another browser and to wait 50 minutes.
I waited ... now when I try to put the card again, it said the SIM card in invalid!!!!!!!
Currently have $100 annual prepaid plan from Fido with unlimited text, 100 minutes Canada-wide talk time (for the whole year), for a teenager. Need to add talk time a couple of times a year, at a rate of $0.40 per minute: for example, $40 for another 100 minutes (with expiry tied to the annual plan, i.e. annual, and rollover if you renew). Let's call it $180 for the year with 300 minutes talk time total.
I'd switch to a competitively priced PM plan that offered more texts monthly than 50, and fewer minutes. Say, 25 minutes per month and unlimited texts, with a limited rollover for unused minutes. Perfect for a teenager.
I agree, PM should offer a better rate for 90 day plans than 30 day plans
Many of them do have better proces except thye advertise the 30 day plans with autopay discount already include but the 90 day plans without. They could be at least a bit more consistent so that it’s more obvious that 90 days is cheaper.
@luckee7 You can port at anytime. Just go to change number and enter your account info from speakout. I haven’t heard of any problems but I’m new. Just make sure to get the account number from them. My port from virgin took 30 min to complete. Sorry if double posts I lost my wifi while posting.
You can port your number at any time. Just go to change number then you will see option to port. Just make sure to contact speakout and get your account number. I haven’t heard of any problems but I’m new to pm. I just ported this way and took me only 30 min to be fully ported from virgin
I believe @canucks4life initially read that line as "Nine calls to voicemail will deduct from in-plan minutes." Less than nine calls to voicemail, no deduction from in-plan minutes 🙂
Every carrier that I can ever think of has always counted checking your voicemail by using your cell phone as regular airtime. You can get around that by checking your messages by using another phone.
Although this isn't the norm, Fido used to (and I believe still do) charge prepaid customer for airtime whenever someone would leave you a voice message! I hope that Public Mobile won't be doing that. I never considered that practice at Fido to be fair.
Correct. This plan is targeted to the segment that wants a cell phone for "emergencies" and rarely turn it on unless they need it.
@Luddite the really unfortunate part about this aspect is that this demographic are generally the ones least equipped to deal with the online-only support model should issues arise. 😞
>>> ALERT: I am not a moderator. For account or activation assistance, please click here.
How about a similar cheap plan for high school student?
-unlimited txt (because, well, teens txt...a lot)
-a few minutes of calls (they don't talk those teens do they?)
-no data (they have wifi everywhere they go)
Currently mine are with Fido and Rogers yearly plans, because nothing else is cheaper, but would love to move them to PM.
If they do a lot of texting Koodo has a good $15 plan that also has non-expiring talk and data add-ons. I think that's the best plan if want unlimited texting.
Correct. This plan is targeted to the segment that wants a cell phone for "emergencies" and rarely turn it on unless they need it. As always, analyse your wants/needs and follow your wallet.
>>> ALERT: I am not a CSA. Je ne suis pas un Agent du soutien à la clientèle.
How about a similar cheap plan for high school student?
-unlimited txt (because, well, teens txt...a lot)
-a few minutes of calls (they don't talk those teens do they?)
-no data (they have wifi everywhere they go)
Currently mine are with Fido and Rogers yearly plans, because nothing else is cheaper, but would love to move them to PM.
If they do a lot of texting Koodo has a good $15 plan that also has non-expiring talk and data add-ons. I think that's the best plan if want unlimited texting.
