U.S. Roaming has arrived!

[Brooke_C]

Hey Community!

We are ecstatic to announce that after months of planning and hard work, U.S. Roaming has launched! With Black Friday around the corner, we think the timing is pretty great.  It’s also news you can share with your friends to increase your referral rewards.  Remember - our $40/ 4GB promo plan ends November 20^th. We’re glad we pulled this off just in the nick of time!

Here’s how the U.S. Roaming Add-ons work:

• All U.S. Roaming Add-Ons will last 10 days. This 10 day period will begin upon payment of the Add-on and will end 10 days after this date.
• You can choose an Add-On with just one of the services or a combination. We want to ensure that you only pay for what you need. Keeping this in mind, we are offering a range of U.S. Roaming Add-Ons, all with great value. For example, the U.S. Talk, Text and Data Bundle works out to just $2/ day for the 10 day period!

U.S. Roaming 10 Day Add-Ons	Details	Price
U.S. Talk Only	·         Unlimited Canada Wide & U.S. talk	$8
U.S. Text Only*	·         Unlimited global text	$8
U.S. Data Only	·         250 MB data	$10
	·         500MB data	$15
	·         1GB data	$20
U.S. Talk and Text Bundle*	·         Unlimited Canada Wide & U.S. talk ·         Unlimited global text ·         No data	$15
U.S. Talk ,Text, Data Bundle*	·         Unlimited Canada Wide & U.S. talk ·         Unlimited global text ·         250MB data	$20

*Picture and video messaging are not available, but coming soon! Please note that you need a U.S. roaming data plan in order to receive picture and video messaging.

We’ve partnered with AT&T and T-Mobile to provide you with fantastic coverage.

Your U.S. coverage will include all 50 states, plus Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. So, whether you are travelling to the snow-capped mountains in Alaska or to Hawaii’s sunny beaches, we will have you covered. For more details, check out our coverage map here.

Getting U.S. Roaming is easy!

You can purchase the U.S. roaming Add-Ons by either using your online Self Serve account or the automated phone system.

• Self Serve account: You will be able to purchase the Add-On in your Self Serve account at publicmobile.ca. After logging in, just select the U.S. roaming Add-On you want, make the payment, and then it will be ready to use.
• Automated phone system: You can also purchase your U.S. roaming Add-On using the automated phone system by dialling 1-855-4PUBLIC, and following the prompts.

With this exciting announcement, we have put together some anticipated FAQs. If you have any other questions, please post them below.

-Public Mobile Community team

U.S. Roaming FAQs

 1. What happens after my 10-day U.S. Roaming Add-On expires?

10 days after you purchase your U.S. roaming Add-On, it will automatically expire. If you need another Add-On, you can purchase it the same way you did originally, by using your Self Serve account or calling our automated phone system at 1-855-4PUBLIC. 

 2. I need more than 1GB of data while roaming. What do I do?

Not a problem. You can buy more than one U.S. Roaming Data Add-On if you find you need more data.

 3. Can I roam while I am in countries, other that the U.S.?

No. At this time, we only offer roaming in the U.S.

 4. I can’t see the U.S. Roaming bundle Add-Ons. What do I do?

If you are experiencing issues seeing the U.S. Talk and Text Bundle or the U.S. Talk, Text, Data Bundle when you are in Self Serve or during the activation portal, be sure to clear your cache /cookies in your browser. Once you do this, you’ll be able to see them!

 5. I am a Legacy customer and don’t have a Self Serve account. How do I buy an Add-On?

You can purchase an Add-On through our automated phone system by dialing 1-855-4PUBLIC. As a Legacy customer, you are also able to purchase the Add-On by calling into our call centre. Remember, you are able to create your own Self Serve account at any time, if you would like to. 

 6. Why is *611 not working while I am in the U.S.?

We’re working on this! Dialing *611 is not available now, but will be coming soon. In the meantime, you can dial 1-855-4PUBLIC instead.

 7. The U.S. Add-On prices in the French automated phone system do not match what is displayed on the French website. What’s up with that?

The U.S. Roaming Add-On prices are only stated incorrectly in our French automated phone system. But, don’t worry, when you select the Add-On you want, the correct price will be charged to your account.

 8. I am a Legacy customer on a $19 plan and, when I try to add the U.S. Roaming Add-Ons, I get an error message.

Legacy customers on the $19 plan are not eligible for U.S. Roaming Add-Ons. To take advantage of the roaming options, you will need to change your plan.

[ShawnC13]

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@Supermonkey19 wrote:

Hi,

    So when I was at Walmart today, the sales person told me that there was no Roaming offered by you guys. And then I looked online, and see that you guys have roaming, but it wasn't quite clear if you had roaming in the USA or not. It said the roaming calls had to be made from Canada. I am confused?

Please see below:

"Calls made to numbers starting with the following six digit combinations are not included in U.S. Roaming talk Add-Ons or U.S. calling from Canada and will not be completed when dialled: 712-432, 605-562, 641-552, 605-475, 605-477, 712-775, 559-726."

Thanks for your help in this matter!

---

@Supermonkey19, yes there is US roaming packages.  They come in 10 day plans and can be just talk, text or data or a talk and text or all 3

[Supermonkey19]

Hi,

    So when I was at Walmart today, the sales person told me that there was no Roaming offered by you guys. And then I looked online, and see that you guys have roaming, but it wasn't quite clear if you had roaming in the USA or not. It said the roaming calls had to be made from Canada. I am confused?

Please see below:

"Calls made to numbers starting with the following six digit combinations are not included in U.S. Roaming talk Add-Ons or U.S. calling from Canada and will not be completed when dialled: 712-432, 605-562, 641-552, 605-475, 605-477, 712-775, 559-726."

Thanks for your help in this matter!

[Triguy]

Here is more info about add-ons.

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Knowledge-Base/U-S-Roaming/ta-p/307883

[Triguy]

It is still available.

 https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/bc/plans.  I think it is expired if you added on May 10th after ten days.

[Lieux]

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@JakeP wrote:

I added US roaming unlimited talk for $ 8 on May 10th.

Now I need it again but when I log into my account I don't see that same add-on anymore.

Has PM removed the $ 8 unlimited 10 day US roaming talk add-on?

---

No it's always available...but not right away after the same add-on or you need to ask the moderator for that here..https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437 but waiting time is few hours to 2 days and you need to put the money in your account first. Or you can buy now a different roaming add-on. It's your choice.

[JakeP]

I added US roaming unlimited talk for $ 8 on May 10th.

Now I need it again but when I log into my account I don't see that same add-on anymore.

Has PM removed the $ 8 unlimited 10 day US roaming talk add-on?

[Anonymous]

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@jxchan wrote:

Hi,

I will be travelling to Las Vegas between Weds, May 15 to Weds May 22. Can you please add a U.S data plan (1GB) for $20 to my phone? Thank you.

Jamie

---

This is a self-serve place. You can do that yourself online or if you have vouchers or a credit card registered...via the 611 service.

Put money in, then buy add-on. Two steps.

It starts right away and that's day 1 of the 10 days.

[jxchan]

Hi,

I will be travelling to Las Vegas between Weds, May 15 to Weds May 22. Can you please add a U.S data plan (1GB) for $20 to my phone? Thank you.

Jamie

[RuthMcL]

Roam Mobility is different enough that it might be wise to think it thru, in case there’s are occasions when a Roam Mobility SIM at hand might still have a place(?). Especially, if you live near the Border?? For example, I can get talk/text/ data for just a day (set to start only when I cross said Border), to go shopping. Would love to hear reaction from RM users.

[srlawren]

@kas let us know how you like it when you're back from your trip.  I've been roaming on T-Mobile for years (first with Roam Mobility, which runs exclusively on T-Mo, and sometimes now using PM add-ons, which use T-Mo and AT&T) and have always found the network to be great in the areas I visit (Seatle, Vegas, Waikiki, Manhattan)

[kas]

I found out I can do a package with T-Mobile so I'll wait to get a sim tomorrow when I'm over there

[srlawren]

@kas yes.  You can get just calling, just texting, just data (in buckets of 250mb, 500mb, or 1gb), or talk and text, or talk and text and 250mb.  All, of course, at varying price points, and all for [up to] 10 days.

[kas]

Wow thank you so much! I'll do the dialer one asap, but since I have a dual sim, I think I'll be good, I probably won't even get texting, just calling if that's possible

[srlawren]

@kas yes that's a better fit.

Do you need to be able to receive calls on your PM phone number?  If so, sign up for a free Fongo account, pick a Fongo phone number in your own province, then before you leave Canada, turn on call forwarding from your PM line to your Fongo number.  Then, inbound calls to your PM line will get to you over data (or WiFi) while on your US-based SIM card.  

Do you need to be able to make calls with your PM number showing as the caller ID?  If so, download Hangouts Dialer, and before you leave Canada, verify your PM phone number (it sends you a text with a verification code), and turn on the feature to use your verified phone number as the outbound caller ID info.  Then, you can call people from Hangouts Dialer (over data or WiFi, again) and it will look to them like you're calling from your regular line.

Do you need to be able to make or receive SMS on your PM phone number?  This one is harder to work around, unfortunately.  You have basically 3 options:

1) transition your conversations ahead of time over to data-based services like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Line, Telegram, BBM, Skype, Slack, Skype for Business, HipChat, etc, as these don't care what SIM card and phone number you have active, so long as you have a data (or wifi) connection

2) if you have an old spare unlocked (or locked to telus/koodo is fine) phone, you can leave it at home, plugged into a power supply, and before you leave, download a text forwarding app and leave your PM SIM in the phone at home while you're away.  This would forward inbound texts to your roaming # (provided you know it ahead of time, of course).  It doesn't help for outbound though--those will still show as coming from your roaming number.

3) Buy just the texting US Roaming add-on (well, 3 of them--you'll have to buy new ones when the 10 days and then 20th day expire).  This works if you have a dual SIM phone, you can leave your PM in one sim slot and the roaming SIM in the other.  May or may not be an option, depending on your phone.

[kas]

I'll be in the us for 25 days and I think I'll have to just get a sim there instead 😕

[srlawren]

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@kas wrote:
It's sort of expensive 😕

---

@kas for very short trips like a day trip or a 2-3 day weekend, yes, it's expensive compared to picking up a day by day ($5/day+tax) option from Roam Mobility, for example.  By the time you get into the 4-10 day range, it's actually a great value.  Beyond 10, again, I'd say it's questionable and you're probably better off to pick up a SIM and prepaid plan from a US-based provider for a longer stint.

[kas]

I completely agree with the above post. It's sort of expensive 😕

[aday]

i would love to see this add-on cost be closer to what freedom mobile offers:

For just $15/mo, get 2400 minutes of talk to Canada and the U.S., unlimited text and 1 GB of data while roaming in the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii.

It would be nice if they could even one up them with unlimited voice

[pakmode]

That's good to hear. 

[Rockdaddy22]

I'm so happy to hear that everything worked smoothly on your trip.

[lwu123]

Just came back from USA. The roaming plan worked like a charm. Me and my wife used 250mb data each exactly during the 6 days trip! Wow, we thought it was too less but we still have a bit of data when we were in airport backing home:) Phone call quality is very good.

[Myxx]

Yes you can call each other ..   You are actually dialing your spouse /partner's Canadian number as you are not issued an actual USA phone number.

[lwu123]

Can one US roaming phone call another US roaming phone? Say a couple both have bought the US roaming add-ons from public mobile, can the two call each other freely in USA during the 10 days?

Thanks

Mike

[srlawren]

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@WearySky wrote:

Also - it's kinda weird that you can get 1GB of US data for $20, but if you want 1GB of Canadian data it'll cost you $30.  Yes, i know the US data is only good for 10 days, but still... The optics are strange (especially since they're listed right next to each other on the plans page)

---

@WearySky I definitely mentioned this to @Brooke_C as soon as the oracles were told the US roaming add-on details, and that it would seem to be a bit bass-ackward.  I guess PM is assigning extra value to the Canadian data add-on in that not only does it last more than 10 days, it lasts until you have fully utilized the amount you purchased.  For light users, it could last for quite some time, for example.  I personally have voiced my opionion several times that I think the non-roaming data add-ons are priced ridiculously high, at a minimum rate of $30/GB, and would sincerely like to see that come down ASAP (or sooner).  Alas, no sign of that coming any time soon.

[srlawren]

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@imm1304 wrote:

Hey @cliffmgcp,

I agree with @WearySky that the US roaming add-ons would only be accessible while connected to a US cell tower.  So, once you are back in Canada, your roaming add-on will simply count to day 10 and expire.  If you go back to the US within that 10-day window, you can use the add-on... but thats about it.  

---

@imm1304, @WearySky agreed aslo--the possible loophole being:  if you are in Canada but physically close enough to the US border to pick up a signal from a US tower and force your phone over to AT&T or T-Mobile rather than automatic network selection, you could probably continue to utilize the US Roaming add-on(s) until the 10 days are up.

[imm1304]

Since the start of this community forum, dozens of serious suggestions have been made to lower the Canadian data add-on prices.  PM staff know this is one thing that the customers want.  Maybe one day, our needs and PM's interest on this will co-incide ...

[WearySky]

Also - it's kinda weird that you can get 1GB of US data for $20, but if you want 1GB of Canadian data it'll cost you $30.  Yes, i know the US data is only good for 10 days, but still... The optics are strange (especially since they're listed right next to each other on the plans page)

[imm1304]

Hey @cliffmgcp,

I agree with @WearySky that the US roaming add-ons would only be accessible while connected to a US cell tower.  So, once you are back in Canada, your roaming add-on will simply count to day 10 and expire.  If you go back to the US within that 10-day window, you can use the add-on... but thats about it.  

[WearySky]

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@cliffmgcp wrote:

What if I buy U.S roaming and don't use all the data provided will it all be gone or will I be able to use the remaining back in Canada?

---

I'm 99.9% sure that the US addon data only applies while you're in the US.  So even if you only go for 1 day and come back to Canada, once you're back in Canada you're using your Canadian data, not the addon data.  And obviously after the 10 days of the addon are up, that DEFINITELY goes away.

[cliffmgcp]

What if I buy U.S roaming and don't use all the data provided will it all be gone or will I be able to use the remaining back in Canada?