Are incoming calls "free"?

[Barryere]

Hello,

I paid for the $15 plan, 100 canada-wide anytime minutes and unlimited texting, what I'm curious about and I suppose it probably applies to any of the plans PM offers is if incoming calls are free and it's only outgoing calls that count towards your minutes?

Thanks.

[Nezgar]

---

@darthompson wrote:

this same thing happened to my son.  He got the same message and his plan $15 with Unlimited Incoming calls is clearly stated on his plan.  But he has used 94/100 min. and it is including all outgoing and incoming calls.  Why is this stated but not allowing for incoming calls to be FREE?

Maybe you have not accounted for minutes rounding up to the next full minute? For example, 10 outgoing calls of 10 seconds each would consume 10 minutes out of the airtime bucket. Calling out to voicemail using the Public Mobile phone would also consume those minutes.

Please test for yourself by loading up the selfserve account overview page and noting the current minutes used. (Which you mentioned was 94/100 minutes). Accept an incoming call. After call has ended, refresh the overview page, and see if the number has incremented. It should not.

  Did you get the answer regarding this question?  He only has signed up with PM May 23, 2020.  

---

The previous solution was for someone who had the "Old" $15 plan from early 2019 that did not include unlimited incoming minutes, and the solution was to change to the "current" $15 plan that does. If you signed up May 2020, then you should not be consuming minutes for incoming calls.

[darthompson]

this same thing happened to my son.  He got the same message and his plan $15 with Unlimited Incoming calls is clearly stated on his plan.  But he has used 94/100 min. and it is including all outgoing and incoming calls.  Why is this stated but not allowing for incoming calls to be FREE?  Did you get the answer regarding this question?  He only has signed up with PM May 23, 2020.  

[zblackma]

@QCmobile log into your self service account and go to the plans section. Read the particulars of your plan. 

[computergeek541]

---

@QCmobile wrote:

Incoming calls are free, outgoing calls to toll free numbers are also free

---

This depends entirely on the plan that you're on. It's never actually "free", but rather included with many plans. However, there are plans that some customers have that do not including unlimited incoming call, and there are also some plans (even one current one) that do not include any phone calls at all.

[QCmobile]

Incoming calls are free, outgoing calls to toll free numbers are also free

[QCmobile]

Yes, incoming calls are free. 

[Nezgar]

The "activity log" is useless for determining which calls use minutes, and which don't - there's nothing in the log to differentiate.

The only way to find out which calls use minutes, and which don't is to watch for the used minutes counter to change or not on the "overview" page after each call.

[shaughnessyross]

1) The cynic in me already rounded up to the minute for all calls and the (outgoing) tally was still well short of the 90 minutes she is alleged to have used.

2) Doing the same for incoming and outgoing minutes brings us up to the 90 minute mark.

3) In the table listing her activity, all of her incoming calls are listed as "Minutes" under "Usage Type".

4) There's been no toll-free activity or anything like that; and her voicemail had been set up months ago.

Thank you for taking the time to reply!

[Anonymous]

---

@shaughnessyross wrote:

---

@AE_Collector wrote:

@shaughnessyross 

It is still possible to use up all of the 100 minutes on outgoing calls so that isn’t what happened? The plan that doesn’t have unlimited incoming minutes was only offered for 6-8 weeks back in April May June 2019 or so. Was that possibly when this plan was set up originally?

AE_Collector

---

No, I most certainly signed my daughter up for the plan that specified "Unlimited incoming calls". Accessing her "Plan Details" at PM's web site says this:
This plan includes:

100 Minutes Canada-Wide Talk + Unlimited Incoming Minutes

250 MB at 3G speed

Unlimited International Text

... And yet adding up her outgoing minutes in her activity log is well short of the 93 that is reported to have been used. Clearly, looking in her activity log, her incoming calls are listed as using minutes. Does anyone know who I contact to see if anything can be uncovered or corrected?

---

Go back through all the outgoing calls from your renewal to now. Look at each line and round up to the next minute. Add those all up.

When you call your voicemail from the handset to check messages that will consume minutes.

If you set up the voicemail initially from the handset that will consume minutes.

Officially, toll frees consume minutes but that may or may not be true.

Officially, call forwarding consumes minutes but that may or may not be true.

[shaughnessyross]

---

@AE_Collector wrote:

@shaughnessyross 

It is still possible to use up all of the 100 minutes on outgoing calls so that isn’t what happened? The plan that doesn’t have unlimited incoming minutes was only offered for 6-8 weeks back in April May June 2019 or so. Was that possibly when this plan was set up originally?

AE_Collector

---

No, I most certainly signed my daughter up for the plan that specified "Unlimited incoming calls". Accessing her "Plan Details" at PM's web site says this:
This plan includes:

100 Minutes Canada-Wide Talk + Unlimited Incoming Minutes

250 MB at 3G speed

Unlimited International Text

... And yet adding up her outgoing minutes in her activity log is well short of the 93 that is reported to have been used. Clearly, looking in her activity log, her incoming calls are listed as using minutes. Does anyone know who I contact to see if anything can be uncovered or corrected?

[AE_Collector]

@shaughnessyross 

It is still possible to use up all of the 100 minutes on outgoing calls so that isn’t what happened? The plan that doesn’t have unlimited incoming minutes was only offered for 6-8 weeks back in April May June 2019 or so. Was that possibly when this plan was set up originally?

AE_Collector

[shaughnessyross]

---

@srlawren wrote:

---

@Barryere wrote:

what I'm curious about and I suppose it probably applies to any of the plans PM offers is if incoming calls are free and it's only outgoing calls that count towards your minutes?

---

@Barryere I know you've already received an answer to this.  I'd like to ask a question back, and it's purely out of curiosity:  was there anything about the plan's description that lead you to believe it might provide unlimited incoming minutes?  Or was this just wishful/hopeful thinking?

---

I just signed in to my daughter's account here in order to ask this same question: She was notified today that she has only 10 minutes of her 100 minutes remaining; and looking at her usage it is obvious that incoming minutes "counted". In the description of her plan - https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/bc/plans/15for250MB-3Gspeed - there is what I thought was very plain English that says "Unlimited incoming calls". What part of this have I managed to misunderstand?!

[Nighthawk]

PM "Change Plan" wisely only gave me "Top up your account" and "Change on next renewal date". I did "Change..." on both mine and my wife's account. On your advise for the unexpected I did add the $5/500 minutes to my account. 15 minutes later I got a call. Thank you both.

[AE_Collector]

@Nighthawk 

You do have the option of doing the plan change “immediately” rather than at next renewal. What this does is renew you on the new plan right away thus you would then have phone service right away instead of waiting until July 9. It charges you for the next 30 days right away so you are throwing away the remaining 6 days of unlimited texting and data If you have some remaining. But if getting phone calls working again is very important 6 days worth of 415 is about $3 lost. Instead i would do as @Anonymous says and grab the $5/500 minute add on which could last you a lifetime thus is cheap insurance. I always figure it will be something unexpected that happens that will lead you to running out of outgoing calling and it WILL happen at the least convenient time possible.

If you have referral credits, renewing early might lead to losing out on them for a cycle or having to contact moderators to get it restored thus renewing early might cause more problems than simply getting the $5/500 minute add-on or just getting by without voice service for a few days.

AE_Collector

[Anonymous]

---

@Nighthawk wrote:

Yes, that makes sense. I have just changed my old $15 plan to the new $15 plan. I will see on July 9th if everything works out. I can work around the 6 days without incoming or outgoing calls. I will contact my refer-a friends to do the same. Thank you.

---

At $0.01 per minute, the $5 add-on is a great deal for when you go over the outgoing 100 minutes.

[Nighthawk]

Yes, that makes sense. I have just changed my old $15 plan to the new $15 plan. I will see on July 9th if everything works out. I can work around the 6 days without incoming or outgoing calls. I will contact my refer-a friends to do the same. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

---

@Nighthawk wrote:

I joined March 2019. Only this month, I used 100 minutes outgoing and incoming and got cut off during a call. I will try your suggestion. Thank you.

---

Ah well then there you go...you have the original version. Yeah not long after the plan was introduced they changed it to unlimited incoming. But as with any provider, they won't just switch it for you.

[Nighthawk]

I joined March 2019. Only this month, I used 100 minutes outgoing and incoming and got cut off during a call. I will try your suggestion. Thank you.

[AE_Collector]

@Nighthawk 

How long have you had the $15 plan for? If you went to it back when it was first launched (April-may June 2019 time frame) it was originally 100 minutes total in and out calling. By June 2019 or so they upgraded the plan to unlimited incoming but you need to do a plan change to the improved version. If this is possible/likely then log in and select a plan change to the current 415 plan and select to “Change at NEXT renewal”, not the “change immediately” Option.

AE_Collector

[Anonymous]

---

@Nighthawk wrote:

$15 plan states Unlimited incoming calls.

Incoming calls are being deducted from my 100 minutes.

What is happening?

---

It's been about a year since the original $15 plan. Have you been here since then? You can tell if you have the unlimited incoming if it says so in the Plan Details in your self-serve.

[Nighthawk]

$15 plan states Unlimited incoming calls.

Incoming calls are being deducted from my 100 minutes.

What is happening?

[waternlava]

---

@srlawren wrote:

---

@Barryere wrote:

what I'm curious about and I suppose it probably applies to any of the plans PM offers is if incoming calls are free and it's only outgoing calls that count towards your minutes?

---

@Barryere I know you've already received an answer to this.  I'd like to ask a question back, and it's purely out of curiosity:  was there anything about the plan's description that lead you to believe it might provide unlimited incoming minutes?  Or was this just wishful/hopeful thinking?

---

I believe this did.

It made me think that's how it works.

[waternlava]

---

@Nasif619 wrote:

Incoming calls are counted towards the 100 minutes you are allocated each month. Therefore you are going to use up your minutes if you either receive a call or get a voicemail.

---

Howcome they say unlimited incoming calls if you actually have limited incoming calls.

Also, can you turn voicemail off so someone doesn't just call me and waste most of my minutes leaving a message.

[wetcoaster]

---

@warsi650 wrote:

Thanks. Is it the answer to pay for both incomeing and out going calls. Thanks for the Uber, they not charging to whom you are going to.

---

In Canada, you are paying for "air time" (a carrier might choose to offer "unlimited" air time [or portions thereof], but technically you are still paying for it with your plan's base rate).

So yes, if you are on a limited minute plan with Public Mobile, anytime you are using the talk feature on your handset it will use the according amount of those minutes (also, calls are rounded up to the next minute).

Unless you are sure that your average use is below / at about the limit of the limited talk and/or text plans, choosing a plan that includes unlimited talk and text (starting at $25) is likely the better value.

[warsi650]

Thanks. Is it the answer to pay for both incomeing and out going calls. Thanks for the Uber, they not charging to whom you are going to.

[Anonymous]

---

@warsi650 wrote:

$10/month, $15/month ...both tried

---

Those plans have limited minutes. You don't pay for calls per se. You consume the paid-for minutes and then it stops. If you want more minutes you can add add-ons like the 200 minute and then consume those over time. When your plan renews then you'll go back to using those minutes and the add-on will wait around until you need more minutes again. Or go up to a more expensive plan with unlimited province or Canada.

[warsi650]

$10/month, $15/month ...both tried

[Pizzaeh]

---

@warsi650 wrote:

it is not nice to pay for incoming calls. my wife calls me. we both pay for same call. it is very expensive.

---

Which plan are each of you on?

[warsi650]

it is not nice to pay for incoming calls. my wife calls me. we both pay for same call. it is very expensive.

[Barryere]

---

@srlawren wrote:

---

@Barryere wrote:

---

---

---

Generally speaking, incoming calls are usually free with any phone service.

---

@Barryere were those plans you've had previous experience with at the $10-15 range, or more expensive?  I'm just curious.  

If you pick any of the plans that include unlimited calling (be it province-wide talk, canada-wide talk, or canada-wide & to the US talk), you get unlimited incoming talk minutes, no matter what country the call originates from (so long as you are in Canada at the time).  The cheapest of such plans is $20 every 30 days, and it gives you unlimited province-wide talk and nothing else.  The best value plan including unlimited calling is probably the $25 promo plan on right now which upgrades the talk to Canada-wide, adds international texting (to and from anywhere in the world, so long as you are in Canada at the time), and 500MB of throttled "3G"-speed data--though if you also sign up for auto pay, you'll get an extra 500MB of "3G"-speed data and $2 off bringing the cost to $23.  I wouldn't recommend the $10 or $15 plans over this one unless you are super-tight on budget.

EDIT: thanks @Anonymous , yes, MEGAbyes not giga.  My bad!!

Also, I forgot to link the plans:

The $20 plan:https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/plans/20forUnlimitedTalk

The $25 plan:  https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/plans/25unlimitedtalk-text

---

No, none were between $10-$15 because I'm talking about first and second tier carriers, cheapest is like $35 (at the time - now more like $45-$50). That only covered you for 500 minutes but incoming calls were always free, it's the outgoing minutes where they got you.

Personally, I absolutely hate limits when buying things, so I buy minutes and texts as unlimited (I didn't for PM this month because I knew I would only be texting and maybe a minute or two on the phone - next month I have it set to switch over to the $25 unlimited plan).

I'm used to spending little money on things because I don't have much to begin with. I'd use Fongo or something if it were mobile but it isn't and I've tried a data plan with PM and tried using Fongo on the go, the experience was choppy because data isn't fluent enough.

I've settled on Fido as a personal number and PM as more of a business/second number.

Such is life.