Buying Public Mobile SIM Cards Offline

[Bookworm88]

In the event that I need to buy a new Public Mobile SIM Card, is it possible at all to still buy them at a retail location (besides Koodo stores)?  I've read that Public Mobile has changed SIM Card distribution to online, but I've never really liked online shopping, and it seems more quicker to simply buy the card at the store instead of waiting for the card to be delivered.

If it is still possible to buy them in person, is there a way to find out which retailers carry them?

[Lowlux1]

Thanks Nezgar! I called the store twice and no one picked up and I was offered the leave a message for tomorrow option. I guess the calls intermittently make it through. Great to hear though. Thanks

[Lowlux1]

Thanks dust2dust, the main issue is that the website does not clarify the change to corporate stores only and sends you to buy sims at stores that no longer sell sims. I think we have it figured out though

[Nezgar]

So on a whim I just called the Langford Telus store in Westshore town centre @ 250-391-0668 and someone picked up. They confirmed they do indeed have Public Mobile SIM cards, with the caveat that they don't provide any support in-store - you have to activate and set it up yourself. (but we all know that 😁)

[dust2dust]

@Lowlux1- Bottom of this page - Find a store. Those are the stores. I'll admit that a Telus store might not give you the time of day. But the company here says that Telus stores will sell sims. And Koodo.

I don't know where those stores are in those towns. I'm in the interior of the province.

[Lowlux1]

The Langford Telus store in Westshore Town Centre is the store that didn't have a live person answering their phone. I could only leave a message which they would try to return the following business day or something. Is it a corporate store? Some of the comments on the recent forums here are saying the Sims are no longer available at Telus stores, just at Koodo stores, so It's all a bit confusing to be honest.

I had family go to the Koodo store in downtown Nanaimo, Port Place I think its called. He waited in line for an hour and was told that Koodo does not sell Public Mobile sims. They asked him why he would go to a Koodo store. Is this a non-corporate store? Are the two you listed above in the north end of town both corporate stores? How does one determine which stores are corporate?

Thanks for replying though. I appreciate it

[dust2dust]

@Lowlux1- Did you try these in Nanaimo?

Or this one in Langford proper?

It's just corporate stores now. All those huge Telus and Koodo signs you see around everywhere are very often retailers...not corporate.

[Lowlux1]

I can confirm that Koodo stores in both Nanaimo and Langford (Victoria) say they absolutely DO NOT sell Public Mobile sim cards. So the question is, where can we buy them in person? The Langford Telus store did not answer their phones. I was offered the service of leaving a message which might be returned on the following business day, so I'm not yet sure if the Telus stores sell them. 👍

[darlicious]

@Bookworm88 

Dumb, Dumber and Dumbest! To say the least I am dumbfounded by this decision. What town are you in? Maybe there is a member there with a spare that you can replace when you get one shipped to you? I too activated at London Drugs and a few more times after that during promotions for referrals. Do you have any small cell repair shops in town? Husky station? You might still find them there?

[Bookworm88]

@darlicious As per the advice from dust2dust, I did a search and the nearest locations that carry the SIM cards are all Koodo stores.

I really don't understand why the company would restrict the availability of their SIM cards like this.  I switched to Public Mobile after purchasing a SIM card at a London Drugs, in fact that's where I first learned about Public Mobile.

[Bookworm88]

@NezgarI'm surprised they would go to such lengths to get rid of the remaining supply.  Was there a reason for this?  It seems odd to shred them when it's still possible to make a sale.

[Bookworm88]

@TimerThanks for the tip!  I never would have thought of checking a Shell station.

[Bookworm88]

@dust2dustI tried it and it's only Koodo stores / kiosks, and none of them are in my city. 😭

[CountyDownIeUk]

I see the locations nearest me, which are not reasonable, are Koodo stores only. Any of the Telus\Koodo stores close by are not listed. 

[CountyDownIeUk]

@Nezgar 

CCS has shut down their website sales and plans. Just selling off SIMS on Amazon   and eBay. 

[CountyDownIeUk]

@darlicious 

London Drugs website says you can pick up on 3-5 days. Does not help OP though as does not want to order online. 

[darlicious]

@Bookworm88 

Where are you located? Presumably pm has a buy back program with retailers so larger retailers like Walmart and London Drugs have removed stock to return it to public mobile. Smaller independent retailers or small businesses such as the local cell phone repair shop may have chosen to keep their small of stock on hand since selling at the MSRP offers a good return on investment. If you see a shop that has public mobile decal or sells vouchers inquire if they sell sim cards.

Hopefully public mobile will reconsider this ill concieved plan to restrict the sale of sim cards to "select" corporate telus and koodo stores.

[Nezgar]

Had some dialog with a fellow on Reddit who claimed to be working for a retailer, and they were instructed to shred/recycle all remaining inventory of Public Mobile SIM cards. 😦

I guess this may also spell the end of our favourite CCS from offering - and indeed there is no trace of PM SIM's on their site when I looked just now.. 

[computergeek541]

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@Timer wrote:

@Bookworm88 

yes you can purchase a SIM card by locating a retailer  near you. 

Edit: go to any shell gas station they has it.

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As the locations that sell Public Mobile SIM cards has changed, gas stations will very unlikely to continue carrying Public Mobile SIM cards.  As these gas stations stations would not be authorized resellers of such SIM cards, there should be no expecation of them being available.

[Timer]

@JK8 

yes for SIM card $10 puls tax and sell voucher to and active right away.

[JK8]

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@Timer wrote:

yes you can purchase a SIM card by locating a retailer  near you. 

Edit: go to any shell gas station they has it.

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Shell gas stations sell PM SIM cards?

[Timer]

@Bookworm88 

yes you can purchase a SIM card by locating a retailer  near you. 

Edit: go to any shell gas station they has it.

[dust2dust]

I did not have luck at a corporate Telus store (not a retailer shouting Telus). I did find them at a Telus kiosk (that used to be a Koodo kiosk.

[fujiyama]

EDIT: Official wording is that you can only buy them at Telus and Koodo stores now.

However, after doing some random searches using their store locator (link below) the results only showed Koodo locations lol. So @dust2dust is right, best to go to Koodo locations near you first, before trying at Telus.

https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/on/store-locator 

[dust2dust · Accepted solution]

Good luck finding anything other than a Koodo store/kiosk (or maybe Telus). Click Find a store in the bottom footer.