Data purchase

[Syncopates]

I ran a search on data purchase to find the topic covered but are the responses still valid. The plan that I have right now covers my needs with data to spare. I don’t use the phone or text portion all that much at all. But occasionally, because of where I live, rural, the household internet goes down. The last time was two weeks ago for three days. It happened again today and it might be down for a week this time. Repair guys are backed up. I’m wondering why Public doesn’t offer data (add-on)  in say 1, 5, 10, 25 GB? Certainly, as the previously posted topic (2020) suggested, bump up your plan, but does Public want people flipping back and forth on plans? The reason I switched to Public was the cost. Good plan, cheap. 

[Syncopates]

Incredible amount of information. I will need to reread to pickup the finer details. Thanks for explanations and suggestions. As I was down to the wire on data, I moved forward on one of the plans with the “change now” option. I was only into my renewal by a few days and before committing to the new plan, PM warns that there is no refund or credit for anything remaining on the old plan. Since I had burned through a month’s  worth of data in days, plus the remainder of a previous data add-on purchase, I saved $10 going with the new plan vs buying the equivalent data add-on. I did consider the mobile hot spot idea. I just sold my NETGEAR Mobile Hotspot less than a month ago, because I rarely used it. Isn’t it always the way. 🙂  Now I’m looking for an old phone.

[darlicious]

@Syncopates 

The beauty of public mobile is the ability to change plans whenever you want or need it. Obviously scheduling a change plan on next renewal is better for the pocketbook but in your case when the need for data occurs unexpectedly then the convenience of being able to change your plan immediately has a minimal financial loss of the remaining talk and text that is included in the plan.

Your current plan the $15 is a CRTC mandated low cost plan so it is extremely unlikely that you would not be able to return to it. Its also important to note that once you schedule a change plan on next renewal that even if its pulled as an in market plan public mobile will honour the scheduled plan change. However once you do change to that plan that is then "grandfathered" becoming a legacy plan you will lose it should you choose to change plans in the future and you will be unable to change back to it. Scheduled plan changes can always be cancelled at any time up until your renewal (11:59:59pm eastern on day 30 of your cycle.)

At various times in the past 4 years public mobile has given away minutes and data add on gifts. A couple were region specific but most have been the annual "more is merrier" campaign occurring in the month of December. There was also a "Thank you" 1gb data add on gift for everyone who was a customer on August 19th 2019. Did you recieve any of these "gifted" add ons? Have you turned off or unsubscribed from promotional marketing from public mobile? Some of these "gifts" required customers to log into their accounts to purchase the $0 add on.

Two of these promotional add on gifts were offered via SMS text message. The "more is merrier" campaign from this past December (2021) sent a text from 4911 telling you to reply "YES" to automatically recieve 500 min of international long distance and a 2gb bonus data add on. If you did not recieve the text or didn't recieve the gifted add ons after replying "YES" were asked to contact customer support by the end of December to have them added to their accounts. The August 2019 1gb bonus data add on gift was automatically added with no action by the customer needed.

If you did not recieve the texts for these gifted add ons in particular you can ask customer support if they would be willing to add them as a gesture of good will on their part because you were unaware and/or did not recieve the promotional texts. They can still be added to your account unlike the "more is merrier" gifts from 2019 and 2020 as they were only available in your self serve account for "purchase" during the month of December of their respective year.

You have one other option you can consider....usually any member that has done this just couldn't resist an especially good promotion often occurring during the holidays or a bonus referral credit promotion. However given your situation and that you likely have other members of your family or household having some level of data withdrawal. While its not the most compelling of promotions you can take advantage of the launch of full speed 4G LTE Data plans and activate a "data" account (if you can easily get your hands on a pm sim card.)

Decide realistically how much data your household will need for a week outage and generally how much you may use over a 30 day period. Choose your new 4G LTE speed plan. $85/25gb+2gb?** $95/45gb+2gb?** Or much less? Do you have an old or spare phone you can use as a wifi hotspot? Be sure to use your referral code for the $10 bonus referral credit and the $1 reward. This is your data account.

**Use the promocode 4GBPLANBONUS for 2gb of bonus recurring monthly plan data for the next 6 months.(Keep in mind you will lose the 2gb promotional data  if you change plans.)

Data accounts can be suspended for up to 90 days when not needed. Preferably pay and reactivate by day 88 just to be safe and not lose the account. If its not really needed during its 30 day active cycle then change the plan before reactivating to the $15 plan. If possible try to time a reactivation for December to recieve hopefully the 4th annual "more is merrier" holiday gift add ons. You will also be enrolled in the Public Points program.

When it comes to "data" plans the points program actually works better than rewards. It's also advantageous that if you activate now you will recieve 3×points earned on purchases (15% back vs 5% back in points.) The 10 anniversary points are also earned despite having an account suspended for more than 60 days (unlike rewards). The terms also say you earn eligible points when suspended so perhaps give back points (community) and referral points are also earned(?)!!

With a welcome bonus of 5 points and your first monthly plan of ie. $95/45gb earning 4.75pts×3=14.25 you will have 19.25 points to start enough to redeem for a $15 bill credit or better yet with your $10 bonus referral credit if you only need to renew on the $15 plan in 90 days you can redeem points for discounted 1gb data add ons/10pts. Your $5 payment will net 0.75pts leaving you with 20pts equal to 2×1gb data add ons (value=$30). KIn the first year if you need two months of a high data plans and one minimum $15 data plan you will earn in points for the approximate 355 days : 5pts+14.25=19.25pts+0.75pts=20pts+14.25=34.2 5pts+10pts (anniversary pts)=44.25pts good for more than 4gb of data add ons.

Something to think about........🤔

[Syncopates]

The best I can get is two if I walk out to the highway 250 metres away. 

[Syncopates]

I did not know I could “change plan now”. And the consensus is that I can change back with no consequence. 

The loss for a week was Xplornet going down. They say there is nothing wrong at their end, tech says nothing wrong at this end that a new router won’t cure. Of course, it didn’t. Now they are saying it maybe their equipment.

[dust2dust]

I played around finding a sweet spot and angle and aim. I think I got maybe 3 bars. I was in the teens km's away from a tower. I was happy with it.

[Syncopates]

We’re thinking Star Link now. 

[Syncopates]

Satellite works reasonably well out here. Tried the smart hub, didn’t work. Public/ Telus network runs at one bar. Typing the original post and the replies, I’ve lost the signal three times. 

[Korth]

At Public Mobile you can switch plans any time you like. You can upgrade, downgrade, go back and forth. There's no costs attached to any of this, although if you switch plans before their (30-day) billing cycle completes then you're wasting money.

If you switch away from a legacy plan - a plan which is now discontinued - then you won't be able to switch back to it. You can always (and only) switch to any of the plans which are currently offered.

Add-ons, Rewards/Points, and Available Funds are attached to the account, not the plan. You won't lose any of them.

There were and are all sorts of "new customer" promos which include conditions about not switching away from the plan if you want to keep getting the promo bonus. But I don't recall any of these lasting longer than 6 months.

[dust2dust]

Locked in? You can just change out to any of the current plans if not the still existing original. There's just the small risk of not being able to go back to the same plan you had before.

[Syncopates]

Hi, I have chosen a plan that suits my needs, I’ve been on it for the past year or so. I do realize I have the option to buy increments of data, as much as I want, @$15 per. When I can buy the next plan up and receive more data than I need normally, for less money. I can easily switch to a new plan, but do not want to be locked in just to ease a temporary situation. Then have to plead my case before a moderator to switch back. 

[Korth]

Public Mobile sells data add-ons for $15 per GB.

This is a bit of a rip-off, in my opinion. But then again it's comparable to cost of data add-ons at other providers and it's also far better than the overage charges (usually around $5 per 100MB) you'll pay when you go over the limit at any other provider.

You can always elect to upgrade your plan to one with more data - and "change plan now" if you need that data immediately. Then retrograde to your normal (cheaper) plan - and "change plan at next renewal". It's probably your most cost-effective option if your data goes down and you can't live without it, there's no additional costs or fees attached to these options. (Although if you currently enjoy a promo bonus on your plan then it might have conditions attached to it which restrict you from keeping it if you change plans.)

I don't think "Public wants people flipping back and forth on plans". I think they want people to upgrade to their highest cost plans and stay there, lol. The problem you describe with your data "occasionally" going down for a week at a time has nothing to do with Public Mobile.

[dust2dust]

It's not a matter of the company wanting people to flip around, it's that you can. But beware that if your original plan is no longer offered then you can't go back to it.

Telus offers something called SmartHub. I don't know if Bell or Rogers do anything similar. And there may be geographic restrictions. I used to have the SmartHub and it was excellent. It's a cell-based service. Not cable, not dsl, not fibre, not satellite.

[JK8]

@Syncopates 

It’s either go on a plan that meets your data needs or a plan that minimally meet your data needs and buy several 1 GB data add ons for emergency use. The add ons do not expire and roll over at renewal until consumed.

[Timer]

@Syncopates 

all Plans (publicmobile.ca)

Purchase Add-Ons (publicmobile.ca)