Free Toll-Free Minutes?

[jmqm]

When making calls to toll-free numbers, they're free?

Purchased $15 phone plan, if that's relevant.

edit - Didn't receive ANY of that usage it seems, though I may be wrong if it was like 1-3 minutes.

If a mod sees this and it's a mistake, don't make it count towards my limit please lol

[Hiteshgrand]

Hi @hTideGnow 

Sorry my bad.

After checking again , I got to know, that the minutes were deducted for some other call that was not connected due to network issues. And it was not from toll free numbers. 

The call was not connected, so I thought that was not a call, and minutes got deducted. 

[dust2dust]

@Hiteshgrand- I'm a low usage user and on the 50 total minutes plan. Since my last renewal my front page number is 41 minutes so I still have some left in that I haven't gone over to any add-ons. Going through the usage details and rounding up to the next minute on each call, I add up 44 minutes. I have several hours of toll free calls in the list.

The usage details are really just a log of all the activity in and out of your account. It doesn't mean the items counted against your limited use counters. The front page number is the one that matters.

Calling your voicemail from your phone using the cell system (not voip) does count as a call. I have 4 "calls" to voicemail that are up to 8 seconds long. Perhaps those are calls that went to voicemail and they hung up. I use a voip app to check voicemails.

[CountyDownIeUk]

Free minutes??

Air Time charges??

All I can say is that some (all) of my 800 number outbound calls on my $15 usually within Canada, do NOT count against my 100 minutes. In other words “amount used” minutes number does not increase. 

800 numbers are theoretically picking up those charges although an outbound call is an outbound call.....keep checking and take advantage!

[hTideGnow]

HI @Hiteshgrand  Many of us tried different 1-800 number and confirmed not charged

Do you mind to share the number so I can check as well?

Also, you are on the $15 plan with limited outgoing minutes?

[Hiteshgrand]

Sorry my bad.

the toll free numbers are not charged and not deducted from minutes. 

[88cranston]

Just to side line a bit. I have VoIP.ms for home phone. I pay by the minute for outbound calls and have a blanket fee that has always covered all inbound calls. 

BUT all outgoing calls too an 800 number are free.  I could see why it could be N/C for a PM call to an 800 number. 

Can any one confirm?

[AE_Collector]

Hmmm...

Does PM have a toll free number to check voice mail!

AE_Collector

[dabr]

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@computergeek541 wrote:

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@dabr wrote:

Yes most toll free numbers should not count towards your limited 100 outgoing minutes.  But there may be some numbers that don't qualify for that exemption so keep checking your account after you've made a toll free call to see how if any minutes were deducted from your outgoing minutes.

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Toll free does not mean free airtime. It only means no long distance fees.  There are no exemptions. All toll free calls are supposed to use airtime on limited minute plans at all Canadian carriers, including Public Mobile.

I fully realize that there have been instances in which airtime may not have been used for some toll free numbers here, but this is not the way it's supposed to be.

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@computergeek541   I understand that generally toll free means no long distance fees and should use airtime, however, I do remember this being discussed a few times in earlier threads and it was confirmed by others that airtime was not being deducted on limited plans, so I made my comments based upon what I remembered. 

Anyway, I decided to test that theory, so also being on the $15 dollar, I logged into my account to see how many minutes were used and then proceeded to make a toll free call to Lucky Mobile's customer service number 1-833-885-8259 for a call that lasted 1min 38 secs according to my PM usage log.  Then I waited 10 minutes and logged back to check if airtime had been deducted and I can confirm my minutes used remained exactly what they were showing before the call and the call to Lucky Mobile did not deduct from my outgoing minutes. 

So I will stand by my advice for anyone to check what happens to their airtime after making a toll free call because while it may not be 'official', unofficially it seems to be that toll free numbers are not being counted as airtime.  At least for the time being.

[YVR]

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@jmqm wrote:

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@YVR wrote:

Was your call over an hour?  If you minutes for this call did not decrease from 100 minutes, maybe public does not charge air time minutes for these ourgoing toll free calls.  Did your balance of 100 minutes decrease?

All other mobile carriers that I have seen in the past charged for all outgoing calls, except ones like 611 to call them.

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Call was made 2 days ago. Plan started ~5 days ago.

The call was almost an hour and 30 minutes

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In this case, it seems like you were not charged 'minutes' for your outgoing toll free call.  Enjoy the rest of the minutes in your cycle.  This might just be a bonus from public mobile and is not typical of airtime usage.

[computergeek541]

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@dabr wrote:

Yes most toll free numbers should not count towards your limited 100 outgoing minutes.  But there may be some numbers that don't qualify for that exemption so keep checking your account after you've made a toll free call to see how if any minutes were deducted from your outgoing minutes.

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Toll free does not mean free airtime. It only means no long distance fees.  There are no exemptions. All toll free calls are supposed to use airtime on limited minute plans at all Canadian carriers, including Public Mobile.

I fully realize that there have been instances in which airtime may not have been used for some toll free numbers here, but this is not the way it's supposed to be.

[AE_Collector]

So, this would seem to verify that calls to toll free numbers do NOT use outgoing minutes. Others must be able to confirm this as normal looking in their call history? I guess only people on $10 or $15 plans can tell for sure. Interesting and Good to Know.

AE_Collector

[jmqm]

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@YVR wrote:

Was your call over an hour?  If you minutes for this call did not decrease from 100 minutes, maybe public does not charge air time minutes for these ourgoing toll free calls.  Did your balance of 100 minutes decrease?

All other mobile carriers that I have seen in the past charged for all outgoing calls, except ones like 611 to call them.

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Call was made 2 days ago. Plan started ~5 days ago.

The call was almost an hour and 30 minutes

[YVR]

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@jmqm wrote:

When making calls to toll-free numbers, they're free?

Purchased $15 phone plan, if that's relevant.

edit - Didn't receive ANY of that usage it seems, though I may be wrong if it was like 1-3 minutes.

If a mod sees this and it's a mistake, please don't make it count towards my limit please lol

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Was your call over an hour?  If you minutes for this call did not decrease from 100 minutes, maybe public does not charge air time minutes for these ourgoing toll free calls.  Did your balance of 100 minutes decrease?

All other mobile carriers that I have seen in the past charged for all outgoing calls, except ones like 611 to call them.

[jmqm]

Why would it not count towards the outgoing minutes? If toll-free just "removes" the long distance charge that would be there, shouldn't it still count for outgoing? I'm missing something I think.

[dabr · Accepted solution]

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@jmqm wrote:

When making calls to toll-free numbers, they're free?

Purchased $15 phone plan, if that's relevant.

If a mod sees this and it's a mistake, please don't make it count towards my limit please lol

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Yes most toll free numbers should not count towards your limited 100 outgoing minutes.  But there may be some numbers that don't qualify for that exemption so keep checking your account after you've made a toll free call to see if any minutes were deducted from your outgoing minutes.

[AE_Collector]

So the call you show should deduct two minutes from your 100 minutes of available outgoing calling on the $15 plan. Make certain you are in the updated version of this plan that includes unlimited incoming calls. The first version had 100 minutes total either direction.

<edit> Oops, I misread the usage as 1 minute, 26 seconds. Not 1 hour, 26 minutes & 33 seconds. So, a 87 minute call out of 100 included outgoing minutes.

Terry

[YVR]

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@jmqm wrote:

When making calls to toll-free numbers, they're free?

If a mod sees this and it's a mistake, please don't make it count towards my limit please lol

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Making calls from a mobile phone to any number, including toll free numbers, will cost airtime.  Toll free just means that you get to phone that number without any long distance charges.