Is my Chilliwack 604 number a long distance call for Vancouver 604 friends?

[hiener]

Hi

Friend of mine just pointed out that they got dinged $3.50 from their wireless provider when they called me, my number is 

604.845

It's chilliwack based because I wanted a 604 number at the time.

Is that considered LD for mobile customers?

[Nezgar]

@darlicious

Ah yes I think youre right. That site shows Squamish can call most of the GVRD rate centres, but if I look at Haney for instance, Squamish is not included in its list of callable local rate centres... Oh well!

Aldergrove still stands for GVRD 778 numbers at least.

[darlicious]

@Nezgar 

    Squamish is iffy.....seeing as I usually spent every summer weekend camping near there. Local calling to Vancouver but not necessarily the other way around depending on the carrier. If I remember correctly it was like the island for me on telus  so it would cause the same issue but I haven't looked it up. There's a link I supplied in another thread a month ago or so with the lady looking for a free local calling number before her move to new Brunswick.

[Nezgar]

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@gpixel wrote:

@hiener yes Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Kelowna etc. it's all long distance. most people have cellphone plans that cover province wide or Canada wide nowadays, nullifying what may be considered long distance. if your friend was charged she should review her plan details then contact her provider and make a complaint if her plan includes Canada wide calling

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Rather than putting all the responsibility on your callers to change their calling plan to include long distance, the more considerate option would be to look at changing your own number to a number within their local calling area, in this case Vancouver/lower mainland , and not further out - Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Hope are not traditionally local to the Vancouver local calling area. Unfortunately, It's pretty much guaranteed you won't get a 604 unless you can port one out from elsewhere.

@hiener  I just checked via selfseve "Change Number" option - you can still get 778 numbers in BC-ALDERGROVE, which is local to Vancouver, etc.'

Oooh, and I think i found a secret one... "BC-SQUAMISH" appears to be included in the Greater Vancouver local calling area according to https://www.localcallingguide.com/lca_prefix.php?npa=604&nxx=213 , and I was shown 3 604-213 numbers! ⭐🎉👌

And here are other rate centres I know are in the lower mainland calling area if you are open to other (newer) area codes:

BC-NEWWESTMISNTER (236)

BC-VANCOUVER (236)

[tabi159w]

If your friend has Canada-wide calling then you won't have to worry about long-distance calls. However, if they only have local calling, then I believe Kamloops and Chilliwack are both long distance when calling to/from Vancouver. I'd advise you use a wifi app like WhatsApp or FB Messenger to call to eliminate these charges.

[darlicious]

@hiener 

It really depends on your friends provider and plan. When I was with telus I had similar limits calling in the GVRD. Abbotsford  would be ok but not chilliwack or it could switch around as I had free roaming to local areas. So if I was on Vancouver island it would cost me to answer a call from the lower mainland but I could call the lower mainland for free. So I would tell my friends to text me and I would call them back or I would let my phone go to voicemail and call the number back. A little similar to anyone I know on a $15 plan If I'm not on it. Just have your friend call her provider to find out where they can call for free and where there are extra charges. Luckily with public mobile we don't get any surprise charges.....maybe you should give them your referral code!

[gpixel]

@hiener yes Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Kelowna etc. it's all long distance. most people have cellphone plans that cover province wide or Canada wide nowadays, nullifying what may be considered long distance. if your friend was charged she should review her plan details then contact her provider and make a complaint if her plan includes Canada wide calling

[gblackma]

It wouldn't be long distance for you on one of the Canada wide plans @hiener . It depends on your friend's plan whether its long distance or not. And apparently it is. Stay safe. 

[Daps · Accepted solution]

@hiener It really depends on what plan your friend has. And where your friend is calling from.

If they were with public mobile, all calls within Canada to Canadian numbers are included with the current talk plans.