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Larger US Data Roaming Add Ons???

Salmonlips
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

This is more of a suggestion than a question unless someone could speak with great authority, but it would be nice if there were a couple more options for larger data add ons when in the US.

 

I'd love to see

  • 250
  • 500
  • 1gb
  • 3gb
  • 5gb
  • 10gb

or something like this, i feel like 1gb is too little for what i'll need and from my understanding if i go over the 1gb limit it's a hassle (or impossible) to get another 1gb added onto this unless i really had the foresight and got lucky with mods being quick to reply.

 

so then i'd have to get a 500mb plan which is $5 less than the 1gb plan, in that case i'd rather have 2+ to feel safe about everything.

 

I don't know what others think, but maybe this is a possibility?!?!?!?!?!?!  PPPLEEEAAASSE

9 REPLIES 9

Salmonlips
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

@stonechucker wrote:

Just a suggestion, why not get a local sim with a data plan, and a portable HOTSPOT?  Tether your phone a/o laptop a/o tablet, and go with that?  Small outlay for the HOTSPOT, and the local sim, but you'd have the ability for the data you're looking for.

 

WiFi is great if you can use it at local offered locations, but if you're looking for cellular data, this could be your best option.

 

Of course, be sure to flag the connection as metered so you don't use too much!


Full reason?

I'm too lazy to go to Walmart / Convenience store once arriving there to get the super tmobile plan or one of the mvnos of tm or att.

 

I am one of those travel people who goes into like perpetual "zone-out travel research" mode online.  Spreadsheets and documents, bookmarks, mapping (all the way down to clustering and route optimizations hahaha)

 

But i have come to the conclusion that i'd just like something like this to be easier already, no need to carry the little sim hole pin tool and swap sims and do stuff if i already have one that is capable of giving me a good enough plan and just buy the add on and use it and be done.  no need for me to check out who has better coverage and which of the mvnos i can go and buy and what store is closest to where i'm staying.  i just want to give PM like $30-50 and enjoy 3-5gb so i can toodle around doing anything I want to do.

srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@Salmonlips wrote:


So basically Roam Mobility but with PM instead 🙂

I used to always use roam and then my SIM expired and I said I'm never going back if I can find an easier option.


@Salmonlips  basically, yeah!  I'm also a former RM customer.  Actually, the last time I went south for a few days, I was wanting to make use of them again to keep my card active (it was near expiry), but I couldn't find the darn thing so it's now expired too.  My line is with Koodo now and $8 a day in the US for Easy Roam does add up pretty quickly vs. $5/day with RM.

 

 


@stonechucker wrote:

Just a suggestion, why not get a local sim with a data plan, and a portable HOTSPOT?  Tether your phone a/o laptop a/o tablet, and go with that?  Small outlay for the HOTSPOT, and the local sim, but you'd have the ability for the data you're looking for.


@stonechucker this is always an option.  It's just not as convenient as having your own number active for phone calls and texts with the US Roaming add-ons.  I guess you could forward your inbound calls to Fongo/other VoIP and take calls over the hotspot that way and make outbound calls with your own # as caller ID via Hangouts Dialer over mobile data over the hotspot and just receive incoming texts (which you get for free without any add-ons) and respond in other ways like email or other messaging app that runs on data over the hotspot....     ....but it's all a bit of a bother.  Just sayin'.


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Just a suggestion, why not get a local sim with a data plan, and a portable HOTSPOT?  Tether your phone a/o laptop a/o tablet, and go with that?  Small outlay for the HOTSPOT, and the local sim, but you'd have the ability for the data you're looking for.

 

WiFi is great if you can use it at local offered locations, but if you're looking for cellular data, this could be your best option.

 

Of course, be sure to flag the connection as metered so you don't use too much!

Salmonlips
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

@srlawren wrote:

@Salmonlips more choice is always better (within reason)! 

 

However, yes I'd rather see them focus on a couple of other updates rather than (or before) offering different data amounts.  Off the top of my head, here's my list of things I'd like to see them change about the US Roaming add-ons sooner than later, in approx order of most to least urgent:

 

  1. Fix the US Roaming Texting add-on expiry bug
  2. Ability to repurchase US Roaming data add-ons, and to stack the same one as needed
  3. Block ability to purchase the US Roaming Talk and Text add-on(s) more than once at a time, because this causes problems, or fix the problems
  4. Allow customers to pre-purchase and specify a start day (similar to how Roam Mobility does)
  5. Allows customers to purchase any number of days--within reason say between 1 and 30 maybe (similar to how Roam Mobilitiy does); bonus: varying price structure, getting cheaper (per day) as your # of days increases
  6. Even longer-term offerings for snowbirds

 


So basically Roam Mobility but with PM instead 🙂

I used to always use roam and then my SIM expired and I said I'm never going back if I can find an easier option. It would be great if PM could offer some similar offerings (hence my original suggestion of the tiers of roaming data that we could/should be able to purchase). 

 

Of course as you tell me, temper my expectations.  I know what I'm getting here for the most part, but it sure would be nice if convenience stepped up to exceed my needs bahahah.

 

 

srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@Salmonlips more choice is always better (within reason)! 

 

However, yes I'd rather see them focus on a couple of other updates rather than (or before) offering different data amounts.  Off the top of my head, here's my list of things I'd like to see them change about the US Roaming add-ons sooner than later, in approx order of most to least urgent:

 

  1. Fix the US Roaming Texting add-on expiry bug
  2. Ability to repurchase US Roaming data add-ons, and to stack the same one as needed
  3. Block ability to purchase the US Roaming Talk and Text add-on(s) more than once at a time, because this causes problems, or fix the problems
  4. Allow customers to pre-purchase and specify a start day (similar to how Roam Mobility does)
  5. Allows customers to purchase any number of days--within reason say between 1 and 30 maybe (similar to how Roam Mobilitiy does); bonus: varying price structure, getting cheaper (per day) as your # of days increases
  6. Even longer-term offerings for snowbirds

 


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Salmonlips
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

@srlawren

 

That said--you can always download Netflix (and many other video and audio streaming services') content over Wifi for offline use while you're out and about and easily get by with "only" 1GB for 10 days of use, even with fairly heavy messaging, gps navigating, checking out restaurant review and planning outings, emailing, etc.--again, other than tethering of course.  


You are definitely not wrong about being able to make it with 1GB for 10 days, I'd actually be pretty surprised if I didn't, unless i was letting all my photos and videos back-up. 

 

But afaik, if you do go over, you can't just buy another 1GB add-on without preloading $20 more and hoping the mods see your message in time.  I thought an easier option would be just to add more packages that you could choose from "if you needed it".

 

I mean the easiest solution would also just be, allow a person to buy the 1GB again if you ran out.  But if i could get 3gb for $30 or 5gb for $50, i'd seriously be considering that option.

srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@Salmonlips yeah fair enough, and tethering of course would use data up quicker.  Obviously everyone's needs are different, I was just thinking for an average user.   I'm not saying your idea is bad per se and yeah I'm sure there's no reason the roaming partners (AT&T & T-Mobile) wouldn't want PM to offer up bigger buckets at a bigger $.  I don't think it would be difficult, I just again don't see it as likely happening any time soon.  You have to keep expectations low here and judge this provider for what it offers today and wether it meets your needs adequately at your budget point.  

 

That said--you can always download Netflix (and many other video and audio streaming services') content over Wifi for offline use while you're out and about and easily get by with "only" 1GB for 10 days of use, even with fairly heavy messaging, gps navigating, checking out restaurant review and planning outings, emailing, etc.--again, other than tethering of course.  


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Salmonlips
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

@srlawren

 

 

That said, the challenge with offering up larger buckets as you suggest--at least for most users--is the 10-day time frame.  For many, it would be difficult to us up 5 or 10 GB before the 10 (9.x) days are done and the add-on expires, losing whatever amount was left in the bucket.  


Challenge accepted Smiley Very Happy

That being said even if it seems difficult there's different use cases.  I usually won't go over 1 gb in a month, but give me some netflix / spotify and maybe some video chat to show off wherever i'm at and i think i could earn my data add on 🙂

That being said i was also imagining potential for tethering, where i could get a larger plan and tether my wife in as well and then we wouldn't have to scramble to get her a data plan as well (she's not on PM)

 

Just thoughts that I wouldn't think would be that hard to just offer.  I figure: If we wouldn't use them we wouldn't get them.

srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@Salmonlips unfortunately, PM is very much a "what you see is what you get" provider.  While I'm not saying they won't offer different/more flexible options in the future, I'm also not saying "hold your breath while you wait".  🙂  The US Roaming add-ons were introduced about 26 months ago, and have not changed at all since.  There is no indication that anything is coming.

 

That said, the challenge with offering up larger buckets as you suggest--at least for most users--is the 10-day time frame.  For many, it would be difficult to us up 5 or 10 GB before the 10 (9.x) days are done and the add-on expires, losing whatever amount was left in the bucket.  


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