@espanol599
Here are your options for keeping your account/plan/rewards while travelling abroad. If you just have a current in market plan with no special promotions tied to it then last suggestion may be an option to consider.....but if you have a grandfathered plan with certain features you want to keep (like full speed 4G LTE data) then changing to a cheaper plan is not possible without losing that plan forever.
The same applies to plans w/certain promotions like this summer's promocode 2GBBONUS additional renewable 2gb bonus plan data.
- You can turn off autopay and allow the account to suspend at the of your current 30 day cycle but this is your least advantageous option. Pay and reactivate by day 85 or so.
- If you have an account balance that exceeds your plan amount then you need to suspend via the lost/stolen feature in your account before midnight eastern on the evening of your renewal. Then on day 85 or so resume your service to pay and reactivate.
- Suspending via lost/stolen before midnight eastern will keep your voicemail active allowing you retrieve voicemail and any verification sent by phone calls. However your rewards will not be applied to your account. CSA contact after paying and reactivating is necessary to have the rewards applied manually.
- Voicemail can be accessed by calling your pm number from a different phone by calling your phone # and pressing * once connected and entering your 4 digit voicemail pin #.
- If you don't have an account balance or enough balance to cover your plan amount you can suspend via lost/stolen after midnight but before 2 am eastern on the day of your renewal. Once your rewards have been applied (usually by 12:15 am et) then suspend your account.Voicemail access will be lost.
- Switching to the $15 plan with rewards helping to cover a partial or full amount of your plan allows you to call forward your pm number to your fongo number. Make sure you do this with your pm sim card in your phone before you leave Canada. Now any incoming calling to your pm number will ring thru to your fongo number while on wifi or mobile data (w/a local or global sim card) You can access your fongo voicemail for all voicemail messages.
Most important mark on your calendar day 85 of your suspension and day 88/89. Do not forget when you must unsuspend your account via lost/stolen and/or pay and reactivate your service so you don't lose your phone number and account.
Sometimes pm will send a reminder email to reactivate but they are very YMMV so do not rely on them to remind you to reactivate your service.
Perhaps pre-arranging with a friend or family member an emergency back up plan to check for active service on day 88 and contact you or they can have a pm voucher on hand to pay for your service just in case..... by calling 1-855-4PUBLIC and entering your 10 digit phone # (only works for accounts suspended for non-payment.)
Don't forget you must top up your available funds with enough to cover your plan amount and reactivate your services before 90 days.....the 90th day gives approximately 6 hours of leeway between midnight and 6am eastern before an account is cancelled and deactivated permanently resulting in the loss of your phone number and it released back to the original provider.
https://toomanyadapters.com/international-sim-card-comparison/
https://toomanyadapters.com/buying-local-sim-cards/
Happy travels and Stay--Safe!!
