New User FAQ

[NDesai]

I realized many people ask similar Qs that are already discussed. So i thought making FAQ post might help them find already answered Qs.

This is just a draft and i will surely add more Qs.

Staff members please feel free to add additional details or edit if i am wrong and if this is helpful, please sticky it.

Top Six Frequently Asked Questions:

I joined Public Mobile before January 11, 2015. Is my service changing?

How do I set up data on my Public Mobile Android phone?
How can I make my payment online?
How do I register for online Self Serve?
Will my iPhone work?

Other General FAQ.

How do i contact Public Mobile?

If you are a PM Client before Jan 11, 2015, dial *611 on your phone that is registered with PM.

If you became client after Jan 11, 2015 and you can't find answer in community forums, click on this link: Contact Us and you will find Email away button at the bottom. That is the only communication support available at the moment. 

I am having following issue(s), what should i do?

1. Activation failure

2. Rate plan renewal failure

3. Port from Koodomobile and PC mobile

4. Double charge issues 

Follow Steps shown in this post: Click Here

How is Public Mobile Coverage?

Public Mobiles runs on Telus network/towers, so most likely where ever telus is available PM should work. Click Here to see PM's coverage map. 

Is Public Mobile Nation-wide?

Yes, If you select Canada-wide talk, all should work around Canada. Data is also Canada-wide. So if you travel across Canada, you should be able to use your plan normally as long as Talk is Canada-wide. 

Is Public Mobile Pre-Paid or Post-Paid or Monthly?

PM is a Pre-Paid service for 10 Days, 30 Days or 90 Days where you make payment before you start using your service. 

What is the different between Pre-Paid and Post-Paid?

Here is a great explanation with example: Click Here

What is the Major Differences between Monthly plan vs 30 Day Plan?

Monthly is where If your Billing date is the 4th, It stays the Same all year, every year.

Whereas 30 Day, Billing Date will NOT stay the Same all year.

Is it really FREE to order a Tri sim card?

Yes

I just got my sim card, now what?

Click Here to get activation started. Upon successful activation, your service is ready to use. 

How long does it take for my ordered sim to arrive?

It takes about 3-7 business days. If you do not get it after more than 10 business days, you may try to order again. 

If i select 90 Days plan, the data selected is for 30 days or 90 days?

Data on 90 Days plan are for 90 days. So for example, if you selected 1GB, you will have about 333 MB per 30 days. Of cource you can use all 1GB within 60 Days but you will not have any data left for remaining 30 days.

Why don't i have a choice to select my local area code number?

PM seems to be running out of local area numbers especially in Toronto (647) and Vancouver (604). Please try selecting cities near you and see if you get a choice. 

They will definitely add more soon or give you a choice to select newly added numbers. 

How to port my number and how long does it take?

During activation set-up you will be asked to either choose new number or port your number. Make sure to enter your account number from previous carrier. It will not go through without giving account number of the carrier you are porting from. 

Under normal circumstances, a successful porting from a cellular carrier is completed within 1 to 4 hours, as long as your account with the carrier that you are leaving is in good standing and paid up to date.

Note: if you are porting your number from Koodo/Telus, Use alternate Email instead of Same Email used on those accounts so that they avoid the Technical Pitfalls associated with them, and that only Edit their emails to their preferred email AFTER porting is Completed Successfully and Service begins without issue.

Can i select talk add-on if i did not select talk on my plan?

Talk add-on will not work if you do not have talk on your plan. 

Can i tether available data on my plan?

Yes, as long as your device supports tethering feature you can share your data with any other deivece. 

Click Here for more details.

Can i make changes to my current plan?

You can make changes BUT, the days you have left on current plan will not be credited. Means you will not get refund for what you already paid. Any unused days in the "old" plan will not be carried forward into the "new" one.

And you will have to pay upfront for the new plan. So the best time to change your plan is near renewal date. 

Will my add-on expire?

No, add-ons do not have expiry date. For example, if you purchased 1GB add-on, you will have that add-on until you completely used 1GB. 

How can i port out my number to different carrier?

Please ensure that your PC number is active for porting to go through. And please activate with a temporary number for now; once activated send an email using Contact Us link providing the following info

1. Your Public Mobile temporary number

2. Your PC Mobile number that you intend to port

3. Your PC mobile account number

4. Your PC mobile PIN #

How to earn rewards?

PM have great ways to earn rewards that can be used to purchase add-ons or use it to pay your bill. Go on this page for more details: Click Here

Can i have multiple accounts to earn more rewards?

If you have more than One account, Community rewards can only be applied on primary account, while Loyalty, Auto-Pay and Refer-a-Friend rewards covers all your accounts. 

I have an idea on how PM can improve their service, where can i share my idea?

You can post your ideas here: Click Here

I did not find Qs here, what can i do?

Please post on this community explaining your problems with details and i am sure members will try their best to help you.

[NDesai]

Bump

[NDesai]

Bumping this up so uers can see.

[Martin]

Hello,

For porting, I would add PC Mobile to Koodo/Telus.

FYI.

[NDesai]

Added some more info.

[Cath]

Because the term "billing date" seems to create some confusion and, in any event, there are no bills from PM, would "payment date" be clearer?  Just a thought...

[makkahn28]

 @Martin, I will accept your advice, as sometimes even I maybe wrong. Plus, With new hardware, software, always willing to learn the best way possible. I will leave the 30/90 Day thing alone, since its more problematic than Photoshop and Adobe. Also, I prefer My Arts and Design Courses to some billing date. @Mansi_G, I do thank you for helping me, and I will keep away from billings, since its more like advil-Migraine Problematic for me, and I do wish to preserve myself at all costs.

@NDesai, You are indeed Correct in your diagnosis on Both my and @Martin's FAQ period.

All I want, Is Just to get my hands on the Alcatel One touch Idol 3  5.5 in phone, and a Wacom Drawpad, for Digital Drawing, I'd be Happy with that.

[NDesai]

@Martin @makkahn28

Lets stay focus on how to make OP better and direct new uesrs to this helpful post. 

You both are great at helping so learn from mistakes and do better. 

[Martin]

makkahn28,

No apology is necessary as you meant no offence. It's your refusal to accept advice, especially after three or four times, which is problematic.

I wish you well in your studies.

Cheers.

[makkahn28]

Now, I am Not playing games. Some PPL had inquired recently. I do NOT mean any offense. Also, with My College Arts, Learning Photoshope, adobe, Art Culture, Plus doing Hundreds of Drawings, Still trying to at least keep up with this as well. Not Attempting to create any Arguments, My apologies, OK?

[Martin]

makkahn28,

In response to your post, go through 12 billing cycles of 30 days each. That's what you referenced. Don't use 1 cycle of 90 days to prove the above. You must go through all 12 30-day cycles to see where and why you are in error.

As you know, I have corrected you 3 or 4 times with precise examples of how a 30-day plan is calculated. At no time, have I been corrected publicly or privately by any community team member. I believe that is the best proof that my examples are correct.

I am not going to play a game with you where, after correcting you 3 or 4 times, I have to provide another detailed example after you make the same erroneous statement about when billing dates occur. In short, how many examples will it take before you accept my advice?

[Mansi_G]

---

@makkahn28 wrote:

@Martin, Why don't you give out your version then? Does Billing date stay consistent all year then? If on the 10, your saying remains on the sane day every year? Because if so, Then how come when I opened 90 Day cycle Aug 10, and system says my next payment date is Nov 9? The System then is lying

---

Hi @makkhan28 - @Martin is only trying to imply that your statement in one of your previous post where you mentioned "Billing date will change once every 60 days" is incorrect and may cause confusion. 

Let's not refer to billing date going forth since the rate plans are designed to provide service for number of days which one selects while building a plan. Referring to billing date in any reply will only cause confusion.

[NDesai]

---

@Mansi_G wrote:

Hi @NDesai - Don't forget to add tags, it will help other members to search for the post easily.

Glad that other members are looking through the content to ensure accuracy. Applaud to the collaborative effort. And as @Martin mentioned already, thanks for the initiative 

---

Will do. And your Welcome 🙂

[Mansi_G]

Hi @NDesai - Don't forget to add tags, it will help other members to search for the post easily.

Glad that other members are looking through the content to ensure accuracy. Applaud to the collaborative effort. And as @Martin mentioned already, thanks for the initiative 

[makkahn28]

@Martin, Why don't you give out your version then? Does Billing date stay consistent all year then? If on the 10, your saying remains on the sane day every year? Because if so, Then how come when I opened 90 Day cycle Aug 10, and system says my next payment date is Nov 9? The System then is lying

[Martin]

Hello,

The "Thank you" goes to you for taking on the task.

Cheers.

[NDesai]

@Martin @Cath @makkahn28 @imm1304 @TroyDaBes 

Thank you everyone for your support. I have made all changes to the OP.

I will continue to add and change things to keep this updated. 

Cheers!

[Martin]

makkahn28,

I disagree with your 11:09 am EDT post of September 10, 2015.

You said that a 30-day billing date changes every 60 days. That is incorrect. If you go through 12 billing cycles of 30 days each, you will see your error.

FYI.

[mbilalbutt]

@makkahn28 thanks for the response. It is inconvenient to use calling cards, i might give skype international calls a try on PM LTE, it should work unlike on wind it is a nightmare. 

[ThatSeaOtter]

Thanks so much @Mansi_G @imm1304! 

Go Public Mobile!!!

[makkahn28]

@mbilalbutt, I checked. Pakistan is NOT in the list of 18 Countries PM has on list.

Using a Prepaid Phone card will let you, unfortunately

[mbilalbutt]

@Mansi_G is it possible to call Pakistan with the long distance add on? 

[Mansi_G]

Hi @ThatSeaOtter - the reply added by @imm1304 is accurate - Add-ons don't expire and will continue to roll over until you use them up.  

[ThatSeaOtter]

Re: voice and data add-ons

Thanks again @imm1304 for the answer. That is good news for me. 🙂  

@Mansi_G I searched and found your post confirming add-ons roll over automatically but I couldn't comment on the post. Is the answer correct in that it's like banking your unused allotment that is purchased via service add-on?

Thanks in advance!

[makkahn28]

No, Data Plan(s) Will NOT roll over, ONLY Add-Ons will

@ThatSeaOtter, here's another Thing that I feel maybe an important factor as well:

 elus/Koodo/PM

HSPA+4G Network Frequency Spectrum:

3G:  850/1900 MHZ

3G is the BARE MINIMUM REQUIREMENT for Talk + Text + Data

4G LTE:  1700/2100 MHZ

Some Phones might NOT be able to do Talk while on LTE, So depending on your device, go into your settings,  look for more, click, then look for Cellular Networks, Click, then look for Preferred Network Type, That's where you can choose between your 3G and 4G LTE settings

4G LTE Advanced:  700 MHZ

(Note: This specific Frequency is currently UNAVAILABLE, Currently being assembled; Also ONLY devices with THIS Built-In WILL be able to take full advantage of THIS; OLDER devices Will NOT Work on THIS

If you choose to bring your own phone, MAKE sure That it has these frequencies, and ALSO Unlocked.

If Handsets ONLY have ONE of the Frequencies, Their Coverage maybe reduced 

[imm1304]

@ThatSeaOtter The add-ons basically don't expire as long as you have active service from Public mobile.  So depending on how fast or slow you go through the add-on allowance, it can last many months.. no limit to it. 

The data that is part of your monthly plan will expire at each renewal date.  No roll-over.  Only the Add-ons stay in your account until you use them up.  

Also, no need to buy the Add-ons every month.. and they are not part of Auto-pay for this reason.  

[ThatSeaOtter]

Thanks @imm1304 for the alternative suggestion.

I noticed that add-ons like long distance minutes and the 1 GB of data are allowed to roll over unused minutes / data to the next month.

Does anyone know more details of the roll over rules? Is it only for one month or can you keep building (banking) up your unused minutes / data?  I had a really old talk plan that was prepaid on Telus and they kept banking my unused minutes as long as I kept the account topped up. It was great because I never lost my unused minutes and had a large > 2000 minutes to draw from near the end.

Cheers

[makkahn28]

Here's another Important FAQ that is also crucial:

What is the Major Differences between a Monthly plan vs a 30 Day Plan

Monthly is where If your Billing date is the 4th, It stays the Same all year, every year

30 Day, Billing Date will NOT stay the Same all year, will Change once every 60 Days

[makkahn28]

@ThatSeaOtter, @imm1304 is correct. If you have let's say 20 days left in your 30 Day plan, Any changes will take immediate effect, and PM will NOT refund for Days left over, and any Data remaining will NOT Roll over, ONLY Add-On Data and Add-On Long-Distance does, and of course any Positive Balances

[ThatSeaOtter]

Thanks @imm1304 for your reply.

That's what I was worried about but thought to myself, that can't be right...

I'll email PM support today to put in a request.

[TroyDaBes]

@NDesai This is a very good FAQ for those new customers looking at what PM offers. Good job on doing this.