New cellphone decision making and concern

[Angelic_Fille90]

Hey everyone,

Hope most of this year has been good to you.

I have been trying to get a new phone but am a bit concerned about what model to get. 

Someone I know wants and is willing to give me their current phone [which ironically is a Alcatel andriod] but they had an issuse with it. (I appreciated the thought though.)

I started thinking of transferring my number to one of two older model flip phones I have, but both were with other cellphone companies and are locked.

I've been leaning more to getting the cellphone most people had back in the early 2000s: BLACKBERRY

The only concern I have though is once I get a new cellphone, will it be compatiable with PublicMobile?

Are older model flip phones and Blackberries compatible with PublicMobile like the Atcatel phones?

[Angelic_Fille90]

@Ben I have the 40 dollar plan which includes unlimited talk and text to all across Canada.

I purchased the 100 megabytes data add-on seperately in case I ever needed to use the internet somewhere that didn't have WIFI. 

[Ben]

If you only use your phone to talk and text you should not be paying for a data plan.

[Angelic_Fille90]

@Luddite I have a data internet add-on plus a long distance add-on.

I won't need a plan that includes more data internet.

[Luddite]

@Angelic_Fille90 It's hard to imagine how you would use a data connection with a flip phone so I suspect you do not need a plan with data. In which case, $40/30 days is more than you need to pay. Currently there is a promo for talk and text:  $25/month* for unlimited text and province-wide talk https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Announcements/NEW-Talk-and-Text-Promo-Plan/m-p/144804

[xCameron94x]

@Angelic_Fille90 its not free yet, it will be in december!

[Angelic_Fille90]

@xCameron94x  I had no clue that its free now to get a phone unlocked. I definitely will look into this. Thank you for informing me on that! 

[xCameron94x]

@Angelic_Fille90 i would wait with asking about unlocking. As of December of this year, carriers cant charge you to unlock a phone, and all phones bought will be unlocked. The good thing is Telus/Koodo locked phones will work with PM

You can go to a bestbuy and look at pre-paid Telus/Koodo phones, and you can also look for unlocked phones on amazon if you want to too. You can get a BLU phone for under $100. Nothing extravigant, but im sure it can answer calls and texts 

[Angelic_Fille90]

@Luddite I'm looking for calling and texting compatible models. I have the 40 dollar plan with PublicMobile so I need a phone which applies to that plan.

I thought about getting an Iphone but I would rather a cellphone which does the basics.

As for the Telus/Koodoo phones I can always ask how much it is to unlock one.

[Luddite]

@Angelic_Fille90 Unlocking a flip phone is usually less than $15. Just be careful it operates in PM's network. Many old flip phones, especially Rogers/Bell, ran only on the 2G network which is not supported by PM. If you can track down the make/models, we will help you check.

This flip phone https://www.speakout7eleven.ca/phones-1/alcatel-a392a.html  is compatible with PM. If you go to a store just look at the box to see if it is unlocked. Most of their phones are.

Are you worn out with too many ideas yet? 

[Luddite]

@Angelic_Fille90 The best test for any new phone is simply install your PM SIM. If it doesn't work immediately go somewhere else.

[Luddite]

@Angelic_Fille90 Do you want just calling and texting? If so, older Blackberries are likely ok.

This site for used iPhones has been good for 3 of my friends:  https://www.getorchard.com?afmc=2zl. Be sure to only search for unlocked, or Koodo/Telus phones. 

[ShawnC13]

@Angelic_Fille90, well congrats on doing research first most don't and find out they should have.  @xCameron94x has given you a great resource for finding out if a phone will work.  There are many low cost phones you can get new it just depends on what you are looking for.  I personally bought my 1 year old phone used online and have no issues.  I got it for 1/4 of original price.  If you do go the route of buying a used phone before you purchase make sure to get the IMEI number and make sure you check that it isn't blacklisted as a lost or stolen phone.

[xCameron94x]

you can use this website to check, it has an extensive list of phones:

http://willmyphonework.net/

 Note: you need to know the model # of the phone you are researching, as different regions will have different varations of the phone.