Please PIN the announcements of where PM SIMS are being sold

[pm-smayer97]

@Brooke_C  @Alan_K

Could you please pin the original annoucements of where PM SIMS are sold, e.g. Walmart, K Mobile, London Drugs, etc?

I do not always recall where they are sold and it is hard to find the original announcements.

[hTideGnow]

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@dynamo wrote:

I activated at Walmart.  Sim card was free.  The rep said they have had trouble activating online as things would crash during the activation and this happened to me.   Rep was able to call Public Mobile and they we were able to sign me and ported my number in store. It took maybe 40 mins. 

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same experience for me about the Walmart.. esp. about the crash part and they were able to call PM Rep..

btw, the activation - webpage crash seems to be very common.. 😞

[dynamo]

I activated at Walmart.  Sim card was free.  The rep said they have had trouble activating online as things would crash during the activation and this happened to me.   Rep was able to call Public Mobile and they we were able to sign me and ported my number in store. It took maybe 40 mins. 

[pm-smayer97]

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@Triguy wrote:

PM sims are currently on sale for $2.00 through

https://canadiancellsupplies.com.

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Thanks a bunch... great site... CHEAP too... I placed an order and bookmarked it for future.

[Triguy]

PM sims are currently on sale for $2.00 through

https://canadiancellsupplies.com.

[computergeek541]

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@DM100watch wrote:

Cheapest option for me turned out to be buying the sim card from Amazon.ca.    $5 and prime I had it in a couple of days and I had no problems activating it online.  The SIM included a $10 promo which Public Mobile credited to my account so I guess the cost of the SIM card was minus 5 dollars!🤣

https://www.amazon.ca/Public-Mobile-Card-Unlocked-Phones/dp/B07R6P5KBB/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3T6C571T5J51F...

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The $10 credit isn't a promotion, but rather an ongoing offer for new customers to be referrred.

[DM100watch]

Cheapest option for me turned out to be buying the sim card from Amazon.ca.    $5 and prime I had it in a couple of days and I had no problems activating it online.  The SIM included a $10 promo which Public Mobile credited to my account so I guess the cost of the SIM card was minus 5 dollars!🤣

https://www.amazon.ca/Public-Mobile-Card-Unlocked-Phones/dp/B07R6P5KBB/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3T6C571T5J51F...

[pm-smayer97]

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@rhbcc wrote:

If you are also in a mall - certain malls also have the Public Mobile dedicated stall/nook whatever you call it. I got mine and activated in Metrotown in Burnaby last year.

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Do you mean a PM Kiosk, a vending machine, or something else?

[rhbcc]

If you are also in a mall - certain malls also have the Public Mobile dedicated stall/nook whatever you call it. I got mine and activated in Metrotown in Burnaby last year.

[darlicious]

@pm-smayer97 

Just came across this while looking for how to review a retailer....very informative. Grear job!

[pm-smayer97]

Thanks for sharing yoru expereince. A few points to correct or clarify:

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@teazle wrote:

...

- Opt for in-store activation rather than attempting to do it yourself at home online, making an error, and then finding there is no help line to call.

- Review post-paid and prepaid Public Mobile plan options in advance and know which one you want.

...

2.  To open a new Public Mobile account you must first provide your first and last names, address and postal code, date of birth and an alternate phone number.

3.  To get your self-serve account set up you will also need to provide a username (email address) and a password.  You will then select a security question from a list and provide the answer to the associate to enter.  You will also provide a 4 digit PIN number to the associate to enter.  To save time it is useful to have decided on your preferred password and PIN before you begin the process.

....

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Keep in mind that some promotions require that you register online yourself to qualify and registering in the store will disqualify you for that specific promo. So be sure you know the requirements.

ALL plans with Public Mobile are pre-paid. There are no post-paid plans.

If you register online, you can enter whatever info you want. None of that info is validated. And you do not need to supply an alternate tel #.

Also, if you register online you can keep all your personal info personal, including security questions The only info that ever needs to be shared with anyone is your PIN when communicating with PM moderators.

(BTW after over a year with lots of communication with PM, even when they had trouble veirfying me NEVER used the security questions, nor when having trouble resetting account access, and other similar situations; I'm not even sure where or how they are ever used).

Again, thanks for sharing.

[teazle]

I strongly recommend using London Drugs.

I completed an in-store activation at London Drugs Gibsons store this morning (that included porting my existing phone number from Petro Canada Mobility) and the experience could not have been quicker or easier. I walked in with a Petro Canada Mobility account and walked out, 15 minutes later, with a fully functional Public Mobile account, and my old, familiar, phone number.  The LD associate knew what to do and how to do it.  While I stood at the counter he completed the online forms based on my answers to his questions.

My suggestions for a pain free transition are:

- Ensure you have an unlocked phone.

- Opt for in-store activation rather than attempting to do it yourself at home online, making an error, and then finding there is no help line to call.

- Review post-paid and prepaid Public Mobile plan options in advance and know which one you want.

- Familiarize yourself with the Public Mobile activation process in advance, and have all the required information ready to provide to the associate.  If you wish to port over your old phone number that includes:

1. Your old phone number (the one you want ported to Public Mobile), account number and PIN.  (For porting Petro Canada Mobility accounts your account number is your phone number with no spaces).

2.  To open a new Public Mobile account you must first provide your first and last names, address and postal code, date of birth and an alternate phone number.

3.  To get your self-serve account set up you will also need to provide a username (email address) and a password.  You will then select a security question from a list and provide the answer to the associate to enter.  You will also provide a 4 digit PIN number to the associate to enter.  To save time it is useful to have decided on your preferred password and PIN before you begin the process.

The associate then inserts the Public Mobile SIM card into your unlocked phone and selects your desired plan. The porting process completes and various confirming texts are sent to your phone number  ... and voila!  Just pay $10 for the SIM Card and $30 for the activation fee and you're on your way.

That's all there is to it.

[dabr]

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@jeantrot wrote:

Same experience here at Walmart South London. I was not able to buy a sim card for a friend that is visiting. The phone has to be activated.

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Is there WOW boutique anywhere close by if you don't want to activate instore at Walmart?

[jeantrot]

Same experience here at Walmart South London. I was not able to buy a sim card for a friend that is visiting. The phone has to be activated.

[pm-smayer97]

Nice... I have added it above 😉

[Auntyaubray]

If I happen to spot one or hear of any vending machines in B.C. i will be sure to say so. Thanks. That is a wonderful idea.  Isn't it bewildering how ppl are so creative. 

[cappaj]

I started a thread for Public Mobile Vending Machines as well - it's apparently something new and I've only seen one report, where someone spotted it in Dufferin Mall in Toronto. If it makes sense, you could link to that thread and (I hope) that's where people will report other locations they've spotted vending machines:

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Getting-Started/Public-Mobile-vending-machines/m-p/30...

[canadave]

I wound up going immediately afterward to London Drugs and bought the SIM with no problem.

I don't think I would've had any luck trying to convince the guy at Walmart to sell me the SIM. He basically said they had a limited stock and were saving them for people coming in for in-store activations. That story is something others in the community have said they heard too.

[stonechucker]

@canadave, it's best to go in with documentation, detailing what you're looking to do, and remind them that Public Mobile is allowing the 3rd party within Walmart to activate plans when originally, they were only supposed to sell the SIM Cards.  

Stand up to them, know your rights, and refuse to activate in store, or go to a retailer that will sell it to you without issue.

In Ontario at least, there are far more stores selling PM SIMs combined, than Walmart alone.

[canadave]

Just FYI--Walmart's standard practice seems to be that they will only sell you the SIM card if you activate in-store with them. A number of people have mentioned that they will not sell you the card separately, and in fact when I tried it the other day, they refused to sell it to me as well unless I activated in-store with them.

[Anonymous]

 @pm-smayer97:

So I caught up with the forum.

I gotta say I agree with having a pinned topic of where to buy SIM's. How much more important of information can there be with an online self-serve service.

Do we really need the price change pinned topic from over a year ago? No.

Does it need to be only the Walmart pinned topic? No. And we all know how much of a hassle they are.

Maybe the support structure could stay.

But yeah. Right here. Where to buy a SIM. Pinned.

Now, of course, we know people don't read things but sure have all the tags and search terms in the text.

[RobertQc]

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@pm-smayer97 wrote:

So just for reference, I decided to add the following for anyone looking for this info. I have added tags to all the retailer announcements:

Where to Buy SIMS

Retailers

@pm-smayer97This gives a little more to add about each store, and how to find the location closest to you by using the "store locator" from each business.

WalMart There are over 400 WalMart locations across Canada. Find the store closest to you by clicking here.

The Mobile Shop. There are nearly 200 The Mobile Shop locations across Canada, located in places like Loblaws and Real Canadian Superstore. Find the store closest to you by clicking here.

Wow! Mobile boutique. Not very many but in a lot of major cities. Find the closest to you by clicking here.

London Drugs operates 80 locations across 35 major markets. Check here to see if there is a location close to you Click here

K Mobile has 21 stores, see if one is close to you Click Here!

[pm-smayer97]

So just for reference, I decided to a reference post for anyone lookng for this info, here:

Where to buy SIMS for Public Mobile

P.S. It would be nice if PM mods added the tags created to any new announcements for easy searching of new announcements. That would be the next best solution short of pinning the actual original announcements.

[pm-smayer97]

So just for reference, I decided to add the following for anyone looking for this info. I have added tags to all the retailer announcements:

Where to Buy SIMS

Retailers

(they are located on the list of tags to this post, on the right-hand side). Just click the tag to pull up the list.

And the links to all announcements (so far) and related articles so far are:

July 17, 2017 - Public Mobile Retail Launch: SIM cards now at Walmart! *** click here for Walmart locations

July 31, 2017 - Public Mobile Retail Launch: SIM cards now at WOW! Mobile Boutique  click here for WOW! Mobile locations

Nov 21, 2017 - Public Mobile Launches in K Mobile  click here for K Mobile locations

July 7, 2018 - Public Mobile at London Drugs!  click here for London Drugs locations

Sep 19, 2018 - Public Mobile is now available at The Mobile Shop!  click here for The Mobile Shop locations

Nov 30, 2018 - Public Mobile vending machines (test run during 2018 Christmas season only)

Apr 16, 2019 - Public Mobile now has their own kiosks click here for Kiosk locations

You can also buy them via Koodo Mobile BUT be advised that they seem to charge more for them than anywhere else. click here for Koodo locations

July 2, 2019 - Public Mobile SIMs for sale on Amazon.ca. click here to order from Amazon.ca. Note that shipping is not free unless you use Prime or have a minimum $35 order. But third parties might sell for less.

Of course, you can always order from Public Mobile online. click here to order from PM with FREE shipping.

*** Unfortunately many Wal-marts are refusing to sell SIMS unless you activate them in store. For some promotions that require you to activate ONLINE ONLY, this will disqualify you!

Also note that MANY other stores do sell PM SIMs. Click the [Find a Store] button under step "2. Buy a Public Mobile SIM card" on the Get Started page.

You can also leave feedback of your store experience by clicking "Leave a review" under the store location once you find it, then fill out the requested information.

You can also ask SIMON the bot "Where to Buy SIMs" by clicking on the ? on the bottom right side of the screen on this forum, then click "Retail Locations" and it will give you a short list.

P.S. If you want to get notified of all new promos and announcements, read this post:

How to get notified of ANY New Promos, Announcements, System Outages, etc (& any others)

[pm-smayer97]

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@pm-smayer97 wrote:

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@mimmo wrote:

@pm-smayer97another option is to tag the posts you like with your own unique tag.  Then when you search for that tag the thread will come up.

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Thanks, another good suggestion to keep in mind. I did not know you could do that.

Of course, this presume having already found what I am looking for. And that once found I would need it again. So requires a lot of forethought for each thing I am searching... a little impractical but will do it for this search.

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So I have tagged some posts...and it was tricky figuring out how to search by tags...

Eventually found it by going to my profile to see the tags, though not obvious and searching the forum did not yield any results.

BTW, I notice that the forum does not respect exact matches using quotes "...". Is there another way to achieve that?

[stonechucker]

@pm-smayer97, my apologies, I meant in the Topic Options pick list button - It's called Float Topic.

[pm-smayer97]

BTW, you guys are here a lot in this forum so have gotten to know your way around. But you have to consider what it is like for the casual user that only comes once in a while.

What I am pointing out is that even with much effort (I know my way around tech and forums, as a moderator myself elsewhere), it has not been easy finding what should be common and easily accessible info.

[pm-smayer97]

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@mimmo wrote:

@pm-smayer97another option is to tag the posts you like with your own unique tag.  Then when you search for that tag the thread will come up.

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Thanks, another good suggestion to keep in mind. I did not know you could do that.

Of course, this presume having already found what I am looking for. And that once found I would need it again. So requires a lot of forethought for each thing I am searching... a little impractical but will do it for this search.

EDIT: Oh, and it does not help me find NEW announcements.

[Carld123]

@pm-smayer97

Another solution..if you use lots of PM sim cards...next time you see them buy a few...just dont forget where you put them..lol

[pm-smayer97]

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@will13am wrote:

@pm-smayer97, we cannot pin everything because if we did, we would not be able to find anything.  For questions such as this one, it is quite easy to locate in the knowledge base.  There is a getting started knowledge base which has the answer to your question plus additional information needed to support starting up an account. 

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Knowledge-Base/tkb-p/knowledge_base

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Thanks for the suggestiong but I have searched the KB and did not find the answer there, using many different links and tags, etc. That is another reason why I am asking for this.

Also, the only link I found that remotely references participating retailers is in the Getting Started post. https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/on/get-started

But again, the answer is not obvious and you have to know what to click because it is very hard to find the answer for something so basic.

I understand the avoidance to pinning a lot of stuff, but BTW, the announcement for Walmart is pinned, so why not the other few? After all, this is a permanent piece of info, so if it is for one I was only making an obvious request for the others too.

No biggy, just was hoping PM would see some value in it. And at the very least, if the KB is to be the place to go, then they might also consider updating one of their articles to point to something more obvious for this info.

[pm-smayer97]

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@stonechucker wrote:

You can pin the announcement yourself using the three dot menu in the upper right corner of any thread that you wish to continue to follow.

There are so many different ways to keep track of things here, why keep asking PM to do these things for you?

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Not sure why you are suggesting that I keep asking PM to do anyting for me that I can do for myself.

I already checked and I do not see the ability to PIN a specific thread. I do see the ability to pin a discussion area. So if there is a way to do things myself, it is not obvious. That is why I am asking PM to do it.