SMS plans - Does international SMS include Australia?

[rob79]

Title says it all. Can I text my AUS friends with the Interantional SMS plan?

Thanks!

[rob79]

@srlawren - all good info.

I'm hoping that those problems are few and far between, but definitely prepared to deal with them if need be. Thanks!

[srlawren]

@rob79 looks like @youbme beat me by a long mile to the punch in answering your question about the renewals issues.  As he mentions, there's the bug where you see incorrect status in self-serv the evening of the renewal, which isn't bad just a bit scary if you're not expecting it.  youbme also mentioned that sometimes when you have a scheduled plan change at renewal time, it may not work correctly and you may end up with the old plan still.  I believe there is a 3rd category of folks for whom the renewal fails and their service is actually disconnected until they are able to resolve it with the PM support team.  This can happen if you are not using auto pay and forget to make a payment in time, but I believe some folks with autopay sometimes see the charge go on their credit card but the account still does not renew correctly.  These are the worst case scenarios but can usually be resolved fairly quickly by customer service.

While I think the likelyhood of you experiencing an issue on renewal is relatively low, I just thought you should know there is a possibility you could, and could wind up without service for a period of time (possibly up to a few days). 

[Luddite]

@rob79 I agree with your analysis, and I thought my sister would think the same. However, being in Florida using Fongo has converted all her contacts to that phone number so it would actually be aggravating to migrate them back. Plus she has decided to do the snowbird thing for the next several years and will need to put her Canadian cell service into 'vacation' mode anyway. Based on my  research PM's 91 day cycle to retain a phone number is excellent value for retaining one's account/phone number.

Just occurred to me that using data only really has no penalty to letting an account expire; just order a spare SIM before leaving and activate when returning. Wow, she may get her phone service cost down to just $15/30 days for the 7-8 months she is in Canada!

[rob79]

@Luddite

At the risk of sounding like a ... luddite (lol) I can't see myself ever going data-only. I don't mind a bit of extra work to save a few bucks, but having a Canada-wide long distance plan and internationl SMS is just too convenient. I just want those 2 things to work without having to install extra apps, change phone numbers around to different providers, etc, etc.

I'm a frugal person (hence my switch to PM from Koodo), but there is a limit to my frugality. Even with Koodo I feel like I'm getting good value for my money, but the idea of getting the same features, on the same network, and saving ~$250/year is too appealing to pass up.

Regarding my data usage, as I mentioned I only use it for data-sipping apps like messaging. I have an iPhone - and before anyone asks yes I have looked into the APN settings and know what's up with that now - so iMessage (the built-in messaging app) requires data for iPhone-to-iPhone communications. I can turn it off and go full SMS, but I really like the way iMessage works. Other than messaging, I might scroll through twitter or facebook once in a while but that's about it. Oh, and maps when I need them of course. I didn't think to mention it because it uses so little data, but honestly my biggest thing is email. I get dozens of emails for work each day and I need to stay on top of them or else they just pile up.

I don't allow apps/iOS to update over data. Heck, I don't even allow photos to backup over data. That stuff can wait until the next time I connect to wifi. I also never watch videos on my phone... Maybe the occasional 10 second clip someone posts on FB, but I never go to youtube or netflix or something with the intention of watching a full video.

[Luddite]

@youbme @rob79 That's the plan & Add-on I have as well. Use data when travelling for browsing, facebook, and maps and have yet to come close to 400 Meg/30 days. Have previously found that the data killers were app/OS updates and videos.

My sister has been having decent success with Fongo for voice/SMS while in Florida and will likely go data only (as does 778 I believe) on her return when her pre-paid contract with Telus expires. Will start her with 1 Gb/90 days and monitor carefully in case she needs an Add-on to tide her over the 1st 90 days then get the 4Gb plan if needed. 

[rob79]

@youbme

I'm a *very* light data user. I mostly only use data for messaging (ie. iMessage, Whatsapp) which barely uses any data, and the rare scroll through facebook. It seems like there is wifi everywhere now.

I go through 1GB about ever 5-6 months so I'm basically going to be doubling the amount of data I can use and still saving that $20/month.

I do like that PM still offers boosters that don't expire. I don't call the US very often, so I'm going to get the Canada-wide voice plan and buy the 400 minute international long distance booster. It will probably last me a year.

Being able to get a 1GB data booster is also a nice bonus (as you said, it's basically "insurance") but I doubt that I will ever go through the 1GB the plan offers in 90 days...

[youbme]

Exactly @rob79. Very interesting, though not surprising, that Koodo has the same self-serve issue.

What I found during my first three months of PM service was I ended up using more data than expected (I have 1GB for 3months). I suspect this was a subconscious reaction to having access to a full GB, and not fully comprehending that I have to make it last for 3 months  

So, I ended up getting a 1GB add-on halfway through, I will say that it's a decent deal as now I have 700mb left for the add-on, basically acting as "emergency" data if I run out of my plan data.

Now, I set-up a quota on my phone of 400mb every month (through Android) and 1GB per 3months using AVG.

Moral of the story: Pay attention to your data use regularly and don't ignore data warnings that you might set-up for yourself on your phone

[rob79]

@youbme

Ah, makes sense. Yeah, I don't see myself making any plan changes...ever....unless they come out with something amazing. I'm very consistant with my usage it seems so I know what to get up-front. 

I figure I'll be saving about $20/month (or $60 per renewal period on the 90 day plan) over Koodo which is my reason for switching. It's too good of a deal to pass up.

Strangely enough, Koodo self-serve does the same thing during the renewal period! The plan goes from "active" to "suspended" (my mistake, it actually goes from "active" to "expired") the day of the renewal, but service continues to work. 

Honestly, I probably won't even be looking that closely at it once I'm up and running. Pick the plan, turn on autorenewal, and go from there. Only time I should even have to log in is to check my data usage occasionally and/or if there is a problem of some kind :).

[youbme]

Hi @rob79,

Sounds like you are doing your homework! Regarding the issue with renewals mentioned by @srlawren, it is primarily a concern when you make a plan change. I just had my first renewal last week (more details here) and all went well for me. Beware, there is a bug that causes self-serve to claim your account is 'suspended' during the renewal period - see here: account suspended bug

However, service is typically not impacted during renewal. If you intend to change your plan upon renewal, then be sure to pay close attention to your account during that period and if there is an issue, PM has been quick to solve these problems lately.

Keep us posted when you join - hopefully all goes well!

[rob79]

@srlawren

Yup. I got interested in PM back in December after I found out that they were available in Nova Scotia. Before that I thought it was Ontario/Quebec only. Like I said, at that time I had a bunch of voice/data left on my Koodo account so it's given me a ton of time to read through the forums, ask the questions I felt like I needed answers to, etc. I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what to expect now.

Regarding renewal issues: can you tell me a little bit more about what you mean? I haven't heard much about that one. I plan to go onto a 90 day plan with auto-renewal enabled (for the rewards). Should I anticipate any downtime over the renewal dates? Is there something I can do to try to prevent that?

[srlawren]

No worries Rob, sounds like you should be fine, and that you've got your switch over planned pretty darn well.  Great job on your research!  I also hung out here for a bit and asked some questions before pulling the trigger, moving from post-paid Telus.  For both of us, it's the same network we always enjoyed, but at a lower cost.  It's a no-brainer.  [Provided of course you can live with the occasional downtime due to renewal issues that can crop up with no access to immediate phone support--my standard disclaimer as some people truly need virtually 24x7 availability]

[rob79]

@Luddite - I've read a bit about the Koodo prepaid/PM problems and plan to do just what you suggested. I've been planning to switch for a while but had a bunch of booster usage banked on Koodo that I wanted to use up first. Right now I'm planning to make the switch on the 19th of this month (a week before my current Koodo plan rolls over).

I've changed my email address in preperation for this and plan to do the temporary number activation then send a message asking for my number to be ported. Fingers crossed that a lot of those old kinks have been ironed out by now :).

[Luddite]

@rob79 Coming from Koodo has its perils. Best to change your Koodo email address before activating a PM account, and activate a temporary number before attempting to post your Koodo number.

The SMS/MMS note on the Plans pages is clearly out of date now that international text is offered all without specifying the countries accessible. 

[rob79]

Alright, thanks for the info folks. Glad to know I'm not the only person that found this confusing :).

@NDesai - there is now an international SMS option. You must have been reading an older post back from when the only option was Canada-wide. Just not sure which countries the International option actually covers.

@Martin - Ah, you're right. I assumed that those same rules that applied to international voice would also apply to international SMS. It's quite an old post anyway and I'm sure things have changed since then so I'm hesitant  to rely on it 100%. Good to know that it works with at least some carriers, I guess that means they'll be progressivly adding more in the future. I'm currently with Koodo prepaid and can send/receive SMS to the people I know in AUS just fine, so hopefully that means there is already a partnership with their carriers.

@srlawren - No worries but thanks for the offer! Worst case scenario I'll just use Whatsapp, or Viber, or one of the million other messaging apps out there :).

[srlawren]

Hi @rob79,

As it seems the answer may be "it depends", the best way to find out is probably to try it.  Since I'm not sure that you're actually a PM customer yet, you probably want this info before activating.  If you want, feel free to PM me the number (or a few) in Autralia that you'd like to contact, and I can send them a test message to see if they go through and can reply or if PM replies that it's not available.  I have the international texting option, so I totally don't mind trying for you if you'd like.  Or if you're not comfortable or don't need it tested before activation, that's cool too!

Cheers!

[Martin]

Hi @rob79,

The 18 countries that you referenced were locations to which VOICE calls could be made.

With respect to international SMS, PM, on its plan's page, offers that option. Texting to Australia is possible as long as the recipient's wireless carrier has a reciprocal agreement with Telus, and thus with Public Mobile.

I hope that this reply has answered your question.

Cheers.

[NDesai]

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@rob79 wrote:

@NDesai 

Excellent. The only info I could find was an old post that only showed 18 countries...and Australia wasn't one of them.

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I am sorry, i wasnt aware of the list that follows interntional texting. 

I will have to say i am not completely sure if you can text to AUS.

But if you have data on your plan, you can use texting app or whatsapp to text anyone in the world. 

EDIT: upon searching it seems like PM does not offer international texting yet. I believe only Canada wide.

[rob79]

@NDesai 

Excellent. The only info I could find was an old post that only showed 18 countries...and Australia wasn't one of them.

[NDesai]

Yes, you sure can.

Edit: i am sorry, i m not 100% sure...