From RFD. A summary of calling features and useful info:
4GB LTE / Province Talk / Anywhere Text / CD / basic VM plan in Canada.
Coverage: TELUS
What about ZONES? No Zones, get out
I read **bleep**ty reviews about them on internet : That must be years ago, before they bought by Telus. Search for new reviews after 2015 or just simply take a look of this crazy thread.
Voicemail/call display? All Talk plans include Voice Mail and Call Display.
Call Forward? All Talk plans include call forwarding. For provincial calling only plans, make sure the call forwarding is set up while in the home province with forwarding to an in province number to avoid long distance charges.
What about visual voicemail for Iphone? Nope.
What is visual voicemail and does XXXX support it? Dude... google it. If you don't know what it is you probably don't have it. And if your phone has it but you haven't been using it all this time... is there really a point to insisting on having the ability to use it?
Is this pre or post-paid? Public mobile is all pre-paid.
Does PM subsidize phones? No.
Can i get a refund if i don't like the service? No, since they are pre-paid, no refunds. Try their 10 days text only service for $11 to see how it will work.
What's the catch? They do not have any storefronts and there is no phone-in customer support. If you have a problem you go to their community forums. PM customer service is active in the PM community and helps members during regular work hours.
What is province-wide talk? Call anyone in your home province, receive calls from ANYWHERE as long as you're in your home province. If you travel to different province, call anyone in that province, but won't receive calls from anywhere since you're not in your home province. Buy add-ons to solve these problems.
Do the same rules apply to texts and data? No, those both can be used Canada-wide.
Do global texts include picture/mms messages? Yes. MMS is included as part of the text package.
What phones work with this? Locked TELUS/Koodo phones, or unlocked phones.
Will my phone work? Go either here and scroll down to use PM's IMEI searcher or to http://willmyphonework.net/ in order to find out.
I heard that it was cheap because it doesn't work with new phones? You heard wrong. Any phone that works on the Telus network will work with PM.
What happens after 90d? You renew and grandfather your prepaid plan forever and ever and ever
What happens if I go over my data allotment? You can't. Once you hit your data max it will stop working. You can buy a data add-on to carry you to your next term.
Will my unused data carry over? Only the data that you purchased as an add-on
My phone only tracks data in 30 days cycles FFS! Don't despair lonely traveler. You can track 90 days cycles with Data Witness found here if you're on MM. Now if you're still on Lollipop it's still free, but you need to contact the creater of the app on the PM forums to ask for a download code for LP version. Instructions on both how to use the app and contact him found here.
What about LD? You can prepay for some minutes ($8 200mins or $15 400mins), or use a voip app with your generous data plan
What is included in the 400 minutes international add on? It includes 400 free minutes (comes out to 4 cents/minute) Canada-wide and to the Unites States and to 18 countries:
China, Italy, Puerto Rico, France, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, Spain, Malaysia, Greece, Mexico, Thailand, Poland, United Kingdom, India, Portugal, Venezuela
So I need to pay for add-ons monthly? No... it's a one-time purchase. just buy an add-on when you need it.
Will those minutes expire? No, ALL add-ons purchased do not expire and any remainder carry into your next billing cycle.
What about CA roaming? Covered by the same add-ons as LD.
What about US roaming? No US roaming atm. They have announced that they will launch it next month.
Oh but what if I really want Canada-wide instead of buying add-ons? Well, you can if you're willing to settle for just 6GB for the 90 days. It costs $45 per month ($135 per 90 days). Most people are better off just buying add-ons.
Oh but what if I really want Canada and US-wide calling instead? Well, you you can if you're willing to settle for just 6GB for the 90 days. It costs $50 per month ($150 per 90 days). Most people are better off just buying add-ons.
Oh but I can use the data in the US right? This plan is ONLY Canada-wide. If you end up in the US, Europe or even Antarctica you will have no reception.
How do I get this deal? Order the sim card from the website ($5), wait for the sim card to arrive, activate the sim card, enjoy your savings
Do they refund that $5? They used to refund the cost of sending the sim card, but no longer. Suck it up buttercup.
But... how do I port my number? You follow the steps above, and follow the web prompts that deal with porting your number during the sim card activation process, which takes about an hour. Further instructions with pictures.
Do I need to contact my previous provider to cancel before I port to Public? DO NOT cancel with your previous provider unless you don't want your old number. Follow the port instructions above and the old account will be canceled.
Do I need to pay off my bill before I port? Your previous provider should send you the last bill, pro-rated to the day you've left them. Any issues with that, just contact CCTS and file a complaint.
What if I'm porting from Koodo or Telus? There is a known issue If you're using the same email as your previous account. Create your account with a new number, then message one of the moderators to help you move it over.
Do I have to port my number when I sign up for the plan? Or can I sign up now to test out signal, and then port my number over later? You can port your current number over at any time, you don't have to port it when you create your PM account.
I've got a grandfathered plan that's not as good as this deal, should I keep it? Totally up to you.
But I'm worried about them changing the terms... do they have to give us notice? Yup, 30 days notice will be given. But there are still people with grandfathered PM plans from 2014 hanging around.
But that means they can change it whenever they want! I don't want to lose my grandfathered account with X! Dude, let's be realistic here. What's makes you think that your old plan is safe but this one is somehow a flight risk?
Can I call my current provider and ask them to match? Many have tried, none have succeeded. And in one case, the rep stated that they're thinking of switching to this plan as well. Take it as you will.
What if I'm already with PM and I want to change to this plan for my next billing cycle? Instructions with pictures.
What if I'm already with PM and I want to change to this plan NOW? Well if you really want to, you can. But you lose all the time you've already prepaid for previously. Just follow the instructions above until the last step, and click on "Change plan now" instead of "Change on the next renewal date." If you're a true RFDer, you'd just wait until you next billing cycle for your account upgrade to save that moolah.
Can this deal get even better? Yes, set your account up for autopay and save $2 a month. You're richer than you think
Is that all? Of course not, refer your friends for a dollar ($1) a month off!
That's all now, right? Nope. You can also earn rewards to reduce your bill by participating in their forums and helping others out.
Still not all You can earn Rewards for each year you stay with Public Mobile for up to 5 years.
After 1 year = $1 per 30 days, 2 years = $2 per 30 days, 3 years = $3 per 30 days, 4 years = $4 per 30 days, 5 years = $5 per 30 days
Is there a limit to referrals? Yes, when the total discount brings your bill to $0
Holy #!@# No need for expletives, just take your money and run
Public mobile doesn't provide monthly invoices and the transaction history on the self serve site doesn't show taxes but you can request invoices to be emailed to you periodically. They wont be sent automatically but you can private a message a moderator on the forums and request invoice for a corresponding time window.
To get data & MMS working use the APN settings from this page: http://productioncommunity.publicmobile ... ne/ta-p/26
Can I pay with American Express? People report that they cannot activate with an Amex. However, the workaround is to activate with a Visa or Mastercard, and then switch the card to Amex after activation.
Alternate option if occasionally travel in Canada and don't want to pay for add-ons: Fongo is your friend. Get a # same with your PM account home province (Say you have 416 # with PM, then choose an ON # from Fongo). Place calls using Fongo. Forward incoming calls to your Fongo # when you're leaving your home province. This is because Fongo works on anywhere data is accessible and this plan provides data coverage all over Canada. And since it provides Country wide text message, you are missing nothing in this combination.
