Text only plan

[FrugalDude]

Just want to make sure I am understanding the pricing online...

Under the Unlimited Text feature there are only two options 'global' and 'No text'.  My assumption is then that if I dont select these that the option is I have unlimited Canada-wide texting - and the price is $25 (plus taxes) for 90 days. 

Can someone  confirm that this is correct? 

[mmcgreal]

I stand corrected: $55 per 90 days and not per 3 calendar months.

[mmcgreal]

I stand corrected: $5 per 90 days and not per calendar month.

[srlawren]

Ah yes @mmcgreal, I forgot about the 90 day discounts.  Sorry about that.

To be pedantic, you could then argue that the actual cost is $55 / 90 = $0.611111 per day * 365 = $223.0555555 per year / 12 = $18.59 per calendar month.  I realize that's not much more than the $18.33 you calculated, just being thorough.  🙂

[mmcgreal]

The 90-day, no talk, international texting, no data plan is $55 per month =  $55 / 3 = $18.33 per month.

Thank you for your breakdown of the plans. I can probably get by with 50 texts (outgoing) per month, but I will see how it goes. I find $20 pretty steep for texting which requires close to zero bandwidth.

I will consider switching to a text only plan, but sometimes you need to talk. The $10 50/50 plan, with add-on minutes, is a workable compromise, it appears.

Regards, Martin

[srlawren]

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@mmcgreal wrote:

N.B. in the "Terms and Conditions," it states

"5. Add-Ons are available for use only with an active plan. Long distance Add-Ons require a monthly talk feature on the rate plan."

It appears public mobile offers a text only plan for $18.33 per month (without autopay) and $16.33 (with autopay).

However, it appears you cannot add the 200 Canada, US minutes for $8 "add-on" unless you subscribe to the $10 talk plan.

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@mmcgreal where are you getting the $18.33 figure from?  First off all plan prices are quoted pre-tax and are whole numbers, so I'm guessing you've factored tax in there to start.  But I'm not sure where you're finding that plan.  The 30-day, no talk, international texting, no data plan appears to be $20 in the build your own plan page.  This is before any rewards (such as auto-pay) and pre-tax.

You are correct that you cannot use the long distance add-on minutes as a substitue for regular talk airtime on any plan other than the $10 30-day 50-min talk 50-outbound-text plan, which also would not be helpful to you since there's no way to add on additional texting (and you were interested in unlimited texting so I'm assuming 50 is way too low for the better part of a month).

If you want talk time as well, you could look at the 30 day, unlimited province-wide talk, interenational texting, and no data plan for $25 (pre-rewards, pre-taxes).  If you need Canada-wide calling, that price goes up to $35 unfortunately.  However, if you do need Canada-wide calling, you're actually smarter to choose the 30 day, unlimited Canada-wide talk, international texting, and 500MB of "3G" speed data plan since it's $5 cheaper at $30.  This plan is the best overall value today and the cheapest way to get all 3 services.

[mmcgreal]

N.B. in the "Terms and Conditions," it states

"5. Add-Ons are available for use only with an active plan. Long distance Add-Ons require a monthly talk feature on the rate plan."

It appears public mobile offers a text only plan for $18.33 per month (without autopay) and $16.33 (with autopay).

However, it appears you cannot add the 200 Canada, US minutes for $8 "add-on" unless you subscribe to the $10 talk plan.

[Rabbi]

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@FrugalDude wrote:

Yikes - so much for being a value priced mobile provider!  I have an all you can text plan from another provider that is unlimited incoming and outgoing texts + calling at $0.30/minute - for $110/year.  I guess I am sticking with that plan!

Thanks!

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hi @FrugalDude the price as now is $55 for 90/days & after autopay its $49 for 90 days 

for a year will be $196 for unlimted globel & after 5 years will be $36 for 90 days, $144 for a year

[srlawren]

@FrugalDude you've gotten some great info here.  Much like @will13am said, no provider is going to be everything to everyone, and unfortunately your particular usage pattern isn't one where PM offers good value.  If you add additional services such as talk and/or data, your savings go up.  For example, on a 90 day, single service plan like you were pricing, you pay full price for that service.  If you add a second service, you get a $15/90 day discount on the bundle.  If you add a 3rd service, the discount increases to $45/90 days.  But yes, for single service, PM is rather expensive and I don't personally recommend them, unfortunately, for that scenario.

[computergeek541]

Canadian texing is part of the "Global" package.  Global texting is to all countries.

[will13am]

No service is ideal for every situation.  If you just want unlimited text, this service is not so good.  The best value comes from having data in the plan package. 

[stonechucker]

@FrugalDude,

Public Mobile doesn't do per minute billing or per use billing on anything.

Talk is unlimited (Provincewide, Nation Wide, etc..), texting is Global unlimited only (or not at all), and Data is in bulk purchase for the legth of your package.

It's different that any post paid plans with per minute billing into the next month (to catch up).  At Public Mobile, all costs are prepaid for 10, 30 or 90 days.  No *SHOCK" at all on any of the three services.

I'm glad you have a service already for a better price on txt only.  Public Mobile use to have unlimited txting nationwide, but dropped the option last summer.

[FrugalDude]

Yikes - so much for being a value priced mobile provider!  I have an all you can text plan from another provider that is unlimited incoming and outgoing texts + calling at $0.30/minute - for $110/year.  I guess I am sticking with that plan!

Thanks!

[SD08]

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@FrugalDude wrote:

Just want to make sure I am understanding the pricing online...

Under the Unlimited Text feature there are only two options 'global' and 'No text'.  My assumption is then that if I dont select these that the option is I have unlimited Canada-wide texting - and the price is $25 (plus taxes) for 90 days. 

Can someone  confirm that this is correct? 

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@FrugalDude

PM does not have the "Canada-wide texting" option that you mention.  It's global or none.  The selection you've made is not complete.  The $25 is merely the cost of the 90-day pass.  You must have at least one item selected from talk/text/data to have a valid plan.

[wetcoaster]

To be able to send and receive sms and mms you need the global unlimited text feature.

(If you pair it with one talk option other than "no talk" and/or one data option other than "no data" the price of the text feature will be in part or fully offset with the bundle discount.)

[xCameron94x]

you need to select texting, so the price will be different. When i did it, it came to about $70 for the 90 day plan. So it would at least be better to go with the current talk & text promo for $81