Travelling on a Province Wide Plan

[Double_J]

Hi,

I have an unlimited BC calling plan.  I was wondering what happens if I took the phone to Alberta?  Would I be able to call out and receive calls?  Would the internet package on my plan work in Alberta?  What about texting?

If it doesnt work.  Is there any package I can add on to my province wide plan to be able to use it in another province?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[brainfreze]

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@mimmowrote:

@Double_J  If it was me I would probably go for the $15 for 400 minutes this give you the ability to cal a select number of international countries and the USA for a reasonable price.   I have had my minutes for 1.5 years now and only used 100 minutes.  its a great fall back.

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Same here. I signed up with the basic 200minutes and have only used 95 minutes for the past 1.5 years between here and Saskatchewan. The province wide calling feature is excellent.

[tylerbeckmann5]

Before switching to self serve I asked this very question , it's to numbers with your area code , for example my father lives in Ontario but I call him regularly from Quebec with no add on on a province wide plan weekly . Because he hold a 514 area code phone

[Double_J]

@stonechucker I told you in other forums and mentioned multiple times in this thread and others. 

I was in Walmart and they had a special promo offer being advertised.  The guy said it is for a limited time and is a special offer through Walmart.  Its the same plan as the $35 one online.  Its basically a $5 discount.  He mentioned when the special offer is gone and you change plans you wont be able to get it back so be sure before switching plans because if you change back to a $30 plan after the promo is over you will likely go down from 1 GB to 500 MB.

Whether you are a regular or not, there are promos going on all the time at different stores.  Whether it is a special promo plan, gift card promo, or special gifts you need to shop around outside of this website to see whats being offered in the market.  Swing by your local Walmart and asks whats the current promos going on and they will help you out.

Theres no secret to this plan.  Maybe the only requirement is that it is a new activation.  If you dont see it on your plan change options in your account on Public Mobile then it is obviously only available at Walmart and may require new activation and cannot be added for existing customers.  For clarification my plan is actually $32 but I signed up with my credit card to get $2 off.

[stonechucker]

@Double_J,

That doesn't make any sense to us, who are regulars in the community.  That plan, as stated, is $37/30 days without autopay discount in the plan selector.

How did you manage to get this?

[Double_J]

I purchased 1 GB from Walmart with unlimited global texts and province wide calling for $30

[Luddite]

@Double_J Did you not report that Walmart gave you a PM plan with 1 GB data for $30? We are all still curious precisely which plan you purchased and the price.

[Double_J]

Apps would not be feasible as this is being used by a Senior and need to keep it as simple as possible.  They prefer old fashioned calling numbers directly.

[will13am]

@Double_J, although not mentioned so far, there is the option to use an app to make calls on data and save on buying long distance minutes.  Hangouts and Fongo are two good options.

[Double_J]

I would only need 50 mins or so for a short trip to Calgary, however your idea about going for 400 minutes would be good since it doesn't expire.  If I dont use it all, they will be there for a future trip.  It will also be useful once I come back to BC, I can also use those minutes to call Calgary or Toronto for example for long distance purposes.  It is not the cheapest but the amount of calls I make are minimal so its good to know they will be there when I need them.

From my understanding, when you leave your home territory (i.e. go to Alberta from BC) your number takes on the form of a local number (i.e. your number will act like a local Calgary number).  You then take on that local calling area as your own.  Calling or receiving calls within Calgary would be part of your plan since you are now considered part of the Alberta local area.  To call back to BC it would be considered long distance since your number is acting like a local Alberta number.  You would then need to pay long distance.  If a BC number calls you, its no problem as you can pick up numbers from anywhere in the world.  I believe the person calling a your BC number would avoid long distance as well.

[mimmo]

@Double_J  If it was me I would probably go for the $15 for 400 minutes this give you the ability to cal a select number of international countries and the USA for a reasonable price.   I have had my minutes for 1.5 years now and only used 100 minutes.  its a great fall back.

I also want to reiterate what @imm1304 said incoming calls should not work while out of province but they do, will this bug get fixed no one knows but it is important to know the official policy vs actual so that you are not caught off guard.

[Korth]

On the plus side, it's a prepaid plan which never bills for "overages" - if a "long-distance" or "out of area" call isn't covered in your Province-wide talk then it simply won't happen.

You could purchase a Long Distance Add-on ($8 for 200 minutes US&Canada or $15 for 400 minutes US&Canada&International), and unused minutes will continue to roll forward (indefinitely) into subsequent billing cycles.  It shouldn't be necessary, and it's not the best rate in town, but it's still an option which can give you a buffer on this (and future) out-of-province trips.

Another option is long-distance calling cards purchased locally (wherever that is).  They can offer even cheaper pennies-per-minute rates, but they tend to expire or have other limitations which only make them cheaper over a short duration.

[imm1304]

Hey @Double_J,

The long distance call add-ons are not monthly.  You buy them when needed and they don't expire until used up.  When you use up the first add-on, just buy another one at that point.. which in my case is often once a year or less. 

@tylerbeckmann5, that's not correct. Its provincewide calling plan.  In this scenario, you can call out to Alberta numbers but NOT to BC numbers while in Alberta.  Traveling out of province triggers long distance calling as described with footnotes on the relevant pages.  

Also, the incoming calls are not supposed to work while traveling out of province unless you buy a long distance add-on.. but as reported by a lot of people, the incoming calls seem to work just fine while traveling out of province.  Hope this helps.  

[tylerbeckmann5]

If you are calling a bc number while in Alberta with a bc plan you shouldn't have a problem . From what I have understood.

[Double_J]

Its good to know data and texting work across Canada.

So if I went to Alberta I can call local numbers in Calary for example and would be able to receive calls from anywhere?  From what I understand I would not be able to call back to BC, but if someone called me from there I would be able to pick it up?

If I wanted to call back to BC I would need to add 200 mins Long Distance for $8 a month.

Just want to make sure I understand your comments correctly.  Thanks

[wetcoaster]

Data and texting work Canada wide. So you could just forward calls from your Public Mobile to you Fongo or other VOIP number.

The "official" way to have the talk option of your PM plan fully functional for all incoming and outgoing calls to anywhere in Canada is adding a long distance add-on ($8 for 200min, $15 for 400min).

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Knowledge-Base/Province-wide-Canada-wide-and-Long-Dis...

Edit: @will13am has faster fingers...

[will13am]

@Double_J, data is Canada wide, so no issues there. With a province wide calling plan, you will not be able to place calls back to the home province which becomes long distance.  A long distance add-on will be required.  However, calls can be made to the visited province only.  You will also be able to receive calls from anywhere.