US Packages

[Doogs]

Hi all.  I am a snowbird and will be going to the USA for up to 6 months this winter.   Are there any public mobile packages or add one that will provide me with unlimited texting, a large amount of voice minutes and up to 5GB or more of data per month? Otherwise I will have to suspend this account and find another carrier for the time I’m in the states.  
Thanks in advance for your help. 

[Danley]

Hello!  Here we are 2 years later, and I have a Canada-US plan that lets me use my phone in Canada and the US, and to call and text Canada and the US.  My question is, can I use my phone with Public Mobile for 6 months on Roaming in the US?  Or do I need to connect to towers in Canada every 90 days or so?  Thanks so much for any help anyone can give.

[LurganIeUk]

Look at Tracfone. They sell sims at Walmart in USA. All you need is an unlocked phone, SIM and a top up card. 

See here. https://www.tracfone.com

The only issue that I had with them was that you cannot pay online with a Canadian Credit card. I used to cross the line often enough to buy Top Up cards at Walmart.  But may have changed. Customer service on phone is not that great....or maybe some agents are better than others. My balance carried over year to year and I let the account dissolve with a $500 credit on it. Was good insurance while travelling in the US. 

If I recall you can top up using phone or online. You have to have an account as well. Some similarities to PM. 

[softech]

yes best bet is to get a US local SIM, cheaper and more data.   You can get it easily when you are there.

For your PM account, Make sure you have Autopay setup on PM before you leave for US.  (You might want to lower your plan to $15 as well to save some money)   Also, check monthly to confirm Autopay works and your account is active.  Autopay does fail occasionally.   Overdue account for 90 days will be closed and you will lost your number.

(there are also other ways to save a bit of money but requiring a bit of work)

[darlicious]

@Doogs 

Public mobile did have an innovative  US/Canada roaming plan with unlimited calls/ texts and 8GB of data in Canada and 2GB of US roaming data for $60. It's been grandfathered for some customers that had the plan when it was on a limited time offer from late july til mid november 2019. We can only hope that pm offers something similar in the future.

As mentioned mint mobile offers 3 month plans that are tailored for your needs. Plans start at $15/4GB per month (×3=$45), $20/12GB up to $35/unlimited data....$US funds.

Your options for suspending your pm account are laid out in this post....

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Paying-for-your-service/Suspension-for-travel/m-p/694...

[esjliv · Accepted solution]

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@Doogs wrote:

Hi all.  I am a snowbird and will be going to the USA for up to 6 months this winter.   Are there any public mobile packages or add one that will provide me with unlimited texting, a large amount of voice minutes and up to 5GB or more of data per month? Otherwise I will have to suspend this account and find another carrier for the time I’m in the states.  
Thanks in advance for your help. 

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@Doogs ,

For a 6 month stretch there is not something that would be recommended to use through Public Mobile. Best to use a USA SIM.

You could forward your Public Mobile number to a textnow or Fongo account.

You can only suspend your Public Mobile account for 90 days...after 90 days you lose your number and account and awards and ability to use that SIM card again.

You have some options. Here is one. You can let it suspended (remove autopay and do not replenish), then top up and activate on the 85th day (in case issues arise) to the cheapest plan of $15. Then let suspend again. Then make sure to resume service again before the next 90 days are up.

[Triguy]

You may want to either buy a local sim or consider using mintmobile.