US Snowbird Questions

[capearc]

I stay in the US four months per year, can I get a plan as follows, build your own 90 day plan, no talk, no text, no data, then add US roaming talk, text & data bundle every 10 days?

Can US roaming be added at any time or only when the existing plan is about to expire?

[colhaven]

For my vacation needs free  wifi calling or a short term roaming package from PM works. The Snowbirds in the family who stay in the US for several months use roammobility or a similar plan for periods of 1-3 months at a time. For longer durations they always get a sim from a US carrierand pay for a no frills plan with a small amount of data.

Like any phone plan, it often depends on your individual needs. If you absolutely need to receive calls from your canadian number, your solution can get expensive or else you need to get creative.

[torontokris]

@capearc it would be pricy to keep adding 10 day roaming for 3 month stay in the usa.

As other suggested get a local usa sim card maybe even one with canada us long distance and you can call people from canada. Or they can text you to call them (if they dont have usa calling)

Also maybe a $45 majic jack from best buy. For an additional cost you can get a canadian number and forward your PM calls to that majic jack number - assuming the cdn number is local not long distance to your PM number. (although majic jack doesnt help while on the go/away from the majic jack as it needs to be at your router)

[smp99]

The US roaming packages are not stackable so you would have to wait until it expires then you could go back in and repurchase. Not great. 

You also may may need a talk plan of some sort to purchase a talk add on. Not sure if this applies to US add on. 

If you want to keep your number while away I highly recommend a local SIM and Google Hangouts. It’s not hard to get that going. 

[will13am · Accepted solution]

@capearc, the US roaming is by way of 10 day long add-ons.  These are not cost effective nor convenient for people traveling in the US for an extended period of time.  I suggest shopping for something locally while in the US.  The Public Mobile service is well suited for people who might have extended absences from Canada. There's an option to leave an account suspended for up to 90 days at no cost.  Reactivation is as simple as making a payment.  The plan and phone number is maintained during the suspension period.  

[closng]

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@capearc wrote:

I stay in the US four months per year, can I get a plan as follows, build your own 90 day plan, no talk, no text, no data, then add US roaming talk, text & data bundle every 10 days?

Can US roaming be added at any time or only when the existing plan is about to expire?

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Hi @capearc,

You would need at least one of the services in order to have a valid plan. 

Yes, US roaming can be added at any time,  as long as your plan is active. 

Consider signing up for the $10 ($8 after autopay) 50 minutes/50 text messages plan to use as the base as that might be the cheapest option.