Worse subscription options for long-time customers

[notsopleased]

I'm moving abroad, but I'd like to keep my phone number and a plan for when I'm home to visit. Since that won't be frequently, I'm trying to switch the cheapest, least benefit plan available...

Why is it that as a Public Mobile customer for many years, I can't get any plans cheaper than my current one? Why am I being punished for being a long-standing, loyal customer? I get the drive to bring in new customers, but this is 100% having me look into other carriers. There's a number of plans currently available that are both cheaper AND have better options than my current one. It's ridiculous.

[obd]

I use Fongo when I"m up north and it works well when i have no cell Service from my designated provider ie: public mobile. I can get wifi, but sadly, no cell service from telus. Wifi comes from my local library. Such a ripoff.

[Jess31]

Ya it sucks.

It might not work but somtimes people have luck contacting CS and asking them to give them a plan for new activations.

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

Not saying it will work but worth a try right?

[Luddite]

@notsopleased  Another advantage of porting to Fongo is that you can activate their voicemail to email option and receive messages anywhere you have a data connection. Further, you can call anyone in Canada with their service. 
I use them as a backup to cellular service and forward my PM number there when I travel. 

[will13am]

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@notsopleased wrote:

Thank you for the specific suggestion! I will definitely start looking at all my options. I've always been happy with Public, so I hadn't expected this to be an issue when the time came. My own fault for not looking into it more in-depth before

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@notsopleased , no worries.  It makes no sense for you to keep a full featured plan at high price when you don't expect to the be in the country all the time.  Not every service provider can offer a plan for every situation.  You can consider the Telus prepaid options for now and if you ever come back to Canada full time you can come back to this service at that time.  Cheers.

[notsopleased]

Thank you for the specific suggestion! I will definitely start looking at all my options. I've always been happy with Public, so I hadn't expected this to be an issue when the time came. My own fault for not looking into it more in-depth before

[will13am]

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@notsopleased wrote:

This is incredibly helpful, thank you for taking the time! I will definitely be looking into this option

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@notsopleased , maybe you should look into these prepaid plans from these mothership.  Depending on your expected usage, you can park your number for as little as $100 a year with just unlimited talk and text and no data.  

https://www.telus.com/en/mobility/prepaid/plans

[notsopleased]

This is incredibly helpful, thank you for taking the time! I will definitely be looking into this option

[hTideGnow]

HI @notsopleased 

yes, the $30 is the cheapest option for you. You can use that 90 days suspension - 30 days active trick

but since you don't have time of coming back, you really should think about porting out to Fongo.  After it is ported you can still use the phone anywhere in the world with Wifi or local mobile data.   So, your Canadian friends and family call the same number and your Fongo app would ring.   Only $25 to port in and free thereafter.  So, it is like a free service to keep your number.  When you decide to come back Canada, you can port your number out to a regular carrirer

[notsopleased]

My current options are:

$39 or $45 at 5G, and $35 or $30 at 4G (so there is, in fact, one option cheaper than my plan. My mistake there). Currently I have a $35 at 3G plan

I will be abroad indefinitely, but as I have friends and family here, will be visiting several times a year. I've also had my current phone number for over 15 years, so I'm looking to hang onto it, at least for the first year.

[hTideGnow]

HI @notsopleased 

what are the plans available for you?

and how long you are planning to go abroad?

[notsopleased]

I have a $35 plan right now, and it won't let me switch to a $19 or even $23 dollar plan

[hTideGnow]

HI @notsopleased 

unfortunately, the $15 plan is no longer available, many of us only have a choice of $19 or $23 plan to choose from .

Depend on how long you are going abroad, most would choose to suspend for 90 days and resume for 30 days and keep doing it that way

or if you going away for as long as a year, you might consider porting out to some free service, like VoIP app Fongo.  It has a port in fee of $25 but other than that it is pretty much free