U.S. Roaming

[Alan_K]

We offer U.S. Roaming Add-Ons with one service, or a combination. All U.S. Roaming Add-Ons will last 10 days. This 10-day period begins when you pay for the Add-On and ends 10 days later at 11:59PM ET.

Below are some important things you should know about U.S. Roaming Add-Ons:

• We’ve partnered with AT&T and T-Mobile to provide you with fantastic coverage. Your U.S. coverage will include all 50 states, plus Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more details, check out our coverage map below:
• 10 days after you purchase a U.S. Roaming Add-On, it will automatically expire.
• If you want to purchase two of the same U.S. Roaming Add-Ons, you will have to wait for the first 10-day period to expire before buying the second, or you can contact a Moderator.
• If you purchase 2 different U.S. Roaming Add-Ons, they will expire separately.
• For example:
• You purchase a U.S Roaming Talk, Text, Data Add-On on Day 1 of your plan. It will expire on Day 10.
• On Day 6 of your plan, you purchase a 1 GB U.S. Roaming Data Add-On. It will expire on Day 15.
• When you’re roaming, you can still access the internet with a Wi-Fi connection, which won’t deplete your data Add-On.

Troubleshooting U.S. Roaming Add-Ons

Q: I’m in the U.S. and cannot send any text messages, make calls, or use my data. What do I do?

A:

• Please make sure you’ve added a roaming Add-On that includes the service you are trying to use. You can verify what’s included in your Add-On by signing into Self-Serve.
• For data issues, make sure your APN settings are correctly configured. Click here to find out how to verify APN settings.
• Make sure your mobile device has roaming enabled.
• If these solutions don’t work, create or sign in to your Community account, and contact our Moderator Team here.

Q: How do I enable roaming on my device?

A: Here’s how to enable for iPhones and Androids:

How to enable roaming on an iPhone:

• Select Settings > Cellular > move ‘Data Roaming’ to the ‘ON’ position.

How to enable roaming on Android:

• Open ‘Settings’.
• In ‘Wireless & Networks’, select ‘More’.
• Choose ‘Mobile Networks’.
• On some Android devices, you may need to choose ‘Battery & Data Manager’, and then ‘Data Delivery’
• Add the check mark by the ‘Data Roaming’ option.
• On some phones, the option is called ‘Global Data Roaming Access’: choose it, and then choose ‘Enable Data Roaming Access’.

Q: I can’t add a U.S. Roaming Add-On to my account. What should I do?

A: Purchasing Add-Ons is a 2-step process:

• You will need to add funds equal to the amount of the Add-On to your account.
• Then, click on ‘Purchase Add-Ons’ on the Overview page.
• If this doesn’t work, you will need to create or log in to your Community account,and contact our Moderator Team here.

Coverage Maps

US Roaming Coverage

Hawaii Roaming Coverage

Alaska Roaming Coverage

Puerto Rico & Virgin Islands Roaming Coverage

[cory_c]

Hello, Up to now I've been using another provider for travel purposes only. When I compare the pricing, PM is better but I'm not a fan of its two-step process that requires having to go into one's account to activate every 10 days. This means that if one goes away for fourteen days (which is average I would think), PM requires that one pay for an additional ten days following the expiry of the first 10 days; this may be an issue depending on the state or country one travels to. In my case, I'll be travelling to Puerto Rico in a few months. With my other provider, I pre-set in advance the days I need the service for, including the start and end times, and pay upfront. I find this system a lot more convenient because I'm assured of uninterrupted service for the duration of my trip. Not to mention having to keep remembering to renew. Let's face it, the less travel hassles the better. Maybe PM can discuss this amongst their executive team for future updates. Happy Holidays!

[srlawren]

If anyone is unsure how exactly to purchase US Roaming add-on(s), please see this guide I created a while back: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Plans-Add-Ons/HOWTO-Purchasing-Add-ons/m-p/198974#M22...

[cory_c]

srlawren instructions are clear however, where in the process does PM allow us, the user, to choose the 'date' that we would like the US Roaming plan to take effect?

[srlawren]

@cory_c you can't. They mentioned this in the first paragraph of this knowledge base article. Specifically: "This 10-day period begins when you pay for the Add-On and ends 10 days later at 11:59PM ET."

[cory_c]

That's too bad. I hope PM considers improving this in the very near future.

[srlawren]

@cory_c I wouldn't count on it. The US Roaming Add-ons were introduced in Nov 2016 and have not changed at all since then.

[tomrobertsonca]

I am in the U.S. and have been buying 10 day U.S. Roaming Unlimited Talk Add-ons every 10 days.  Then all of a sudden the U.S. Roaming Unlimited Talk Add-on could not be purchased / was not listed on Add-on purchase page, ONLY the U.S. Roaming Unlimited Talk & Text Add-on was available.  What gives ?  I am not using Text and only want to buy Talk.  Is this no longer possible ?

[cory_c]

I just returned from a 15-day trip to the US. Before I left, I purchased the 10-day U.S. Roaming Unlimited 'Talk' and 250 MB Data Add-on. I would have pre-paid for the following five days (although I knew I would lose out on five days, but the price was worth it) but did not because my understanding was that you can – only – renew when the ten days are up. On January 31, 2019 (the last day of my plan) I attempted to renew before it expired. I kept going into my account but did not see the US Roaming Talk Add-on. So, I contacted the PM Moderator and the following day received this response, "Due to system limitations, I am afraid that you will not be able to get the same addon for US roaming twice. I do apologize for the inconvenience; however, I can add it for you from my end!" By now I did not have a working phone plan and have since decided that PM may be a good option if you are travelling for no more than 10 days but above that I will pre-purchase with another provider. In addition, I purchase the data add-on and although I had 5% data left, I found it impossible to communicate with PC support other than using free Wi-Fi from a fast food chain. …. Disappointed!

[tomrobertsonca]

My renewals for 10 day US Roaming Talk (only) have been going well until the last one.  At that time US Roaming Talk (only) was not available so I had to renew with US Roaming Talk & Text.  It seems that the website is VERY unpredictable, at the time of my last US Raoming renewal my account was listed as EXPIRED and only became ACTIVE after logging on & off many times.

[cory_c]

Let's hope system updates scheduled for this weekend fixes this issue.... https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Announcements/System-maintenance-on-February-9-2019-2...

[sgbrittain]

I just travelled to the U.S. and the "Add Funds" using the same credit card on file for my automatic payment would not authorize and add funds to my account.  Extremely irritating and, in the end costly, as I had to use recharge.com and pay their fee.

Before you ask ... there was no problem with my credit card:  I called the bank that issued the card and tried multiple times after they assured me the card was fine.  Problem is definitely on the PM side and I would like to see a resolution before my next trip south.

[cory_c]

Hello sgbrittain - I agree.

[9R3W4L]

so the talk plan for 10 days is only $8? so is text plan? thats cheap.

2ndly, once the package is purchased, can you control the start date if purchased in advance.

[srlawren]

@9R3W4L: yes, 10 days of unlimited talk is $8, 10 days of unlimited texting is $8, or you can get the two bundled for $15. 2ndly, no it activates right away.

[9R3W4L]

@srlawren great thanks for info. So just to be clear, local calls within US and calls back to Canada are included or not. I couldn't find these details on PM website.

[srlawren]

@9R3W4L yes they are, that's correct: while you are in the USA and within that 10 days, you can make a call to any Canadian number, just about any American number*, and also receive calls from anywhere in the world. * the excluded exchanges can be found here: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Announcements/Which-U-S-area-codes-are-not-supported-...

[9R3W4L]

I had been using roam mobility while in the US. Which cost about $5 per day for 500mb data with unlimited calling n texting to US/Canada. So comparing that with PM, for 10 days RM will cost you $50 and you get 5gb data while with PM you will be spending $35 ($20 for 1GB data and $15 for talk /text plan). Depending on every individuals usage, i think Roam mobility still works out better if you are not going to rely on free wifi at hotels and restaurants.

[cory_c]

Hello 9R3W4L Yes, I agree. Been using Roam for some years, even before I signed up to PM. I'm taking a trip in a couple of weeks and I've already reserved my plan with Roam online. The option of pre-purchasing the dates and time of usage; knowing when a plan will start and end (with no day limits) -and- the option to change the dates before your trip plans, is worth it (even if it cost a few extra dollars). I like PM, and agree that their 10 day plan is a good deal but I do not like the current renewal system. Something for PM administrators to keep in mind.

[paxcaritas]

Hi All,

I just returned from a 12-day trip to the States and require clarification on a couple of roaming questions:

1. Renewal. I see above that you cannot purchase the "same add-on twice." This may explain why -- when I went to renew before the first 10 days were up -- I no longer had the talk+text+data bundle option, and had to buy two separate items (talk+text, and then data), which cost $5 more. However, days later, when I logged in, the triple bundle option was available again. So, my question is: Had I WAITED until the first bundle was expired, would I have been able to add a new triple bundle? Is the issue that you cannot have the same add-on twice *at the same time*? (Obviously, this only works for people who have access to wifi to process the add-ons, if you have to wait until after your data expires...)

2. Definition of "10 Days." I know that technically the roaming add-on ends "10 days later at 11:59 p.m." Perhaps this should also be obvious, but I still need some clarification! If I purchase the roaming add-on, say, at 2:00 p.m. on June 1, does "10 days later" mean June *11* at 11:59 p.m., or does it mean "on the 10th day" -- i.e., June 10, at 11:59 p.m.?

Thanks very much -- I look forward to a response!

[Anonymous]

paxcaritas: 1. Yes that is the issue. Not at the same time. 2. I thought of it in a little bit of tongue in cheek the other day...think of it as being able to re-buy on the 11th day. My example was May 20th. Then on May 31st anytime you could re-buy the add-on. Remember that the day you buy it is day 1...not day 0.

[paxcaritas]

z10user4: Ok, thanks. So just to be completely clear, if I buy anytime on June 1, it will EXPIRE on June 10 at 11:59 p.m.? (If that's the case, they should really change their description to "on the 10th day," rather than "10 days later!"

[Anonymous]

It's a peculiar thing in the system that one has to wait an extra day to re-purchase. I've not bought one so this is just from reading. Another quirk is that texting doesn't work (if you bought roaming texting) on that 11th day even when back in Canada. I would say re-purchase 11 days later. Purchase day is day 1. It works for 10 days including that day 1. But that one day when it should be expired is a bit of a limbo when you can't do anything. Then the next day you can re-purchase. You can stack *different* data add-ons too. But not talk and text.

[Anonymous]

Maybe an Oracle can pull this exchange out of the KB and out to the main forum. I would think that posting in KB's shouldn't be allowed. But that's just me.

[tijonx]

Could you add an options to select the date on which the purchase is effective? Or just buy numerous of the same add-on which put them back to back?

[AlmostGone]

I purchased US Roaming talk and data, and then realized I would also need text so I added that on.

It shows up in my account.

The data is working (haven't tried talk yet), but the text isn't ... which made it awkward to get in where I am staying.

It just says "Waiting for connection" 

Any ideas?

[Shamus85]

Great to know about the USA, I travel there every now and again. 

[publicwhat]

Canadian Consumers need to know about on roaming in the US with the infrastructure changes happening with all US carriers? 2G and 3G networks are being fully disabled meaning most older phones which do not support voLTE will not work in the US. That means phones that cannot support this feature will not connect to the network. 

For those of you whom need to receive your covid test results via Text you will need to plan your trip appropriately. 

[reid705]

Good day,

The coverage search on the Public Mobile site indicated the was coverage to Guam, however after purchasing the addon, I'm unable to receive service.

Is there in fact roaming in Guam?

Any guidance is appreciated.

[softech]

@reid705  that does not mean it has coverage.  that was just a location search.  If it has coverage, it should show green

Coverage Green like this, (see the difference between Canada and US, which US has no coverage)

[softech]

@reid705 there is no roaming for PM in Guam.  PM uses AT&T and T-Mobile but both these US carriers do not have coverage in Guam.  In fact, none of the major US providers have service there

[softech]

..

[Anonymous]

lol and the T-Mobile map won't go much past Hawaii.

[esjliv]

Is this thread so old it took on the version from 2018 ...

Does anyone else see this...or did my device go all wonky? I wasn't even sure how to post, at first - 😄

[softech]

@esjliv   I am a rookie here, too..LoL

earlier, I thought it was some Community issue due to the upgrade.. 

[Anonymous]

It's from the Knowledge Base that has since been abandoned though still present.

[esjliv]

It is like Community Bizarro-World

[esjliv]

@softech  and @Anonymous 

Never saw this before ... 

[ft729]

Does anyone know if I use my Canadian number when I'm roaming in US? I need someone to be able to call/text me.

[Anonymous]

 @ft729 : You can receive texts. But to receive calls you'll need roaming add-ons. To call out and text out you'll need roaming add-ons. Some people use voip apps like TextNow to do those things but only while on wifi or if you have cellular data somehow...there.

[softech]

@ft729    You should post your question in the Get Help Section : 

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Get-Support/bd-p/get-support

Yes, you can use your Canadian number ONLY if you have got the roaming plan.  Talk/Text/Data or combo of those depends on your needs

But if you stay there long, it is best to get US local Data prepaid and use a VoIP app like TextNow to receive calls and make free calls to US/Canada.

How long you will be there?

[ft729]

@softech Thank you. I'm there for a week and I plan to get the talk/text/data add-on, I figured I'll get no signal if I don't have a roaming plan 😂 Just want to know if I'll use my same number that's all 🙃

[softech]

@ft729   Yes,  the roaming plans are all 10 days, enough for your 1 week trip

Please note the 10 days, 240 hours starts counting from the moment you succesfully purchase the add-on, so wait till the last moment

When you are in US, try to connect to either T-Mobile or AT&T, but try T-Mobile first as I think AT&T are starting to tear down the 3G network in different area and PM needs 3G

[Anonymous]

 @ft729 : You'll have signal. Although focus more on T-Mobile than AT&T. The roaming add-ons just let you use services. It'll be your number and people can call you and you can call them. And text in/out. And some browsing. If you use up all the data then you'll need to get a different named bucket. You won't be able to re-buy the same named item until 240 hours.

[darlicious]

Well I certainly prefer this reply box better than what we normally have to reply in....this makes no sense to me that one section of the community can have better features or rather more useable features.

To contact customer support click below:

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

To pre-verify your account include your full name, address, email, phone # and 4 digit acct pin #

[softech]

@JAC70   are you trying  to use Roaming Data?  you can connect to AT&T as well for data

with buying second 1GB bucket, you can.  You just have to wait till the end of the 10 days expiry and then another 24 hours.  OR you can ask PM support to help to re-buy without all the waiting.  

But what I see is that, if you need 2GB in 10 days, it is cheaper to get  local prepaid data, there, cheaper and more data