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9:16 am
Hello everyone, I just noticed that telus mobility now has a $100 top up card with 365 day expiry. I am assuming that....
If you buy a pay and talk kit, it usually comes with a $50 start up card. The $50 card lets you start off at the $0.25 rate. Afterwards, buy a $100 card to get the 365 day expiry.
There are some pay and talk phone kits that start as low as $50 - which means you get the phone almost free if it comes with the $50 card.
Since speakout wireless is not having their free phone with $100 card option, I figure this telus option may be a good mother's day gift? What do you think?
12:46 pm
March 15, 2008
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With SO for example [I'm sure there are other differences]...
1. All calls within your area code are local.
2. You get various call features, including voicemail, that are extra cost with many other carriers.
3. There's a 99¢ "911″ fee compared to $5 or more NAF.
4. Generally the Rogers GSM network provides better coverage than Telus/Bell CDMA.
It all depends on what aspects are most important to you and your mother. There isn't a single best solution for everyone.
2:45 am
April 22, 2009
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Wow. That is one of the main reasons I let my Telus lapse, it did not have a 365 day expiry option. Being a lapsed Telus customer, here are some observations.
Unless things changed, it costs $20 to register by the web, $35 by phone. I bought a $50 activation credit, but it registered as $75, so I was not really that mad. Nothing was mentioned on the web site until you registered. I have no idea how you will be treated, but keep that in mind.
Probably not a selling point, considering your mother is getting the phone, but there are a lot more options with Telus, like unlimited incoming, or evenings and weekends for a dollar a day, and a bunch of other stuff. You can activate and remove features from Telus' web site.
Web browsing is a waste. You are limited to 100 sites Telus picks, so why bother? Again, considering the user, probably not an issue.
Now the question is which is better? Hard to say. I would edge it to Telus, because you get more air time and a phone for your $150. 7-11 has the odd promotion that gets you a free phone, but I see nothing right now.
bylo's points are mostly right, though I will clarify some of them.
Telus PAYG has no system access fee, The 911 fee is around $0.50.
Telus PAYG has voice mail, caller ID, call forwarding, call waiting included.
Rogers GSM network tends to offer better coverage in Ontario than Telus/Bell CDMA. However, the rest of the country is better usually served with a CDMA carrier like Telus.
3:48 am
April 22, 2009
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I should also mention Virgin mobile http://www.virginmobile.ca is in pretty much every way better than Telus. You can get a $40 phone at Walmart with at least a $10 start up credit. I have had much nicer dealings with Virgin's customer service reps than with Telus.
11:35 am
October 21, 2008
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But Virgin doesn't seem to have the $100/365 day expiry option. I can't find any info on the virgin site that says anything regarding expiry dates.
As for the Telus option, their monthly fee is $.75 compared to Speakout's effective rate of $.80 (if you buy a $75 or $100 card). Their per minute rate is $.25 (if you buy a $100 card) compared to the SO's effective rate $.20 (if you buy a $75 or $100 card).
Most other things are pretty much the same. Telus does have many more options if you use your phone a lot during the month, but want to keep it prepaid. If your mom will probably not use it that much, that wouldn't apply to her.
The main differences is that to start out you get a little more airtime with Telus ($100 airtime card + $50 bonus) compared to Speakout ($100 airtime card grossed up to $125 + $5 startup bonus). Using the crazy Speakout math to compare them at the same per minute rate ($.25/min), you get an extra $20 in airtime with Telus. Then depending on which phone you would buy, you can add or subtract the difference in price.
Telus starts out a bit cheaper, but it gets more expensive the year after. Next year, if you want to buy another card with a 365day expiry, you'll have to buy $100 worth of airtime. Maybe your mom hardly used the phone in the past year and you don't need another $100 in airtime. With Speakout you'll only need to buy a $25 airtime card and your balance will last another 365 days.
The Telus deal starts off good, and if you use $100/year in airtime or more, then it's a little better than Speakout, and it does have a nice selection of phones. If you think you'll use noticeably less than $100/yr in airtime (41 minutes per month average) then Speakout will be cheaper starting in year 2.
1:54 pm
October 15, 2008
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Well put, Big Ang. The other big perk on Telus PAYG that I really miss on SO is the web interface that allows you to manage your account, including adding/removing features, adding top up $, and tracking your calls. I sure hope SO gets something like in place soon.
Another big thing that's making me considering going back to Telus is the "uplift" packages you can add to your PAYG acct. The 5¢ charge for both incoming and outgoing txt msgs on SO is certainly adding up for me (my g/f is a big texter) so the free incoming, 250 outgoing msgs for $5 on Telus is starting to look really appealing right now. I think I could save ~$5 a month. However, in some other post on here, there's rumours that SO may be coming out with txt packages soon so I'm going to wait and see.
I was in the same boat; I also considered getting my parents in rural Alberta a SO phone for emergencies but found out Rogers GSM coverage out there was flaky at best. With the 365 day expiry on Telus, I'm certainly thinking about activating my old Telus PAYG phone for them. With the Telus web interface, it's easy for me to check up on the balance, top up when I see they're low, etc. I think it would be too confusing for my parents to figure out top ups, voice mail, etc. Just teaching them they need to hit the 'send' button to make a phone call worries me right now.
The next question for me (and this may apply to you too AK) is - does Telus have the same/similiar rules for SIM cards/phone numbers that aren't used? ie After a period of inactivity, do the phone number and/or the credits "expire"? For SO, I think it's 90 days or something like that.
One of the big downsides to Telus PAYG according to their website is their PAYG phones doesn't work in the States, though my friends claim it does (of course, there's BIG roaming charges, fees involved). It's great that the SO phones are unlocked so when I travel to the States, I just put into a different SIM card.
2:00 pm
October 15, 2008
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Sorry, one more thing - there is no "activation" fee for a Telus PAYG phone if you do it online. You'll get the full $50 credit. They ding you if you want to specify a phone number or if you do it over the phone.
9:40 am
October 21, 2008
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As far as US roaming goes, a Telus solution can be similar to the solution you use with SO.
Get a US sim and stick it in a cheap unlocked GSM phone. The only difference is that the unlocked GSM phone is obviously not the Telus one you're using.
12:56 am
I got out of Telus because the free voicemail is limited to only 3 messages and your mailbox is FULL!!!
If you want your mailbox to be able to hold more messages, like 10 messages, you must pay Telus extra for it. So beware of Telus's limit of "free" or "included" voicemail for Pay & Talk...
