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12:48 pm
March 13, 2009
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Hi guys. Just newly registered here as I'm about to finally end my 3 year long term with Rogers (phew!). It comes up in May and I SO want to leave them. My husband and I have two phones with them. We're paying $66 a month and neither of us uses more than 50 minutes a month (to give you an idea, I only used *12 minutes* last month - and that's pretty typical). He uses his for business, but only occasionally.
I think he'd be happy with a phone directly from Petro Canada Mobility (we have more Petro-Can's around here than we do 7-11's - we're in Newmarket Ontario. I can't find *any* 7-11's in our area, actually. It's weird.). I would really love to pick up a Motorola U9 though and I've seen some good deals for them on eBay.
After just calling Petro-Canada to find out my current cell phone number was portable though (and yes, it seems it is), they told me that they don't sell the sim cards separately - that I'd need to use their phones to be on their network. Is that the case? I *think* I've been seeing that you guys have just purchased the cheapest phone available and taken out the sim card, is that right?
Or is there a plan out there that allows for a separate sim card (ie: no need to purchase a phone) that allows for pay-as-you-go and actually has voice mail included in the package? Even if I have to buy $100 worth of airtime in one shot to get the 365 day expiry, I'm ok with that ... The longer the expiry date on the minutes, the better, obviously, since we don't tend to use all that much in the way of time.
But my purpose for getting an unlocked phone of my own, is so that I really like the phone I have, and can just purchase T-Mobile service and switch out the sim card when I'm traveling in the States.
Has anyone had any experience with this sort of problem? (I know that Petro-Can and 7-11 wireless services don't operate at all in the States.)
Thanks for any help you can offer! All the best, -- Jodi
2:22 pm
March 15, 2008
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I'd need to use their phones to be on their network. Is that the case?
No, you can use any unlocked GSM phone that has the 850/1900 North American bands.
You can also use your existing Rogers-locked phone because PCM and SO use Rogers' network. (But of course that won't work in the US with a T-Mobile SIM. For that you'd need an unlocked phone.)
is there a plan out there that allows for a separate sim card
Unfortunately no. However you can buy PCM and SO SIMs from people here who bought the phone/SIM combination but only needed the phone.
I really like the phone I have, and can just purchase T-Mobile service and switch out the sim card when I'm traveling in the States.
See above. You can buy a SIM from T-Mobile US plus $100 airtime that lasts 1 year.
2:30 pm
March 13, 2009
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Thanks Bylo. So there are folks here that only have the sim on the SO plan ... That would be great. I'll have to look for that (or make a request on the forum.)
One other question for you ... Been looking at reviews of the Motorola U9 and it appears to have some freezing/turning off problems. 🙁 Do you know of any cell phone out there that has a good mp3 player (I don't really care about any other function other than call clarity of the phone itself)? Is there a particular brand you like best? And if so, why is that?
Would really love your opinion (and anyone else's that might care to answer...).
Thanks!
4:25 pm
March 15, 2008
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Do you know of any cell phone out there that has a good mp3 player (I don't really care about any other function other than call clarity of the phone itself)?
Have you looked at the Nokia phones that PCM and SO sell? Some have an MP3 player. There are reviews of these phones on this site as well as links to other review sites. The benefit to you is that if you buy one of these phones you get the SIM automatically.
Is there a particular brand you like best? And if so, why is that?
The phone I use with SO is a Motorola KRZR K1. The main reason I bought it is that it's unlocked and quadband so I can use it on my travels. It has a built-in MP3 player but I've never used it.
4:48 pm
March 13, 2009
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Thanks, Bylo. Yes, there's one particular phone with the PCM plan that does have an MP3 player (I think it's $99 with them). That would do the job, yes. But as you say, I'll need another phone for my travels in the US. So yeah - looking for a quadband GSM phone to put a t-mobile sim card into while I'm in the US. Was kind of hoping I could use the same phone for both ... but that may not be as easy as it sounds, from what I'm hearing. :-/ I'm also looking at the LG Rhythm (can't find any for sale anywhere though ...) and the Nokia 5310.
6:58 pm
October 14, 2008
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jodimuse said:
Thanks, Bylo. Yes, there's one particular phone with the PCM plan that does have an MP3 player (I think it's $99 with them). That would do the job, yes. But as you say, I'll need another phone for my travels in the US. So yeah - looking for a quadband GSM phone to put a t-mobile sim card into while I'm in the US. Was kind of hoping I could use the same phone for both ... but that may not be as easy as it sounds, from what I'm hearing. :-/ I'm also looking at the LG Rhythm (can't find any for sale anywhere though ...) and the Nokia 5310.
You won't need a quadband phone if you are just traveling to the USA. Just an unlocked phone that has the North American bands (850/1900mHz) The USA uses the same frequencies found in Canada. All you will need is a sim from a USA carrier (AT&T/T-Mobile).
7:12 pm
October 21, 2008
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I've checked Ebay, and the starting price of some of the Motorola U9's are low, the final price might be a little high.
My past experiences with Motorola phones is that they're rock solid, but I haven't used the U9. As well, almost all Nokias I've used have been good quality phones as well.
Actually, when you visit the US you will definitely be able to use the same, unlocked GSM phone with T-Mobile that you use for PetroCan Mobility. As Bylo said, you won't be able to use your existing Rogers phone with T-Mobile unless you unlock it.
In fact, if you really like your existing Rogers phone, you can use it (even if it is locked to Rogers) with a PetroCanada Mobility sim card.
If you buy a new phone&sim from a PetroCan station, you'll be spending $100 and getting a decent phone that has an mp3 player, but it's not its main feature like it is on the Motorola U9. Most (if not all) PetroCan phones come unlocked, so you can use a T-Mobile sim in it right away. And of course, if you don't like it, you can always buy a different phone off ebay afterwards.
If you buy a PetroCan sim off someone on this site and buy a phone off of ebay, the price can vary greatly (all depends on the phone you want). The sim will probably cost about $25-$35 off someone here. But at least you'll get the phone you want, just make sure you get a GSM phone that uses 850 and 1900 MHz at least.
The cheapest way is to buy a PetroCan sim off someone here and use it in your existing Rogers phone. Then, when you go to the US, you can either buy a cheap phone from T-Mobile, or you can spend the money and unlock your Rogers phone to use the T-Mobile. The total cost will be a less than $100, but then you'll still be using your 3yr old Rogers phone, which doesn't sound like it's the phone you want.
Word of advice: If you typically use about 12 minutes per month, that will work out to be $3 airtime. Add another $1 for the monthly 911 charge, and $100/year is a little high. You can try and save a little money by buying the airtime in $25 amounts which last 4 months. The disadvantage is that you have to make sure you top-up at least every 4 months. Luckily you can do that online with PetroCan.
12:52 am
March 13, 2009
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iamdrumming said:
You won't need a quadband phone if you are just traveling to the USA. Just an unlocked phone that has the North American bands (850/1900mHz) The USA uses the same frequencies found in Canada. All you will need is a sim from a USA carrier (AT&T/T-Mobile).
I see. I didn't realize that. Thanks for explaining!
12:57 am
March 13, 2009
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Big Ang said:
I've checked Ebay, and the starting price of some of the Motorola U9's are low, the final price might be a little high.
I'm seeing them around the $150 Cnd mark at this point .. but that's not including shipping. I've also heard some people say that they have a tendency to freeze for no reason ... so I'm reconsidering.
Actually, when you visit the US you will definitely be able to use the same, unlocked GSM phone with T-Mobile that you use for PetroCan Mobility. As Bylo said, you won't be able to use your existing Rogers phone with T-Mobile unless you unlock it.
I did realize that. The Rogers phone I have now is three years old and I'd prefer to get a new one, so that's not a problem.
If you buy a new phone&sim from a PetroCan station, you'll be spending $100 and getting a decent phone that has an mp3 player, but it's not its main feature like it is on the Motorola U9. Most (if not all) PetroCan phones come unlocked, so you can use a T-Mobile sim in it right away. And of course, if you don't like it, you can always buy a different phone off ebay afterwards.
This is very true. I'm not really asking for much in the way of an Mp3 player. But if it has the ability to expand it's storage size, I'll likely get a larger storage card.
Word of advice: If you typically use about 12 minutes per month, that will work out to be $3 airtime. Add another $1 for the monthly 911 charge, and $100/year is a little high. You can try and save a little money by buying the airtime in $25 amounts which last 4 months. The disadvantage is that you have to make sure you top-up at least every 4 months. Luckily you can do that online with PetroCan.
That sounds entirely reasonable. Thanks for the advice!
8:46 am
March 15, 2008
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Some additional comments to the excellent responses from Big Ang and iamdrumming...
Re quadband, that's for my travels, which includes overseas. As I said originally re US, "you can use any unlocked GSM phone that has the 850/1900 North American bands."
Re phones with MP3, have a look at what Puremobile has to offer. Unlike eBay they sell new phones with warranty and are known to be reliable.
Re memory expandability, make sure the phone accepts microSD cards with more than 2GB. Some phones that accept memory cards have restrictions on maximum size.
Also consider if you will use wired earphones or wireless (Bluetooth.) If the latter make sure the BT interface supports stereo. Again, not all do.
10:29 am
March 13, 2009
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Thank you for the tips, Bylo! I'll definitely check Puremobile out. I believe the Nokia that plays MP3s - the one offered for $99 with the Petro Canada Wireless - does go up to 4 gigs ... and that should be more than enough for my needs. But I'm not sure about the earphones. I'll have to look into that ...
