Cell phones and internet in Canada

[DonandBonnie]

How do you arrange for cell and internet service when you travel to Canada? Do you have anything better than what Verizon has told us?

We are planning to visit friends in Ontario next month. We have Verizon cell phones and a Verizon air card, but do not have Canadian coverage. Our local Verizon store says that we can sign up for Canadian roaming for about $20/Mo. and internet for about $64/Mo. That sounds expensive, but they say when we return home we can call and cancel the service and they will prorate the bill for actual time from when we signed up to when we cancelled.

[Art-n-Marge]

That happened to us for our cell phones (didn't ask about internet) when we went to BC on our way to Alaska some years ago. Since we were in BC and Yukon for just a few days in each direction, and I recall it was a lot more money ($60 comes to mind) we went "dark" until we got to Alaska. Fortunately, we didn't have any problems, had perfect weather, had all our reservations prearranged and were travelling by vehicle (no trailer) which made the trip much quicker and easier.

The rates you mentioned seem a lot lower than when we tried, if there are no other extra surprise costs. Is that Canadian dollars or U.S. dollars? If Canada dollars then that's even cheaper. If you need your devices and you will be there for a while it sounds worthwhile.

Maybe others can comment on more recent international travel options, but I would certainly pay $20 for one of our cell phones next time we are in Canada. We don't need the internet.

[richfaa]

We have verizon and signed up for that service. We were up there about 2 weeks and it was not all that expensive.

Oh.. I would call Verizon rather than depend on the local verizon store for accurate information and rates.

[OntMont]

I would go with Verizon's Canada package. It may seem costly, but roaming charges without such a plan are horrendous. We use an equivalent plan from our Canadian carrier when travelling in the US.

Coverage along highways and populated areas should be good. There are some remote areas that are not covered, but then you are not likely to be in those areas unless you plan on canoeing somewhere.

[blarkman]

Wejust bought one of the phone cards for $20 and use it when we go to Canada
bob