Canadian pre-paid cell for Australia/Asia?

[glutenhab]

Wondering if it is possible to purchase a cell phone in Canada that I can use in the South Pacific & Southeast Asia for calls to & from Canada?

I want to avoid roaming charges & a huge bill. We are cruising for 58 days & want this for emergencies & to call home maybe 1-2 times a week.

[boards]

We asked Telus the almost the same question and the question was no. You had to buy a system that would cost alot of money. Better to use the internet. Use on land internet. We found a place near our hotel in Sydney and used it every day at just a few dollars, or of course depends on how long you are on internet. We used it in New Zealand and Australia.

[eh2zed]

Internet cafes on shore are very economical. But phoning Canada from on shore land lines is quite cheap using Canada Direct.

[aussiedisneyfan]

You can buy prepaid phones here for about $20. They are available in grocery stores etc. In NZ you can get sim cards the same way for $2 and probably phones too. Our big networks are Optus, Telstra and Vodafone. Try eBay. Someone from work bought a US one that way and gad no problems.

[boards]

The Telus we have you buy the time and call Telus and enter a pin number that puts time in the phone. I don't think you can buy what you have and get it installed in a phone bought in Canada. I wish you could, but I doubt it. Thank you for your advice.

[kazu]

Wondering if it is possible to purchase a cell phone in Canada that I can use in the South Pacific & Southeast Asia for calls to & from Canada?

I want to avoid roaming charges & a huge bill. We are cruising for 58 days & want this for emergencies & to call home maybe 1-2 times a week.

 

 

My cell phone company (Bell) puts a nice package on that costs only $20 that takes care of any global calls ( no roaming fees). You can do it for just one month or two - whatever suits. I used it both in Australia and Europe and it worked like a charm - as cheap if not cheaper than a local phone, plus you have the same number for any private tours, etc.

 

it's not a big deal -there are packages out there for exactly this - just check:D

[3rdGenCunarder]

My US cell is on a cheap prepaid plan that does not allow roaming, and is locked to ATT. So I bought a second phone for international travel.

 

I bought a refurb unlocked cell on ebay and an international sim from an online company called ekit. It's prepaid, reloadable, and has very generous time frame. I think you don't lose your number or the money on your account unless you do no calling or don't add money for 9 or 10 months. The per-minute charge isn't bad from Australia to the US. I don't know how it would be for Canada. We've used it in the UK and several Eurpoean countries with no problems. I expect to use it in Australia this winter. They offer several different plans.

[Christine Frances]

We bought a Mobal phone for when we went to China and in prep for our trip to South America. You buy it outright, no roaming fees or monthly charges and you only pay when you use it. All our family has the number and can call or text us anywhere:D

[YXU AC*SE]

(1) Does your phone take a SIM card? (2) Is your handset unlocked? If so, there are a whack of providers whilst you are travelling that sell ultra-cheap pre-paid SIMs. You can buy from dépanneurs / newspaper stands / mobile operator kiosks on the street, and then you stick in your phone and can use. Infinitely cheaper to buying anything from Bell / Rogers / TELUS.

 

If you have a CDMA phone (i.e. no SIM card) you'll only have limited places you can use it (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, New Zealand among others) where Canadian carriers have roaming agreements, so getting a plan in advance from your carrier your best option.

 

Scott.

[glutenhab]

My cell phone company (Bell) puts a nice package on that costs only $20 that takes care of any global calls ( no roaming fees). You can do it for just one month or two - whatever suits. I used it both in Australia and Europe and it worked like a charm - as cheap if not cheaper than a local phone, plus you have the same number for any private tours, etc.

 

it's not a big deal -there are packages out there for exactly this - just check:D

 

I am with Telus for cellular. Will Bell set me up this way if I am not a cell customer of theirs I wonder? I am in Newfoundland.

[Christine Frances]

Here is the website for Mobal just in case anyone is interested. When I checked with Telus the plans seemed expensive. Maybe they have a new one. http://www.mobal.com/international-cell-phones/