US V/W 3G bill for Canada

[DonTom]

Well, I was warned that using my  V/W netbook computer on the 3G network in Canada would be expensive. But it's not just expensive, it's rather ridiculous (much like the price of food in any restaurant in Alberta these days!).

I used 54.5 MB (54,564 KB to be exact) of 3G in Canada which really isn't all that much usage.  Whatever that it, it has to be measured in minutes, not hours as we didn't use it much as there was 802.11 almost everywhere. While I did post a few messages in this forum with 3G, the longer ones I did off line disconnected, with a copy and paste from notepad.

The few minutes or 54.5  MB of Canadian roaming cost $109.13. Total bill was $169.20 (includes my $60.00 per month charge and the taxes).

I wonder what the Canadians pay when the roam in the USA. I bet it's cheaper.

-Don- SSF, CA

[Tom]

Don,

I ran up a bill for almost $2,000 in a couple of weeks in Eastern Canada. That was using my old GPRS air card (much slower) and when we were still on CS. Can't recall the details, but vividly recall the pain when I received the bill.

[DonTom]

Don,

I ran up a bill for almost $2,000 in a couple of weeks in Eastern Canada. That was using my old GPRS air card (much slower) and when we were still on CS. Can't recall the details, but vividly recall the pain when I received the bill.

Yeah, for a couple of weeks!  But we only used it for a total that's measured in minutes!

I bet it will be MUCH cheaper soon. There seems to be more 802.11 around just about everywhere making the need for 3G less and less.

BTW, are you familiar with Boingo?

-Don- SSF, CA

[Tom]

Just what I need Don, another monthly service bill.

[Hfx_Cdn]

     Don that's why I haven't even looked at a 3g service.  However, I did learn my lesson about 5 years ago with my cell phone, which I was told had seamless
US service, but what they didn't tell me was that there were roaming and connecting charges when I made or received a call.  I got home after using the phone to check on the grown children, or to receive calls from them as they have phone plans that include US calls, and was faced with almost $1,000 in service charges.  Even those incoming calls without long distance started with a $15 connection/roaming bill.  So you are correct, free enterprise is great, and they'll stick it to you every time they think you have no other options.

[Gypsy Rovers]

Don, as a Canadian who has used my cell phone in the US I can tell you that the roaming and LD charges in your home land are much more expensive, my daughter called me in Texas for a few minutes call on my home cell instead of my Tracfone, the bill for that was $74.00!

That's why I carry a Tracfone and as Ed mentioned a few post ago I can call any number in the US from anyplace in Canada, just can't call Canadian numbers unless I'm in the US and then only programmed speed dial numbers (10)

BTW regarding your swipes at food prices in Alberta, not sure where you were eating but there are many places (not fast food either) that have great burgers for less that $10.00! 

Cheers
Dale

[jeverden]

I once took the family to Disneyland for holiday.  We live in BC.
I called my wife's cell phone to locate her in the park.  She also called mine.

My bill: 139.00; her bill: 123.00 my father in-laws bill $145
Roaming is a rip-off wherever you go.  They know we are out of our element so they charge whatever they wish.

Your best bet is to buy a package before you leave.  or just text each other and also use free wi-fi at parks or MacDonalds, Starbucks, etc...

I have been told that it is better to buy a new cell phone that comes with free minutes for $29-$50 then give the phone away before you leave the country.

Jason

[Marsha/CA]

We returned to the US from Canada in early Sept.  Before entering Canada in June, I called Verizon and added Canada onto my plan for $20.00 more per month, no roaming, no extra charges...no nothing extra.  We had the same minutes available as we do in the States and talked to the kids, friends and even called places in Canada with no extra costs except the $20.00 extra per month.  We had the Verizon high speed service in most locations around the big cities and regular service otherwise.

Marsha~

[DonTom]

BTW regarding your swipes at food prices in Alberta, not sure where you were eating but there are many places (not fast food either) that have great burgers for less that $10.00! 

They were nothing special,  but we did wonder if locals knew some secrets about where to eat.  But even Chinese food in Edmonton costs almost three times the price of San Francisco. Here, you can find good Dim Sum for $1.67 a dish, but an average is closer to two US dollars. In Edmonton, it was about $4.50 (Canadian dollars) a dish!   And the exchange rate is 1.05 Canadian for each US dollar, so that doesn't help much.

We noticed just about everywhere in AB, food in restaurants was about 2.5 times the cost of here in San Francisco. Only double the price of SF in BC, but in BC the gasoline price was more than Alberta. Gasoline in Canada was a bargain (compared to restaurant food) at a dollar per liter. That's only a little higher than this area, which has the highest gasoline prices in the USA.

BTW, we had no idea that our PAYG phones would not work at all in Canada. If we knew that, I am not sure if we would have done anything differently anyway. The PAYG phone we bought in Red Deer served us well and it didn't cost that much more than an Alberta lunch!

-Don- SF, CA

[DonTom]

Just what I need Don, another monthly service bill.

My understanding is with Boingo,  you only pay for the months you wanna use it. No yearly contracts. And let's say you're staying in a hotel in Hong Kong (or wherever) that charges a lot for wireless internet service. With Boingo, you can often use the wireless from the same hotel at a fraction of the cost of that  hotel and it will work other places as well, such as a McDonald's or wherever, where the hotel's normal  and more expensive wireless service won't work at all.

Boingo makes special deals with many places that have wireless and with Boingo it will work with them all.  I know of one guy who has the Boingo service and thinks it's great after using it in Japan and London hotels that would have cost a lot more for their wireless internet service.

-

Don- SF, CA

[Tom]

I traveled internationally for a living for many years, much of it before hotels had WiFi or even phone jacks. It was a very rare day when I couldn't get online, although I carried a toolkit that wouldn't make it through today's airport security.

OTOH a few years ago, while staying at our son's house in the UK, I spent 3 unsuccessful days trying to get online with my T-mobile GPRS air card. His DSL line was out the whole time we were there. Then I remembered that the walls of his house are 28" thick and made of stone. Took the laptop out into the garden, and voilla!

[jeverden]

We noticed just about everywhere in AB, food in restaurants was about 2.5 times the cost of here in San Francisco.

THAT IS WHY WE CANADIANS ARE SO SKINNY!!!!  lol
[edit]Fixed quote.[/edit]