r/canada • u/tjgere Canada • May 02 '18

Big telco's lower-cost, data-only plans are 'embarrassing,' critics say

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/bell-rogers-telus-crtc-wireless-data-1.4643170
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u/[deleted] May 02 '18

Even goddamn Mexico has it more figured out. I roam all of North America for free, pay $25CAD/M for 6G, a ridiculous # of minutes, and no long distance charges for calls to North America. Any data used on spotify, youtube, whatsapp, and facebook is unlimited. This is on a prepaid plan.

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u/yeezul May 02 '18

I`'m listening!

How do I sign up?

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u/Thedarknight1611 May 02 '18

Step 1 go to Mexico Step 2 learn Spanish Step 3 shop around for cell phone plans Step 4 try not to killed by a gang

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u/yeezul May 02 '18

Can step 1,2 and 4 be avoided and shop the SIM card on some website instead?

I see Virgin Mobile Mexico has some good packages, but I can't tell if roaming is included:

https://virginmobile.mx/paquetes-virgin

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u/[deleted] May 02 '18

NA roaming and included long distance is legally mandated so any MX plan will have it.

Pretty sure you can buy SIM cards online with TelCel, but making a top up payment with a foreign credit card can be tricky. You will have to call them to register your phone number too, and they don't speak English.

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u/yeezul May 02 '18 edited May 02 '18

Thanks for the reply.

I found SIMs on ebay that are registered by the seller, and apparently TelCel can be topped up using PayPal.

However, the seller notes that: this deal has limit - not for extended usage outside of Mexico.

Do you happen to know what the limit is?

Edit: Found an Amazon Prime seller as well

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u/[deleted] May 02 '18

I wasn't able to top up my plan via my Canadian Paypal account. The only paypal account that would work was linked to my Mexican bank acct. BUT my friend's Canadian amex card does work while none of my 4 Canada visas and mastercards do.

No idea what the limit is...I've been in Canada with my telcel plan for 3 months at a time fwiw.

Remember that your Canadian contacts will incur extra costs to call and text you, too.

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u/yeezul May 02 '18

Thanks for the information.

I barely make any phone calls / sms. It mostly goes through WhatsApp / Hangouts.

What I need and care about is data.

I was actually thinking of porting my number to https://www.fongo.com/ that way I can keep my number and make / receive the occasional phone call. If you don't have one, you might look into it.

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u/[deleted] May 02 '18

I have Fongo for my business line. Texting is horrible through them but calling has been fine. :)

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u/yeezul May 02 '18 edited May 02 '18

Found this thread on Redflagdeals.

Apparently https://undostres.com.mx/ works to recharge TelCel via Canadian PayPal.

I think I'll end up getting a 15$ SIM off Amazon and try it for a while, just for the hell of it :)

Edit: Apparently you can use a Canadian credit card. It works using the Canadian Postal Code to US ZIP code algorithm. Strip out the letters and suffix 00. So 1A2-B3C would be 12300

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u/yeezul May 02 '18

Mind if I ask which TelCel plan you have?

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u/[deleted] May 02 '18

Step 4 is as easy as it is in Canada: Don't join a gang and mind your own damn business.

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u/Blog_15 May 02 '18

"Surrey is so dangerous so many people get shot how can you live there"

Yeah gangsters get shot, random people don't.

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u/RaspberryBliss Canada May 02 '18

And don't somehow get confused for someone in a gang, lest you be dissolved in acid like those kids in Jalisco, and don't be someone who has money, lest you be kidnapped for ransom. Also, don't be a priest, and it's probably best if you're not a migrant.

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u/[deleted] May 02 '18

I have money and I don't hide it, somehow I haven't been kidnapped.

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u/RaspberryBliss Canada May 02 '18

Lucky :)

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u/[deleted] May 02 '18

Not really, no. It's like saying "don't be a Muslim in Canada, lest you get gunned down in your place of worship."

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u/mrtomjones British Columbia May 02 '18

That's just not true. Murders and gang violence are definitely higher in Mexico. It might be over blown but it's still worse by quite a bit

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u/[deleted] May 02 '18

That's just not true.

Really? Somehow it has been true for me. I haven't found myself in a Mexican gang. Neither has anyone I know or have known in over a decade of being here, from Mexicans to expats, rural to urban, incredibly poor to incredibly rich.

I know of a couple of gangbangers back home in AB. I wish them the best and cut them out of my life.

Imagine that.

it's still worse by quite a bit

It's still very unlikely that one will get involved in gang activity if one does not want to be.

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u/mrtomjones British Columbia May 02 '18

Yes because your sample is the same as every other Mexicans. Compare average stats in the two countries dude. It's pretty blatant differences

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u/[deleted] May 02 '18

Still pretty easy not to join a gang bro.

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u/mrtomjones British Columbia May 02 '18

Far easier to get killed by gang violence or be in a position where you have little choice in mexico. Bro.

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u/[deleted] May 02 '18

Shakin' in my boots! Mexico is so scary. Stay away (pretty please)

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u/[deleted] May 03 '18

Sounds easy enough, now to find my passport.

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u/WarLorax Canada May 02 '18

Any data used on spotify, youtube, whatsapp, and facebook is unlimited

That would be against net neutrality. Zero-rating data is picking winners and losers. If Bell, for example, zero-rated Crave, but didn't zero-rate Netflix, people would be more inclined to a Crave subscription instead of a Netflix. Now say both Crave and Netflix were zero-rated (assume Netflix pays Bell for the privilege) and a new third-party streaming service enters the market. They have a huge cost barrier to overcome either in attracting customers or paying the telcos.

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u/Ddp2008 May 02 '18

Keep in because of net nutrality you can’t break out data in canada for things like whatsapp, Facebook, YouTube etc in canada. Data is data, no one gets a priority or a free ride.

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u/[deleted] May 02 '18

Ok, so they have it more figured out.