Ask Slashdot: Mobile Data In Canada For a US Citizen?

macwhizkid writes "I'm traveling to Canada for a week in July with youth group, and need a way to post blog updates on the trip and send back photos. I'll be staying on an island accessible only by boat, so a hard-wired connection is out of the question. I have a Verizon voice + data plan, and I've heard all the horror stories of multi-thousand dollar international data roaming charges. What I'd like to do is get 1-2 GB of data (5 GB would be great) to use on a Canadian provider's network for a reasonable fee (say, less than $100 total) as a wireless hotspot set-up. I have both a CDMA iPhone and a GSM iPad, so I really just need a micro-SIM or a way to register the IMIE. It appears that both Rogers and Bell offer 'pay as you go' data plans (Rogers has a particularly attractive iPad option), but there are conflicting reports as to whether a U.S. credit card can be used to buy service. I can't believe I'm the first U.S. citizen to want mobile data in Canada. So, has anyone done this successfully? Is there another option I'm not considering?"

3 Week Vacation in Canada

[michaelwigle]

I'm a Canadian living in Cincinnati and drove home to Edmonton, AB for a few weeks. I called my local cellular provider (Cincinnati Bell) and asked them for an international data roaming feature to be added to my account. There were multiple data caps available. I went for the mid-range and paid $30 per month for, I think, about 5 GB. It was turned on over the phone immediately and I turned it off when I got home by calling them up and telling them to turn it off. I also recommend getting international voice roaming if you are going to do that. Otherwise you can get hit with serious roaming charges just for making or receiving a call Internationally. I figured not a bad expense for the convenience. Hopefully your current cellular provider offers something similar.

Temporary Plan Upgrade

[Jahava]

When I was visiting Canada from the US, I actually called Verizon from my car on the way up. The customer service rep was very informative, and after much questioning we agreed to basically upgrade my account to "international" for exactly the time that I was in Canada. It would be prorated to the higher fee for the 4 days, then revert to its original US plan. It was something like $15US/day extra for both voice and data - nothing horrible. I checked my bill afterwards and it went seamlessly. I recommend at least investigating this option.

Re:They don't need us.

[MikeBabcock]

Thanks for that ... honestly ... but as a Canadian I'd like to say you're still willing to come spend what money you have left up here ;-) We're quite grateful for the oil revenues as well.

I'm still waiting for someone down there to notice that our banking system survived the crash, and might be worth imitating instead of bailing out known failures but ymmv.

Which island?

[rueger]

Before getting too carried away, keep in mind that your island may have poor or no cel coverage anyhow.

For that matter there are locations on the Vancouver North Shore [trailpeak.com] where my Telus/Moto phone is useless.

OK, I'll admit that as long you're travelling along the bottom half of the country service is pretty reliable, but the three mega corps that own the cellular business in Canada really don't give a damn about service.

PS - Telus and Bell operate on the same network.

Re:Temporary Plan Upgrade

[Anonymous Coward]

While this is what my family did when we went up a couple years back, it definitely depends who you get when you call. It took us 3 weeks of continuous correspondence with Verizon to get the deal we were first promised. While we did eventually get what was offered, 3 weeks of calling Verizon and each rep claiming to have fixed our bill and not having actually done so gets rather annoying. I am glad to hear both you and the next post had success, and perhaps our case was a rarity, but if not be aware it might be a bit of a hassle.