Great New Rate Plans from Virgin Mobile (NO SAF!)

[Lizz__20]

Saw this deal on another forum site and it looked good so I thought I'd pass it on.
Virgin Mobile has some great new rate plans here (http://www.virginmobile.ca/site/en/pricesAndFeatures/html/pricesAndFeatures.html). Sorry I couldn't get the chart to post here properly.

If You use <67 min: S
67-100 min: M
100-250 min: L
If you use a lot of evenings/weekends: XL/XXL

All the plans include VM & CD along with a number of other features, plus there's no contract and you can call anytime to switch plans.


(Now I just need to watch for a deal on a virgin phone, than I'll ask around for a kickback code. I still have some time left on my telus payg so I can wait for a xmas deal.)

[BEpsilon]

Anyone knows if I could just get the SIM card from Virgin Mobile and use your own phone? I got one from Hong Kong that I would like to keep using.

Thanks.

[dollardave]

Virgin isn't GSM, so there's no SIM involved. The phone can't be used on a GSM network.

DD

[blexann]

I think this is a hot deal. No SAF or 911 charge and includes call display and voice mail!

[hankscorpio]

Isn't this worse than the old All Nighter Plan? That was $30, and you got free evenings, and free incoming calls at all times.

[hankscorpio]

Argh, they increased text messages from 10 cents to 15 cents too.

[BEpsilon]

Virgin isn't GSM, so there's no SIM involved. The phone can't be used on a GSM network.

DD

Damn... Looks like I will have to stick with FIDO...:|

[TedHead]

Isn't this worse than the old All Nighter Plan? That was $30, and you got free evenings, and free incoming calls at all times.
Free incoming was only if you added $7 extra. The all nighter was stupid because you still had to pay separately for everything that wasn't during the evening at whatever rate. These plans are amazing and make a lot more sense. Too bad there is nothing for long distance and they aren't on GSM :(

[rubrducky]

I'm always looking for a hot deal on a virgin! :lol: Sorry, someone had to do it!

[chumo]

How does the Virgin network compare to Rogers? Im looking to switch my mother's plan from Rogers (75min anytime, $20 + SAF,911) to Virgin's "M" plan at $10 for 100 anytime mins with free Call ID, VM, no contract, SAF.

Seems good price wise, but whats the 'value' of being on a GSM network? Thanks.

[ritsbits]

pardon my ignorance, but how's the quality of virgin's network compared to rogers/bell/telus, and how's the quality? All I know is to stay away from fido :| since they lose connectivity or something often

[pbussey]

How does the Virgin network compare to Rogers? Im looking to switch my mother's plan from Rogers (75min anytime, $20 + SAF,911) to Virgin's "M" plan at $10 for 100 anytime mins with free Call ID, VM, no contract, SAF.

Seems good price wise, but whats the 'value' of being on a GSM network? Thanks.

As for coverage Virgin vs Rogers is basically Bell vs Rogers. You'll have to judge for your self.

Just to clarify. The "M" plan is $10/month PLUS $0.10 PER Minute. So 100 minutes (anytime) would cost $10 (monthly fee) plus 100 * 0.10 (per minute charge) or $20 for the month. Use 20 minutes your fee is $10 + $2 (20 *0.10) = $12. Use 200 minutes and its $10 + $20 (200 *0.10) = $30.

Again there is no SAF or 911 charge. Just tax on whatever you spend.

pardon my ignorance, but how's the quality of virgin's network compared to rogers/bell/telus, and how's the quality? All I know is to stay away from fido :| since they lose connectivity or something often

Virgin uses Bell's network. It's the same infrastructure. I believe the term is "Mobile Virtual Network Operator". They buy coverage and airtime from Bell and then resell.

[k7 avenger]

So if I use the Small plan, I don't pay anything unless I use it? That sounds great! I'll switch over to that from prepaid for sure. I use my phone MAYBE once a day for two minutes or so at most. I think it'll worth it to go with the S plan.

[pbussey]

So if I use the Small plan, I don't pay anything unless I use it?

Correct. The thing to remember is the expiry of your prepaid amount. For the details go to
Topping up when you Pay by the Minute (virginmobile.ca) (http://virginmobile.ca/site/en/pricesAndFeatures/html/topup.html)

The two most popular ones seem to be $15 (60 minutes on the S plan) which lasts for 45 days. Or $25 (100 minutes) which expires in 90 days.


That sounds great! I'll switch over to that from prepaid for sure. I use my phone MAYBE once a day for two minutes or so at most. I think it'll worth it to go with the S plan.

As the OP mentioned the transition when the M plan becomes more economical then the S plan is around 67 minutes. So it sounds like your on the cusp. Take a look at your usage and see which will work better.

Edit: Forgot to say if you sign up find an existing VM member. They can send you a referral (Virgin calls them kickback) that will give $10 credit to each person on your sign up.

[AzN_RiverdaleCI]

aww what happened to virgin day2day and minute2minute

[Justin]

As for coverage Virgin vs Rogers is basically Bell vs Rogers. You'll have to judge for your self.

Just to clarify. The "M" plan is $10/month PLUS $0.10 PER Minute. So 100 minutes (anytime) would cost $10 (monthly fee) plus 100 * 0.10 (per minute charge) or $20 for the month. Use 20 minutes your fee is $10 + $2 (20 *0.10) = $12. Use 200 minutes and its $10 + $20 (200 *0.10) = $30.

Again there is no SAF or 911 charge. Just tax on whatever you spend.



Virgin uses Bell's network. It's the same infrastructure. I believe the term is "Mobile Virtual Network Operator". They buy coverage and airtime from Bell and then resell.


If you are going to use over 100 minutes it is best to get the large plan. Large plan includes 250 minutes for $20/month. 250 min on a M plan would cost $35/month

[pbussey]

aww what happened to virgin day2day and minute2minute

Don't remember which is which. But one is the S plan and the other is the M plan. IIRC the old M plan was $0.40 per day ($12 per Month) for the 10c per minute calling. So the M plan is $2 cheaper per month now.

[sanyika]

But I beleive you must buy a $10 credit every month.

Don't remember which is which. But one is the S plan and the other is the M plan. IIRC the old M plan was $0.40 per day ($12 per Month) for the 10c per minute calling. So the M plan is $2 cheaper per month now.

[Xtreme2001]

is the $10/month package on the website only the service fee? or is that $10 you pay per month like a pay-as-you-go plan and each call you make, which is is 10cent/minute, becomes deducted from the $10/month?

Or is it, simply, $10/month fee, plus 10cents/min you use.

[pbussey]

is the $10/month package on the website only the service fee? or is that $10 you pay per month like a pay-as-you-go plan and each call you make, which is is 10cent/minute, becomes deducted from the $10/month?

Or is it, simply, $10/month fee, plus 10cents/min you use.

I'm personally on the S plan so I could be wrong. But this is my understanding of the M or $10/month plan. From http://virginmobile.ca/site/en/pricesAndFeatures/html/pricesAndFeatures.html
it shows the M plan as having a $10 monthly fee. So it's not a plan that you pay $10 / month and get that as credit towards $0.10 / minute calling. I.e. you get 100 minutes free with the $10 payment.

Rather you pay $10 / month and then in addition pay $0.10/minute for airtime. You pay $10 per month so that get a cheaper airtime rate of $0.10 per minute. Versus the $0.25 / minute charge if you went with the S plan that had no monthly fee.

As the OP mentioned the cheaper per minute charge only makes the M plan ($10 monthly fee) worth while after 67 minutes/month. Otherwise the S plan is still cheaper.

Above Justin makes a good point if your looking at about 100 minutes/month at that number the L plan (250 minutes/month for $20) starts looking like the best deal. At 100 minutes/month it's the same price as the M plan but you get 150 more minutes/month for free. (Especially if your the type that would feel pressured to keep your minutes down to stay within your plan)

PB

[Supershyguy]

not that hot

[ShaTR]

hmm, so if your on the $0 plan, its like prepaid that never expires?? or is there some charges im forgetting about???

[ShaTR]

update: the $0 plan is the new prepaid plan. the old style of $0.25 for the first 5 min, $0.15 thereafter is now grandfathered.

so if your on prepaid and don't use voicemail, stick with your current prepaid. If you use alot of voicemail, then it may make sence to use the new prepaid service.

[gdk2001ca]

so if your on prepaid and don't use voicemail, stick with your current prepaid. If you use alot of voicemail, then it may make sence to use the new prepaid service.

Could you please elaborate it? I don't get it. Thanks.

[ShaTR]

Could you please elaborate it? I don't get it. Thanks.

previous prepaid plans charge you per min when someone leaves a voicemail. Now, voicemails left are free of charge.

[newsflash]

Man, I can't wait for number portability. I rarely use my phone, so their S plan looks good!

[ShaTR]

Man, I can't wait for number portability. I rarely use my phone, so their S plan looks good!

you DO realise that the S plan is just regular prepaid right???

you charge up your phone, your min will expire depending on which card you used to charge up.

IMO, rogers and 7-11 and even petro have better prepaid than virgin's S plan.

[newsflash]

you DO realise that the S plan is just regular prepaid right???

Crap, you're right. That's really deceptive of them because they say $0 monthly fee!

Well then there's no incentive for folks like me to switch over.

[Blue-J]

you DO realise that the S plan is just regular prepaid right???

you charge up your phone, your min will expire depending on which card you used to charge up.

IMO, rogers and 7-11 and even petro have better prepaid than virgin's S plan.


I've been a Virgin mobile customer for almost one year. I would gladly refer any of you so that we can both get a 10 dollar credit, though mine will probably expire before I use it (see below).

I only wanted a phone for emergencies and the rare call. The only reason I chose Virgin is because their expiry dates were 10 times better than the other companies (15 dollar card lasted 4 months, so 60 bucks lasted all year). BUT, they recently changed their expiry dates and I am sooo peeved. I only use my phone about once a week and leave it on when I'm shopping with my spouse so that we can find each other if we separate. I now have to pay 100 bucks a year for that option. erg!

Is the new S plan really the same in terms of expiry dates? Any better options out there?

Thanks.

[slippy]

previous prepaid plans charge you per min when someone leaves a voicemail. Now, voicemails left are free of charge.

virgin mobile always had free voicemails. too bad they still charge you to check those messages :)

[Davedigger]

I only wanted a phone for emergencies and the rare call. The only reason I chose Virgin is because their expiry dates were 10 times better than the other companies (15 dollar card lasted 4 months, so 60 bucks lasted all year). BUT, they recently changed their expiry dates and I am sooo peeved. I only use my phone about once a week and leave it on when I'm shopping with my spouse so that we can find each other if we separate. I now have to pay 100 bucks a year for that option. erg!

You and me both friend. I joined about a week after they entered the Canadian market because of the long expiry periods and because they said they'd have service in the US shortly. 1 1/2 years later, they change the expiries to the same time frames as all the other carriers and they STILL don't have coverage in the States.

I'm just waiting to use up all the prepaid cards I hoarded when I heard about the expiry period change (they still had the 4 month expiry on them), then I'm going back to Rogers.

[deals46]

You and me both friend. I joined about a week after they entered the Canadian market because of the long expiry periods and because they said they'd have service in the US shortly. 1 1/2 years later, they change the expiries to the same time frames as all the other carriers and they STILL don't have coverage in the States.

I'm just waiting to use up all the prepaid cards I hoarded when I heard about the expiry period change (they still had the 4 month expiry on them), then I'm going back to Rogers.

Ditto re: expiry periods! Keeping a look out for any better plans/services... wanted to have phones just for very occasional use and not have to pay $$$.

About the 4 month expiry cards that you have... have you been able to load them AND get the 120 day period? I had also purchased some of the "old" cards and they do not register the 120 days. I tried customer service and they manually adjusted the expiration date but said that it wold be a one-time thing only. What a hassle! >:(

[Davedigger]

Ditto re: expiry periods! Keeping a look out for any better plans/services... wanted to have phones just for very occasional use and not have to pay $$$.

About the 4 month expiry cards that you have... have you been able to load them AND get the 120 day period? I had also purchased some of the "old" cards and they do not register the 120 days. I tried customer service and they manually adjusted the expiration date but said that it wold be a one-time thing only. What a hassle! >:(

I bought 4 (in April I think) and I've loaded 2 so far without a problem. I loaded my last one in mid-September, and I just checked my account and it says my $ expires on Jan. 17/07. My only worry is that the actual cards themselves expire on April 1/07. I've still got <$7 on my phone, and 2 $15 cards sitting at home. >:(

[ShaTR]

virgin mobile always had free voicemails. too bad they still charge you to check those messages :)

my uncle has a virgin phone, and i can confirm that when someone leaves a voicemail, it deducts airtime for messages left by other people. now, it doesn't charge at all. so voicemail may be free, but leaving a VM deducts airtime (on the old plans)

Is the new S plan really the same in terms of expiry dates? Any better options out there?

Thanks.

yup, same. better options are the 7-11 speakout plan which is 1yr expiree on min no matter what the recharge, and $0.20/min.

Even rogers is a better deal cuz

-they have 1yr expiration on a $100 recharge voucher
-$0.25 for the first 5 min, $0.15 thereafter
-the choice of an evenings and weekends plan should you choose
-ability to use any unlocked or rogers locked GSM phone
-if you need more than $100 a year, vouchers can be bought at staples using coupon codes ;) so with a $30 off $150 coupon, airtime on the all day plan would cost $0.20 for the first 5 min, $0.12 thereafter. unfortunatly, staples does not sell the $100 prepaid vouchers.

bottom line;

-extremly light user = 7-11 Talkabout
-light to medium prepaid user = Petro Canada Mobility
-Medium to heavy prepaid user = Rogers PAYG

heavy prepaid is still less than average monthly plan user, so even heavy prepaid means less than $25-$30 a month. cuz any monthly plan will cost you at least that.

Virgin is no longer the cheapest option for ANY TYPE of prepaid user anymore. who knew this day would come?




.

[klawman19]

A definite thumbs down for the new "deals." My mom's is on the existing Minute2Minute plan, which is 25c/min for first 5 mins of the day, then 15c/min thereafter. I'm not sure of the "extras" but this is better than the S plan. Definitely another way for Virgin to bump up revenue. Existing users on the M2M have the option to stay on as that.

While the topups are nowhere as good as before, the $25 top with 90 days expiry works out to $8.33 per month, which is acceptable for a low-usage user like my mom.

[monomono]

bottom line;

-extremly light user = 7-11 Talkabout
-light to medium prepaid user = Petro Canada Mobility
-Medium to heavy prepaid user = Rogers PAYG

Very helpful post, thanks!

Unlike this:

As for coverage Virgin vs Rogers is basically Bell vs Rogers. You'll have to judge for your self.

[ShaTR]

Very helpful post, thanks!

Unlike this:As for coverage Virgin vs Rogers is basically Bell vs Rogers. You'll have to judge for your self.



I think he was just trying to tell people that virgin uses bell's CDMA networks, so reception with virgin and bell would be identical. but its very dependant on your area. both have their strong and weak spots.

furthermore, he has made several posts in this thread, all of which i believe were helpfull to at least some people. So lets get down on others for trying to provide some help and insight. we're all here to help each other out :) good intentions all around :)

[Lizz__20]

yup, same. better options are the 7-11 speakout plan which is 1yr expiree on min no matter what the recharge, and $0.20/min.

Even rogers is a better deal cuz

-they have 1yr expiration on a $100 recharge voucher
-$0.25 for the first 5 min, $0.15 thereafter
-the choice of an evenings and weekends plan should you choose
-ability to use any unlocked or rogers locked GSM phone
-if you need more than $100 a year, vouchers can be bought at staples using coupon codes ;) so with a $30 off $150 coupon, airtime on the all day plan would cost $0.20 for the first 5 min, $0.12 thereafter. unfortunatly, staples does not sell the $100 prepaid vouchers.

bottom line;

-extremly light user = 7-11 Talkabout
-light to medium prepaid user = Petro Canada Mobility
-Medium to heavy prepaid user = Rogers PAYG

heavy prepaid is still less than average monthly plan user, so even heavy prepaid means less than $25-$30 a month. cuz any monthly plan will cost you at least that.

Virgin is no longer the cheapest option for ANY TYPE of prepaid user anymore. who knew this day would come?




.

I'd have to disagree with you. Even if you could get every minute for $0.12 you would only get 166 minutes for $20. I think the L plan is good for people who use a cell phone for more than just emergencies, but not enough to justify most monthly plans. If you're spending $30/month consistantly maybr you shouldn't be on prepaid. It will also depend on you're usage patterns ie do you make a lot of short phone calls or a few long calls?It is too bad about not being able to use a gsm phone. Bottom line each person has to look at their usage patterns to see which plan or company fits them best, and virgin lets you change your plan anytime if your usage changes, or just leave cus you're not on a contract. Basically I don't think it's fair to say it won't work for any prepaid user. I'm pretty sure it will work for me, and others who always felt they fell between the realm of prepaid and monthly plans.

[hankscorpio]

my uncle has a virgin phone, and i can confirm that when someone leaves a voicemail, it deducts airtime for messages left by other people. now, it doesn't charge at all. so voicemail may be free, but leaving a VM deducts airtime (on the old plans)



I've been using it for over 1.5 years now, and I've never been charged for voice mails received. You get charged it you CHECK your voicemail from your cell phone, but that's it.

[hankscorpio]

I'm just waiting to use up all the prepaid cards I hoarded when I heard about the expiry period change (they still had the 4 month expiry on them), then I'm going back to Rogers.

I did the same, bought it for emergencies. I use not even $2 some months, so the $15 for 4 months was perfect. Now I have $54 in credit that's never going to get used before I have to put another $15 on it in February (I bought 2 cards before the expiry changed also).

[hankscorpio]

Free incoming was only if you added $7 extra. The all nighter was stupid because you still had to pay separately for everything that wasn't during the evening at whatever rate.
Free incoming was included with the $30 (or $31?) AllNighter. The All nighter was $24 I think, and then $7 for incoming.

I'd rather pay $31 a month and get unlimited evenings free, and free incoming calls at anytime, rather than pay $30 and be limited to 3 day minutes per day per month and 33 evening and weekend minutes per day per month.

[mingo10]

When do the new prices take effect?\

My phone was still being deducted by the old prepaid minute to minute plan today.

[forreal]

When do the new prices take effect?\

My phone was still being deducted by the old prepaid minute to minute plan today.

Your plan will be grandfathered, i.e., all customers who signed up before the new plans came into effect can stay with the old plans and prices.

Sending text messages to non-Virgin phones also went up from 10 cents to 15 cents. I think everyone has to pay this higher fee whether you're a grandfathered or new customer, but I'm not 100% sure.

[forreal]

bottom line;

-extremly light user = 7-11 Talkabout
-light to medium prepaid user = Petro Canada Mobility
-Medium to heavy prepaid user = Rogers PAYG


I generally agree with that assessment as a rough guide for truly light or emergency users. That is, anybody spending $100 or less should consider the above 3 providers along with Virgin Mobile. If you think you're going to spend more than $100 every year, then things become more complicated and you better shop around and do your homework. Who has the best plan for you depends on, of course, your own preferences and usage pattern.

[dns1]

I did the same, bought it for emergencies. I use not even $2 some months, so the $15 for 4 months was perfect. Now I have $54 in credit that's never going to get used before I have to put another $15 on it in February (I bought 2 cards before the expiry changed also).

Check with Virgin rep as I was told card expiry dates would revert to the new time frames after Aug or Sept of 2006. Your $15 card won't be 120 days when you use it in Feb.

[pbussey]

As for coverage Virgin vs Rogers is basically Bell vs Rogers. You'll have to judge for your self.

Seems as if this statement wasn't helpful.

All I was trying to point out was that Virgin used Bell's network. So if you had a Bell phone and the coverage sucked then it's not going to be better with Virgin. (Unless you think your phone was the problem)

For me personally Rogers has terrible coverage where I work. With many dead spots. While Bell has good overall coverage and no dead spots. My adventures with other prepaids found I spent a lot of time with no coverage and was missing calls. When your getting 10 calls a month but your missing at least half because of no signal then it stops being great or cheap. At least to me.

There is no way I can make a blanket statement about coverage. So I simply wanted to raise that issue as people thought about the Virgin plans.

Maybe I left too much of the detail in my thoughts and not in the post.

[ShaTR]

I'd have to disagree with you. Even if you could get every minute for $0.12 you would only get 166 minutes for $20. I think the L plan is good for people who use a cell phone for more than just emergencies, but not enough to justify most monthly plans. If you're spending $30/month consistantly maybr you shouldn't be on prepaid. It will also depend on you're usage patterns ie do you make a lot of short phone calls or a few long calls?It is too bad about not being able to use a gsm phone. Bottom line each person has to look at their usage patterns to see which plan or company fits them best, and virgin lets you change your plan anytime if your usage changes, or just leave cus you're not on a contract. Basically I don't think it's fair to say it won't work for any prepaid user. I'm pretty sure it will work for me, and others who always felt they fell between the realm of prepaid and monthly plans.

Perhaps i came accross a little unclear. I meant for traditional prepaid type service. The new virgin plans, although are technically paid in advance, are more like monthly plans.

so i agree, the $20 plan is quite good. and so is the $30 and $40 plans, expecially for those who can't get a monthly post-paid plan for whatever reason (bad credit, etc), but are heavy mobile users (as opposed to heavy prepaid user, which would be considered a light mobile user).

the REVISED bottom line;

-extremly light user = 7-11 Talkabout
-light to medium prepaid user = Petro Canada Mobility
-Medium to heavy prepaid user = Rogers PAYG
-heavy prepaid user = Virgin L, XL, or XXL plans.

although various carriers retentions plans would be better than the virgin XL and XXL, considering that virgin plans included Caller ID and Voicemail, XL and even XXL seems better than many publicly offered rate plans. this is the point at which it gets complicated, and really depends on your needs.

[monomono]

Seems as if this statement wasn't helpful.

No worries :)

[Blue-J]

better options are the 7-11 speakout plan which is 1yr expiree on min no matter what the recharge, and $0.20/min.


bottom line;

-extremly light user = 7-11 Talkabout
-light to medium prepaid user = Petro Canada Mobility
-Medium to heavy prepaid user = Rogers PAYG

Virgin is no longer the cheapest option for ANY TYPE of prepaid user anymore. who knew this day would come?


.


I can't find any information on 7-11 Talkabout plan. I've never heard of it and Google isn't helping. Can anyone provide a link that states what phone you can use and expiry dates and such. How is it different than buying a 100-dollar card from Virgin?

Thanks.

[ShaTR]

I can't find any information on 7-11 Talkabout plan. I've never heard of it and Google isn't helping. Can anyone provide a link that states what phone you can use and expiry dates and such. How is it different than buying a 100-dollar card from Virgin?

Thanks.

its on howardforums. it no differnt that a virgin $100 card. but considering its very different than a virgin $20, its a big benifit for the extremly light users (1yr expiree on ALL recharge amounts)

[Davedigger]

its on howardforums. it no differnt that a virgin $100 card. but considering its very different than a virgin $20, its a big benifit for the extremly light users (1yr expiree on ALL recharge amounts)

Does 7-11 have coverage in the States?

[ShaTR]

Does 7-11 have coverage in the States?

OOPS, its called speakout or speak out. LOL. talkabout. what the hell was i talking about. :lol:

HAHA, sorry peoplez!!!! here's the Hofo link

http://www.howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=333

uses rogers networks.

[anastasia1009]

I am with telus now and looking at Virgin which has good prices but...

***If you have a Virgin Mobile phone, it’s only 5¢ to text other Virgin Mobile Canada customers & free to receive. That’s why we called it 5¢ Virgin 2 Virgin Text.
For other carriers, it’s 15¢ to send & free to receive. This includes mobiles in Canada & the USA and e-mail addresses. ***

That sucks cause Telus has $10 for messages and the web..

Any other good plans for unlimited weekends and cheap text messages...

[mingo10]

Your plan will be grandfathered, i.e., all customers who signed up before the new plans came into effect can stay with the old plans and prices.

Sending text messages to non-Virgin phones also went up from 10 cents to 15 cents. I think everyone has to pay this higher fee whether you're a grandfathered or new customer, but I'm not 100% sure.

Thanks for the reply!

I'm still being charged 10 cents for my text mssgs... But normally when they change pricing, they send out a txt mssg to warn people and to tell them to go check it out on their website, but I haven't received any such mssg yet.

[impostor]

Check with Virgin rep as I was told card expiry dates would revert to the new time frames after Aug or Sept of 2006. Your $15 card won't be 120 days when you use it in Feb.Nuh-uh. I topped up $15 with a code I got this summer at SDM, on October 31 (due to expire same day). My new balance expires on March 1. :) I expect my undated code from Future Shop to carry my balance 120 days past March 1 (June 29?), particularly since it says "Funds expire 120 days after activation." on the receipt itself. OTOH, it's probably too late now to buy a $15 code valid for 120 days... :|

[tjuzer]

What is best prepaid for Fido? I paid too much every month!

[TedHead]

the REVISED bottom line;

-extremly light user = 7-11 Talkabout
-light to medium prepaid user = Petro Canada Mobility
-Medium to heavy prepaid user = Rogers PAYG
-heavy prepaid user = Virgin L, XL, or XXL plans.


But Virgin's L to XXL aren't prepaid. They are monthly plans.

I'm not too sure what everyone on here is whining about with all of Virgin's stuff. If you are a very very very light user, then perhaps Virgin isn't as good anymore, but 25 cents a minute is still quite cheap for pay as you go and the expiry dates are still longer than those of many other pay as you go providers. But they are still better than any of the big names like Telus, Bell, Rogers, etc., and the ones that do beat them really don't beat them by much, so I don't think it's anything worth switching to if you already have a Virgin phone. But yes, I can admit that if you play your cards right with the other providers (e.g. buying a $100 topup with Rogers) you can get slightly better rates with a few other providers.

Rogers for example: every month there is the System Access Fee of 6.95, the .50 911 fee, $5 extra a month for voicemail, an additional $5 extra a month for call display. You've already exceeded $20 of extra fees that Virgin totally waives away. And even before all those fees, the cheapest Rogers or Fido plan is $20 a month (before extra fees) which only gets you 200 minutes, whereas Virgin's gives you 250 plus all that extra stuff. This is revolutionary for monthly cellular plans in Canada. It's amazing!!!

It doesn't cost you anything to have someone leave you a voicemail message, nor does it cost you anything to check it from a landline. No cost to receive text messages either. Downloading from VXL isn't double-charged for "data transfer" like it is on Rogers, and the VXL items are cheaper too. All sorts of things that other providers try to sucker you into. I personally think Virgin is doing amazing and I just switched to the medium plan myself as I find myself using my phone a bit more now.

[Lizz__20]

Another thing I think we all need to factor in here are the kickback codes. Now there's no guarantee you'll get rid of all 10/yr, but if you aim for 1 a month that knocks your bill down a fair chunck too.

[ShaTR]

But Virgin's L to XXL aren't prepaid. They are monthly plans.

I'm not too sure what everyone on here is whining about with all of Virgin's stuff. If you are a very very very light user, then perhaps Virgin isn't as good anymore, but 25 cents a minute is still quite cheap for pay as you go and the expiry dates are still longer than those of many other pay as you go providers. But they are still better than any of the big names like Telus, Bell, Rogers, etc., and the ones that do beat them really don't beat them by much, so I don't think it's anything worth switching to if you already have a Virgin phone. But yes, I can admit that if you play your cards right with the other providers (e.g. buying a $100 topup with Rogers) you can get slightly better rates with a few other providers.

Rogers for example: every month there is the System Access Fee of 6.95, the .50 911 fee, $5 extra a month for voicemail, an additional $5 extra a month for call display. You've already exceeded $20 of extra fees that Virgin totally waives away. And even before all those fees, the cheapest Rogers or Fido plan is $20 a month (before extra fees) which only gets you 200 minutes, whereas Virgin's gives you 250 plus all that extra stuff. This is revolutionary for monthly cellular plans in Canada. It's amazing!!!

It doesn't cost you anything to have someone leave you a voicemail message, nor does it cost you anything to check it from a landline. No cost to receive text messages either. Downloading from VXL isn't double-charged for "data transfer" like it is on Rogers, and the VXL items are cheaper too. All sorts of things that other providers try to sucker you into. I personally think Virgin is doing amazing and I just switched to the medium plan myself as I find myself using my phone a bit more now.

1. i know its not prepaid, but technically, it is because you pay for it in advance. its not based on a contract either. so its a mix between prepaid and contract. anyone can qualify for it, unlike a real monthly plan, so for argument sake, we'll still consider it prepaid.

2. rogers PAYG does NOT have a SAF or charge extra for CID or VM. nor does any prepaid provider. if your talking about monthly plans, then its true, rogers may have a SAF + 911 fee's, so an extra 7.50. and fido had some pretty good new plans. for example, the unlimited incoming plan which has 100 daytime and 1000 evenings and weekends for 25 isn't bad at all. true, the cheapest plans offered by rogers and fido aren't the greatest to look at, but for all those with retention plans for 27.50 or 32.50 (after SAF + 911 fee's), we get a lot more. some of the extra's include:

Caller ID
voicemail
rogers 2 rogers
unlmited incoming
txt msg's
100min canadian long distance.
1000min canadian long distance
and lots of others.

Me and my bro for for 26.50 -2.50 + 6.95 + 0.50 + tax = ~$31

250 daytime
eveings @ 6pm + weekends free
Caller ID
Rogers 2 Rogers calling
100min Canadian Long distance
125 outgoing txt msg's.

now if i had virgins XL or XXL, the extra txt alone would cost anohter $20. and i have 150 more daytime, 100 LD, and earlier eveings. not to mention rogers 2 rogers (and a LOT more people are on rogers than virgin.)

The only thing i don't seem to have (and i don't need cuz i actualy answer my phone) is voicemail. but if i did have VM, it would cost another 5 bucks. still cheaper than XXL, unless you don't use any txt, LD, and under 1000 evenings and weekends, and under 100 daytime, cheaper than XL also.

the bottom line, these plans work out if your a much lighter user, but if you consider yourself a semi-heavy to heavy user, monthly plans will cost you less money at the end. no point in getting a plan with a nice low price, then doing crazy overages or paying $0.15 per txt msg when u can get a package for that. the hell with that. i use at least 100 a month. i aint paying an extra $15 for that, when rogers gives it for 6 and credits me 5. so im paying a buck for it.

anyways, i realise that you need a rogers account to get a retentions plan, but all that requires is signing up, waiting 3 months (during you free unlmited period) then getting a retentions plan. and by march, these plans will probably be publicly offered anyways.

If your not the type to recive and make calls from your phone every day during the day, or don't need the extra's like R2R, LD min, or txt msging, etc etc, get a virgin prepaid-plan or some other type of prepaid service. Otherwise, a properly suited monthly plan will probably work out much better.

bottom line, wanna be a heavy user, have good credit. otherwise, go with virgin. ok, im done my rant.

[TedHead]

You can have your credit card billed monthly exactly like a monthly plan if you want, just call them up and tell them. That's how I'm doing the medium level plan right now.

I know the other paygo providers have no extra fees, I was talking about monthly. I have no idea what you are talking about regarding plans that include all that stuff though, I honestly would like you to point me in the direction of these "retention plans", I've never heard of them. I don't see how I can get a plan that includes all that stuff for under $30 with Rogers, because I know that Caller ID and voicemail is never included in the plans, you have to buy a "wireless essentials" package or pay for each separate service.

You also said that having voicemail with Virgin would be an extra $5... why would that be? Voicemail is totally free with Virgin as long as you check it from a land line. Rogers on the other hand charges $5 extra a month just to have voicemail.

From what I see on the site (http://www.shoprogers.com/store/wireless/services/voice/plans/phoneplandetail.asp?shopperID=91S0CSC9MEG59MBUXEXT L9A8H08D1798&plancode=EON&prov=ON&ProvinceCd=ON&CityCd=Oshawa&RegionCd=502&flow=GSM), Rogers $25 plan APPEARS to be of better value if you are planning on spending that much each month. But with the extra fees, it is roughly $32 a month you are paying. The evenings start at 9pm (unless you pay $7 MORE) so I don't even think that is valid as a good bonus, but the weekends isn't so bad. Rogers2Rogers is good too. But there is NO voicemail included, no call display, and no text messages, you have to buy wireless essential packs (http://www.shoprogers.com/store/wireless/services/voice/compare-value-packs.asp?shopperID=91S0CSC9MEG59MBUXEXTL9A8H08D17 98) for that stuff according to the site. So where is all this long distance and text messages included stuff that you are talking about? Unless you plan on making some heavy usage of Rogers2Rogers and evenings and weekends, the anytime minutes aren't nearly as good as what you get for only $20 (no extra fees attached) with Virgin, plus all the extra stuff you get with Virgin.

If a plan really exists that includes everything you say it does, that's miraculous, but nothing on the website includes that. I am eligible for a Rogers corporate plan with my job, and it doesn't even have anything that great. But like I said, if you show me how to get one of these deals with Rogers you say they have, then yeah, it could be a really great deal.

[ShaTR]

If a plan really exists that includes everything you say it does, that's miraculous, but nothing on the website includes that. I am eligible for a Rogers corporate plan with my job, and it doesn't even have anything that great. But like I said, if you show me how to get one of these deals with Rogers you say they have, then yeah, it could be a really great deal.

ok.... the biggest thread on RFD

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111887

there ya go newbie! enjoy :)

each persons plan will be a little different depending on their negotiating skills, CxR, and luck, but your sure to get a better plan than what prepaid offers.

and just because virgin can charge your credit card doesn't make it a typical monthly plan. regardless of what you BELIEVE, virgin is still prepaid because you PAY for the month, then you use it. for example, if top up your account for the $30 a month service, and you go over the daytime min, it will not let you make anymore daytime calls because you have no more credit on your account. you will have to add more credit to contine to make calls in order to pay the overage charges.

because of this, you don't need a good credit history (because they aren't giving you any type of credit like they are with a typical monthly plan), and there are no contracts and incentives for signing one.

Realise this, im not saying its not a good deal. Im just saying that there are better plans out there for heavy users. And im not someone to settle for second best. but for those who are heavy prepaid users, its not bad at all.

[TedHead]

newbie comments don't really bother me :P As you can see by my post count, I don't frequent this place. But thank you for referencing me to that. It looks like a gigantic hassle though with no guarantee that you will get anywhere... but if you can pull it off... great!

Ah well, it all comes down to what works best for who, right? Long distance would be handy for me since I commute to Toronto every day, but I text very little. Though I'm still almost positive that you can just have Virgin bill you every month on your credit card, that's what they told me they are doing with my account on the Medium plan, they are billing the $10 every month automatically and I don't need to do anything except purchase minutes for the new rate of 10 cents a minute. Even with their previous rates, they've always had the auto-top up feature where you can have them automatically bill your card when your balance reached a certain low. You don't need a credit history to have something billed every month on a credit card.

Thanks for the Rogers info!

EDIT: I just realized that I have seen this thread many times, but judging by the title, I didn't bother checking since I'm not a Rogers Wireless customer.

[impostor]

ok.... the biggest thread on RFD

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111887

there ya go newbie! enjoy :)Thanks for playing, however it is not the biggest thread on RFD (http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=9&daysprune=30&order=desc&sort=replycount) :razz:

[ryyeung]

I'm not sure why everyone is so down on this deal and this Rogers is better. First of all, the Rogers thread is mostly for existing clients on retention and use +250mins + weekends, evenings, per month.

Take a look at Rogers site and their anythime plans: a comparable plan is $25.00 for 250 mins, but you must add SAF, 911 and caller ID, that tops over $30 dollars.

Why not get Virgin mobile which include 250 mins for $20 and includes Caller ID and no SAF?

This deal is HOT if you are planning to use between 200 and 250 TOTAL, evenings and weekends included.

[ShaTR]

Thanks for playing, however it is not the biggest thread on RFD (http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=9&daysprune=30&order=desc&sort=replycount) :razz:

haha, I stand corrected good sir. although thats more of a forum index, no??? ;)

I'm not sure why everyone is so down on this deal and this Rogers is better. First of all, the Rogers thread is mostly for existing clients on retention and use +250mins + weekends, evenings, per month.

Take a look at Rogers site and their anythime plans: a comparable plan is $25.00 for 250 mins, but you must add SAF, 911 and caller ID, that tops over $30 dollars.

Why not get Virgin mobile which include 250 mins for $20 and includes Caller ID and no SAF?

This deal is HOT if you are planning to use between 200 and 250 TOTAL, evenings and weekends included.

Nobody is down on this deal. its definatly HOT!!!! i think people misunderstand what im trying to say. im just outline which plans would suit which kind of user accordingly. i never once said this wasn't a good deal, in fact, i said a few times its a very good deal. HOT if you will. but fact remains, most people, if eligable, would choose the rogers plan for an extra 2.50 or so (32.50 after SAF and 911 on a $25 plan) for the extra 150 daytime, unlimited evenings/weekends, 100min canadian LD, and any other extra's they would offer. Mind you, this is only on corperate or rententions plans. their publicly offered plans are HURRRRRTING, but will be coming down in price very shortly. Otherwise, they will not be getting any new business.

newbie comments don't really bother me :P As you can see by my post count, I don't frequent this place. But thank you for referencing me to that. It looks like a gigantic hassle though with no guarantee that you will get anywhere... but if you can pull it off... great!

Ah well, it all comes down to what works best for who, right? Long distance would be handy for me since I commute to Toronto every day, but I text very little. Though I'm still almost positive that you can just have Virgin bill you every month on your credit card, that's what they told me they are doing with my account on the Medium plan, they are billing the $10 every month automatically and I don't need to do anything except purchase minutes for the new rate of 10 cents a minute. Even with their previous rates, they've always had the auto-top up feature where you can have them automatically bill your card when your balance reached a certain low. You don't need a credit history to have something billed every month on a credit card.

Thanks for the Rogers info!

EDIT: I just realized that I have seen this thread many times, but judging by the title, I didn't bother checking since I'm not a Rogers Wireless customer.

yeah, don't take my nub comments offensively. its just playfull razzing! :) I don't mean any disrespect.

anyways, just for your info, if you sign up with rogers (with your company code and a corperate plan) you can, after a few months, get a retentions deal which would give you a bit more than whatevers included with your corp plan. and its very easy to get. doesn't take much skill or luck to get one. the number of extra's that your able to get are what takes skill/luck. corperate retentions plans are the BEST. and corperate HUP is pretty damn good too (hardware upgrade program).

and yes, your are correct on your undestanding of how virgin charges you, but as you can see, its still pre-paid rather than post-paid.

Anyways, you don't seem like a heavy enough user to justify a rogers corp or retentions plan, so this would probably be your best option. I'm assuming you stay under $25-$30 a month anyways, so its not like you would be saving money by going with a rogers plan. you would just get more stuff that you don't need/use, so i completly understand your POV.

Enjoy! :)

[NorthStar]

So if I use the Small plan, I don't pay anything unless I use it? That sounds great! I'll switch over to that from prepaid for sure. I use my phone MAYBE once a day for two minutes or so at most. I think it'll worth it to go with the S plan.



Yes, I just got a phone from Virgin,and the the S Plan is great for really light users, only .25 cents/min.,with free call display,and voicemail,I think its a great deal.I also got the $10.00 kickback code added to my account.Plus I just made 20.00 extra today by referring friends to Virgin,and they give you 10 codes 2 refer others,that adds up to 100.00 bonus in airtime each year.

[carletondude]

What a kick-ass thread!

I got to first thank everyone for posting there comments... all this info is priceless!!

I need a phone at the end of this month (first cell phone:) and I was thinking of the cheapest fido package... $20 for 200min, but with SAF and caller ID, it comes to $32+taxes. I just saw the new VM rates today and they looked pretty dam good. As I'm not sure of my phone usage at this time, I can start off with prepaid and switch to the M or L package later (probably end up with the L). The only thing I need to factor in is the cost of the phone (with Fido, phone would be $50 with 2 year contract). But as long as I stay with Virgin for at least a year, it should be cheaper. Another thing is that all Fido packages are billed by the second, where as VM is by the minute :(

I have a few questions though, and any answer would be appreciated:

I understand Virgin is using the Bell network, but does anyone have any first hand experience with Virgin/Bell network in Greater Vancouver area? How's the voice quality? What about dropped/missed calls?

I was reading the Virgin site and it seems any unused prepaid minutes are carried-forward after a new top-up (all old minutes are carried-forward to the new expiry date), is this correct? This only applies to prepaid right?

With VM can I switch from prepaid to monthly (or vice-versa) and between diff monthly packages any time, and any number of times (with no fee)? Because I know fido limits this, to I think twice a year (switching between monthly packages when under a contract).

One last thing, I'm thinking of getting the Nokia 6275i (on the Virgin site), does anyone have experience with this phone? I tried searching for reviews, but nothing good comes up. Main things I need is a good camera and Outlook synching, which both seem to be supported.


BTW, thanks for clarifing this pbussey... when I saw this, I was thinking WOW, $10 a month and I get 100min ($10/0.10).
Just to clarify. The "M" plan is $10/month PLUS $0.10 PER Minute. So 100 minutes (anytime) would cost $10 (monthly fee) plus 100 * 0.10 (per minute charge) or $20 for the month. Use 20 minutes your fee is $10 + $2 (20 *0.10) = $12. Use 200 minutes and its $10 + $20 (200 *0.10) = $30.

[lebanesekid]

What a kick-ass thread!

I got to first thank everyone for posting there comments... all this info is priceless!!

I need a phone at the end of this month (first cell phone:) and I was thinking of the cheapest fido package... $20 for 200min, but with SAF and caller ID, it comes to $32+taxes. I just saw the new VM rates today and they looked pretty dam good. As I'm not sure of my phone usage at this time, I can start off with prepaid and switch to the M or L package later (probably end up with the L). The only thing I need to factor in is the cost of the phone (with Fido, phone would be $50 with 2 year contract). But as long as I stay with Virgin for at least a year, it should be cheaper. Another thing is that all Fido packages are billed by the second, where as VM is by the minute :(

I have a few questions though, and any answer would be appreciated:

I understand Virgin is using the Bell network, but does anyone have any first hand experience with Virgin/Bell network in Greater Vancouver area? How's the voice quality? What about dropped/missed calls?

I was reading the Virgin site and it seems any unused prepaid minutes are carried-forward after a new top-up (all old minutes are carried-forward to the new expiry date), is this correct? This only applies to prepaid right?

With VM can I switch from prepaid to monthly (or vice-versa) and between diff monthly packages any time, and any number of times (with no fee)? Because I know fido limits this, to I think twice a year (switching between monthly packages when under a contract).

One last thing, I'm thinking of getting the Nokia 6275i (on the Virgin site), does anyone have experience with this phone? I tried searching for reviews, but nothing good comes up. Main things I need is a good camera and Outlook synching, which both seem to be supported.


BTW, thanks for clarifing this pbussey... when I saw this, I was thinking WOW, $10 a month and I get 100min ($10/0.10).


You can switch plans anytime you want... JUst remember though, that there are no real monthly plans, all plans are still prepaid. You have to buy a top-up card, and the monthly fee is deducted from that. You can use credit card too. As for your old minutes, its not the actual minutes that roll over, its the money in the account that rolls over. Make sure that when you get the phone, you ask for a kickback, which is a referral that adds another 10 dollars to your account. Anfd, finally, i suggest you get the samsung a640, its a really nice phone, that comes with a bluetooth handset for 129.99 from BestBuy(on sale until friday).

Good luck!

[TedHead]

You can switch plans anytime you want... JUst remember though, that there are no real monthly plans, all plans are still prepaid. You have to buy a top-up card, and the monthly fee is deducted from that. You can use credit card too.

It's not really as bad as it sounds. I have a credit card and it just bills monthly, I don't have to go out and buy cards or do anything! It's the easiest way to do it :)

And just so you guys know, the Samsung a640 has dropped in price to $129 as a standard. But that bestbuy deal comes with a headset, so that's hot! I think I might upgrade, my friend has it and loves it. I'm already a customer, but I'm wondering if anyone has experience with either the LG3300 or Nokia 3155i phones? I'm not having much fun at all with my Audiovox flip phone, it's garbled and it won't let me delete certain things in my contact list, I don't recommend it. Probably why they are clearing it out.

[st7860]

for the people out there that don't already know, instead of having your bad credit friends get a prepaid cell phone, tell them to get a Fido. ever since fidos billing/credit check system was integrated with rogers last year, it has gotten more 'consistent' and also has much easier approvals.

[carletondude]

You can switch plans anytime you want... JUst remember though, that there are no real monthly plans, all plans are still prepaid. You have to buy a top-up card, and the monthly fee is deducted from that. You can use credit card too. As for your old minutes, its not the actual minutes that roll over, its the money in the account that rolls over.
I see, so whats the process with the top-up card then... when I get a top-up do I activitate it for a particular package or I just activitate it (picked the package when I signed up)? And after I activate it, each month does it just automatically deduct whatever amount the package is? (so for example, if I get a $50 card, it will last me ~2.5months with the $20 package)

Anfd, finally, i suggest you get the samsung a640, its a really nice phone, that comes with a bluetooth handset for 129.99 from BestBuy(on sale until friday).
I'm not a big fan of flip phones, plus, check the features on the nokia 6275:
2MP camera with flash
2GB upgradable memory slot
FM tuner and MP3 player
240x320 screen

Thats not bad for $200.

One other thing, does VM allow you to easily check your remaining minutes with out using airtime?

[Davedigger]

One other thing, does VM allow you to easily check your remaining minutes with out using airtime?

You can do it online. :)

[omagedon]

Originally Posted by carletondude
One other thing, does VM allow you to easily check your remaining minutes with out using airtime?

You can do it online. :)

How you do that?? Kinda sucks that Virgin Mobile doesn't allow you to show you how many minutes you used or have a record online on how you use it like Telus.

Personally, for me I been with Telus a long time but decided to use VM since Telus was costing me a lot of money per month...VM I decided to order the L plan which is 20 bucks for 250 minutes which is good for me. Since I am a medium user and don't really like to be on a contract..

[Bargain_Junkie]

:mad: I thought the 10$ plan was 10$ a month for 100 mins but its 10$ up front for a month n then everything left is 10cents a minute:mad: VM didn't even tell me clearly:mad:

[Davedigger]

How you do that?? Kinda sucks that Virgin Mobile doesn't allow you to show you how many minutes you used or have a record online on how you use it like Telus.

It doesn't actually show you how many minutes are left, rather how much money you have left. At least that's how mine shows.

Just go to www.virginmobile.ca and login to My Account.

[TedHead]

Pressing UP on your phone to check your balance or calling 611 is also a free way to check your balance.

[Davedigger]

Check with Virgin rep as I was told card expiry dates would revert to the new time frames after Aug or Sept of 2006. Your $15 card won't be 120 days when you use it in Feb.

Just loaded up another one of my cards last night. Expiry March 2007. :D

[carletondude]

By the way, this is on the main page of the VM site, but just in case anyone has missed it... you get a $25 top up card when you order a phone online:

http://www.virginmobile.ca/site/en/temp/html/giftgiving.html

[TedHead]

This may be overkill, but I took the time to figure out EXACTLY how much money or minutes I need to use in a month to make the best use of a Virgin plan :P Yeah, I'm a nerd. If you want to see the full diagram, it is HERE (http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b330/TedHead/VirginPlanComparison.jpg).

In terms of money for Small and Medium (the others are obvious)
Spend $0.25 - $16.50 a month or less --> Get SMALL
Spend $16.70 - $19.00 a month --> Get MEDIUM

In terms of minutes
0 - 66 minutes a month --> Get SMALL
67 - 90 minutes a month --> Get MEDIUM
91 - 200 minutes a month --> Get LARGE

For XL, and XXL it all depends on how much you make use of evenings and weekends, it's not really measurable and depends on the user.

EXCEPTIONS
1) Keep in mind that nothing is per month if you use Small, so you could end up only spending $15 every 45 days at the bare minimum and be getting a better deal. OR if you purchase $100 credit, it lasts for an entire year, so you can spread that out as thinly as you like over the course of the year and it would also most likely be a better deal.
2) LONG DISTANCE: Unfortunately, there are no plans specializing with long distance yet, but my calculations show that the more expensive the plan is, the worse it is for long distance, because the minutes you have already purchased are for local use only and all long distance will be charged additionally at $0.25 a minute. The best solution right now is to get a service like Yak Cell (http://www.yak.ca) which you can use to greatly discount your OUTGOING long distance rate (to 3 cents a minute!). INCOMING minutes when you are out of your local calling area are still gonna be an additional 25 cents a minute, no way to escape it.

Hope all these observations were of some help.

EDIT - FREE RINGTONE
It's used in their commercial
http://downloads.virginmobile.ca/store/Purchase.aspx?redirect=/store/Category.aspx?list=ART-21531&item=119707&type=1002

[AhmadS]

So let me get this straight

I can pay $100 for a 365 days of usage
Then use the S(small) plan, 25 cents a minute

Then i'll have 400 minutes to use for a year(a little under 7 hours)

I think thats pretty decent as a deal, the only problem will be buying the cell phone, can I unlock my razr I got from Fido?

[Davedigger]

So let me get this straight

I can pay $100 for a 365 days of usage
Then use the S(small) plan, 25 cents a minute

Then i'll have 400 minutes to use for a year(a little under 7 hours)

I think thats pretty decent as a deal, the only problem will be buying the cell phone, can I unlock my razr I got from Fido?

As long as it's a GSM Razr, you can get it unlocked, and I'm 99% positive that Fido uses a GMS network.

However, Virgin is on a CDMA network, which won't work with a GSM phone...

[TedHead]

So let me get this straight

I can pay $100 for a 365 days of usage
Then use the S(small) plan, 25 cents a minute

Then i'll have 400 minutes to use for a year(a little under 7 hours)

I think thats pretty decent as a deal, the only problem will be buying the cell phone, can I unlock my razr I got from Fido?

If you're looking for a cheap pay as you go plan that you can use your current plan with, both 7-11 speakout wireless and the new petro canada wireless plans use GSM technology, but you would still have to somehow get a hold of one of their SIM cards. 7-11 only charges 20 cents a minute and 30 for long distance, all credit lasts 365 days. They charge airtime when people leave you voicemail though, and currently you can only get credit for it by going to an actual 7-11 store.

[Sash[DSL]]

A REMINDER FOR EVERYONE: THE L PLAN WILL NO LONGER BE AVAILABLE BEYOND JAN 14/07
http://www.virginmobile.ca/site/en/pricesAndFeatures/html/pricesAndFeatures.html

[thegradas]

If you're looking for a cheap pay as you go plan that you can use your current plan with, both 7-11 speakout wireless and the new petro canada wireless plans use GSM technology, but you would still have to somehow get a hold of one of their SIM cards. 7-11 only charges 20 cents a minute and 30 for long distance, all credit lasts 365 days. They charge airtime when people leave you voicemail though, and currently you can only get credit for it by going to an actual 7-11 store.


7-11 Speak Out is the best plan for emergencies:
- free Nokia 1112 (or Nokia 3120 for an ~$30 extra)
- $10 airtime valid for 6 months
- 4*$25 vouchers EACH valid for 365 days
- $0.20/minute, $0.05/SMS, $1.50/mth 911+ system acces
- leave voice mail at no charge (new feature confirmed by a 7-11 CSR on Dec. 26, 2006)

[whiteGSR]

7-11 Speak Out is the best plan for emergencies:
- free Nokia 1112 (or Nokia 3120 for an ~$30 extra)
- $10 airtime valid for 6 months
- 4*$25 vouchers EACH valid for 365 days
- $0.20/minute, $0.05/SMS, $1.50/mth 911+ system acces
- leave voice mail at no charge (new feature confirmed by a 7-11 CSR on Dec. 26, 2006)

sorry for not searching myself, but exactly how much does this package cost?

i'm looking for the cheapest possible prepaid plan for my mom, who will only use it for emergencies

[EDIT] just noticed it is with a $100 voucher purchase in another thread, so I'll assume it's 100.

[thegradas]

sorry for not searching myself, but exactly how much does this package cost?

i'm looking for the cheapest possible prepaid plan for my mom, who will only use it for emergencies

[EDIT] just noticed it is with a $100 voucher purchase in another thread, so I'll assume it's 100.


yes, it's a minimum of $100 which will allow you to get a free phone + max. 4.5 years of airtime!!!

(0.5 yrs. with the package + 4x 1 yr. with the $25 cards)

[arlojj]

Semi-off topic question, but I'm getting a cell phone again and just recently started checking out Virgin Mobile.

When I was on Telus (shudder) they locked my phone so that I couldn't put on my own ringtones created from midi files and other self-created content.

Does Telus do that with their phones? If I got a Samsung a640 with bluetooth and connected it to my computer, can I upload my own self-created tones and stuff?

[clone]

yes, it's a minimum of $100 which will allow you to get a free phone + max. 4.5 years of airtime!!!

(0.5 yrs. with the package + 4x 1 yr. with the $25 cards)
It seems that the 7-11 airtime voucher has to be used within one year from the date of purchase, so maximum is 2 years of airtime.

[MyRxBad]

Semi-off topic question, but I'm getting a cell phone again and just recently started checking out Virgin Mobile.

When I was on Telus (shudder) they locked my phone so that I couldn't put on my own ringtones created from midi files and other self-created content.

Does Telus do that with their phones? If I got a Samsung a640 with bluetooth and connected it to my computer, can I upload my own self-created tones and stuff?

The only way to upload ringtones and pictures is with a data cable. You can't do it throught the bluetooth function.

[Jenni00]

right now the 20$ a month plan has only 200 minutes, but if you signed up before jan 21st it was 250 minutes, is it possible to get that plan off of somebody who purchased the plan when it had 250 minutes?

[TedHead]

right now the 20$ a month plan has only 200 minutes, but if you signed up before jan 21st it was 250 minutes, is it possible to get that plan off of somebody who purchased the plan when it had 250 minutes?
If you know someone with that plan who doesn't want their account anymore, you could get it from them, but you can't get that plan as a referral if that is what you mean.