Best Smartphone Plan Covering US and Canada?

j00bhaka writes "I am a US citizen attending university in Nova Scotia, Canada. I currently have the Verizon America and Canada plan (also known as the North American plan). My bill is currently around $80-$100 per month. I chose this for a couple reasons. One, I have had my number for about 7 years. Two, I do not permanently live in Canada. I live in Canada for 8 months out of the year at school, then travel home for the summer months. Either way, I would be dealing with international roaming without having both countries in my plan. Currently, I obviously don't have a smartphone. Through Verizon, I could purchase one, and add their international unlimited data plan on top of my (already) hefty phone bill. I have looked into Telus and Rogers here in Canada and cannot find anything better. As a student, my budget is obviously limited. Is there any way to reasonably have (and utilize) a smartphone while I am living in both countries? If so, what do you suggest I do?"

Comments

How badly do you need a smartphone?

[natehoy]

I guess the biggest question would be - why a smartphone specifically?

Assuming you have some sort of decent Internet access at school, at something available at home, why not just get a VoIP line (a' la Vonage, MagicJack, etc)? You'd have a single number that would cross borders with you easily, and it would be one heck of a lot cheaper.

Re:How badly do you need a smartphone?

[TexasTroy]

More so, how badly do you need a phone at all? You are a student. Is there some higher obligation that requires you to have mobile accessibility (and why isn't that paying for it) or is this something you want to have so you can be like all the other cool kids on campus? If a mobile phone is an unnecessary want, get your priorities straight. Plenty of time for over-priced whiz-bangs after school.

Secondly, what is the need for keeping the same phone number? I had a new number every year when I was in school back when we used two Dixie cups and a string, and modems melted the lines at a blazing 2400 baud.

Figure out what you really need, then go from there. That should help you decide what it is worth rather than looking to get the cheapest generic plan for something you may not need to begin with.

Re:How badly do you need a smartphone?

[Anonymous Coward]

His question wasn't do I need a smartphone, it was I want a smartphone is there any way to do it. Obviously he realizes he doesn't need one, he doesn't even have one now! I love my smartphone and sure, I could live without one, but I like technology, and smartphones are the latest and greatest, and they are really convenient, useful, and just plain cool (and no I don't mean cool as in I look sweet with my iphone and all the cool kids have one, I mean cool in the same way a nice computer is cool, I like technology).

Now back to the question at hand, what would probably be cheaper is to get an unlocked GSM/3g iPhone/whatever it is you want, and get a post-paid plan in Canada (because it sounds like you are there most of the time). Then get a pre-paid SIM card on t-mobile or ATT for the US which you use when you go back to the US. You'd need google voice or similar to keep the same number year round though.

Save your money

[Anonymous Coward]

You're a student? Here's some advice that you did not solicit: Consider whether this is an opportunity to save yourself some longterm pain by keeping your expenses low. Consider the actual cost of the plan...as it affects the level of debt you'll carry (if any) as a result of tuition loans.

Maybe a smartphone and data plan is a must have....for a student... ...don't think it is though. I know, it'd be a tough living, wouldn't it?

Re:Save your money

[InsaneProcessor]

Save your money. I am a successful professional and don't have a smartphone. You really don't need a gadget that you have done without all along. It is just a nifty toy.

Don't bother

[wiredlogic]

Get this. Up until 15-20 years ago (practically) no college students had cell phones. They all managed to survive and get through school despite that handicap. You may have to endure being a social pariah for a few years but it isn't necessary to have a smartphone.

I don't know if it's still available but you can use the Verizon WirelessWeb feature on a smartphone without getting a data plane. Whether they'll let you upgrade to a smartphone without upgrading to data is another thing. They allowed this for the first time with the Centro.

Re:Don't bother

[timeOday]

Get this. Up until 15-20 years ago (practically) no college students had cell phones. They all managed to survive and get through school despite that handicap.

Times change. The fact that everybody now has a cellphone makes it much harder to get by without one. Payphones aren't widely available any more. Things aren't pre-planned as much; if you're not reachable, you simply miss out. Your friends' tolerance for telephone tag is different now.

Yes, you can still survive without one. But the fact remains, not having one now is quite different than not having one 15 years ago. A better analogy to not having a cellphone now would be not having your own PC 15 years ago - a few students didn't, but most did, so you were at a disadvantage if you didn't.

Re:Don't bother

[cobryson]

Why are nearly all of the commenters just railing on this kid for wanting a luxury or two, at a reasonable price? Can't anyone just assume he's already set his priorities, has everything he NEEDS, and now wants to get something he WANTS for a reasonable price? I'm not saying I have a perfect answer, but I'm also pretty sure he didn't come here for a lecture about how lucky he is.

Re:Don't bother

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes but the ASKer wants a smartphone. That is still a luxury. Use a voice plan and wifi... Students *DO NOT NEED SMARTPHONES* unless they are employed on the side.

Re:Don't bother

[Anonymous Coward]

Hell, it's still possible to survive without a car. I'd actually go so far as to say that it's easier to live a good life without a car than without a cellphone. Assuming you live somewhere with half-decent public transport. If you don't, then a car is vastly more important than a cellphone.

Re:I wish.

[Anonymous Coward]

Why.

Social pariah may become unemployed social pariah

[tepples]

You may have to endure being a social pariah for a few years but it isn't necessary to have a smartphone.

Being a social pariah in college is a good way to graduate without a job offer.

Re:Why a smartphone? Google voice + prepaid is bes

[CohibaVancouver]

* GPS navigation only works if you have a gps enabled device and a constant data connection. Wi-Fi is useless for this.

So you mean those GPSes cars that just plug into lighter sockets are magic? Or the ones on ships hundreds of miles out out to sea have a constant data connection?

Pulling out a laptop to check twitter to see where your friends are while walking down the street does not make sense.

Just text your friends - "Hey dude, where are you?"

Re:Why a smartphone? Google voice + prepaid is bes

[CyberSaint]

Reasonable pre-paid data plan in Canada...? Surely you jest. With our perverse telecom/wireless telecom situation most third world countries have better speeds and dollar/byte rates than up here.

Re:Social pariah may become unemployed social pari

[FooAtWFU]

I was as "social pariah" as the next guy at my school, and I graduated with 3 years ago with a ~$74,000 job offer. I won't tell you what I'm making now; you'd gawk.

Now, I'm not saying that you should go out of your way to be "a social pariah" or anything, but I don't think that entry-level software-engineering jobs are particularly related to your professional networking efforts inside college itself. I'd recommend seeking internships at tech companies like IBM as a more effective early-career boost.