handphone contract in vancovuer

[Keithcjk]

Hi, I will be moving to Vancouver.
And I guess I have to get a mobile contract
I am bringing my iphone over so I will not need to get contracts that comes with the phone.
I believe they are more expensive.


1)what is the minimum period of contract that I need to get? is there contract that last only 3 months, 6 months etc?
2)any phone company to recommend that has good support?
3) what is the name of the basic mobile plan and what would it comprise of? I just need something that has talktime, sms and 3G that I can surf the internet.

Thanks

 

[low]

Hi

I brought over my own iPhone from Malaysia too and did not sign up any contract with the service providers here. I was informed that most of the iPhones are Asia are "unlocked". If yours are indeed "unlocked", you shld be able sign up on month to month basis. My plan with fido comes with call time, SMS and 3G where I am paying about $70+ per month. You can choose to have a cheaper plan if you wish.....if not mistaken, they have something that starts with $30+ basic plan. You may need to add on another $11+ per mth for caller Id if you wish cos it does not come with the basic plan. To start off, be prepared to pay $10 for the sim card and another $30 for activation fee which will be invoiced to you. Check out fido and telus plans... Tink they r quite ok..

 

[Keithcjk]

hi,

Thanks for your reply

i checked. my iphone is unlocked so I can use at other countries too.
is yours fido or telus?
how many minutes for outgoing for your plan?
free incoming calls?
how many text messages?
how many GB of data does it comes with?
the phone plans are definitely not cheap after i went on line to check

I believe you stay in vancouver
how is vancouver so far?

Thanks

 

[low]

The plan that I chose Is called CityFido. It works for me cos it allows for unlimited SMS both local as well as international...the data plan that comes with the package is quite minimal...but u have wifi access pretty much everywhere here in Canada. I only topped up $25/mth for extra 2gb data for the 1st month that I arrived. Thereafter, I rely mostly on wifi for my browsing. check out Fido and Telus website for the latest promo...you can basically try out their services and if you don't like it, you can terminate anytime since you need not be on contract. You only lee out on the $10 sim card and one time activation fee of $35.

Vancouver is nice..the weather is much milder compared to Toronto. People are friendlier too but be prepared to pay cos things are much more expensive here than Toronto...housing, food etc. It really depends on what you r looking for. For me, it is the weather, close proximity to Asia and friendliness of the people. job wise, I have no comment cos I am not searching for a job at the moment.

Good luck..

 

[Keithcjk]

Hi Low

I also agree that vancouver people are more friendly as compared to toronto. It is also more scenic and beautiful but the cost of living is very high!!

Thanks for the info. i went onto the internet to find out about the cityfido plan which cost about $35/mth. I have some questions which I hope you can help

1)unlimited Circle Calling - free local calls between people on the same account?

Does it mean that local calls (incoming and outgoing) will be unlimited for both parties using this fidocity plan of $35/month regardless of zones?

2)unlimited outgoing text - from canada to a canadian wireless number.

What does the word 'wireless' means? what is wireless and non-wireless number?

3) use your mins in any cityfido zone in canada

what is consider as cityfido zone and non-city fido zone?

Thanks

 

[low]

Hi Keith

I can't recall the details regarding the plan. For me, my needs are simple....I only need minimal data plan cos I have wifi access, I only make local call within BC and most of the time within Vancouver and immediate vicinities so I don't really bother much about the zones....but you r right...if I am in USA, it is expensive to call using my plan. I was advised to go to fido outlet an purchase a temporary plan that allows me to call while I am in the USA.

Take a day to talk to the service providers when u r here and decide based on your needs cos u know best what works for you. FYI, I just slashed down my cell phone bills to $50/mth cos I decided that I no longer requires the extra 2GB data plan. This is the advantage of having a month to month plan, u can change it...it is that flexible.

 

[Keithcjk]

HI Low

so as long as you call within BC, the unlimited calls is covered?
zones means other countries right?
At first i thought zone means if you are in downtown vancouver, you want to call to Burnaby or Richmond, you would need to pay because it is a different zone. I learn about zones because of the skytrain passes. Different zones in vancouver has different prices. eg if you want to travel from downtown vancouver to richmond, you need to pay more because different zones

would you be ok to answer some questions on healthcare?

1) do they recognise hotel address when you apply for healthcare?
2) i understand that there is no health coverage during the first 2-3 months when you apply for the healthcare, did you take up any insurance to cover for these period?

Thanks

 

[Leon]

1) do they recognise hotel address when you apply for healthcare?
2) i understand that there is no health coverage during the first 2-3 months when you apply for the healthcare, did you take up any insurance to cover for these period?

1) Very unlikely. The requirements to be eligible for health care in BC is that you reside in the province for at least 6 months a year. They are unlikely to believe that you are planning on living in a hotel the entire time. Besides, the waiting time is 3 months so as long as you have an address within the 3 months, you can go register then.

2) You should get travel insurance to cover possible emergencies.

 

[Keithcjk]

hi leon

did you get a health insurance to cover you for 3 months before they issue you the healthcard?

any recommendations on insurance plan. Not sure whether you are residing in vancouver.

Thanks

 

[Leon]

I got travel insurance in my home country before going to Canada so I was covered through that. If you have questions about insurance, you can look for the user named haver. He is an insurance agent. You can see his profile here: http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/profiles/haver-u23221.html

 

[Keithcjk]

Hi Leon

Thanks.

by the way, is there a difference between SIN card and PR card?
I heard someone say that need to apply for that as well?

was it very tough when you first move to canada?

Thanks

 

[steaky]

HI Low

so as long as you call within BC, the unlimited calls is covered?
zones means other countries right?
At first i thought zone means if you are in downtown vancouver, you want to call to Burnaby or Richmond, you would need to pay because it is a different zone. I learn about zones because of the skytrain passes. Different zones in vancouver has different prices. eg if you want to travel from downtown vancouver to richmond, you need to pay more because different zones

The definition of zones between telephone calls and transit is different:

For transit, yes you pay more if you travel from Vancouver to Maple Ridge than Vancouver to Burnaby.

For calling, of course you pay more if you make a long distance call to somewhere in Ontario than a local call between two points within Greater Vancouver.

 

[Keithcjk]

i got a question to ask

i stayed in toronto with a friend and applied for the PR card when i was there for my first landing.
The address in the system should be the toronto address.
After I got the PR card, I came back to Singapore
So now I am going to vancouver to settle down and I need to apply my SIN card.
Do I need to inform them to change the toronto address to the address in vancouver for the PR card?
will that affect the processing of the SIN card?

Thanks

 

[Leon]

When you go to Service Canada to apply for your SIN card, you will give them a Vancouver address and they will use that to mail you the SIN card. Service Canada does not really know or care what address immigration has for you, they will use what you give them.

You do not have to update your address by immigration until you need something from immigration, for example, when it is time to renew your PR card.

 

[Keithcjk]

leon, so what you are saying is that the address for my sin card which would be a vancouver address and the address for my pr card which is the toronto address can be different?

I do not need to update the toronto address of my PR card to a vancouver address at immigration when I am in vancouver? will this cause any complications later on and affect my PR status?

will i be questioned when I enter vancouver at customs because i came from singapore and the address for my PR card is a toronto address?

so service canada will not be questioning me how come the address on my PR card is a toronto address and the address that I am supplying them to make the sin card is a vancouver address?

Thanks