Prepaid phone -- what would you recommend?

[AvayaLenovo]

Hello,
I will be visiting Calgary next month but will finally move there end of Nov 2011. After this visit, I will be coming back to the US (Chicago) to pack our stuff. I'm thinking of buying a prepaid phone (with credit) so I can have a Cel # to put in my resume. I'm planning to start applying for jobs online as soon as I get a mobile phone even if we are still staying in the US. What phone company would you recommend? Basically, I need a prepaid (as I don't want to enter into any contracts yet) line to which I can also receive calls from Canada while in the US. And how much credit do you think should I purchase in order to receive calls from Canada for 2 months? Can I reload online if I ran out of credits?

I heard about WIND MOBILE but since they're a smaller company, I'm not sure if they have good coverage in the Chicagoland area.

Really appreciate your help!!!

 

[Canooknic]

We went to Walmart and bought a cheap LG phone with $100 credit. The credit expires after 1 year, instead of 30 days like the smaller credits.
The phone isn't what we're used to (we both had iPhones in the UK) but it only cost $40 and we can text and make/receive calls so we didn't need any more than that!!

 

[AvayaLenovo]

We went to Walmart and bought a cheap LG phone with $100 credit. The credit expires after 1 year, instead of 30 days like the smaller credits.
The phone isn't what we're used to (we both had iPhones in the UK) but it only cost $40 and we can text and make/receive calls so we didn't need any more than that!!

What service provider did you choose? Have you tried using it outside Canada?

 

[Canooknic]

Sorry, it's a Rogers card, I haven't tried it outside of Canada but it seems to work fine all around the country (so far!)

 

[AvayaLenovo]

Sorry, it's a Rogers card, I haven't tried it outside of Canada but it seems to work fine all around the country (so far!)

Thanks, Canooknic. I will try inquiring from a Rogers store.

 

[Leon]

If you already have a phone, you can get a SIM card at Rogers or Fido but if you don't, you can get cheap pre-paid phones from Telus along with some credit on them.