Best prepaid phone for Alaska , Vancouver

[just hooked]

Hi will be doing an Alaskan cruise tour soon disembarking in Vancouver then traveling out to jasper area and the west coast of USA , is there a mobile prepaid

I can purchase that would cover all areas , don't mind it not working inland Alaska but need it in anchorage and Vancouver . I can pre purchase some T-Mobile plans before leaving Australia but they don't seem to include Canada

Thanks for your help

[Kamloops50]

Hi will be doing an Alaskan cruise tour soon disembarking in Vancouver then traveling out to jasper area and the west coast of USA , is there a mobile prepaid

I can purchase that would cover all areas , don't mind it not working inland Alaska but need it in anchorage and Vancouver . I can pre purchase some T-Mobile plans before leaving Australia but they don't seem to include Canada

Thanks for your help

 

Many mobile providers from the US don't work in the Canada .

[Lisichka]

Hi will be doing an Alaskan cruise tour soon disembarking in Vancouver then traveling out to jasper area and the west coast of USA , is there a mobile prepaid

I can purchase that would cover all areas , don't mind it not working inland Alaska but need it in anchorage and Vancouver . I can pre purchase some T-Mobile plans before leaving Australia but they don't seem to include Canada

Thanks for your help

 

Are you sure about t-mobile? T-mobile should have great coverage in Alaska and Canada.

 

I just checked: they have great coverage in Canada.

Edited July 12, 2016 by Lisichka

[just hooked]

Are you sure about t-mobile? T-mobile should have great coverage in Alaska and Canada.

 

I just checked: they have great coverage in Canada.

 

They seem to work in Canada for PostPay not for prepaid for the ones I can pre purchase in Australia , is there a prepaid plan I can purchase when in LA ? That covers Canada as well

Thanks

[gpb11]

My first suggestion is to see if your existing carrier & phone supports "wifi calling". We used that with my iphone6 on AT&T to call home from our hotel in Vancouver without incurring any roaming charges. Yes you'd need to find wifi you could use, but depending on your needs it may be a free solution.

 

AT&T appears to have a US & Canada prepaid option under their GoPhone prepaid business. See here for info:

https://www.att.com/esupport/article.html#!/wireless/KM1040685

 

When we were in Alaska earlier this year we found AT&T coverage to be good when in port.

[PNW Traveler]

We use the Verizon $2/day plan when traveling in Canada. You can choose to use your phone and pay the $2 on a daily basis. No cost to listen to voicemail or view texts.

The $2/day also provides a mobile wifi hotspot for internet that we use for laptop and tablet web browsing.

[Kamloops50]

Prepaid phones for Canada don't work in the US..US prepaid phones don't work in Canada. You might want to look into getting a world phone that Will work worldwide. Prepaid phones from other countries don't work for the US either.

 

 

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[gpb11]

We use the Verizon $2/day plan when traveling in Canada.

Isn't that an add-on for a postpaid plan, or can it be used with a Verizon prepaid phone plan?

 

Prepaid phones for Canada don't work in the US..US prepaid phones don't work in Canada.

 

AT&T specifically advertises "Includes Talk, Text, & Data usage in Mexico and Canada" as a feature of one of their GoPhone prepaid plans sold in the US. See https://www.att.com/shop/wireless/gophone-plans.html

[bottom-dragger]

because i'm an international spy and a fugitive from justice, I only use burner phones and pre-paid cards.

 

my phone is a convenience for me alone and i only turn it on twice a day so my usage may be different from yours.

 

my experience with pre-paid

 

In the USA Tracfone and H20wireless have worked well. They contract with multiple carriers so my coverage is often better than someone next to me. Not the most discount prices but I don't live on my phone. They both compete to have the worst customer service.

 

The lovely mrs b-d and I went on "cruise" this May off Vancouver Island, British Columbia http://marinelinktours.com/ (totally un-needed gloat) and I needed a contact number so my brother could complain to me. I could get a sim delivered to me in the states but the only way to charge it was to have a Canadian bank account with a Canadian billing address or be physically present in their store. The final most simple way was to stop at the first 7-11 (convenience store) and buy a sim and a voucher. Rates were aggressive ......... but I had connection and was out the door.

 

Like I said, I don't live on my phone, only use pre-paid and don't have a contract with a provider.

[xlxo]

I recommend getting a prepaid ATT card for best coverage in Alaska.

[PNW Traveler]

The Verizon $2/day works with our regular phone plan. It is not a prepaid phone or prepaid plan. We are currently traveling in Alberta and B.C. and are using the $2/day. Once you choose to use your phone, a 24 hour clock starts. Verizon send a warning text when you're close to the 24 hour point.

 

(Note that this same arrangement works for traveling in other parts of the world except that the $$/day varies.)

 

Use of the $2/day is nice because it's discretionary. There are days we are busy sightseeing and therefore won't be doing much with phone or web. We can still view texts and listen to voicemail at no extra cost.