One night in Vancouver without phones

[Packman1000]

We are only spending one night in Vancouver pre-cruise.  I just realized our cell phones probably won't work in Canada and I don't want to go through the fuss and expense of new SIM cards, or whatever, for one day.  We are planning to use an airport hotel in Vancouver and take the Sky Train to the Waterfront Station the following morning to board the ship.  Without phones, does anyone know how we could contact the hotel from the airport to request their shuttle?  If we can't call the hotel, do taxi's in Vancouver take credit cards (also not planning to get Canadian dollars)?

 

Don't know if airports still have those hotel phones.  There must still be a lot of people that don't have cell phones - how do they travel??

[martincath]

Yes, the airport still has hotel phones to call for the shuttle (but if your flight isn't too late, it may just be circling around constantly between hotel and airport anyway). Yes, taxis take credit cards but thanks to the new fixed rate fare zones you will get screwed over anywhere from 2-3x the old metered rate depending on exactly where the hotel is (minimum fixed fare zone runs $20, many hotels are within a $7-10 cab ride if coming the other way when meters apply) so you definitely want to wait for the shuttle!

 

Almost all US carriers are happy to let you roam in Canada, at a significant hike in pricing unless you have prearranged a deal (you can sign up for '$x per day gets you your normal minutes/data allocation' type deals for example) - it's really just some PAYG providers, like Tracfone, which default to no service at all. And any device with WiFi can use the free city-wide network, #VanWiFi, and then make use of online calling, Whatsapp and similar - and YVR itself has it's own free WiFi too.

[Packman1000]

Thanks for info.  We'll look for the hotel phones, presuming they are around baggage claim - and skip the taxi fees.

[quack2]

Verizon charges $5/day to have your domestic service (phone and data) work in Canada. 

Edited June 11, 2019 by quack2
correction

[Hoyaheel]

12 hours ago, quack2 said:

Verizon charges $5/day to have your domestic service (phone and data) work in Canada. 

Unless you have a verizon plan that covers Canada, which we do....(we have an old plan, no clue what it is BUT we had data & cell svc included the past few times we've been in Canada).

 

I think the worst case scenario - if you can't find a hotel/shuttle phone or use wifi - is that you have to spend a few dollars in roaming or cell phone access to use your phone once to get to the hotel. Still cheaper than a taxi, right?

[aungrl]

20 hours ago, Packman1000 said:

We are only spending one night in Vancouver pre-cruise.  I just realized our cell phones probably won't work in Canada and I don't want to go through the fuss and expense of new SIM cards, or whatever, for one day.  We are planning to use an airport hotel in Vancouver and take the Sky Train to the Waterfront Station the following morning to board the ship.  Without phones, does anyone know how we could contact the hotel from the airport to request their shuttle?  If we can't call the hotel, do taxi's in Vancouver take credit cards (also not planning to get Canadian dollars)?

 

Don't know if airports still have those hotel phones.  There must still be a lot of people that don't have cell phones - how do they travel??

If you have Verizon, it’s very easy to add Travel Pass to your account.  It remains enabled until you discontinue it, and it protects you from really high roaming charges when out of the country.  The cost is $10/day for calls, texts, and data in most countries, and only $5/day in Canada.  (Per day means any 24-hour period from when the first call or text is made.)

 

If you never use it, no charges.  I’ve used it all over the world and it’s not only simple, it’s also low cost and stress free.  And I’ve never had an error in billing.

 

i believe ATT offers something similar, but I’m not sure of the details.  

 

In in any case, it costs nothing - other than 10 or so minutes of your time - to enable it, and then you’d have the option to use it once you’re there.

 

 

[niborHS]

We have AT&T, and our service includes Canada and Mexico.

 

[Hoyaheel]

Yep, for every single mobile phone question - Step 1 = check out your current plan for details 🙂 I note OP didn't tell us what plan they have or whether they actually checked that Canada wouldn't be included, so....I'd do that first 🙂

[SuperCrewBear]

Most airports still have payphones. For a single call or two, that would probably be the cheapest option.

[Packman1000]

Thanks for the suggestions.  I did call our cell phone provider - Consumer Cellular - and they said our service is with AT&T, but said they didn't think our service would work in Vancouver.  How would one know for sure?  Do we just try it when we get to the airport?

[Idahoan58]

One thing I love about having T mobile is it doesn’t cost extra in Canada and Mexico and it’s way cheaper than most cell phone carriers. 

[Hoyaheel]

2 hours ago, Packman1000 said:

Thanks for the suggestions.  I did call our cell phone provider - Consumer Cellular - and they said our service is with AT&T, but said they didn't think our service would work in Vancouver.  How would one know for sure?  Do we just try it when we get to the airport?

No, because your phone could "work" but charge you a LOT of money for roaming. Do you not have a contract with plan specifics? I'd try to call your provider again (we call that HUCA - hang up, call again ;-). You pay $X per month for your plan. What does that include???

[martincath]

^I agree with HH - you need to call back and ask, as the info supplied by Consumer Cellular on their website literally says that the cost varies from the 'standard' rates they list up to 'much higher' - here's a copy & paste of the relevant FAQ (emphasis mine):

 

Calling from outside the U.S.

You can use your Consumer Cellular service when traveling outside the U.S. by enabling international roaming. The countries where our service can be used are listed below. Verify that the country you are traveling to is listed.

Consumer Cellular utilizes multiple network providers. The network provider your specific cellular service uses determines international roaming availability. To confirm your international roaming options, contact Customer Support at (888) 345-5509. We recommend doing so at least two weeks before leaving the U.S.

On some networks with Consumer Cellular, usage incurred from the countries listed will be billed at international roaming rates of $0.30 per talk minute, $0.10 per text message, and $0.25 per MB of data usage. On other networks with Consumer Cellular, those costs can be much higher, or international roaming may not be available. Be aware that when using your phone internationally, charges can add up, so it is always best to use on a more limited basis. For your protection, service will be disabled once we have received billing records showing $50 in international roaming charges has been incurred on your account during a billing period (this includes calls, text messages, and web data). Due to delays in receiving billing records, your charges will likely have exceeded $50 when international access is disabled.

 

Based on the fact that they said AT&T is YOUR network provider (the underlying network that they are using to supply your phone with data/calls/texts) OP, if Consumer can't tell you what you'll be billed you could contact AT&T directly and see what their default rates are up here... but like I said, you will be able to call the hotel shuttle from the airport phones and if you have even a super basic Smartphone the WiFi on that will work across Vancouver (I'm going to guess that the fact you're with CC pegs you as Seniors, as that's their target audience, so maybe your kids/grandkids can install an internet phone app and show you how to use it if you don't already make use of such a thing).