Database Users

Prepaid data plans in Canada

I will be travelling to Manitoba Canada for a couple of months this summer and I am looking for a prepaid data plan. I have searched the web but did not come up with anything so far. Since I have noticed a few Canadians on this forum I would appreciate if somebody would give me some suggestions.
Thanks

tedkopp said:
I will be travelling to Manitoba Canada for a couple of months this summer and I am looking for a prepaid data plan. I have searched the web but did not come up with anything so far. Since I have noticed a few Canadians on this forum I would appreciate if somebody would give me some suggestions.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My suggestion is travel to a different country, or avoid using data in Canada.
I'm not aware of any prepaid data plans that Fido or Rogers offers.
These are the only two GSM providers in Canada that will work with an unlocked GSM phone (They're actually the same company).
www.Rogers.com (They do Cable TV, etc, so select they're mobile wireless)
www.Fido.ca
Safe Travels!

tedkopp said:
I will be travelling to Manitoba Canada for a couple of months this summer and I am looking for a prepaid data plan. I have searched the web but did not come up with anything so far. Since I have noticed a few Canadians on this forum I would appreciate if somebody would give me some suggestions.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, since you'll only be staying with us for a couple of months, it might be better to check with your local provider and see if they have any 'international roaming' plans. If I understand the way things work correctly, ROGERS/FIDO will simply pass on any roaming charges to your home provider, who will then charge you...
Unfortunately, I don't believe there is any way in Canada to get a 'pay as you go' SIM card including data that's anywhere near reasonable rates.

Thanks guys for your help.
I do have a prepaid sim with Rogers but I cannot figure out what they would charge for data. Their customers service is unbelivably bad.
I did check with Swisscom and the best deal I could find so far is 125 sfr or approx. 100 cad$ for 200 MB/month.
If anybody has more suggestions please let me know.
Thanks again.

Rogers data rate for pay per use is CAD$ 0.05/KB
You can get roughly 2Mb for your CAD$ 100.
Welcome to our nightmare...
http://www.rogers.com/web/content/w...t10=paygo_rates&setLanguage=en&setProvince=MB

stepw said:
Rogers data rate for pay per use is CAD$ 0.05/KB
You can get roughly 2Mb for your CAD$ 100.
Welcome to our nightmare...
http://www.rogers.com/web/content/w...t10=paygo_rates&setLanguage=en&setProvince=MB
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Click to collapse
Wow, Swisscom would charge me 100 times less in Canada than what Rogers would. And they go through Rogers!!
You guys should sign up with Swisscom !! http://www.swisscom-mobile.ch/scm/kd_datentarif-en.aspx
When I travel in Italy I can get 1GB with Tim for approx. 30 Cad$ !!!
Sorry I don't mean to make you guys feel bad but I always thought that North America was the leading edge on technology.
I was living in Canada when cellphone started to come out at an affordable price and in Europe they were still a luxury item. Now it seems it's the other way around.

hmm, this is indeed interesting to me too.
I'll be travelling to ontario for a short time, probably more often somewhat soon.
The data is not too big a deal, I plan to go pretty much only to places with wifi, and otherwise, AT&T gives me USD$0.015/KB data - cheap enough for a quick check of something.
However, having something with which I can call for relatively cheap would be great...
With any prepaid (I am not going in often enough to use a monthly plan) plan, can rogers beat that data rate or USD$0.79/minute phone calls? The website is hideously annoying to use... I thought I too might ask a canadian.

Hmm, did some research on Fido:
1. It never makes sense to use their data unless you use A LOT of data (a lot being a lot for a day when you're cutting back, not a lot for a month or so).
2. It always makes sense to get their prepaid service for voice - compare either CAD$0.50/minute or [CAD$0.60/minute with CAD$0.30/minute nights + weekends + CAD$1/day] with USD$0.79/minute.
Good thing I have a simunlocked kaiser lying around with nothing much to do

In my country, Indonesia, is extremely cheap, just $ 0.0001/Kb data

bmw2320 said:
In my country, Indonesia, is extremely cheap, just $ 0.0001/Kb data
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Click to collapse
Canada phone companies are all bloody ripoffs, I hate it

stepw said:
Rogers data rate for pay per use is CAD$ 0.05/KB
You can get roughly 2Mb for your CAD$ 100.
Welcome to our nightmare...
http://www.rogers.com/web/content/w...t10=paygo_rates&setLanguage=en&setProvince=MB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a friend who has to travel to Canada frequently for work (from the US). He has a work blackberry on ATT, and he just got a $3000 bill for data usage during a 3 day trip. I think he said it was $15/MB.

Hi. Sorry to dig this topic, but my question is very similar and I don't know if I could create a new thread with the same subject.
I'm from Brazil but I usually travel to Toronto once a year, so I'm used to buy Prepaid SIM Cards to use in my cellphone, but this time will be the first time I will go with a 3G Smartphone (French LG Optimus 7 - WP7). So my doubt is all about prepaid data plans
I was browsing Fido website and I saw the "Unlimited Mobile Browsing" for 10 bucks a month, but isn't clear for me if this pack is unlimited only when I am using the cellphone's web browser or if it's valid for Apps, Mail, Push, Bing Maps et al. too.
Someone more familiar with the Canadian providers could help me with this issue?
PS.: I need a prepaid plan because I will stay for a month only.
Thanks

I need something similar as well, I'm actually Canadian, but a friend is going to be here for a couple of weeks, and was asking... any help would be nice

I would also be interested on Canadian prepaid data plans.
There is a mention of prepaid 500MB data plan on Rogers website:
http://www.rogers.com/web/content/wireless-products/plans
But I can not find any info on how much does it cost .

Yeah, plans tend to suck in Canada. You can get pretty cheap ones from Mobilicity/Wind Mobile, with "unlimited" data (5GB, after that they may or may not throttle your speeds). Not sure how their prepaid works though.
I just bought a Bell prepaid tablet plan a few days ago for my Nexus S, seemed like the best I could get from the big three, Bell/Telus/Rogers. No voice in the plan, but I just use Google Voice for that anyway. It's $15 for 250MB, $20 for 500MB, or $35 for 5GB.
EDIT: Plus $5 charge for the SIM card.

Bell plan sounds reasonable. I guess I will have to cancel after 30 days in order not to be charged again. Is it freely available for walk-in customers for overseas?
Any other suggestions, which would include voice, would also be much appreciated.

Right, you just cancel before 30 days end.
Mobilicity/Wind/Videotron are probably the best you can get in terms of price. As an alternative to the Bell one but with voice, you might be able to go with something like Koodo, which has fairly cheap voice plans (starting at $15), and the data kinda scales ($10 for 100MB, $15 for 200, $20 for 300, $25 for 500, $30 for a GB). That's not pre-paid though, just no contract.
Not really sure how it works for walk-in customers / non-residents. I believe the first three I mentioned have prepaid you can just buy, not entirely sure though. Bell did make me sign up as a customer even though it's prepaid, but that might be because I wanted it activated in-store. Maybe find a Canadian friend to sign up for you and then cancel soon after?

AerialX said:
Yeah, plans tend to suck in Canada. You can get pretty cheap ones from Mobilicity/Wind Mobile, with "unlimited" data (5GB, after that they may or may not throttle your speeds). Not sure how their prepaid works though.
I just bought a Bell prepaid tablet plan a few days ago for my Nexus S, seemed like the best I could get from the big three, Bell/Telus/Rogers. No voice in the plan, but I just use Google Voice for that anyway. It's $15 for 250MB, $20 for 500MB, or $35 for 5GB.
EDIT: Plus $5 charge for the SIM card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This sounds sweet. Some help if you would though please:
They mention a $35 activation fee on sim card packages (which cost more- $10 at kiosks). Did you get around that?
Did you activate sim online, by phone, in person? Any tips on IMEI to use?
Thanks!

whitebreadstyle said:
This sounds sweet. Some help if you would though please:
They mention a $35 activation fee on sim card packages (which cost more- $10 at kiosks). Did you get around that?
Did you activate sim online, by phone, in person? Any tips on IMEI to use?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nevermind, all sorted!
Phone rep activated without IMEI, and no activation fee because it's prepaid.
I'm now running a Bell Atrix on the Bell tablet ($35/5gb) plan. Since it's a Bell phone to begin with, I think things were a little more seamless. No need to manually enter APN's or anything like that.
Once again, the website to top up / check balance is mobile.mselfserve.ca/tablet/login.htm -- NOT the one on the self serve app (which is where the phone rep sent me incidentally). It was quite obviously the wrong page because there was no $35 top up choice and no mention of tablets.
Thanks, people in the thread, for your tips.

[ANSWERED]T-Mobile Data Plan?

Now, I know there are lots of threads on this already and I took a few minutes skimming search results and didn't find this answered.
Basically, I was hoping to switch myself to the $10 internet plan on T-Mobile rather than paying the $25 internet plan. I bought my phone unlocked from Google.com and not subsidized through T-Mobile. However, when I asked to switch to the other plan, they asked me for my IMEI number on my phone.
Has anyone else been asked for their IMEI when switching to a different data plan? Do they actually have a database of the existing N1 IMEI numbers or are they simply trying to build one? Would I be better off grabbing an old Razr and giving them that IMEI then switching back to my N1?
Lots of questions! Haha.
Anyway, if anyone could shed a bit of light on this I would very much appreciate it.

No, a few months after the initial G1 release T-Mobile caught on to the "scam" and closed the loophole. You have to have an Android data plan now or nothing.

evilkorn said:
No, a few months after the initial G1 release T-Mobile caught on to the "scam" and closed the loophole. You have to have an Android data plan now or nothing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Confirmed--when I got my N1 and switching from a BB plan to an Android plan.

evilkorn said:
No, a few months after the initial G1 release T-Mobile caught on to the "scam" and closed the loophole. You have to have an Android data plan now or nothing.
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Click to collapse
bloke226 said:
Confirmed--when I got my N1 and switching from a BB plan to an Android plan.
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Click to collapse
Hmm.. I was under the impression that this was solely for subsidized phones which they already had IMEI's for.
So, in the end, you're stuck paying the extra cost for the Android version of Web even if you bought it unlocked then huh?

Nedlinin said:
Hmm.. I was under the impression that this was solely for subsidized phones which they already had IMEI's for.
So, in the end, you're stuck paying the extra cost for the Android version of Web even if you bought it unlocked then huh?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty much--don't know what to tell you I bought the phone outright since I didn't want to kill my plan to be forced on the N1 T-Mobile individual plan for at least 4 months...and I was forced to go onto the $25/mos plan from my $20/mos BlackBerry plan.
EDIT: They didn't ask me for what my IMEI number was though. In T-Mobile's system it will probably say I still use a BlackBerry device

The IMEI numbers update automatically in the system on a 2 day lag. So whatever phone you use today will reflect in their system on Saturday. As far as the $10 data plan, it will not work. It should say something to the effect that "you don't have the proper provisioning" or something like that. Basically your eating up too much bandwidth. You obviously had enough money to buy a Nexus 1, but won't pay for the premium data plan? That's the same thing as buying a brand new Ferrari and asking your friends for gas money to go out? At least I see it that way

srt4john said:
The IMEI numbers update automatically in the system on a 2 day lag. So whatever phone you use today will reflect in their system on Saturday. As far as the $10 data plan, it will not work. It should say something to the effect that "you don't have the proper provisioning" or something like that. Basically your eating up too much bandwidth. You obviously had enough money to buy a Nexus 1, but won't pay for the premium data plan? That's the same thing as buying a brand new Ferrari and asking your friends for gas money to go out? At least I see it that way
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see... bummer.
And, as far as buying an N1 and not paying for the premium plan, the premium plan is great as long as you have a job to afford it. When you get laid off, not so much.

Nedlinin said:
I see... bummer.
And, as far as buying an N1 and not paying for the premium plan, the premium plan is great as long as you have a job to afford it. When you get laid off, not so much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seriously, you're joking right?
You can't afford the $15 price difference?
Then you should cancel your phone altogether.

Wow, some people are douchebags.

Re: T-Mobile Data Plan?
Now, I know there are lots of threads on this already and I took a few minutes skimming search results and didn't find this answered.
Basically, I was hoping to switch myself to the $10 internet plan on T-Mobile rather than paying the $25 internet plan. I bought my phone unlocked from Google.com and not subsidized through T-Mobile. However, when I asked to switch to the other plan, they asked me for my IMEI number on my phone.
Has anyone else been asked for their IMEI when switching to a different data plan? Do they actually have a database of the existing N1 IMEI numbers or are they simply trying to build one? Would I be better off grabbing an old Razr and giving them that IMEI then switching back to my N1?
Lots of questions! Haha.
Anyway, if anyone could shed a bit of light on this I would very much appreciate it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am currently using a 5.99 plan on my nexus. fast 3.5g internet for really cheap price. it works just fine. they have my imei. they know I am using the internet like that but they don't do anything about it. by simply putting in the epc.tmobile.com apn you'll get full internet on any plan. but this only works for the nexus. no other android phone can use this because tmobile provides the phones not Google.

Re: T-Mobile Data Plan?
I see... bummer.
And, as far as buying an N1 and not paying for the premium plan, the premium plan is great as long as you have a job to afford it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seriously, you're joking right?
You can't afford the $15 price difference?
Then you should cancel your phone altogether.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
$15 more a month over years adds up. and in this economy money is hard to come by. no need to flame the guy.

Henchman said:
Seriously, you're joking right?
You can't afford the $15 price difference?
Then you should cancel your phone altogether.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate your input but I need my phone.
@Carbon: did you give them your Nexus's IMEI number or a different phones? Also, did you buy yours unlocked or subsidized?

carbonfiber1 said:
I am currently using a 5.99 plan on my nexus. fast 3.5g internet for really cheap price. it works just fine. they have my imei. they know I am using the internet like that but they don't do anything about it. by simply putting in the epc.tmobile.com apn you'll get full internet on any plan. but this only works for the nexus. no other android phone can use this because tmobile provides the phones not Google.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting to know more how you were able to achieve the $5.99 plan

bloke226 said:
Interesting to know more how you were able to achieve the $5.99 plan
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Click to collapse
From what I have been able to find out, if you had the old $6 T-Zones, you were able to be grandfathered in when they cancelled the service. The cheapest net they offer now is the "Phone First/Web2Go" internet which is $10 a month. Essentially the same thing just 4$ more.

Nedlinin said:
From what I have been able to find out, if you had the old $6 T-Zones, you were able to be grandfathered in when they cancelled the service. The cheapest net they offer now is the "Phone First/Web2Go" internet which is $10 a month. Essentially the same thing just 4$ more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply, interesting they do grandfathering

srt4john said:
Basically your eating up too much bandwidth. You obviously had enough money to buy a Nexus 1, but won't pay for the premium data plan? That's the same thing as buying a brand new Ferrari and asking your friends for gas money to go out? At least I see it that way
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good analogy. However, people don't get rich by spending money. If you can find a way to pay less, you do it. Some people made a financial stretch to afford the N1 and now cannot afford to pay for a premium data service.
Data service is data service and should not be dependent on device. At least I see it that way.

Hey, I'm all fur finding ways to pay as little as possible.
But let's not pretend an extra $15 is breaking the bank.
Hello, I just cancelled my cable TV after realising u rarely watch the 200 channels available.
And all the network channels i can get using a $15 pair if rabbit ears.
HD, .5.1
Next to go is the phone. Experimenting with magic jack this month.
All I want to pay for is high speed internet.
I'll save at least $120 a month

I think the grandfathering is BS because when I first got my G1 I had T-Zones on my old v3 and they made me switch to the newer data plan. To clarify, they had to do it because of activating the phone, so I don't know if you just buy it outright and don't tell them it could work.

Nedlinin said:
@Carbon: did you give them your Nexus's IMEI number or a different phones? Also, did you buy yours unlocked or subsidized?
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Click to collapse
I got my phone unlocked. I didnt give them my IMEI, they automatically know it once your sim card is in the phone. Ive had the 5.99 tzones plan for a while now, but this article should help you out http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/5381...ed-data-for-5-99-works-wiphone-and-nexus-one/
edit: this comment by a user might also be helpful.
"as an alternative, i was able to set this up without customer service's help. this was more than a year ago when I setup tzones to work on my treo 650. the trick was that i had an old phone sony ericcson t300 that i had purchased back in 2000 or 2001. I keep it around because if i have an emergency where my phone or my wife's phone stops working i can transfer the sim card quickly to a working phone to make/receive a call. So here's what i did:
setup my sim card in the t300.
make a call or send a text message; long enough to let the t-mobile servers detect that I have switched phones.
log in to t-mobile.com
verify that my phone is now detected as a t300. if not, click on the "not my phone" and change it.
next, adjust service plans, t-zones appears on the list.
add tzones to your billing cycle. make any additional changes you need to make.
save the settings.
change your sim card back to the original phone.
setup the phone for t-zones service"

T-mobile has two data plans.
1) Data plan
2) Sidekick data plan
They have a ton of different pricing for number 1) , the $10 smart web, the $15 dollar smartphone plan, and the $25 android plan.
(I'm not even including all the grandfathered plans like t-zone/t-mobile shadow/blackberry,etc)
The point being they are all the same, they use the same servers, they are all unlimited, so If you can manage to get any of those plans on your bill you will have full 3g/HSPA speed internet on your phone, regardless of what phone it is.

now bing cash back has 35% off with tmobile hd2

try to get it!

I think thats been around for sometime.

zmdivy said:
try to get it!
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Click to collapse
too bad you cant buy a phone outright online. have to go to the store or order with a plan.

Yep this as been around since the phone came out on 3/24 in fact I am due my bing cashback in 10 days

techboydino said:
too bad you cant buy a phone outright online. have to go to the store or order with a plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes you have to, but atleast you have the option of full payment and getting EM+ which isnt so bad at $59.99.
Plus after 2 months you get around $150+ back which is always nice
i will go with the BCB about a month from now.

jdl1681 said:
Yep this as been around since the phone came out on 3/24 in fact I am due my bing cashback in 10 days
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
please let us know when you get it

could i get it with no plan if i pay the full payment with EM+?
OR i have to cancel the plan after the first month?
I am now using prepaid plans and just want a phone pda.

zmdivy said:
could i get it with no plan if i pay the full payment with EM+?
OR i have to cancel the plan after the first month?
I am now using prepaid plans and just want a phone pda.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well you have to get a plan whether you're going for the subsidized price or the full price, you cannot buy it without getting a plan, atleast not to my knowledge.
Also you're account has to be active for 60 days from getting a plan, meaning you have to use tmobile service for 60 days in order to get BCB.

zmdivy said:
could i get it with no plan if i pay the full payment with EM+?
OR i have to cancel the plan after the first month?
I am now using prepaid plans and just want a phone pda.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
buy phone direct from walmart. pay 500+tax and phone is yours. u dont have to sign or buy any contract.
second option is to buy phone from wmdeals.com cost (150+tax+one month or 15 days rent+200 etf) and phone is yours

thanks
I found the hd 2 is only 99.99 with 2yr contract in amazon.com
so the best price is supposed to be
100+ no tax+one month rent 60 +200 etf=360?
but if i want to transfer to att still need to unlock so might be 120 for 2 months rent
could it work?

zmdivy said:
could i get it with no plan if i pay the full payment with EM+?
OR i have to cancel the plan after the first month?
I am now using prepaid plans and just want a phone pda.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is exactly what I did. I ordered the phone online with the bing discount. After I got it I played around with it for a few days, called and canceled. They didn't give me any trouble at all, seemed rather happy I'm keeping the phone to use with their prepaid They canceled my plan and refunded my activation (they pre-activated the thing when it shipped). The only slightly annoying part is they billed me useage for when the phone was in transit. I didn't really argue that one, just happy to get activation refunded.
Naturally this is for a phone I paid their retail price for.
I used bsbtweak to permanently disable the data, although I'm not sure it would've connected to data anyway.

buzz killington said:
This is exactly what I did. I ordered the phone online with the bing discount. After I got it I played around with it for a few days, called and canceled. They didn't give me any trouble at all, seemed rather happy I'm keeping the phone to use with their prepaid They canceled my plan and refunded my activation (they pre-activated the thing when it shipped). The only slightly annoying part is they billed me useage for when the phone was in transit. I didn't really argue that one, just happy to get activation refunded.
Naturally this is for a phone I paid their retail price for.
I used bsbtweak to permanently disable the data, although I'm not sure it would've connected to data anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wait a min.
did you use tmobile service for 60 days?? because in order to be eligible for BCB your account has to be active for 60 days.
So how many days did you use the phone for because it hasnt been 60 days since the hd2 came out meaning you wont be getting the BCB in this case!!!
let me know your timeline.
i am planning to use BCB aswell for HD2 but with full payment and after i get BCB that is after 60days of service i might go to att.

geronemo said:
wait a min.
did you use tmobile service for 60 days?? because in order to be eligible for BCB your account has to be active for 60 days.
So how many days did you use the phone for because it hasnt been 60 days since the hd2 came out meaning you wont be getting the BCB in this case!!!
let me know your timeline.
i am planning to use BCB aswell for HD2 but with full payment and after i get BCB that is after 60days of service i might go to att.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The bcb is currently showing in my account as pending. I'll post an update when the 60 days comes up, but I'm not really expecting any problems. The BCB is on the phone, and has nothing to do with the plan. Since I'm keeping the phone the full order stands.
If you want to switch to AT&T you'll need to unlock the phone and you'll probably have to wait whatever amount of time tmo says before you can get that code. I wasn't leaving Tmo, really just switching plans.
If you still want a timeline here it goes without the date
Ordered the phone on a weekend with the Bing cashback
Tmo ships it on monday and I receive it wednesday night, sim, microsd, all inserted and activated. I replace the sim with my old prepaid, dumped the contacts in and make a few calls to make sure everything is cool.
Put the new sim back, play around with the phone through the weekend. Really there wasn't much to gain over my prepaid plan except Data connection.
Next Monday I called the tmobile and canceled the plan under buyer remorse. Been using the phone with prepaid card since.
Actually now that I think of it, there was a little more to tell about this. Bing sends you a notice as soon as you order something under the bcb. I never got one. It didn't even occur to me to check until after I had canceled. So I had to contact Bing and provide them my order information, and they added the cashback (very quickly I might add, good service). Alll that happened after I had already canceled my service.

buzz killington said:
The bcb is currently showing in my account as pending. I'll post an update when the 60 days comes up, but I'm not really expecting any problems. The BCB is on the phone, and has nothing to do with the plan. Since I'm keeping the phone the full order stands.
If you want to switch to AT&T you'll need to unlock the phone and you'll probably have to wait whatever amount of time tmo says before you can get that code. I wasn't leaving Tmo, really just switching plans.
If you still want a timeline here it goes without the date
Ordered the phone on a weekend with the Bing cashback
Tmo ships it on monday and I receive it wednesday night, sim, microsd, all inserted and activated. I replace the sim with my old prepaid, dumped the contacts in and make a few calls to make sure everything is cool.
Put the new sim back, play around with the phone through the weekend. Really there wasn't much to gain over my prepaid plan except Data connection.
Next Monday I called the tmobile and canceled the plan under buyer remorse. Been using the phone with prepaid card since.
Actually now that I think of it, there was a little more to tell about this. Bing sends you a notice as soon as you order something under the bcb. I never got one. It didn't even occur to me to check until after I had canceled. So I had to contact Bing and provide them my order information, and they added the cashback (very quickly I might add, good service). Alll that happened after I had already canceled my service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh ok, this is news to me, because i was under the impression that BCB requires you not to cancel before 60 days, hence the confusion on my part.
Iam planning on getting it on full payment so if i request the unlock code they give it out on full payment after a few days, they will just ask me to fax them some inofrmation.
Also when you inserted you pre-paid sim, did it start working? or did you have to unlock the hd2??
thanks for the information.

geronemo said:
oh ok, this is news to me, because i was under the impression that BCB requires you not to cancel before 60 days, hence the confusion on my part.
Iam planning on getting it on full payment so if i request the unlock code they give it out on full payment after a few days, they will just ask me to fax them some inofrmation.
Also when you inserted you pre-paid sim, did it start working? or did you have to unlock the hd2??
thanks for the information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem at all. I had read before I bought the phone a "confession of a T-mobile sales rep" that there are no difference between between the regular subscription phones and prepaid phones. Also confirmed that in a faq I dug out before I finally pulled the trigger. So far so good, just waiting for the prepaid data from tmo.

[Q] A question for the T-mobile data plan.

I am considering getting a Samsung Vibrant these days. There is one thing that bother me a lot.
I am a student from China. And I am getting a prepaid SIM from T-mobile without any kind of plan right now for the price reason.
I was wondering if I got a unlocked Samsung Vibrant from eBay and use it on the T-mobile network, do I have to pay for the data plan?
The thing is I owned a AT&T Fuze before and everything works fine on the T-mobile network except for the 3G. That's okay for me cuz I don't use 3G anyway. But there is one time that my friend who is on AT&T network borrow my Fuze for couple days, and AT&T just added the data plan for it automatically. My friend try to call the staff in AT&T and they said that since HTC Fuze is a smart phone from AT&T, it require a data plan so he cannot cancel it. And they can tell when he insert the SIM card and AT&T will get the IMEI from him automatically.
I just wondering will the same thing happen in T-mobile? 30$/month is way to much for me.
BTW, there is another question for you guys. There is a lot of unlocked Galaxy S on eBay, which is nice. I was wondering how they get it unlocked? Can I get them unlocked right in the "carrier shop"? Or there is other ways that I can get the unlocked code?
Thx you guys anyway for answering these questions. BIG HAPPY FACE

You might have to spoof the IMEI, you're in the same boat as my friend. He wants to use his old Sidekick plan with the phone but since's it's not a Sidekick he can't use the data at all because they know he's using a smart phone. Discussing IMEI's is not usually allowed on xda because it's illegal in some countries. I think that's your only solution though.
Wait a few months until the phone is more popular and you'll be able to easily find ways to spoof the IMEI. So far I have found none.

you have to have the android web spoofed or not. Without it TMO will lock you out of the market and mms
Sent from the best phone from TMO... Vibrant

as long as you use t mobile prepaid, you won't be charged for a data plan.
Why do you want to buy those expensive vibrants from ebay? I'd rather buy it from tmobile with 2 year contract, then cancel the plan and pay the ETF.
You can try to ask a t mobile online csr for the unlock code. Just tell him you will travel outside of us.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

neasoon said:
as long as you use t mobile prepaid, you won't be charged for a data plan.
Why do you want to buy those expensive vibrants from ebay? I'd rather buy it from tmobile with 2 year contract, then cancel the plan and pay the ETF.
You can try to ask a t mobile online csr for the unlock code. Just tell him you will travel outside of us.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
He said he is a student from china so I assume he does not have a SS# and without one he cannot sign up for a contract.
The best thing you can do OP is buy a Galaxy S i9000 off ebay. Tmobile only has the IMEI for the vibrants. That way you can pop your sim into the international version and they wont know.

Or get a sim card from mysimplemobile.com $60 a month for unlimited everything and it uses tmobile service. That is what I switched to and it works with my vibrant without an unlock.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

PathogenX said:
He said he is a student from china so I assume he does not have a SS# and without one he cannot sign up for a contract.
The best thing you can do OP is buy a Galaxy S i9000 off ebay. Tmobile only has the IMEI for the vibrants. That way you can pop your sim into the international version and they wont know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup. You are right. I don't have the SSN right now so it's difficult for me to sign a contract.
The international version which is the i9000 is not bad. But I notice the price for the international version are significantly more expensive than the vibrant, for like 100-200$.
Anyway, thx for the suggestions.

j0eyred said:
Or get a sim card from mysimplemobile.com $60 a month for unlimited everything and it uses tmobile service. That is what I switched to and it works with my vibrant without an unlock.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
Thank you for the suggestions. But 60$ still seems to be a lot for me.
So I might try to figure out another way to make it happen. lol

Im using the vibrant on tmo after upgrade. you can go online and remove the service. I paid for one month and canceled. you just change the type of phone to one not requiring android data plan ie a non android phone and it will let you remove it. I'm using it purely on wifi. just remember you will need it unlocked or w/ 3g to activate it initially or after wipe.

vnamee said:
Im using the vibrant on tmo after upgrade. you can go online and remove the service. I paid for one month and canceled. you just change the type of phone to one not requiring android data plan ie a non android phone and it will let you remove it. I'm using it purely on wifi. just remember you will need it unlocked or w/ 3g to activate it initially or after wipe.
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Click to collapse
Ahh, Hmmm I paid the full 500 and today is the last day I can return mine. How much was the termination fee out of curiosity?
Another question, I have been using mine prepaid for almost a month now and TMO hasn't given me any trouble with it. (Aside from the reps in the store when I went to buy it).
Do you think I should bother to spoof my IMEI? Is that something that can get a fellow into trouble in this paranoid new world?
From what I've read everywhere else, it seems that TMO needs your business and won't give you any trouble using a prepaid sim in the phone. Whose to say that won't change in the future though.

lianglqufo said:
Thank you for the suggestions. But 60$ still seems to be a lot for me.
So I might try to figure out another way to make it happen. lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can usually get a contract from T-mob with your passport and your F1 student visa (assuming you're on a F1). You'll have to wait for about an hour in order for them to get approval from headquarters, but it works fine. Got my Vibrant that way, and while the charges are high at least you get unlimited data (as in really unlimited), so watching videos, listening to pandora and all that is a non-brainer..

djupp said:
You can usually get a contract from T-mob with your passport and your F1 student visa (assuming you're on a F1). You'll have to wait for about an hour in order for them to get approval from headquarters, but it works fine. Got my Vibrant that way, and while the charges are high at least you get unlimited data (as in really unlimited), so watching videos, listening to pandora and all that is a non-brainer..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh. I do have the F1 VISA with me. But I think I need to pay the deposit for don't have the SS#. At least my friend told me so.

SquareBare said:
Ahh, Hmmm I paid the full 500 and today is the last day I can return mine. How much was the termination fee out of curiosity?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the thing I don't understand. I paid $199 for my Vibrant on a 2-year contract. I have a $200 ETF, which means that I can cancel, and get the phone for $400. For a non-contract, I would have paid the full $500.
So what one can do is use the Even More for one month (which is +$10 from the Even More Plus). Then cancel, pay the ETF, and move to the same Even More Plus plan. Which would mean you would get no contract for $400.
Am I missing something?

cparekh said:
So what one can do is use the Even More for one month (which is +$10 from the Even More Plus). Then cancel, pay the ETF, and move to the same Even More Plus plan. Which would mean you would get no contract for $400.
Am I missing something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is this really possible? amazon currently has the vibrant for $0.01 with a new contract. so in theory, one could sign a new contract, cancel and pay the ETF of $200, and get the phone for $200.01?? then sign up for an even more plus plan with no contract? (i also thought EM was $20/month more than EM+)
any input would be appreciated. this sounds too good to be true

You can buy a Vibrant and use it on prepaid you are just going to pay $500 for the phone. T-Mobile doesn't care they wont and can't charge you extra.
I would recommend checking out flexpay, you can get a monthly plan and get data if you want it. If not go with prepaid $15 a month gives you unlimited SMS and $0.10 a minute and just use wifi when you need data.
One last thing is do not recommend imei spoofing as its illegal here.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

lolcopter said:
is this really possible? amazon currently has the vibrant for $0.01 with a new contract. so in theory, one could sign a new contract, cancel and pay the ETF of $200, and get the phone for $200.01?? then sign up for an even more plus plan with no contract? (i also thought EM was $20/month more than EM+)
any input would be appreciated. this sounds too good to be true
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you cancel with amazon within 6 months you pay an added 250$ ETF to them. So it would be 450$ all day.
I got mine from costco for $99 and canceled for 200$ after ETF. So $300 total. You also get a free cheap case car charger and bluetooth from them. Oh and no activation fee.
Texted While Driving

sl0play said:
If you cancel with amazon within 6 months you pay an added 250$ ETF to them. So it would be 450$ all day.
I got mine from costco for $99 and canceled for 200$ after ETF. So $300 total. You also get a free cheap case car charger and bluetooth from them. Oh and no activation fee.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nice. i'll look into something like this. i wonder if best buy / radioshack / car toys also have ETF fees of their own... (no costco membership for me)

I am kinda confused by this.
So I am in a stick situation here.
My parents have a family plan and I bought a Vibrant adding onto their Even More plan, which requires the $5 add a line and also $30 data plan. But I kinda think I don't really need data plan/3G cuz I am mostly home and don't quite use 3G unless I am not home, which isn't too often. $30 is a little money wasting, so I was thinking of just getting my phone without contract by paying $500 and just adding to my parents' Even More plan without data plan to save money.
But since I got my phone from Costco for $200 (when did this $99 deal start? I got mine a week ago...), does that mean I can just cancel and save money instead?
Important question though: Is it really true that there is no Android Market access without Tmo smartphone data plan? Why is this so? If so, is there any way of my getting away with it in my case?
Thanks,

FYI, if you have an F1 visa or any student visa you can do a contact with T-Mobile with no deposit and no ss#. This is something relatively new to t-mo. Just go to any corporate store location and they should be able to set it up for you. It takes about 45 minutes to process. That is the only down side.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

seojuhwan said:
Important question though: Is it really true that there is no Android Market access without Tmo smartphone data plan? Why is this so? If so, is there any way of my getting away with it in my case?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have a data plan, and I can access the Android Market just fine via WiFi. With Wifi at home and at work and most every place in between, the data plan is really pointless for me

[Tutorial] How to get $30 prepaid plan with T-Mobile new activation

Note: - This guide only works for new T-Mobile prepaid activation and with T-Mobile HTC One device.
Introduction: T-Mobile has the hidden $30 prepaid plan that has 100 talk minutes, unlimited text and 5GB data with 4G speed. This is the cheapest plan for prepaid IMHO. I have tested the data speed in Rochester, MN (not a refarmed 1900Mhz area), and the results are 16Mps download and 5Mps upload. You can transfer your number from other carrier (Straight Talk etc.) with this new activation. There is no activation fee. I haven't experienced any drop call or technical issue. The coverage is really good in Minnesota.
What you need to get started:
1. Activation kit (aka sim card). You can buy the activation kit from T-Mobile or Bestbuy store for 15 bucks, then print out this template (Link: http://bit.ly/TMaxwM) and cut it to micro sim. Keep the simcard card or write down the simcard number.
2. Buy a T-Mobile refill card from Walmart/Bestbuy (Link: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tmobile-30-Wireless-Airtime-Card/15443357) for first month. Keep the PIN number
3. A T-Mobile HTC One. You don't need to unlock the SIM. I paid full price for my device. It came flawlessly without any imperfections
Step-by-step process:
- Put the micro simcard that you cut (1) into the phone.
- In the activation kit, there is a activation card that has the activation code (11 digits number). You need this number.
- Go to www.t-mobile.com/prepaidactivation and follow the instruction (you simply put the simcard number and activation code)
(Note: if you don't have the device yet, you can type 9999999999)
- If you need to port your number from other carrier, don't forget to click on the option on the right. It took me 7-8 hours to get my number ported from ST to T-Mobile.
(Note: For Straight Talk Bring Your Own Device users, the account number is the simcard number from ST)
- After you submit, you now can choose your plan. Pick the $30 plan for 100 minutes + Unlimited text/data (5G with 4G speed).
- The last step is to fund your account for the first month. Take the PIN number from the refill card (2) and type it in.
Then, you are done. T-Mobile will send a confirmation email after you finish the process. If you choose a new number, you can use it instantly. If you want to port your number, it will take no more than 24 hours to get the number ported.
If you have any problem or concern with the porting process, call this number 877-789-3106. This is the T-Mobile department in charge for porting number. They can assist you and tell you when your number is ready to use. :good:
Enjoy your new phone and awesome (but affordable) service with T-Mobile :laugh:
P/S: My device came with locked bootloader. I followed this instruction (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2265618) to unlock bootloader/ flash new recovery and new ROM. I am using ARHD 8.1 ROM, and it works perfectly on T-Mobile. The Wifi calling feature is working with this ROM too. Many thanks to mike1986

holy crap is this real?

nuggstein said:
holy crap is this real?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah man, 100% real

Wish existing customers could switch. Good info op!
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app

Great post! I got the $30 prepaid plan with the 64gb Developer Edition and I am loving it.
Speeds are excellent eventhough I am not in an LTE city. Way faster than the crappy speeds I was getting under Sprint.
So happy I just ditched them to get away from Contracts forever!!
Got a $100 bill for the ETF which will be canceled out by the $100 Visa Giftcard from the HTC "buyback program" my old GS2.
Perfect!!

You can also buy the refill card from Amazon for cheap :laugh:

Is there anyway to do this if I'm already a T-Mobile customer?
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app

nav525 said:
Is there anyway to do this if I'm already a T-Mobile customer?
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is possible if you activate an independent line with a new number.

AirSupply said:
You can also buy the refill card from Amazon for cheap :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
are you talking abou the tmobile $30 pay as you go refill card? the one that's only being sold by third-party sellers? it's like 25 bucks and i'm not sure how legit..

legit im currently paying 104 after tax with att, i honestly love the service and lte speeds but damm 30 dollars!!

bloggert said:
are you talking abou the tmobile $30 pay as you go refill card? the one that's only being sold by third-party sellers? it's like 25 bucks and i'm not sure how legit..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am unsure about the 3rd party sellers whom are selling the refill card on Amazon. Some of them don't have any feedbacks, but couple of them have more than 100 feedbacks from last year. You buy at your own risk though

I am definitely interested in doing this! Thanks so much for making this guide. Can you tell me where you bought your phone and how much it cost? I was planning on getting the Dev edition, but I'm not in a refarmed area so I need the 1700 mhz band ability. Where's the best/cheapest place to buy the T-Mobile version without a contract?
Also, did you unlock the bootloader/ flash new recovery and new ROM before or after activating it?
Lastly, how did you get the wifi calling to work? That would help a lot since I would only have 100minutes. Is it an app or...?
Thanks!

jpzsports said:
I am definitely interested in doing this! Thanks so much for making this guide. Can you tell me where you bought your phone and how much it cost? I was planning on getting the Dev edition, but I'm not in a refarmed area so I need the 1700 mhz band ability. Where's the best/cheapest place to buy the T-Mobile version without a contract?
Also, did you unlock the bootloader/ flash new recovery and new ROM before or after activating it?
Lastly, how did you get the wifi calling to work? That would help a lot since I would only have 100minutes. Is it an app or...?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- I bought it directly from T-Mobile via telesale. Price is $580 + tax + shipping (if you choose overnight).
- I unlocked and flashed new ROM right after I activated the prepaid account.
- Wifi calling works immediately after your account is activated.
- I have used GrooveIP to make phone call on wifi or 4G network. It uses Google Voice number

how much?
How much for the total of your htc one tmobile?

blackangst said:
Wish existing customers could switch. Good info op!
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nav525 said:
Is there anyway to do this if I'm already a T-Mobile customer?
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guys, I would suggest you port your number to Google Voice. Then you can port it back to Tmobile after you start the new $30 a month prepaid account. Or you could keep the number with Google Voice if you like.
Either way, it's a way to keep your number.
Here is a really informative thread on this plan: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1646755
That thread is for the Galaxy Nexus and this plan, but there still is a ton of relevant info there.
Also, I recommend Callingmart for your refills. Here's a link:
http://www.callingmart.com/

AirSupply said:
- I bought it directly from T-Mobile via telesale. Price is $580 + tax + shipping (if you choose overnight).
- I unlocked and flashed new ROM right after I activated the prepaid account.
- Wifi calling works immediately after your account is activated.
- I have used GrooveIP to make phone call on wifi or 4G network. It uses Google Voice number
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just purchased the HTC One over the phone. They had to put me on the $50 postpaid plan to start, in order for me to purchase the phone, but said I could switch to prepaid when I receive the phone. I'll call them once the phone arrives. Do you think I'll be able to switch to prepaid with the SIM card that comes with the phone, or will I need to purchase the prepaid SIM card from T-Mobile's website?

jpzsports said:
I just purchased the HTC One over the phone. They had to put me on the $50 postpaid plan to start, in order for me to purchase the phone, but said I could switch to prepaid when I receive the phone. I'll call them once the phone arrives. Do you think I'll be able to switch to prepaid with the SIM card that comes with the phone, or will I need to purchase the prepaid SIM card from T-Mobile's website?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you pay full price for the phone? If yes, once you receive the device, don't use the SIM that comes with it. Call Customer Service to close your account and follow my instruction.

AirSupply said:
Did you pay full price for the phone? If yes, once you receive the device, don't use the SIM that comes with it. Call Customer Service to close your account and follow my instruction.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I did pay full price. So I should just immediately call and cancel the postpaid plan before I use that SIM and they won't charge me the $50? And I should buy the Prepaid SIM kit and just go to the online prepaid activation site?

I did this a month ago with my HTC One. Bought the phone from T-Mobile store, paid it in full, signed up for the cheapest post-paid plan, the $50 one. I also paid for that at the same time as the phone. I was running off of that plan for about 6 hours and then I called T-Mobile to get switched to the $30 5gb plan. After about 10 minutes of talking to the low-level customer service rep, they were saying I couldn't switch to the plan because it is technically Walmart's plan and not T-Mobile's. I knew it was completely not true, so I spoke to that person's supervisor and he immediately switched me over to the $30 plan, with maybe a couple of minutes of switching time after the phone call. After that, all was good, my original $50 payment was still valid and it was used by the $30 plan, so I had a $20 remaining balance in my account that I use in case I go over my minutes. After you go over your 100 minutes, it's 10cents a minute after that so long as you have money in your T-Mobile account. My first month of the service is about to be over in 4 days and I only spent $6 (60 minutes) of my $20 balance on my account.
So for entire bill for the first month will be under $40 assuming I don't talk on the phone for more than 40 minutes between now and Friday 5/24.
* I also went out of town to bumblef*ck North Carolina and I was getting zero service in the mountains, like everyone else, but slightly worse service where AT&T users were getting data and I wasn't. But that all changed when I had WiFi calling in the cabin, and nobody else had that option. So I was still gettings calls and texts, whereas everyone else had to wait until they were on the drive home and got service again.

Syn Ack said:
I did this a month ago with my HTC One. Bought the phone from T-Mobile store, paid it in full, signed up for the cheapest post-paid plan, the $50 one. I also paid for that at the same time as the phone. I was running off of that plan for about 6 hours and then I called T-Mobile to get switched to the $30 5gb plan. After about 10 minutes of talking to the low-level customer service rep, they were saying I couldn't switch to the plan because it is technically Walmart's plan and not T-Mobile's. I knew it was completely not true, so I spoke to that person's supervisor and he immediately switched me over to the $30 plan, with maybe a couple of minutes of switching time after the phone call. After that, all was good, my original $50 payment was still valid and it was used by the $30 plan, so I had a $20 remaining balance in my account that I use in case I go over my minutes. After you go over your 100 minutes, it's 10cents a minute after that so long as you have money in your T-Mobile account. My first month of the service is about to be over in 4 days and I only spent $6 (60 minutes) of my $20 balance on my account.
So for entire bill for the first month will be under $40 assuming I don't talk on the phone for more than 40 minutes between now and Friday 5/24.
* I also went out of town to bumblef*ck North Carolina and I was getting zero service in the mountains, like everyone else, but slightly worse service where AT&T users were getting data and I wasn't. But that all changed when I had WiFi calling in the cabin, and nobody else had that option. So I was still gettings calls and texts, whereas everyone else had to wait until they were on the drive home and got service again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply! Glad to hear it's working well for you. So you seemed to be able to switch from postpaid to prepaid over the phone even with the regular SIM card. I already bought the prepaid SIM kit so I'll probably just go straight through activating with that SIM and not even use the SIM that comes with the phone. I should probably also call to cancel the postpaid account just in case. Hopefully it will all go smoothly and I'll have the $30 plan on the HTC One and be able to transfer my phone number.
That's great to hear about the Wifi calling feature too. So it allows for calls and texts? That's great to hear if I'm in an area with no coverage. When I'm at home, should I also use wifi calling? Better voice quality?