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Mike Temporale
Managing Editor
Joined: 07 Jul 2003
Posts: 9603
Location: Toronto, Canada
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 Posted: Wed May 09, 2007 8:00 am Post subject: Going for Broke with Roaming Data Charges |
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A lot of us have unlimited data and may not think twice about using data while you're outside of your coverage zone. I have been using a $50 unlimited data plan on Fido for 3 years now. When I first started to travel to the US, I called Fido and they confirmed that there was no roaming data charge for my plan. Well, it appears that something has changed because back in March I spent 6 days in Seattle and used a whole 3MB of data. I was shocked to get a bill for $165 for roaming data. Those 3 little megabytes cost me $165 and a huge pain in the neck. It's not that I have to call and complain, it's that I'm always going to be worried about the next bill and how much that could end up being.
Due to this roaming data issue, I picked up a Cingular pay as you go SIM on my recent trip to California. It wasn't as nice as having unlimited access at my finger tips, but $25 for a week is much better than $165. 
I'm curious to know who has had the largest charge on their phone bill for data usage. Share you horror stories and let's see if Canada really has the worst carriers. 
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"I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious" - Albert Einstein
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onlydarksets
Smartphone Theorist
Joined: 19 May 2006
Posts: 296
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2007 8:28 am Post subject: |
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My horror story is that my EVDO 700 kilobyte plan costs more than my FiOS 15 megabyte plan. However, I don't think that is what you meant. |
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srsabu
Smartphone Pupil
Joined: 15 Feb 2006
Posts: 14
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2007 12:15 pm Post subject: |
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Does the pay as you go SIM support tethering for Data? I don't currently have a data plan on my phone, as the only time I'm wanting net access without being near a laptop and access point is the 3 or 4 times a year I visit the relatives who are still in the dark ages (no computer, so no need for broadband). For those times, it would be nice to have a way to enable access for the laptop through the phone.
I don't want to enable the on-demand access for my normal plan as I've had apps try to connect to network resources when I wasn't expecting them to. I was able to kill them before they ran up too much of a bill ($0.50 or so), but I prefer to keep it blocked. Having a set value SIM would keep an upper bound on the expense as well, cutting me off when my time was up.
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Rocco Augusto
Contributing Editor
Joined: 28 May 2005
Posts: 1386
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2007 1:27 pm Post subject: Re: Going for Broke with Roaming Data Charges |
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| Mike Temporale wrote: |
| Due to this roaming data issue, I picked up a Cingular pay as you go SIM on my recent trip to California. It wasn't as nice as having unlimited access at my finger tips, but $25 for a week is much better than $165. |
I thought we talked about this when you went to Boston?! You need a pre-paid SIM when you come to the states!
***really long quote trimmed by mod JD***
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Smartphone Thoughts
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Jason Dunn
Executive Editor
Joined: 30 Jun 2003
Posts: 1553
Location: Calgary, CANADA
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SteveHoward999
Smartphone Ponderer
Joined: 31 Dec 2005
Posts: 74
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2007 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Jason Dunn wrote: |
The data roaming prices these companies charge are practically *criminal*.  |
No. They **are** criminal. From $10 per Mb up!
Anyway, my biggest data bill was when I was still in the UK. I was able to use my old Nokia 6100 (actually might have been 6210i ... I don't remember these model number too well!!) as a MODEM for my laptop via Infra Red. My then girlfriend (now my wife) was in the US while I was working for a week in London. We'd chat on Messenger and surf for hours in those days.
Charges were so many pence per minute, so 4 evenings of constant connection later, I got a bill for over £250 - about $500 today, maybe more like $400 then.
OUCH!
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Mike Temporale
Managing Editor
Joined: 07 Jul 2003
Posts: 9603
Location: Toronto, Canada
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2007 7:25 pm Post subject: |
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| SteveHoward999 wrote: |
I got a bill for over £250 - about $500 today, maybe more like $400 then.
OUCH! |
Thanks, I don't feel as bad now. That hurts.
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"I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious" - Albert Einstein
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Mike Temporale
Managing Editor
Joined: 07 Jul 2003
Posts: 9603
Location: Toronto, Canada
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2007 7:28 pm Post subject: Re: Going for Broke with Roaming Data Charges |
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| Rocco Augusto wrote: |
| I thought we talked about this when you went to Boston?! You need a pre-paid SIM when you come to the states! |
We did, and I did. You see, that was for my wife. My phone would just be minutes roaming. I never paid a penny for roaming data in Boston or any of my other previous US trips. Roaming on minutes isn't that bad, and I don't tend to use a lot of minutes, so I never cared about mine.
So how long do I have before I lose this number on the Pay as you Go card - 3 months?
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"I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious" - Albert Einstein
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Rocco Augusto
Contributing Editor
Joined: 28 May 2005
Posts: 1386
Location: Portland, OR
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esc76
Smartphone Pupil
Joined: 29 Oct 2003
Posts: 14
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2007 9:17 pm Post subject: |
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