# Looking for a phone **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 3, 2017, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-phone/778872 "2017-02-03T01:17:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-phone/778872/1 "2017-02-03T01:17:18Z")
Until today, I have had a phone that has the same cost to/from anywhere in North America, $15/month plus tax for 50 minutes a month. I actually used it 3 times yesterday. Today it doesn’t work. When I called the company, they claimed that they ended service from Canada a year ago and that I had been informed at the time. Both statements are lies. Anyway, I am now in the market for new phones (one for my wife). Does anyone know of a mobile phone that offers anything like that? If not, is there any recommendation. My needs are simple; just a phone to call home in Canada or to call my kids when I am visiting them in the US and, very very occasionally, some other call. I have never texted and I am not sure I want to start now. I guess a camera would be convenient too. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-phone/778872/2 "2017-02-03T15:07:44Z")
Not denying anything you said, just observing. Sounds about right for the notice I got back in the early fall warning me that I would have to get a new phone the end of January or sooner because the [CDMA](http://mobilesyrup.com/2016/08/15/bell-cdma-canada-2017/) network was being decommissioned. Maybe you tossed it because it looked like junk mail? As to ending service a year ago I am **guessing** , but maybe that’s when they stopped letting new customers get CDMA service. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-phone/778872/3 "2017-02-03T18:19:53Z")
This article from [Huffington Post](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-t-miller/low-cost-and-free-cell-ph_b_5575971.html) could be a good starting point. TracFone is supposed to be pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-phone/778872/4 "2017-02-03T20:06:10Z")
Consumer Cellular offers a 250 min talk plan for $15 a month. They sell 4G flip phones if that’s what you prefer. My mom updated her flip phone and got that plan. I updated my flip phone with a smart phone. I got the same talk plan and got 2GB data plan. It’s around $34 a month. I bought my unlocked Moto X pure smartphone from Best Buy and Consumer Cellular sent me a sim card. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-phone/778872/5 "2017-02-03T20:20:11Z")
I believe **Hari** is in Canada, so U.S. cellphone plans are unlikely to apply to him. Also, most cut-rate plans are domestic-only. International calling is usually an additional fee over and above your domestic plan. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-phone/778872/6 "2017-02-03T23:25:35Z")
No help to offer on trans-North American plans. My wife and I are on [RingPlus.net](http://RingPlus.net) and pay $25 a month for unlimited calling and 8 gigs of 4G data a month. I used to use Tracfone, but we both need data. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-phone/778872/7 "2017-02-03T23:29:13Z")
OK, let’s think about this. Where was the last place you remember seeing the phone? ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-phone/778872/8 "2017-02-04T00:37:45Z")
> [@swampspruce](#): > > This article from [Huffington Post](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-t-miller/low-cost-and-free-cell-ph_b_5575971.html) could be a good starting point. TracFone is supposed to be pretty good. Last I looked, tracphone didn’t work at all in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-phone/778872/9 "2017-02-04T01:59:09Z")
This really is a puzzler - almost none of the carriers have any information on their sites about service across the border. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-phone/778872/10 "2017-02-04T02:16:31Z")
My guess is that there are few people who need to use a cell phone in the US and in Canada and want a low-cost option. So would the cheapest, simplest option be just to get two low-cost prepaid phones, one in each country? ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-phone/778872/11 "2017-02-04T03:44:37Z")
You can get the rock-bottom Tracfone plan for $80 a year, by buying the 90-day/$20 renewals. No idea if it is restricted on CDN\>USA calls. I use my $50 (one time) tablet to Google-phone, free, from anywhere in the world with Wi-fi, to any North American number. But nobody can call me, its one way only. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-phone/778872/12 "2017-02-04T03:50:25Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > You can get the rock-bottom Tracfone plan for $80 a year, by buying the 90-day/$20 renewals. No idea if it is restricted on CDN\>USA calls. As **Hari Seldon** pointed out, TracFone doesn’t work in Canada. They don’t offer roaming outside of the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-phone/778872/13 "2017-02-04T18:06:05Z")
You could get a cheap Android phone with a very limited service from a company like Tello for 18 a month, and use Google Voice for .01 per minute calls to Canada. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-phone/778872/14 "2017-02-08T06:10:46Z")
Watching a show about products seen at the Consumer Electronics Show, they had a SIM that would work with any unlocked GSM phone called [ChatSIM](https://www.chatsim.com/). It costs $15 a year for unlimited texting, and then you buy packs of credits for calling.