Actually its quite simple! When I go to the USA, here is a typical phone bill using Rogers
Data Plan: Usually Rogers charges .01 KB, but if you are on their new 6GB plan, they make you pay .03 cents a KB!!! New I-phone users beware. Those fuckers tripled the price. When I go to the US I limit my usage to about 3-5 MB a week. This would cost me $92 if I only used the 3 MB, 5 MB would be $150!!!
Long Distance: Rogers lets you Pre-purchase US minutes. You have two choices here you can buy
60 US Minutes for $40
120 US Minutes for $60
I usually have to go for the $60 and still go over. So if you think about it, they are charging you at best .50 cents a minute!!! The other kicker is lets say you are in Los Angeles and you need to call someone in Orange County, or even Canada they charge you even more than 50 cents!!
Text Messaging: ANYTHING you sent in the USA is $0.40 cents a MESSAGE!!! This kiills me EVERY time
So a typical bill for me since switching to the 6 GB plan looks like this, ON TOP of my regular monthly charges
Long Distance $60
Data (go with the lower number) $92
Text Message (lets say i send 20) $8
Total Cost $160 PLUS taxes, PLUS my monthly plan cost!! Usually I am at about $300.
HOW TO AVOID THAT
1.) UNLOCK YOUR PHONE!! If you dont want to pay the $60 hit me up and I will help you do it for free. Thank you GOOGLE! You have to use a GSM phone, only works for GSM
2.) Go to AT&T and buy a $15 or $25 pay as you go card, pay another $20 and get unlimited DATA and text is always free. The sim card doesnt cost you a dime. With the pay as you go card here is what you get:
- 10 cents a minute anywhere in the USA
- 30 cents a minute to anwhere in Canada
- FREE calls to anyone else in the US or Canada who is on AT&T. My family in eastern canada is on At&T for home phone and I could call them completely FREE!!
3.) Insert your new SIM card, get the rep to change any settings if necessary and VIOLA You are done. So simple. Once you have the sim you can acutally get more minutes at almost any store or even using your credit card by just calling 611.
For the Data you have a choice:
1 MB $5
5 MB $10
Unlimited data for one month $20
So now when I go to the USA I get the $15 pay as you go on AT&T, $20 unlimited so that I can use my phone as a GPS. The $15 card gives me 150 US minutes!!
My grand total is $35 and I get waaaaay more than rogers will give me for $160
March 8th, 2009 at 2:47 PM
Sweet,
How do I go about unlocking my iphone? I’m going to Vegas in April and definitely don’t want to pay the outrageous fees that Rogers charges!
March 10th, 2009 at 12:50 PM
Hey, great to see others have caught on too! I actually did this in September, but had a problem… the unlimited data wouldn’t work 100% on my Blackberry Bold! They claimed that it’s only using their MediaNet browser, so the email server, Google Maps, BB Messenger, etc. would not work properly. Since the iPhone doesn’t have push email, I can see how it wouldn’t be an issue for you. But for business travellers or anyone using a Blackberry for that matter, BEWARE!
March 16th, 2009 at 9:14 PM
Thanks for this great advice! I am travelling this week and this is the exact info I was trying to find… like you said; “thank you GOOGLE!”
Please let me know about the free unlocking.
Cheers
April 2nd, 2009 at 12:22 PM
Thank you for this informative post!!!! I was reading on another website and the guy was dishing out $60 to Rogers for long distance to avoid roaming charges. This is a much cheaper alternative. Please let me know if you can unlock my BB pearl. Thank you!!!
April 4th, 2009 at 11:06 PM
I just purchased a pay as you go from Rogers and I travel to the US quite frequently. How do I “unbrand” the Rogers phone in order to accept my ATT SIM card from my ATT Pay as you go phone. It is a real pain carrying 2 phones all the time.
Any help you could provide me woule be greatly appreciated.
April 15th, 2009 at 1:57 AM
Hey, thanks for the tips. So how do I get my phone unlocked for free?
Please send the details to my email, Thx a lot!
July 13th, 2009 at 6:17 PM
This is exactly the kind of info I needed, thanks! I’m going to be in the US for a month, and don’t want to owe Rogers a fortune for the ‘privilege’ of using my phone there. Can you e-mail me the unlocking info?
July 17th, 2009 at 8:58 AM
Thanks for the info, I have the iPhone with the 6GB plan and would love to use it in the US. Can you send me the unlocking info please ?
Thanks
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:57 PM
Where do I get the AT & T sim card? Do I have to purchase a high priced phone in order to get a sim card?
August 1st, 2009 at 8:13 AM
You are so sweet to share that info and offer to unlock phones for free. I have all my phones unlocked, but not knowing what you know, I bought a U.S. phone and have to carry 2 phones wherever I go in the U.S. What a pain! So, I thank you for solving that problem! By the way, it’s “voila”, not “viola”. As I am a French teacher, I got a big kick out of that!
August 14th, 2009 at 9:56 AM
Hey this was really helpful info…can you help me unlock my treo 750? I’m traveling to NY next week and can’t afford the Rogers alternative!
September 8th, 2009 at 7:12 PM
How do I get the info to unlock the phone? thanks
September 9th, 2009 at 3:23 PM
I have a Rogers Nokia 2610, pay as you go. How do I unlock it? Thanks so much! Please respond to email addy.
October 16th, 2009 at 12:01 AM
Can you tell me how to unlock my phones?
October 18th, 2009 at 2:03 PM
I have a 3 yr plan with Rogers and have plans to travel to AZ soon using my Rogers Edge… could you please send me the unlocking info?? it would greatly appreciated!
Thank you so much.
December 15th, 2009 at 2:02 AM
I bought my iphone unlocked, (expensive) and with no contract.
Are you saying I just by an AT&T sim card, and I can use their available plans?
Where would one buy the card?
Great info here, I got billed 350 bucks for 2 short phone calls and several text messages when in Dominican Republic.
You have to watch Rogers, they are manipulating fucking corporate pricks.
Thanks for the great post.
RICK
December 20th, 2009 at 1:04 AM
hey can you email me about the unlocking info? Thanks
December 30th, 2009 at 6:21 AM
go to hell
January 25th, 2010 at 6:47 AM
This is as stated from all the others a good think.
Yes, I could use the unlocking info too!
Thanks
G
February 17th, 2010 at 11:15 AM
Hi, and thanks for the info! I have an iPhone and I’m heading to the US next week. Can you send me the unlocking info please ?
March 29th, 2010 at 5:37 PM
Awesome info – need the unlocking info for my rogers phone prior to my trip next week – thanks
April 2nd, 2010 at 11:41 AM
Thanks for the great info – Am going to California and my husband and I both want to use our phones there. Can you send the unlocking info to my email please?
Thanks!
April 27th, 2010 at 4:53 PM
If you can really help unlock our phones for free, then you are worth your wait in gold! Love the info on how NOT to pay Rogers while in the USA, it irks me everytime I come home and get my bill.
Please share info on unlocking a BB 8520. Thanks!
May 15th, 2010 at 3:44 PM
Thanks for the advise. My company has an enterprise email push plan with Rogers. I want to travel with my phone to vegas next month. Does unlocking effect anything?
May 29th, 2010 at 9:31 PM
Could you help me unlock my iphone? I’m going to the US next week & would love to not come home with a $250 bill like last time. Thanks
May 31st, 2010 at 4:08 PM
Please send me the instructions on how to unlock my rogers iphone…going to NY in July. Also, where and when do I purchase an AT&T sim card as we don’t have that company in my province. By the way, I hate rogers! Thank you.
June 18th, 2010 at 1:58 AM
Great Tips! Can you please hook me up with some instructions for the Rogers BB Curve 8900? Thanks!
June 28th, 2010 at 6:07 PM
Thanks a mil;. I’m heading to the USA and was wondering if you can ulock by BB Bold 9000. Just went through a bunch of hoops with Rogers just to see what they offer. Thanks
July 6th, 2010 at 7:00 AM
The initiative taken for the concern is very serious and need an attention of every one. This is the concern which exists in the society and needs to be eliminated from the society as soon as possible. I subscribe to Insider Score, and that is correct there has been scant insider buying. Insider Score’s market wide buying indicator tracks very closely my sentiment indicators.
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Travel World Network
July 12th, 2010 at 11:52 AM
I just got a $324.00 bill from Rogers saying I used data while in the USA for the day. As you can imagine I was outrageous. I called them and explained that I in fact did not use the data plan as I don’t have one. I told them I was using the WII Fi in the hotel. They said that my phone was using data when not connecting to wii-fii and that I would have to pay the amount. I only used 7500, not even a gig. People beware, Rogers will take a bite out of you.
July 25th, 2010 at 4:18 AM
Hello, Thanks for the great info! will be heading down to philly next month and would like to get info on how to unlock my Rogers Blackberry Bold… Please let me know thanks!
August 6th, 2010 at 10:02 PM
great information here! could u please let me know how to go about unlocking my iphone?
thanks!
August 9th, 2010 at 2:23 PM
thanks for the insight. like everyone else, could you please tell me how to unlock my BB 8900? Thanks again.
August 29th, 2010 at 10:05 PM
Thanks so much for the info!
Can I buy an at&t Sim card before i travel to my destination? or maybe buy a Miami Sim in Washington state?