Travelling can be enough of headache with the potential for delayed or cancelled flights, missed connections, poor hotel conditions etc. How about when you come back to your original destination to exorbitant roaming charges on your cell phone bill? Yea, that. I’ve had one of those crazy bills once and that was enough. I knew that for my most recent trip I needed to be better prepared, and I was, thanks to Roam Mobility.
I first heard about Roam Mobility from a friend on Facebook who knew I was travelling outside of Canada, then I spoke to a sales rep about it at London Drugs (one of numerous retailers who sell this product), and I had heard enough – I needed this for my trip!
Roam Mobility was founded on a socially responsible idea: Canadians should be able to stay connected with what’s important to them when away from home. Liberating people with choice and transparency is important to us. We are changing the travel experience for the better.
The process to activate my SIM card was very simple and took about 3 minutes. Although the online instructions differ slightly from the instructions included in the package, I completed the activation the night before and scheduled it for the arrival time of my flight Stateside. Once my SIM card was activated I just had to switch the SIM card in my phone to activate the Talk/Text/Data plan I had secured – the 7 day plan is only $27.95.
I was sure to pack my SIM card safely in a case and put it in my purse so that I could easily access it as well as have a place to keep my existing SIM card secure. I have an iPhone 4S, so I also had to make sure I brought a paper clip with me to be able to open the SIM card storage (that was actually the hardest part of the process thanks to my new “fake” nails haha).
While on the second leg of my flight from Montreal to New York, I made sure that I switched to my Roam Mobility SIM card as we were preparing for descent into New York. Within a minute, in my lap, I switched SIM cards easily.
Once we had landed, I made a quick change to the Access Point Name (APN) and was able to use my phone immediately. I received an SMS text advising me of my US number for the duration of my scheduled roaming time.
I never had one issue with my phone while using this service in New York. As a matter of fact, the service was super fast and I was very impressed with the T-Mobile network. Being able to use Instagram, Foursquare and other social apps instantly while travelling truly enhanced my travel experience. It allowed me to share my “real-time” experiences easily and through it all I knew I wouldn’t be coming home to a hellish cell phone bill.
As easy as it was to change the SIM card on the way to New York, it was just as easy to change it back once I hit Canada. On the flight from New York to Toronto, I changed back to my original SIM Card, changed the APN and when I landed in Toronto, I was back to my MTS network.
I did notice that I had to change a couple of settings when I arrived back home in Winnipeg because my texts to folks in the ‘Peg were not coming from my cell number, they were coming from the email attached to my Apple ID. I didn’t know that until my fiancé asked the question. But again super simple fix…
Would I use Roam Mobility again? Abso-freakin-lutely! Here’s why:
- It’s a very user-friendly program.
- Compared to the roaming charges I could have received using my cell in the States, Roam Mobility plans are inexpensive and SO worth it.
- It’s an amazing travel tool for anyone who would be lost without their phone on their trip to the USA.
Looking forward to using the 14 day plan for my upcoming trip to California this summer!
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This would be perfect next time I head cross boarder.
I am going to have to check this out, sounds like a great way to be able to use your phone without all those crazy charges when away from home. This is the first I have heard of ROAM mobility so I will have to see if it is available in Ontario.