Plans for calling between US and Canada

[McGillMom]

My daughter will be attending university in Montreal in a few months. We're looking for a plan that will include calls between the US and Canada without roaming or long distance charges. Seems that Verizon has stopped accepting new customers for their North American calling plan as of last week. Any other options out there?

thanks,
McGillMom

[ZaphodB]

I don't think any of the US carriers do this. Your best bet would be to have your daughter get a family plan in Canada that includes US roaming and long-distance, then ship you one of the phones. There's an enormous Bell Mobilité store in the Centre Eaton, which is not very far from McGill (especially if you use the Réso, the underground city) and one of the flagship Rogers stores is in the Boulevard St.-Laurent in the "trendy" part of town, "north" and "east" from McGill.

If that won't work for you, consider calling cards -- you should be able to call between Canada and the U.S. for no more than 2 cents a minute all-told if you shop around.

[Fire14]

Maybe it would be better to go with a VoIP line where it includes unlimited calling to Canada & visa-versa, and let her get a pre-paid cell in Canada for usage up there & in an emergency she could call you with it.

It may be the cheaper way to go here.

[Ironwalt]

Not sure if this will help you but this is what alltel has to offer:

North American FreedomSM provides additional value for traveling to or calling other countries within North America. In addition to National Freedom coverage at home, the plans also include no roaming for package and off-peak minutes in Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. You can also call from the U.S. to those countries toll-free! You also get unlimited Mobile-to-Mobile and My Circle calling from the U.S. coverage area.

Included Features*:

Caller ID
Pay-Per-Use Messaging
Basic Voice Mail
Three-Way Calling
No Answer Transfer
Call Forwarding
Call Waiting
Most Popular Features:

Toll-free calling from the U.S. coverage area to the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands**
Toll-free calling from any covered area back to the United States
Off-peak minutes apply throughout the entire North American Freedom Coverage Area

Plans** Included Anytime Minutes Add'l Minute Rate Night and Weekend Minutes Mobile-to-Mobile Minutes
$59.99 450 45¢ 1,000 North American Unlimited U.S. Only (NF)
$79.99 900 40¢ 1,000 North American Unlimited U.S. Only (NF)
$99.99 1350 35¢ 1,000 North American Unlimited U.S. Only (NF)
$149.99 2500 25¢ 1,000 North American Unlimited U.S. Only (NF)

*All features may not be available in all areas.

**North American Freedom plans are network-based in the U.S. and not geography-based. You will need to watch your phone's roaming indicator while in the U.S. to determine whether or not the minutes you are using are included in the plan. Click here for more information on roaming indicators. Coverage may not be available in all areas. Customers should dial *228 prior to leaving the country to ensure that the phone has the most current software in order to maximize coverage. Coverage in Mexico may be more thorough than it appears. For additional information, visit alltel.com/MXcitylist for a list of over 800 Mexican cities where coverage is available. Extended Night Minutes ($7 for 7PM) is not available on North American Freedom. BlackBerry and PDA/Smartphones are currently not eligible for North American Freedom plans.