cell phones... probably asked earlier

<p>So, this was probably asked earlier, but I'm still not sure what to do. I have a cingular/at&t phone right now, and I'm just wondering whether or not I should get a phone card and call my family using that and use a phone card when calling friends in Montreal (though this could end up being a hassle), get a cheap plan from a Canadian seller (though most are 3-year agreements, which sound ridiculous), or take my current phone and unlock it and get a SIM card from the store that I plan on getting the plan from (Rogers sounds good...). Any suggestions because I'm really confused now. Which would save the most money and get me enough time each month? I'm not a huge talker, but I love unlimited nights/weekends. Thanks.</p>

<p>I would unlock the phone and get a SIM card from the store. Quite frankly, the selection of cell phones in Canada is dreadfully lacking compared to the United States. </p>

<p>The downside of this is that you're locking yourself in with one carrier. Rogers is the ONLY Canadian carrier that uses GSM (SIM Cards), both Bell and Telus use CDMA (what Verizon and Sprint use here in the US). </p>

<p>Honestly, with regards to cell phones there isn't really much difference between the carriers regarding price and services. Outside the three big companies, there is pretty much no competition in the Canadian telecommunications market, so they all tend to hold hands and keep the prices high. </p>

<p>You're also going to find that there are very few of the services that you're accustomed to at home, particularly if you're coming from AT&T. There's no rollover minutes, text plans are ridiculously overpriced, data plans more so, etc....</p>

<p>canadian cell phones companies are the biggest ripoffs...my 25 dollar plan comes up to $60</p>

<p>get either fido or rogers....wateva all ur friends are getting..get that plan because u can abuse the rogers to rogers (fido to fido) free calling...</p>

<p>My son at McGill (US) also uses an At & T / Cingular phone. We have a great deal that includes Canada. Call them and ask about it.</p>