Article Summary
When travelling, Bell Mobility offers the widest variety of plans and add-ons for wireless customers. Daily and long-term vacation plans are not the cheapest, but are competitive and are available to more countries (over 230) worldwide. Customers who regularly travel to the US can even set their plan to use their regular minutes, texts, and data while down south at a small daily or monthly additional cost.
Travelling south? Going home to visit family? Rogers offers Roam Like Home for a bit cheaper when travelling to the US, but Bell customers have their own affordable option. You can bring your Bell Mobility cell phone along with you to more than 230 countries (more than Rogers) on low daily rates or long-term plans. Plan ahead to get the best price with Bell giving you dedicated minutes and data for travelling or just use your regular monthly plan wherever you go.
Bell offers Roam Better and travel add-ons provide some of the best flexibility and features of any wireless carrier in Canada. However, all these options can be difficult to navigate. Once you know where you're going, figure out what your mobility needs will be and you'll find the best plan for your needs.
What Are My Rights When Roaming?
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has a Wireless Code of Conduct that protects the rights of consumers when it comes to overage charges on cell phone bills. Once your carrier recognizes that you've traveled to an international roaming destination, the account holder AND the device user must be notified at no charge. You can opt out of these notifications by contacting your carrier, but you should keep them active.
It is up to your wireless provider to suspend roaming overage charges once it reaches $100 within a single monthly billing cycle (unless you've expressly consented to additional charges). Be aware that if your trip spans two billing cycles then you can incur that $100 maximum charge twice.
The cap applies on a per-account basis. If you have a Family Sharing plan then the $100 maximum overage only applies once to the account, not for each and every cell phone line on that account. Any roaming add-on you buy counts towards this cap. So, if you buy data to be used in the US for $20 then the most your carrier can charge you at the end of the month in overage fees is $80.
While roaming internationally, it's up to you to make sure you stay within the limits of your plan. Carriers typically provide an account management app or website where you can track these details in real-time. The Wireless Code of Conduct only ensures that you don't wind up with a $8,000 bill when you come home.
Beware Flights and Cruises
Flights and cruises are awesome, but you might find yourself with hundreds of dollars in overage fees if you're not careful.
Turn off data roaming before hopping on a plane or cruise ships. Once on the plane or on the open ocean, talk, text, and especially data rates can be astronomically expensive. If that happens, you may need to contact your carrier once you get back on land to authorize overage charges just to get service again.
For a quick way to block unwanted data use, turn on Airplane Mode. Even with Airplane Mode turned on, you can manually enable WiFi or Bluetooth.
Bell Mobility Canada-US Travel Rates
Bell Roam Better solutions make travelling easy. Once upon a time, taking your cell phone south of the border resulted in huge fees, and we've all heard horror stories of returning from vacation to a phone bill over $1,000. With Roam Better, Bell charges you only $13/day for trips to the US, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. While there you continue to use your minutes, texts and data just like you were back in Canada. Calls within the US are included while travelling too!
You should always track how much time you talk and how much data you use since incurring overage charges in another country can still add up quickly.
Bell Canada-US Daily Plans
Send a text with ROAM to 8000. It's free and you'll be automatically enrolled to the Roam Better service. Now, when you call, text or use data while in the US then Bell will charge your account $13 and you'll have access to your regular plan from Canada. After midnight Eastern Standard Time, it's a new day even if it isn't where you are. The next day is another $13. When you return back to Canada the service will automatically stop.
If you don't want to tap into your home plan but you still want to keep your phone, Bell also offers a plan including unlimited talk and text within the US, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands as well as back to Canada for $13/day. This option also throws 100MB in for a bit of mobile internet connectivity. To choose this option, text ROAM100 to 7626 and it will kick in the first time you use talk, text or data in the US.
Bell Mobility International Travel Rates
For world travelers, Bell has the most options. You can choose between Roam Better plans which let you use your Canadian cell phone plan in 200 different countries, or Travel passes which package minutes, text and even data for use in 230 countries worldwide.
Bell International Travel Daily Plans
Activate Roam Better on your Bell Mobility account and you'll be able to use the minutes, texts, and even data from your regular plan while travelling almost anywhere in the world. With support for 200+ countries, Roam Better adds $16/day to your month-end bill. Each "day" ends at midnight Eastern Standard Time back in Canada, so be aware of that when you're in a different time-zone. While still in Canada, text ROAM to 8000 from your Bell mobile device to activate this Roam Better option.
Just like your options for US travel, Bell has Roam Better options for when you don't want to use up your plan's minutes or data. For $16/day you get 100MB of data per day, plus unlimited outgoing calls within your roaming destination and even back to Canada. All incoming calls are included too. To choose this Roam Better package, text ROAM100 to 7626 before you go.
Bell International Travel Vacation Plans
You're only charged $16 over each day from the first time you use your minutes or data. After that you won't be charged again until you use your phone. So, if you make a call on Monday morning but then don't use your phone again until Thursday evening, you won't get charged for Tuesday or Wednesday.
Countries With Bell International Roaming
More than 230 countries are supported across the globe by Roam Better service, offering high-speed LTE service almost everywhere in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Oceania, as well as much of Africa. With a Travel Pass, you have access to over 230 countries. Check out the Bell Mobile International roaming site for the most up-to-date list.
Choose a Destination Carrier Plan
While in Canada, Bell Mobility customers have access to the largest nationwide cellular network. However, our country also also has some of the most expensive data rates in the world. If keeping the same phone number as you use at home isn't a concern, jump on a daily or monthly plan with a local carrier once you arrive at your destination.
You'll need to be aware of a few details:
- You'll get a different phone number. Email and social media connections will remain the same so long as you're using the same phone. This also brings up another issue:
- Your phone needs to be compatible. You may want to check which carrier will work with your phone's technology. As a general rule, phones that works in Canada on Bell will work on Verizon and Sprint networks while in the United States. However, almost every country uses a modern LTE network and is compatible with most phones sold within the last four years.
- Your phone needs to be unlocked. This is something you need to do before you leave if you intend to use a local carrier outside Canada. All phones recently bought in Canada are unlocked at purchase. If you bought your phone before 2018 you should confirm that you can use your phone on a different cell network. WhistleOut has a popular guide to help you unlock a cell phone in Canada.
- Who has the best plan for my needs? WhistleOut's global sites help you find the perfect plan for your needs. Each site has a comprehensive search tool so you can find the best mobile plan for your needs; including per-day plans, data packages, and network compatibility check. If you know the address where you'll be staying then the WhistleOut Cell Phone Plans tool can even help you find which network has the best coverage.
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