Pay as your go cell phone

Travel discussion for St. John
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theshopper3
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Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:27 pm
Location: Canada

Pay as your go cell phone

Post by theshopper3 »

I was thinking of purchasing a Motorola pay as you go cell phone to have while on the Island. My cell phone provider in Canada is very costly & the reception is not that great even in Cruz Bay.

My thought was to purchase one from Target in the US before we head out on Jan 26 & give it a try.

Has anyone had any experience with this type of plan on the Island.

I just want the phone to call the villa people when we arrive & in case of an emergency.

Thanks
The Shopper
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Diana2
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Location: Michigan

Post by Diana2 »

We did just that in June. The Go Phone from AT&T/Cingular is what we bought (and my husband still carries it). AT&T/Cingular has the best coverage on the island and it worked out great for us.
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theshopper3
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Location: Canada

Post by theshopper3 »

Hi Diana2,

Thanks for the info, where did you get it from????

We live in Ontario, but are flying out of Detroit, so I thought we could stop at a Target & pick up the phone.

Thanks
The Shopper
PA Girl
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Post by PA Girl »

I can second the Go phone. It worked fine for my husband's business calls. The coverage was spotty in some areas but nothing that bothered him.
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Diana2
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Post by Diana2 »

I think that plan will work. We bought our phone at Best Buy. You can buy them in lots of places and I think the cost is the same.
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Lulu76
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Post by Lulu76 »

Someone just had go phones on sale for $9.99 and I meant to mention it here and totally forgot. I'll see if I can remember.

Flights from Detroit to STJ are way cheap. That would be a benefit to still being there, although I'd probably be unemployed and not have money to travel anyhow.

I'm trying to think if there is a good place to stop between the border and the airport. How familiar are you with the area? Probably somewhere in Taylor... I spent 25 long years of my life in Detroit and can help if you aren't very good with getting around there.
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sea-nile
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Post by sea-nile »

Don't get Verizon pay as you go.
Mine worked at the Villa (high up), but at the beach no go. The roaming charges are high too.
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martini girl
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Post by martini girl »

My daughter's Virgin Mobile pay-as-you-go phone worked fine as well. Never made it to the Coral Bay area so couldn't speak for that, but it worked fine in Cruz Bay and North shore beaches.
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Ksea
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Post by Ksea »

I just looked at the AT&T site and they have the go phone for $9.99. You can either pay 25 cents a minute with no monthly fee, or pay a monthly fee and then its 10 cents a minute. This is sounding like a good idea, if the service is good on STJ.
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jayseadee
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Post by jayseadee »

Ruth - is it possible for you to order the phone/service on-line before you go? Or are there some restrictions to shipping to Canada? I would think you could get delivery in a couple of days (you've still got about 10 days, right?)

I guess if you're driving to Detroit the night before, it wouldn't be difficult to find a Best Buy or someother place to buy directly.

I have been considering doing the same for my trip in November since Verizon coverage was weak and spotty.
janet
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theshopper3
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Post by theshopper3 »

HI LuLu76,
I am really not very good in Detroit, I use my trusty Mapquest to get me there LOL. We cross in Port Huron, I don't see Troy on my map. I see Marysville, New Baltimore, Warren,Dearborn & Detroit.

I know when we flew out of DWM in Aug. we hit a small mall that had a target, a shoe store, & a chain restraunt, but can't remember where it was & not sure if I kept the exit #. It wasn't too far from the border, we had a 3 hour wait at the border on top of the 2 hours it took us to get there & needed to get out of the car to stretch & see something other than another car.

Jayseadee,
I don;'t beleive they will ship to Canada, I tried to go on the sight, but it wanted a ZIP Code which I don't have.

They don't call me the SHOPPER for nothing....LOL I am sure I can find one.

The Shopper
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Lulu76
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Post by Lulu76 »

You'd probably be best off to stop in the Sterling Heights/Fraser area. Let me see if I can find some places that are easy to jot off the Interstate. I'm not terribly familiar with Macomb County, even though I did live there for three months!

I will see what I can find out about where to get that $9.99 Go Phone and give you some points off of 94 where you can stop.
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