USVI-On-Line

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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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.