A Canadian Alternative To Cellular Roaming In USA

Goodbye, Verizon!  Hello, Roam Mobility!  Roam Mobility is a Vancouver, BC based  mobile service alternative for travellers to the United States that offers rates that are 90-per-cent lower than our big carriers – i.e. Telus, Bell and Rogers. It is extremely simple to use, requires no contracts and best of all you can use your unlocked smartphone with a $10 SIM, buy a Breeze USA phone ($50) that’s all set and ready to go, or a Liberty Hotspot ($99).  After that, you just choose a plan that suits you.

Use your own unlocked phone, buy a Breeze USA or a Liberty Hotspot

I switched to Roam Mobility yesterday and one of the reasons was frustration with  Verizon. It’s a long story of phone calls, online chats and being on hold. Somehow, someway, Verizon had de-activated my account after 7 years. No amount of talking to 6 or 8 service reps could resolve the problem. Luckily, I was already thinking about Roam Mobility so I threw in the towel on Verizon, bought a Liberty Hotspot device for $99 and signed up online for a good data plan that will serve us on the road while traveling. We use unlimited hi-speed broadband cable at the Sands RV Resort.

Cost comparison – Roam Mobility to Telus

Actual costs based on just one week Roam Mobility compared to Telus

One of the many things I like about Roam Mobility is the fact I can never go over the limit on roaming and subsequently incur horrendous roaming charges. The simple reason for this is you can’t go past the limit of the plan you have purchased in advance.  Also, you will be notified if you are reaching your GB limit so that you can top it off easily online, by text or phone.

Just 2 of the many customizable Snowbird Plans

The biggest decision I had to make was whether or not to go with a ‘Talk +Text + Data’ plan as opposed to ‘Data Only’ as I always had with Verizon. With Verizon, I paid $60 a month for 5GB.  Since we have Time Warner Broadband Cable for 3 months while at the Sands we never used more than 2GB of Verizon data so it became rather a waste of money as we only used it when we were off somewhere in our truck.

Knowing that, I went for a Roam Mobility ‘Data Only’ plan that gives us 2GB of 4G LTE and unlimited 2G data (emails mostly) per month for just $30. The Liberty Hotspot device can handle 5 devices at once so both Paulette and I can use it in our truck and in the 5’er while we’re travelling.  The best part of this whole deal for me though is I’m dealing with a Vancouver based company so I don’t have to worry about suspending or deactivating my account ever. My SIM is always good.

The Liberty Hotspot is small, light and portable (battery powered)

I really like Roam Mobility’s Liberty Hotspot as it’s light and very small. One of the problems with our old Verizon system was it used a USB modem that plugged into a small Cradlepoint router. It wasn’t portable as it had no battery. The Liberty Hotspot has its own battery and comes with a cable and electrical plug for recharging. With the Liberty, Paulette can just pop-it in her purse or coat pocket, connect her iPhone to its WiFi and then use G+ to phone anywhere in North America for free. We really don’t need cellphone ‘Talk + Text’ plans while in the US as we use free G+ Hangouts for phone calling.

Mason has been busy practicing his Facetime skills

So, tech-wise, I think we’re all set for departure in less than 2 weeks now. At the Sands RV Resort, we’ll be able to video chat with Mason with ease.  He’s quite the little techie already and loves laptops, tablets and iPhones. Carrie had to move her laptop from the table as Mason can now climb up on the chair by himself and was having a wonderful time clicking all the keys. Way to go, Mason, keep up the good work and you’ll be a pro in no time!

Thanks for visiting!