# iphone and prepaid phones?



## mother (May 8, 2008)

Anyone have any info on that? I can't seem to find anything.

Thanks!


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## Visnaut (Jul 22, 2004)

What do you mean?

Will the iPhone work with prepaid phone plans like Pay-As-You-Go? That's a yes. I use it with my Fido Prepaid.

Will the iPhone work with prepaid long distance cards? Well, it's a phone, so I see no reason why not.

Will the iPhone be offered with a pay-as-you-go option when Rogers releases it? Probably not, but just like the States, there will likely be a round-about way to get it.

Will you return to this thread and tell us all what you meant in the first place? Only time will tell...


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## mother (May 8, 2008)

Sorry, I haven't had a cell phone in a long, long time, and I'm thinking about a iphone but I want to have a prepaid plan, no contracts. I don't even know how that works though--say I get one from Fido, what is it? Is it a card that goes into the iphone?


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

Yes, you just buy a sim card (about $30) and a prepaid card (can be $10, $20, $30 or more -- per-minute rates get cheaper the higher the amount of course).

I have this working on my iPhone. The only thing I lose is Visual Voicemail (which was pretty cool, but regular voicemail is adequate) and using EDGE anywhere I go (I could sign up for a plan for EDGE, but I'm around wifi all the time so it's not a big deal at present).


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## mother (May 8, 2008)

I must sound like a total goof, but...I get that the sim card goes into the cell phone, but then what does the prepaid card do? Do I register a phone number or something?

Also, does anyone know of any good prepaid cards with good SMS rates?


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

The prepaid card has a code on it. You call a number (written on the card), enter the code, you are credited however much.

The phone number for your phone comes with the SIM card.

My understanding of my own prepaid FIDO card is that I get unlimited incoming text messages (and things like voicemail, call waiting etc) as part of the overall package. I know I can send and receive sms messages and thus far (I don't use that feature often) it has not caused any change or charge on my status, so I presume there is a set (probably low) number of outgoing SMS messages included as well.


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## mother (May 8, 2008)

OK, I get it. Thanks.

Now to find me an iPhone!


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

At this point, I might counsel you to sit tight for a bit.

It's become quite clear that a new model iPhone is to be launched in June. Whether you want a US one or want to wait for it to appear in Canada (when? who can be sure), you're likely to want a new model more than an old one, unless they keep the "old" one and drop the price (as I think is quite likely).


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## mother (May 8, 2008)

You really think june?

Aren't they going to be tied to contracts?


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## ruffdeezy (Mar 17, 2008)

I would get petro canada mobile or 7 eleven speakout wireless if you want prepaid, rates are way better and the time doesn't expire for at least 6 months where as on rogers or fido they expire in 30 days unless you buy a $100 refill.

Other carrier options | Canadian iPhone User - iPhoneUser.ca


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

ruffdeezy said:


> rates are way better and the time doesn't expire for at least 6 months where as on rogers or fido they expire in 30 days unless you buy a $100 refill.


*EDIT*: _Betty Woo corrects me on this paragraph, so I have removed it. Her information is correct. Thanks BW._

I know this because I just happened to have done this earlier today. I had a balance of $11 that would have expired on the 11th, so I got a $20 card, put in the code, and now I have $31 balance that will expire in 30 days.

A prezchoice or speakout phone might make a good "very temporary" or "standby" phone, it cannot be made to work with any network that's going to be compatible with the iPhone.

As for June, I am 100% dead certain an announcement will be made in June. When the iPhone will come to Canada has not yet been announced, but hopefully they'll tell us as part of the June announcement.

My prediction is that the iPhone 2.0 will go on sale on the exact 1-year anniversary of the iPhone, ie June 30th. But the announcement will come during Steve's WWDC keynote, which is on June 9th (I believe).


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## Betty Woo (Feb 5, 2005)

Fido cards with the value of $10 to $30 expire in 30 days. Fido cards with a value of $50 expire in 60 days.

Rogers cards with the value of $10 to $40 expire in 30 days. Rogers cards with a value of $100 expire in 365 days.

Unused time on the card *does* expire within those time frames.

*If* you buy another card and activate it on or before the end of the previous card's time frame, the unused portion of the time can be forwarded. But that means it leaves the original card's timeframe and gets transfered onto another one's timeframe - which means you're not dealing with one card, you're dealing with two cards.

To me, the poster is obviously talking about the date range of a single card. Which makes him correct in his statement.

I'm just sayin'... .


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

You're right bw. Thanks for the clarification.


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## mother (May 8, 2008)

Now I get it.

This thread is now number 2 on google for "prepaid sms canada iphone".

I now have an iPhone to try out.

Thanks guys!


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## Kastia (Dec 28, 2008)

I have Rogers iphone and want to use it with my new Fido prepaid. What software would you recommend ?


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

Kastia said:


> I have Rogers iphone and want to use it with my new Fido prepaid. What software would you recommend ?


If you have a Rogers (3G) iPhone, you can switch your contract to Fido, but that's all you can do. You cannot go with prepaid on your 3G iPhone -- the previous discussion here was centered around original (2G) iPhones, because it took place prior to the announcement/introduction of the 3G iPhone.

2G iPhones can be unlocked so as to use any SIM card with any GSM carrier (in Canada that's only Rogers/Fido for now). I have an unlocked 2G iPhone and have a Fido prepaid plan (and SIM) and a US prepaid plan (and SIM). When I'm in the states I use the latter, up here I use the former.

3G iPhones cannot quite yet be unlocked.


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