Do US pre-paid GSM sim cards normally work in Canada?
For an upcoming trip, I'm going to spend about 10-15 days in the USA, followed by about another 10 days up in Canada. While over there, I expect I'll want to make and receive a few phone calls, send some texts, and probably use a few tens of mb of data too. Looking at the roaming prices for my UK mobile in the US and Canada, this isn't something I'm going to want to use my normal phone for...
In the past when I've only been in one of the USA or Canada on a trip, I've picked up a Pre-Pay GSM sim card, and it's all been fine. For this trip, I'd ideally just get the 1 sim card to cover the three weeks. However, I'm aware that it's quite rare for pre-pay sim cards to work outside of their own country. (European ones tend to be the exception I've found, no other ones I've got ever have done)
So, I'm wondering, do pre-pay sim cards bought in the states normally work over in Canada, and if so, are the prices when roaming there normally sensible or insanely high?
Best Answer
Yes, they work. I had a T-Mobile (US) phone, went to Canada and used it without problems. But you should be aware of:
- Do you have an unlocked phone? It need to be unlocked to use another company GSM sim card. You can buy a cheap phone for almost the price of a sim card if necessary.
- It may be more expensive for you to use them outside US. You may want to buy one sim card in US and another in Canada.
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Can you use a US SIM card in Canada?
You get a US SIM card and can enjoy the cheap local rates in Canada, the USA and Mexico. Depending on the option you choose you get free minutes to landline and mobile networks in North America.Can prepaid SIM card be used internationally?
Local prepaid sim cards are often pretty cheap and come with big value data bundles. Most countries and operators have special tourist sim cards. But where local prepaid sim cards stop working, international sim cards continue to roam! With a sim card designed with overseas travel in mind, you'll always be set to go.What SIM card can I use in Canada?
These are the 4 main mobile internet providers in Canada who all offer Canada wide pay as you go sim cards: Telus Mobility. Virgin Mobile. Rogers.Will my SIM work in Canada?
Yes, Indian SIM can work in Canada if you call your service provider and activate the international roaming service.Buying a Sim Card in the USA in 2022 🇺🇸
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Answer 2
Yes they do, as I've been using T-Mobile's "Simply Prepaid" plan for more than a year while living in Canada. As a matter of fact, T-Mobile's prepaid plans are the cheapest way you can get a lot of data with free roaming in both Canada and the US. As a bonus, you get to use both Bell and Telus mobile networks while roaming so you'll often have better signal than anyone using a local Canadian SIM card.
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