Cell Phone Options in Toronto

If you are moving to Toronto you're likely going to want to get a cell phone, but you'll find it isn't quite as easy as it sounds, and there are many things to consider before deciding which route to take.  

The main debate you'll have is around how you are going to communicate with people in the US and Canada, which leads to the debate about whether you want to keep your US number or get a Canadian one.  Below are some considerations for both:

1. If you have a US number, you can get an international plan (+$20 for voice/text only) so the calls you make will not cost extra above and beyond the increased price of your plan.  However, people in Canada will likely (depending on their phone plan) be charged long distance to call or text you.  I worried about this since I'm going to live in Canada, I didn't feel right making it difficult for people here to reach me.
2. If you get a Canadian cell phone plan, then the calls you make from Toronto will not be affected, but your friends/family from the US will likely pay extra to call/text you.  If you're going to travel to the US frequently, you'll want to consider having an international/North American plan so you can use your phone.  Additionally this option requires you to change your number, communicate that to your contacts, and lose your US number (only matters if you're ever moving back) - not insurmountable, but a bit annoying.

There are some blended options you can look at that alleviate some of the issues above:

1. Get a Canadian cell phone with international service and a US Vonage number (or vice versa) which costs about ~$20.  This option is great and allows you to make and receive voice calls in Canada and the US easily especially after forwarding your Vonage number to your cell phone, but texting is not possible to or from the Vonage number.
2. If you have an iPhone, Line 2 seems to be a great option which basically allows you to have two numbers on one phone - one Canadian and one US.  It costs $10 and has texting capability which isn't perfect yet. If your Line 2 number is a Canadian number, texting doesn't work at all right now but they are trying to fix that.  With a US number, the texting works but receiving messages can be significantly delayed up to two days.  I would consider transferring my Verizon number to Line 2 if they fix this issue. 
3. One last option is to have both a US and Canadian cell phone which basically allows you to have all of the functionality you need in both countries for both numbers - but this is expensive and some may find it to be a pain to carry two phones.

I decided to go with keeping two cell phones for now - I kept my old US number with just voice and text messages on the nationwide plus Canada plan, no data. Then, I got an iPhone 4 from Rogers with data and voice/text.  This is a fairly expensive route, but it meets all of my needs.  My husband has a US number with an international plan on the iPhone then he got a Vonage Canadian number so people in Toronto could reach him at no additional charge to them.  When he found out about Line 2, he transferred his Vonage number to Line 2 so he has both on his iPhone.

Getting a cell phone in Toronto:

There are a few major players in Toronto - Rogers, Bell, Telus, and Wind.  There are pay as you go plans, and you may be able to get one of those no problem.  However, if you want a regular plan with a contract, you have to remember that you likely do not have Canadian credit so they will, at a minimum, want a deposit from you in case you don't pay your bill.  Additionally, you will need several Canadian IDs to get a cell phone - at least two of the following: driver license, credit card, social insurance number.  This can be harder than you think because of the process to get those as mentioned in earlier posts.

To round it out, there are a few quirky things to note about cell phones in Canada, and I'm sure there are more that I will add if I think of them:

• Plans are generally not nationwide, so check on what the rates are for long distance calling with your carrier.
• Typical features that are included regularly in US plans such as caller ID are extra features that you have to pay for in Canada.
• When you dial an 800 number or a long distance area code, you need to dial 1 first.