noop

We move to Vancouver next month and I am looking for a decent UK PayAsYouGo or cost effective contract so that I can receive calls on my UK number whilst we are in Canada.

Is this the best way to go about this?

It's because I am a private landlord in the UK and I get calls now and again from agent/tenants and I need to be able to pick up calls and/or voicemails.

Am I going about this the right way?
Is there a better way?

Thanks, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Aviator

You would need to have your UK number redirected to a Canadian number. A UK number is not going to work in Canada. I doubt it will be inexpensive.

Siouxie

Welcome to BE!

Something like this perhaps?
https://www.aitelephone.com/call-for...uk-number.html
https://www.aitelephone.com/callforw...-it-works.html

Phaedru5

I was with EE in the UK and my number worked just fine when I was in Canada and I think there was a roaming package that you pay abit extra each month and the Americas were included in the european roaming that meant no extra fees for receiving calls. Often calling out is expensive but receiving should be ok. Its been a while, but check with EE.
Otherwise just use email - you will be 8 hours out in time difference which might make it a nuissance.....

Warwickbowman

philip.arkwright

Any UK number will very much work in Vancouver. 3 were doing a package last year that included international calls within your tarriff.

christmasoompa

All mobile providers give international calls (and texts/data) within a standard package so you can use your phone as if at home even when abroad without any extra charges - it was due to an EU ruling that abolished roaming charges so they all have to offer it. I don't know if we'll have to pay roaming charges everywhere once again after Brexit, I'd assume so.

But in any event, Canada isn't included in the list of countries for the 'as at home' roaming with Three, so would need to be paid for separately - Go Roam | Roaming free of charge in 71 destinations | Three

HTH.

noop

Thanks for all the feedback guys,

A bit of background around too, I had various web chats with Three, Vodafone, EE about if my UK Sim would roam in Canada and they all came back saying yes, but up to X days, then you would have to use it back in the UK, to then use it in Canada.
3 months feels like the common cut off!

In the end I discovered a virtual phone provider.

Now - for those of you reading who want to do a similar think as me, checkout virtualphone.com they have a free service offering to give you a FREE UK mobile number, that refreshes every month. Or you can purchase a fixed number for a small fee.
This is OK, but still not quite what I wanted.

What I really wanted to do is PORT my UK number to a virtual phone provider, and be able to receive SMS so that I can continue using my Online Banking at various banks in the UK.

The solution I found was with Andrews & Arnold Ltd

They offered me a way to PORT my number to them as a virtual number.
What I did was get my PAC from existing provider and then place an order with AA.
I then downloaded a free SIP app off google play (there are loads out there) and then connected to AA's server with my credentials.

It took about a day for the porting to happen and I now can receive/make calls from my mobile over the SIP app.
I also have options to get a physical sip phone and sip apps on my laptop/desktop if I want to.

Anyway, for now, I tested an SMS from my wifes phone and it goes through to my email, which I pick up on my smartphone email client.
It's BLOWN my mind how slick the experience is.

ALL incoming SMS/Calls are FREE (well I say free, inclusive in the plan) and outgoing calls to the UK are 4ppm.

Ok, so now for the prices.
Number Port In, £3.60
Monthly Charges, £1.20 for the Tin/Bronze package.

So I estimate an annual bill of £12 assuming I don't make any calls out.
If I make calls out then it's added to my monthly and then taken out on Direct Debit.

The end user experience is flawless, my wife sees my number come up when I call from the SIP app, etc, etc.

It's AMAZING.

I just HOPE it WORKS IN CANADA when I get there!!!!

Siouxie

The link I gave you in post 3 did the same thing - you could have ported your number with them too.
https://www.aitelephone.com/callforw...istration.html



Hope it works out well for you

noop

Thank you Siouxie, credit where due, it was your post that opened the world of virtual numbers to me!
aitelephone looks amazing as a product but the monthly was more than a&a so I went with a&a in the end.

many thanks again, I-am-so-happy!

Collie

This all seems terribly complicated... I just use a Tesco PAYG sim in my dual-sim phone. Perfect for receiving the odd call or text...

withabix

UK Sim cards work fine, although call charges are expensive.

My recommendation would be to get a UK geographical Skype number (they're free) and install Skype on your cell phone.

As long as you leave Skype running and logged in in the background (like any App), your phone will ring just like a normal call, using your data or wifi.

People phoning you will pay standard UK call charges (if they're on a contract it will cost them nothing) and you can phone UK number for a few pence per minute.

I do this all the time - my relatives in the UK have my 'UK' Skype number and call me on that. Call quality is just the same as any other call - sometimes better.

I top up my Skype account when it runs low - 10 quid lasts me about 2 years..

a.d.murphy

For reference, I am on what EE now describe as a legacy package where I get 12GB Data, Unlimited calls and texts for £20. Included with this is global roaming at no extra charge for calls, texts or data.

I went to Vancouver in September and I was staggered at actually just how good it was. Speed was good, coverage was better than home and no issues with calls or texts

My phone has a dual SIM tray so I'll be getting a canadian pre-pay sim and keeping the EE contract live for the entire time I'm there on an IEC (if I get an invite of course!).

noop

This is amazing.

Thank you for sharing.

I had a look at they have a 25gb sim only deal on at £20 per month, 12 months . Then the go further add on is £10 per month. So total for 25gb is £30 / $51 CAD.

I'm going to look around but I think it might be tricky for me to find a deal with that much data for that price in Canada.... There is some small print around 15gb fair usage. I may not be able to use the full 25tb abroad. So it's s case of seeing if I can get 15gb competitively for less than $51 .

I have a dual SIM handest too.

so many options.

Snowy560

Why not just use WhatsApp? It's free.