Data Roaming in Canada: Which One Should I pick?

Canada is a North American country with beautiful landscapes and an unparalleled scenery. So if this is your next travel destination, you will want to share your adventures and your moments in places like Niagara Falls or the CN Tower with family and friends, and even on social media! Therefore, to share your moments, you will need to have an internet connection during your trip. And an excellent option is data roaming for Canada. 

Throughout this article, we will be telling you about everything related to roaming services in Canada. Both its prices and its features. Likewise, we will also tell you about other alternatives that you can count on to always be connected to the internet during your trip to this wonderful country. However, we anticipate that eSIM and SIM cards are the favorites for many travelers among many other alternatives. 

What is Roaming?

Roaming is a wireless telecommunication service frequently used with cellular devices, such as cellphones. It refers to a cellphone being used outside its native network and connecting to another available cellphone network from a different provider.

So if you are traveling to Canada soon, roaming is an alternative that you could consider, to stay connected to a network in this North American country. You can make phone calls, send and receive text messages, and use cellular data to surf the Internet with roaming. 

To use the roaming service, activating it will depend on your domestic cellular provider and the plan you currently have active with them. Some operators allow the person to activate roaming when they are in their destination country and start using data roaming as if they were at home. 

However, other carriers require an activation process with them. So, we recommend you contact your domestic operator to be much more precise about the process. Also, you must check the costs you will have using the international roaming of your operator. As it could be pretty expensive. 

Roaming rates in Canada:

Roaming prices for Canada will depend a lot on your domestic operator. However, the price for cellular data usage can range from $2 to $3 per MB. Additionally, many other carriers offer daily packages, which tend to be around $10. Below, we will talk about the services of different international carriers. So, you can get a more specific idea of their roaming rates for Canada. 

AT&T USA

First of all, we will talk about AT&T, a famous American telecommunications company. However, this provider is also present in other countries, such as Mexico. If you are an AT&T USA user, you can take advantage of the roaming services offered for use in Canada in different ways. However, it is important to know that certain plans allow you to use your AT&T services in Canada at no extra cost. 

Also, if you don’t have one of the eligible plans, you can still use the International Day Pass. Which allows you to make calls, send messages, and use cellular data in Canada for $10 per day. In addition, you can also use the pay-per-use option. With which you can have cellular data for 2.05 dollars per MB. As well as make calls for 1 dollar per minute.

O2

On the other hand, we have O2, a company from the UK. They have some fantastic rates for people who want to use their service outside the European Zone, which is amazing. If you decide to travel with them to Canada, you will pay around $6 per day while using their Canada roaming service. By paying this daily fee, you will enjoy a flat amount of MB, messages, and minutes of calls. 

The activation process of O2’s roaming is quite simple. People will only need to send a text message, and the activation will be completed. So, if you want to activate your roaming service in Canada, just send O2TRAVEL to 23336 and the roaming will be activated!

Verizon

Verizon is another company from the United States. Therefore, if you are a user of this operator, you can activate the roaming service through three different options. First, if you are an Ultra plan customer, you can use the roaming service for free. However, if you have any other plan from the operator, you can enjoy your phone services by paying $10 per day. 

The last option you can enjoy during your trip to Canada with Verizon is the International Monthly Pass, For those customers who are traveling for a longer period of time. This plan will cost $100 per month; however, you can save some money with this one compared to other plans. 

Telstra

Finally, Telstra is an Australian company that also offers international roaming services for its users. Those who want to activate roaming with Telstra can do so through two options. Firstly, by paying 10 dollars a day, they can enjoy the International Pass. Which includes unlimited calls and messages, as well as 500 MB of data. 

On the other hand, they can also use the pay-per-use alternative. In which they can make use of cellular data for a price of $3 per MB. A little more expensive than the other options mentioned above. They will also be able to make calls for $3 per minute and send messages for $0.75. 

How to avoid roaming charges in Canada

After talking about the different international operators that offer their users to roam while traveling abroad. We can say that roaming can be pretty expensive. So, if you want to avoid high roaming bills at the end of your trip. We will talk about different alternatives to avoid the high costs. And still, stay connected to the internet during your trip. 

Prepaid International Canada SIM Card

Prepaid International data SIM cards are an excellent alternative if you are looking for internet access during your trip at low costs. With this service, you can enjoy different cellular data plans. And in addition, in numerous instances, you will have a phone number of the country you are traveling to where you can receive calls. 

This alternative is effortless to get through virtual stores in charge of supporting travelers who need an internet connection while traveling. An excellent example where you can purchase your SIM card for Canada is Holafly, an online store from Spain, which stands out for its excellent customer service. It offers SIM cards with connectivity to the best networks in different countries around the world. 

In the case of Canada, Holafly offers just one plan to have cellular data, with which you can have 6 GB of data for 15 days for a total of $51.5. They are very easy to get and activate, also, they use the Roger or Bell network in Canada, one of the best in the country. In addition, with this SIM card, you can share cellular data with other devices and keep your phone number on your WhatsApp. 

eSIM for Canada

On the other hand, an option that is very feasible for those who need a quick and easy alternative to get is the International roaming eSIM. This is basically a SIM card. However, if completely virtual, no physical installation is required. 

The eSIM comes embedded inside cell phones, especially the latest generation cell phones, and can mostly be activated through QR codes that you acquire when purchasing plans from different stores. To purchase your eSIM for Canada, we must mention the Holafly online store again because, with them, you can also purchase your eSIM at incredible prices!

The process with Holafly to get an eSIM is as simple. First, you go to their official website and search for your travel destination, in this case, Canada. Then choose the plan that best suits your travel needs and finally complete your payment. After all this process, you will receive an email with a QR code to activate your plan. Among the eSIM plans that Holafly has available for Canada, you will find the following options: 

• 10 GB for 30 days at 34 USD
• 20 GB for 30 days at 44 USD

Pocket Wifi

As a third option, we bring you a little different one from the ones mentioned above. In this case, we will talk about the pocket WiFi, this is a device that transmits a signal to other devices and will allow them to connect to the internet. 

This alternative was widely used in the past, however, due to its high cost, it is one that is not used so frequently nowadays. To acquire one of these pocket WiFi, you can rent them through different companies, such as Travel WiFi and Cello Mobile. 

Among the advantages of this type of service is that you can connect several devices to the same Pocket Wi-Fi modem, so if you are traveling in a group or have more devices with you, this could be a good alternative. 

On the other hand, a negative aspect of this service is that it can be quite expensive, as renting a Pocket WiFi in Canada could go from $50 to $110 for 7 days. In addition, you will have to add delivery costs, accessory equipment, and in some cases, insurance. So if you are looking for cheaper alternatives to roaming, Pocket WiFi may not be your best option. 

Free WiFi

The last option is free wifi. As the name says, it is a free option, so you will not have to pay anything for it. While you are in Canada, you will be able to get many places that will have free WiFi for their customers. Be it hotels, shopping malls, restaurants, or public libraries. 

However, keep in mind that when you are connected to a public WiFi network, you will not be protected from maybe hackers and other people connected to the same network. It is very easy for someone to steal your username, password, and personal information, so it is not recommended to provide your private data while you are connected to a free WiFi network. 

On the other hand, if during your trip you have an emergency, and you run out of cellular data in Canada, looking for a place with free WiFi is something that could get you out of trouble.