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Koodo doesn't offer pay per message US roaming text: alternative carriers?

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Jan 26, 2007
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Koodo doesn't offer pay per message US roaming text: alternative carriers?

Hi; Koodo doesn't offer pay-per-use text messaging when roaming: they only offer 100 messages for $10, so even if you send a single emergency text message it costs $10.

I checked and Virgin Mobile charges $1 per message.

Does anyone know if other CDN carriers have better rates for pay-per-use single message US texting?

I already have a US phone that i use most of the time but sometimes I have to use texts on my Canadian phone and would like to know which carriers have reasonable rates for US roaming texting that isn't $10 per day "bulk".

Any carriers offer prices better than Virgin Mobile's $1 per message?
There is no god. But it still feels good to be kind to people, animals, and the environment, so keep doing that.
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Nov 10, 2013
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It’s only $9 difference tho if you send 1 message.
Like are you going to change providers over that amount?
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I should continue to support a company whose business practices are unethical, why exactly?
There is no god. But it still feels good to be kind to people, animals, and the environment, so keep doing that.
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Aug 31, 2010
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lorax1284 wrote: I should continue to support a company whose business practices are unethical, why exactly?
So, you can't support any carrier in Canada then lol.

Packaging US text messages is hardly unethical. I don't expect pay per use texts would likely be, at the cheapest, $0.50/message.

Are you saying at Koodo if you text a US number, with no $10 plan, they charge you $10 and add the plan automatically? What happens if you don't have the add-on but text a US number?
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hvc wrote: Packaging US text messages is hardly unethical. I don't expect pay per use texts would likely be, at the cheapest, $0.50/message.

Are you saying at Koodo if you text a US number, with no $10 plan, they charge you $10 and add the plan automatically? What happens if you don't have the add-on but text a US number?
Yes. A single text message sent from within the US immediately puts a $10 charge on your bill. They do not offer pay-per-message pricing. They lied to me when I phoned to ask where this charge came from, saying I do not have 'easy roam' so why was I charged $10. They claim this is passed on from the US carrier which is a total lie, and that was just it in that moment. Nope. I don't want the digital equivalent of a 40L tub of mayonnaise for $40. I want half a litre for $3 dollars. They charge you $40 if you take a tablespoon.

I'm looking for alternatives. I guess I'm going with Virgin Mobile for now... they're the only one I could find that disclosed their pay-per-message price of 99¢, and they do offer an "easy roam" type add on but again, I don't want that.
There is no god. But it still feels good to be kind to people, animals, and the environment, so keep doing that.
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Nov 16, 2014
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What is the time period involved with the 100 messages for $10. Per day? Per month? Never expire?
Newbie
Mar 24, 2015
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Ottawa, ON
The Koodo pre-paid plans have $5/250 and $20/1000 US roaming text booster addons that never expire if you have a base plan running.
The cheapest base plan is $15/30 days. Overall offers inexpensive roaming for light users as there are also roaming boosters for data and talk as well.
Jr. Member
Jun 2, 2012
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Maple Ridge
DBADEV wrote: The Koodo pre-paid plans have $5/250 and $20/1000 US roaming text booster addons that never expire if you have a base plan running.
The cheapest base plan is $15/30 days. Overall offers inexpensive roaming for light users as there are also roaming boosters for data and talk as well.
This is true and a great feature of Koodo prepaid. My wife is on Koodo prepaid for this reason only. Little phoning but lots of texting, and when we soon return to our regular visits to the US, we'll continue to use her phone as the one we do all our texting with while across the line. The value is great!
DD
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lorax1284 wrote: Yes. A single text message sent from within the US immediately puts a $10 charge on your bill. They do not offer pay-per-message pricing. They lied to me when I phoned to ask where this charge came from, saying I do not have 'easy roam' so why was I charged $10. They claim this is passed on from the US carrier which is a total lie, and that was just it in that moment. Nope. I don't want the digital equivalent of a 40L tub of mayonnaise for $40. I want half a litre for $3 dollars. They charge you $40 if you take a tablespoon.

I'm looking for alternatives. I guess I'm going with Virgin Mobile for now... they're the only one I could find that disclosed their pay-per-message price of 99¢, and they do offer an "easy roam" type add on but again, I don't want that.
Check with Koodo, but I believe the USA $10/100 outgoing texts (incoming are free!) lasts until the end of your billing cycle. So if it was the start of your billing cycle you would have 30 days to use all 100 sms. If you use all 100 then it works out to $0.10 each. It charges you when you make your first text while roaming in the US, then the next 100 outgoing sms aren't charged. You need to be sure you don't have Easy Roam enabled though or it will default to that instead when you make your first text.
$10/100 sms seems like the cheapest option for you by far if you are sending more than a handful of texts while roaming in the US.

Another option you may consider (if you don't mind sending texts from a different phone number than your current own) is to use the FONGO app. Their texting packages are pretty cheap, and you can send them through wifi so you dont need to pay for data.
On the Koodo plan bandwagon 😉, all aboard!
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WhatsTheRush wrote: Check with Koodo, but I believe the USA $10/100 outgoing texts (incoming are free!) lasts until the end of your billing cycle. So if it was the start of your billing cycle you would have 30 days to use all 100 sms. If you use all 100 then it works out to $0.10 each.
I avoid texting on my canadian SIM in the US but this one time, I was in the states for my aunts funeral, and my uncle texted me so I just bit the bullet and thought "this will cost me a buck to reply" but I did it as not to confuse him by replying from another number... then 3 weeks later I see $10 on my bill having pointedly oped out of "Easy Roam" "use it for one second it costs $10" bundle bullcrap and they do it anyway. They are doing no one any favours bundling it, they would make a tidy profit on 25¢ per individual message, this is just gouging pure and simple, no matter how they or anyone else rationalizes it. Totally unethical.
There is no god. But it still feels good to be kind to people, animals, and the environment, so keep doing that.
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Sep 1, 2015
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turn on wifi calling of your Canadian SIM on iphone. Put a 2nd SIM card in your iPhone to provide data.
iPhone will enable Wifi calling of your Canadian SIM via SIM card2's data.
this way you can send/receive calls/text as if it's made from Canada without any roaming charges.
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lorax1284 wrote: I avoid texting on my canadian SIM in the US but this one time, I was in the states for my aunts funeral, and my uncle texted me so I just bit the bullet and thought "this will cost me a buck to reply" but I did it as not to confuse him by replying from another number... then 3 weeks later I see $10 on my bill having pointedly oped out of "Easy Roam" "use it for one second it costs $10" bundle bullcrap and they do it anyway. They are doing no one any favours bundling it, they would make a tidy profit on 25¢ per individual message, this is just gouging pure and simple, no matter how they or anyone else rationalizes it. Totally unethical.
If you send a handful of texts while on vacation, it’s actually not that bad of a deal compared to other providers. Basically you are just upset that you were not aware of how Koodo charges for pay-per-use texting in the US ($10/100 sms, 10c each if you send all 100sms).
I bet if you called Koodo after you got your bill and explained to them how you were only sending 1 sms and were not aware of the $10 bundle charge, didn’t think it was fair, etc, that they would have just credited you the $10 as goodwill...
On the Koodo plan bandwagon 😉, all aboard!
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WhatsTheRush wrote: If you send a handful of texts while on vacation, it’s actually not that bad of a deal compared to other providers. Basically you are just upset that you were not aware of how Koodo charges for pay-per-use texting in the US ($10/100 sms, 10c each if you send all 100sms).
How is it 10¢ each if I only send one, and there's a $10 charge on my bill? If I don't need or want to send 99 more, just to make them 10¢ each, I'm still paying $10 for the single message I wanted to send. If they simply offered pay per text in any way shape or form, I would not be complaining, even though at $1 per message without the the daily Roaming plan, Virgin is still gouging, but at least that's in line with "expected gouging".
WhatsTheRush wrote: I bet if you called Koodo after you got your bill and explained to them how you were only sending 1 sms and were not aware of the $10 bundle charge, didn’t think it was fair, etc, that they would have just credited you the $10 as goodwill...
They did not. I asked "I'm not on Easy Roam, because I don't want to pay $10 for a single use, why did I get charged $10 for one text message?".

Ironically, to look up the cost of sending the text message I'd have had to have used the roaming internet which would have cost me $10 anyway.

So, basically, with Koodo, if you use your phone in any way, shape, or form, in the United States, expect to pay at least $10 Face With Tears Of Joy
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finnoob wrote: turn on wifi calling of your Canadian SIM on iphone. Put a 2nd SIM card in your iPhone to provide data.
iPhone will enable Wifi calling of your Canadian SIM via SIM card2's data.
this way you can send/receive calls/text as if it's made from Canada without any roaming charges.
This is amazing! I didn't even know that. i suppose it's only available if your carrier allows it though so not sure OP would get this or in my case I'm with Koodoo too.


To OP:What I do is I trun off DATA and don't use the sim, I get calls/text incoming. I use a seperate phone with US sim for calling back via TextNow
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lorax1284 wrote: my uncle texted me so I just bit the bullet and thought "this will cost me a buck to reply" but I did it as not to confuse him by replying from another number...
You could have sent him a text from your other phone that has US SMS and just identify yourself.

Hi uncle, it’s Lorax, I am replying to your text etc.
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Apr 13, 2005
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lorax1284 wrote: Hi; Koodo doesn't offer pay-per-use text messaging when roaming: they only offer 100 messages for $10, so even if you send a single emergency text message it costs $10.

I checked and Virgin Mobile charges $1 per message.

Does anyone know if other CDN carriers have better rates for pay-per-use single message US texting?

I already have a US phone that i use most of the time but sometimes I have to use texts on my Canadian phone and would like to know which carriers have reasonable rates for US roaming texting that isn't $10 per day "bulk".

Any carriers offer prices better than Virgin Mobile's $1 per message?
If you have a US phone with data, you can hotspot and turn on WIFI calling on your Koodo phone.
Calls & messages from your Koodo phone will be treated as domestic usage while on WIFI calling.
I have done this in the past with TELUS phone in the US & my AT&T Walmart plan.
.
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Gee wrote: You could have sent him a text from your other phone that has US SMS and just identify yourself. Hi uncle, it’s Lorax, I am replying to your text etc.
It's not tacky at ALL to try to pinch pennies when your uncle whose wife of 61 years just died. Not even a little.

Bringing issues like this up on RFD is just a TINY TASTE of what women have to deal with every single day.

Woman gets sexually assaulted? "She shouldn't have been out alone" or "she shouldn't have been wearing slinky clothes".

how about "Yeah, Koodo are dicks for forcing you to pay $10 for one text message and making it so difficult to even KNOW that this is their policy, which is not like that of other carriers".

Now I fully expect "WHAT YOU'RE COMPARING THIS TO RAPE?" outrage from, well, you know the types, but seriously: the culture on RFD is kind of sick, in a way.
There is no god. But it still feels good to be kind to people, animals, and the environment, so keep doing that.
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Nov 11, 2008
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lorax1284 wrote: It's not tacky at ALL to try to pinch pennies when your uncle whose wife of 61 years just died. Not even a little.

Bringing issues like this up on RFD is just a TINY TASTE of what women have to deal with every single day.

Woman gets sexually assaulted? "She shouldn't have been out alone" or "she shouldn't have been wearing slinky clothes".

how about "Yeah, Koodo are dicks for forcing you to pay $10 for one text message and making it so difficult to even KNOW that this is their policy, which is not like that of other carriers".

Now I fully expect "WHAT YOU'RE COMPARING THIS TO RAPE?" outrage from, well, you know the types, but seriously: the culture on RFD is kind of sick, in a way.
Not sure how this is remotely close something as serious as women and sexual assault. Way to take to the next level. Everyone has offered some sort of solution but you refuse to accept say it's unreasonable or in this case....victim blaming...some how

Why dont you just do your own research and get out of here if you can't handle these "sick" replies.
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@lorax1284

I am not sure how my comment relates to rape? Or sexual assault towards women.

You’re the one complaining that Koodo charges too much to send a SMS in the US. If this was a situation where your personal safety is at risk, the last thing I would be concerned about is the cost of sending an SMS
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Sep 1, 2015
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TorontoEh wrote: This is amazing! I didn't even know that. i suppose it's only available if your carrier allows it though so not sure OP would get this or in my case I'm with Koodoo too.


To OP:What I do is I trun off DATA and don't use the sim, I get calls/text incoming. I use a seperate phone with US sim for calling back via TextNow
yes, the key point is your Canadian carrier has to turn off roaming on their end for your SIM so that your Canadian SIM got 0 signal in foreign land, only in that scenario iPhone will trigger Wifi calling for SIM1 using SIM2's data.
Most big Canadian carriers don't give you such an option to turn off roaming on their end directly. They usually instruct you to turn off roaming at your device level and hope you make a mistake and accidentally trigger roaming so they can rip you off more.
Freedom is easiest to achieve this because you can just turn off roaming for your account in their website

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