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Does the Telus “Talk & Text 100” plan work with an independent long distance carrier?

Fretman
Neighbour

Hi,

 

I recently moved my Bell prepaid plan to the Telus “Talk and Text 100” prepaid plan which gives me 400 minutes of phone service and 400 text messages for 365 days.   I switched because Bell changed the plan I was on and the Telus plan was better for my needs.  However, this weekend I realized that the plan is only for local calls.  My number is an Ottawa number and I'm here in Toronto right now and tried calling a friend in Ottawa but got a Telus voice message saying my plan does not support the type of call I'm making.  So that's when I read the plan again and realized that it's only good for local calls. 

However, the plan also says that long distance is supported and it would be 50 cents a minute on top of any airtime that's used.  So I'm assuming that if I add let's say $25 to my account balance that I would be able to make a call from Toronto to Ottawa...correct?  Currently, I don't have any balance. 

My question comes down to this.  If I registered my number with an independent long distance carrier, for example, Sears Connect, would making a long distance call then go directly through Sears Connect?  Would I still need some balance on my Telus account?  Or would I still be charged the Telus rates?  

I'm fairly new to how these prepaid plans work, the ones that only offer local minutes, so please excuse me if my questions seem confusing.

 

Thanks for your assistance.

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

NFtoBC
Community Power User
Community Power User

Yes, you can add additional funds to your account for long distance calls. You can also add the $5 long distance savings plan to cut the per minute rate to $0.25 per minute.

Calls to a secondary long distance supplier will use your minutes, and I’m not sure if they are considered local or not - try calling a 1-800 number to see.

 

If you are calling regular contacts, you might try Skype, FaceTime or other Wi-Fi based calling options to save costs, if Wi-Fi is available to you.

 

NFtoBC
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6 REPLIES 6

NFtoBC
Community Power User
Community Power User

Yes, you can add additional funds to your account for long distance calls. You can also add the $5 long distance savings plan to cut the per minute rate to $0.25 per minute.

Calls to a secondary long distance supplier will use your minutes, and I’m not sure if they are considered local or not - try calling a 1-800 number to see.

 

If you are calling regular contacts, you might try Skype, FaceTime or other Wi-Fi based calling options to save costs, if Wi-Fi is available to you.

 

NFtoBC
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@NFtoBC, thank you for your response.  I asked a friend from Ottawa to give me a call here in Toronto to test out the long distance if it works the same both ways and I guess it does.  I never received notification that her call was coming in.  She said the call went to voicemail.


Can you clarify on the 1-800 you mentioned?  Is that something I can use as a test to verify how long distance would work if my number has an independent long distance carrier?

NFtoBC
Community Power User
Community Power User

Yes, her call to you is also long distance, though it does not appear so to her. It will always go to voice mail, I believe, as outgoing calls made by you would be covered by additional purchased minutes.

 

Yes, calling a 1-800 number is simply a test to see if a redialing service would work for you. 

 

If you are going to be regularly out of town, you may wish to consider Telus' subsidiary Koodo for your calling needs, as their prepaid plans are different as far as calling goes.

 

NFtoBC
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Thanks again.  I did one more test with my sister who is here in Toronto with me.  If I call her, she gets notification that my call is coming in.  However, if she calls me, I don't get notification and the call goes straight to voicemail...strange how these things work.

 

I'm not out of town much.  I'm basically local in Ottawa for most of the year.  So maybe I'll supplement my existing Telus plan with something to cover long distance when needed. 

polecat
All-Star

@Fretman  Telus prepaid is a bit of a puzzle some times.  I had $100/ 365 ( talk ld was in this plan .50 cents min + text & data)-they changed me to the 100/100 with no ld oct 2018. Medical issue oct last year got cut off on ld no money.  Calling relatives that day. They said they told me of the change by text message but i had not used the phone for 3 + months. After some discussion They put $ 50 on the account for ld nice of them because i felt this notice should be by email.  I am long time customer just said i wasn't pleased and thanked them for that. Ahead to oct 2019 renew $44 will stay on the account for ld and after oct 2020 what ever is left will carry on. Phone for travel only getting less every year. Works for me. Polecat

@polecat , Glad to hear things worked out for you.  I added $10 to my account balance to cover long distance...should be enough to get me by until I get back home.  Still need to confirm what happens if my number is associated with an independent long distance carrier.