I have no service in the states even though I bought a US plan

[xl]

What is the make and model of your phone?  On some phones, you need to set the carrier selection to "auto".  Otherwise, it will always look for Telus.

[NFtoBC]

Buying a plan only nets you cheaper rates, it does not cause any changes to your account. As indicated by xl, you need to be sure you have roaming on, auto carrier selected, and have not chosen to have Telus block international access.