What do I need to know about coverage and rates while travelling to the U.S.?

U.S. voice roaming per-minute rates

If you subscribe to a U.S. roaming rate plan or bundle:

Any calls you make or receive while in the U.S. will be subtracted from the minutes included in your plan or bundle. With your plan or bundle, you can make calls within the U.S., to Canada and to any international destination.

If you use more minutes than are included, the additional per-minute rate will depend on your plan or bundle.
Find the per-minute rates for Travel USA bundles.

If you do not subscribe to a U.S. roaming rate plan or bundle:

Any calls you make or receive while in the U.S. will be billed at a rate of $1.45 per minute (plus applicable taxes) regardless of calling destination.

If you travel to the U.S. frequently, you may want to consider a Travel USA bundle.

Note:

All charges will appear on your Bell Mobility invoice in Canadian funds.

Roaming is not available on Prepaid plans.

Last Update:06/03/2012

Text messaging charges

When you send a text message from the U.S., you'll be charged $0.75 for each message sent.* Text messages you send in the U.S. are pay-per-use and are not included in your rate plan. Text messages you receive in the U.S. are charged the same way they are when you’re in Canada (i.e., messages included in your bundle are free and messages outside your bundle are $0.20 each).

*Premium text message charges are extra.

Note: roaming is not available on Prepaid plans.

Last Update:06/03/2012

Data roaming charges

Through our trusted partners, Bell lets you use your mobile phone, smartphone, or Connection card/Turbo Stick for email and Internet in the U.S. Data usage while travelling in the U.S. is not included in your rate plan. U.S. roaming rates vary depending on your device.

** Pay-per-use data rates for roaming in the United States may vary and are subject to change without notice. Usage will be rounded to the nearest KB for every data session.

For customer support when travelling in the U.S., call *611 free from your mobile phone or 1 800 667-ROAM (7626) free from any phone.

Learn how to reduce data charges on your smartphone when travelling

Last Update:06/03/2012

Reducing roaming costs

If you are travelling within North America, you can save on U.S. roaming by adding one of the following features to your current rate plan. You can subscribe to one for as little as 30 days.

All-in-one travel packages

Travel U.S. package - Get voice, data and text messages for use in the United States.

Travel U.S. Combo Saver - For $25/month, get access to preferred U.S. roaming rates for voice ($0.50/minute), data ($1/MB) and text messages ($0.25 per sent message, unlimited incoming messages).

Voice

Travel USA bundles - Save on long distance and roaming while in the United States. Bundles start at just $15.

Travel USA Saver - Save on U.S. voice roaming rates. For $10/month, get access to a preferred rate of $0.50/minute.

Data

Travel USA Data bundles - Save on data charges when travelling in the U.S.

Travel USA Data Saver - Save on U.S. data roaming rates. For $10/month, get access to a preferred rate of $1/MB.

Learn how to reduce data charges on your smartphone when travelling abroad

Text

Travel USA Text bundles - Save on text messaging charges when travelling in the United States.

Travel USA Text Saver - Save on U.S. text messaging rates. For $10/month, get access to a preferred rate: send text messages for $0.25/message and get unlimited incoming messages.

Before you leave, contact us or send a text to TCARE (82273) to add a roaming feature to your plan.

Last Update:06/03/2012

Making and receiving calls

Bell has agreements with trusted partners, giving you access to a vast wireless coverage area in the U.S., including extensive 3G coverage.

When roaming, your phone will automatically connect to one of our partner networks. When you return to Canada, your phone will reconnect to the Bell network. In both cases, it can take up to 5 minutes to establish a connection.

Making a call

When you're travelling in the U.S., making a phone call is as simple as dialling from home. Simply dial 1 + area code + the 7-digit number and press SEND to complete your call. You'll be billed the U.S. voice roaming airtime rate.

Receiving a call

You can automatically receive calls when you travel anywhere in the U.S. if you're in an area where wireless coverage is available. When you receive a call, you'll be billed the U.S. airtime rate.

For customer support when travelling in the U.S., call or *611 free from your mobile phone or 1 800 667-ROAM (7626) free from any phone.

Last Update:06/03/2012