Fizz Mobile: US roaming?
A friend has a Fizz SIM on a QC-only (which includes Ottawa area and Hwy417) data-only plan at $18/1GB.
They were going to use it in their tablet until the referral credit ran out, then decide whether to stay. But now they're planning to go to US in about a month (mid-late Nov) and I'm thinking they should consider switching plans and putting the SIM in their phone. It looks like Fizz pricing just went up (their $18 is now $19, 1GB with US+Canada coverage was $28, now $29, and what I think was $35/9GB is now $35/6GB). Talk is still $7/mo and vmail is $2/mo.
Assuming they can decide now what they want, they should submit the plan change sooner than later, right? I know from experience (and T&C) there's a 2-day plan lock before billing. And in terms of billing, they might actually be crossing US border on their next billing date; does the new plan take effect at 12:01am, or noon, or something else? If they leave early in the morning, they might want to buy a 500MB add-on to get through the first day, depending when the plan actually kicks in.
They have 2GB data accumulated (current month + previous month rollover), will that still be applied when they switch to US coverage on next billing date? If it does, maybe they could get the 1GB plan instead of 3GB (1GB might not be enough, with Google Maps navigation running continuously).
Also, if they go data-only (no talk), is the service good enough to rely on the Google Voice app (or another softphone with voip.ms) or is it worth $7 for voice capability?
Finally, does Fizz roam on TMo, AT&T, or both? Any other experience with US roaming with Fizz?
Thanks.
Best Answer
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data that will expire soonest gets used first? : Yes that is exactly that...
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Answers
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They will not lose their data :
When does a plan change come into effect?
Your new plan will take effect (and you will be billed the new amount) at the start of your next payment cycle.
If you need features such as data, minutes, texts or minutes for international calls immediately, buy an Add-On or use your Wallet to pay as you go.
If you change your plan, your rolled-over data will match your new coverage. For example, if you switch from a Canada-US to a Quebec plan, your rollover data will also switch to a Quebec plan.
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Plan takes effect next billing cycle! If they want to keep the $18/month plan instead of paying $19 if they revert back, they can just buy an add-on for the month
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MyriamC, thank you for confirming their rollover data follows them. I understand the new plan takes effect on the next cycle, my question is when on that day. For example, my Public Mobile accounts get a text at noon at the start of a new cycle, confirming payment. I infer (but don't know for sure) that means the billing cycle runs noon-noon. My friend's billing dates have been Sep 15 and Oct 14; I infer the next cycle will be billed Nov 13. But it's not clear to me when that cycle will start: their dashboard also says they have "20 days left" (as of 130am Oct 26) which implies the current cycle ends Nov 14 (Oct 26-Nov 14 inclusive, is 20 days). And at what time of day does the cycle change?
Most of the time this doesn't matter much (though if you're trying to stretch your data to last the cycle, it might). But if they plan to leave Nov 14 at 6am, should they expect to be on the new US-coverage cycle (because they were billed for it Nov 13), or will US coverage start Nov 14 at noon, Nov 15 at 12:01am, or some other moment? This would matter in this case because it would determine whether they also need to buy an Add-On for Nov 14, and possibly half of Nov 15.
I'm not proposing to contact Fizz about this, because I've never yet found a company where the agents know the answer to this (not their fault, never told it I'm guessing), including US carriers, US MVNOs, and Canadian carriers.
BUDDYMAN, thanks, same questions as above. Their trip will be relatively long, so I think they'll likely switch to the US plan, then switch back on their return (and pay $1/mo more). They might need an initial Add-On as I described above, though I'd hate for them to get one for just the one day (especially if not needed).
Thank you both.
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Maybe that can help ? https://fizz.ca/en/faq/how-do-payment-cycles-work
For your friends, they can check their billing cycle start date in their account ?
Did they activate their SIM a 15 ? If yes then they are paying their bill the 14 and their data cycle is starting the 15.
I did not see if this is at noon or not. Does that really matter ? Because they will first use their rolloever data anyway ?
How many days lasts a payment cycle?
Payment cycles are monthly, but their duration varies based on the number of days in each month. What’s important to remember is the anniversary date of your plan.
For example, if you activated your SIM card or received your Wi-Fi modem on April 5, the anniversary date for your plan is the 5th, and your next payment cycle will start on May 5, and then June 5, and so on. If your plan is activated on the 31st of a month, it is important to note that your payment cycles will start on the last day of each month, whether it’s the 30, 31 (or even 28 in the case of the month of February).
When is the payment for my next payment cycle taken?
Your plan is renewed at noon the day before the anniversary date of your payment cycle. If your next cycle starts May 5, payment for that cycle will be taken on May 4 at noon.
Nobody likes losing something they’ve paid for. Which is exactly why we roll over your unused data at the end of each month. There’s nothing you need to do — your unused data is automatically rolled over to the next month at the end of each payment cycle.
Rolled over data lasts for the two following payment cycles, even if you change your plan. It’s always used before your monthly data. So if you have rolled over data, you’ll use it up first and then move onto the data in your regular plan.
When does my unused data roll over?
- Your unused data will roll over at the end of each payment cycle.
- To see when your payment cycle ends:
- Go to My Plans in your Fizz account.
- Under each plan (if you have more than one), you will be able to see how much time is left in your current payment cycle.
When does rolled over data expire
How do I know when my rolled over data will expire?
- Each batch of rolled over data will expire after two (2) complete payment cycles, and this even if you change your plan.
- To see when a Rollover will expire:
- Go to My Plans in your Fizz account.
- Under the plan you wish to view (if you have more than one) click on See Usage.
- This will open the Usage screen, which lists all your gifts, Add-Ons, Rollovers, etc.
- The blue arrow will tell you which data bucket you are currently using.
- On the right hand side you can see how many days are left for your Rollover.
Does my rolled over data instantly expire when I change my plan?
- Of course not. You keep your rolled over data for two (2) complete payment cycles even if you change your plan during that time, and even if that new plan has no data.
For your friends, they can check
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MyriamC, thanks for that, I appreciate the effort you're making to help me and my friends.
>Maybe that can help ? https://fizz.ca/en/faq/how-do-payment-cycles-work
>For your friends, they can check their billing cycle start date in their account ?
>Did they activate their SIM a 15 ? If yes then they are paying their bill the 14 and their data cycle is starting the 15.
I guess they activated Sep 15, I see charges on Sep 15 and Oct 14. I didn't realize Fizz was monthly (vs 30 days like most prepaid carriers). They have 2GB available right now, I guess that's the Sep 15 and Oct 14 allocations, and on Nov 15 they will get 2GB of rollover (they also got 250MB as a Perk or whatever it is, which I guess they've used). So if they are on a 1GB US+Canada coverage, they'll have 3GB for the month starting Nov 15? That would be enough, and I'm not sure if they need to move up to 3GB or 6GB (+$3 and +$6, from memory).
Right now (Oct 29 @ 2am) it says "17 days left", assuming that includes today, that means their last day is Nov 14 and the next cycle starts Nov 15, which is consistent with the calculation above.
>I did not see if this is at noon or not. Does that really matter ? Because they will first use their rollover data anyway ?
Normally it wouldn't matter, but if they're changing coverage it could. On their current "QC" plan the 2GB rollover will not work in the US, nor on the 401 -- if the coverage map is accurate, "QC coverage" ends on the 401 just after Lancaster ON (and FWIW, on 416 just before Kemptville ON). If they leave at 6am on Nov 15, and are switching to 1GB US+Canada coverage, a billing cycle that starts at 12:01am means they'd have 3GB all the way, but a billing cycle that starts at 12:01pm (noon) could have them practically to Scranton PA before they have any data. Sure they can buy a US Add-On, but they'd prefer to do it the day before, and not wait until their data shuts down while driving. Of course if they leave before or after Nov 15, it should be unambiguous -- Nov 14 or earlier, they need a US data Add-On; Nov 16 or later, they don't.
I don't expect a Fizz agent to know. With Public Mobile, I get a text at noon saying my plan has renewed. I always forget to check if that resets my data allocation at noon, or if it was already reset earlier. But I've never had a definitive answer from PM (last month it mattered, I went over my data allowance and was burning an Add-On, I cut back to the minimum and was happy to know when I was into a new cycle; it wasn't critical as I was burning an Add-On from a couple of years ago).
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I just noticed they have a 500MB Perk with expiry in 44 days. Is that 44 days until the 500MB expires, or 44 days to activate it? If the latter, does the Perk have an expiry?
Also, one of the items quoted by @MyriamC was that rollover data is used before current data. Is it also true that 2-cycles-ago rollover is used first, then 1-cycle-ago, then current month? IOW, data that will expire soonest gets used first?
Thanks.
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wow, great advice on this page!
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I agree, and thanks to @MyriamC for the help.
External events have probably pushed my friends' departure back a few days, so the "midnight, noon, or when?" question isn't directly relevant any more, though I'd like to know (same as I'd like to know about PM billing time, I never remember to check though).
Here's a recap, and what I'm recommending to them. If anyone thinks there's a better solution, please feel free to reply. :)
Currently on 1GB/$18 data-only QC-only plan. They have used 0GB of the current and previous cycles, so they have 2GB available as of today (plus dregs of a 250MB Perk/Upgrade that expires who knows when, so we're calling it 2GB total). Their next billing cycle starts Nov15 (some time of day :) ), which means it bills Nov14 and the account is locked against changes as of Nov12. They're (probably) going to the US a few days after Nov15 ("after Nov15" is the new part). They use a lot of data while driving down, and will be relying on Google Voice (data) for voice calls. Probably less than 2GB but could be more depending how it goes.
I'm suggesting they:
Book a plan change for next billing cycle, to 6GB/$35 (US+Canada coverage), which should give them about 8GB (including 1GB rollover from each of Sep15-Oct14 and Oct15-Nov14 cycles) for the Nov15-Dec14 cycle, which includes the drive down.
Some time after they arrive, book a plan change to 0GB/$22 (US+Canada), which should give them up to 7GB for the Dec15-Jan14 cycle (1GB and 6GB rollover from the 2 previous cycles, less what they used in excess of 1GB). They use much less data when on vacation since they have access to WiFi and don't drive as much.
Leave it at 0GB/$22 (US+Canada) which should give them up to 6GB (carryover from preprevious cycle) for the Jan15-Feb14 cycle.
Total cost for the 3 months is $79 ($35+$22+$22). I'm guessing they'll use at most 4GB total. After that, they will probably be booted back to QC coverage area (for being outside Videotron area >50% for 3 months in a row). They can either change to 1GB/$19 if they're home, or even to 0GB/$12 if still away.
Thoughts? Anything better?
Thanks.
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