Hello again,
Thank you for the additional information.
Apologies for not clarifying that aspect earlier. As far as I am aware, the bill credits are not applicable during a temporary suspension (see here). So in your case, it would be the temporary suspension fee + $75 per month.
Yes, you would be able to use a different service while your phone is still under contract and your services temporarily suspended. Since the device is a single-SIM device, you would need to swap to a local SIM card. It should be mentioned that the SIM cards can easily get lost. If you did happen to lose your SIM card, you would need to purchase a new one when you return. Once the information on your account is updated with the new SIM card information, you would still have your current phone number.
Hope this helps 😀
Cheers
Hello Novecho_delta,
Welcome to the community!
@novecho_delta wrote:
..... I currently have a BYO contract on an additional line with my parents' account...
Firstly to clarify, if you have a BYOP plan, those plans are not on contract. Contracts are only necessary for device ownership. Secondly, you should note that your current plan might not be compatible with financing a device.
Depending on when you got your plan, it may be under the subsidised model. With the subsidised model, the subsidy is incorporated into the plan (ie small, large, etc). Since the subsidy is incorporated into the plan, your plan does not automatically switch to a BYOP plan at the end of a contract (see here). It is not possible to merely remove the device cost from those plans.
That said, you should note that Fido has now switched from their subidised plans to a financed payment program for new devices. That is, the cost of devices is now separate from the cost of services. Once the payments have competed with the new program, your only remaining monthly costs would be for services.
I understand a BYOP plan under the subsidised model did not have any subsidy associated with them, but they still might not be compatible with the new financed model. If you are required to switch plans, you might need to contact customer service to make the switch. In addition, they can also be contacted via Live Chat, Facebook, or Twitter. Those methods can be accessed via the contact page posted above.
It's a common misconception that the monthly cost of those phones are reduced. However, that is technically not the case. The device cost shown on the website was calcuated after bill credit. The monthly cost of the phone remains the same but customers are getting a credit on their bill to offset the cost of the phone. For example, if you ended your contract early, you would be required to pay the full remaining balance on the device. That is, you would be required to pay $75 x remaining number of months (not $9.65 x remaining number of months) as the remaining promotional credits would no longer be applicable.
As you note, Fido does offer a temporary suspension of services for a reduce fee. However, you should note that the temporary suspension only applies to services, you would still be required to pay the monthly device payments as well.
Unfortunately, there is no way to add the temporary suspension online. If you're eligible for the temporary suspension, you would need to contact customer service to have it set up.
To answer your questions:
@novecho_delta wrote:
...1) Is it possible to cancel my talk+text+data plan and still pay my phone contract? If so, do my monthly costs for my phone go up to $75, or do they stay at $9.65?...
No, if you cancel your services before the end of your contract, you would be required to pay the full remaining balance of the device ($75 x remaining # of months)(see here). You should also note that if you cancel your services, you would also lose your phone number.
@novecho_delta wrote:
...2) If I can cancel my service, is it possible to use a SIM card and a plan from another country while my phone is under contract?...
Since you are required to pay the full remaining balance for the device if you cancel your services, you would be free to use another SIM card and plan. If you do plan on using that phone in a different Country, you might consider verifying it has compatible bands/frequencies with the local networks.
Hope this helps 😀
Cheers
