What To Do About Your Cell Phone While Travelling
When travel nursing from Canada to the US, you may need to make decisions about what you are going to do about your cell phone. Learn about keeping your Canadian number or opting for a US number to stay connected on assignment.
1. Keeping your Canadian Number
When working in the US you will want a phone plan that allows you to talk and text in Canada and the US.
Canadian phone plans are significantly more expensive than US plans. However, if you are not planning on staying in the US long-term, keeping your Canadian phone number and switching to an international plan might be best for you. This would take away the hassle of getting a new number. Rogers and Bell offer plans allowing talk and text between Canada and the US.
I had to call in to speak to someone from Rogers to learn about their US-specific phone plans as I had trouble finding options on their site.
I took advantage of this when I started travel nursing as I had a discount with Rogers from my nursing job in Canada. Before leaving your current position, take advantage of any benefits your hospital offers.
One thing to note is that you cannot use Venmo with a Canadian phone number. Venmo is a significant money transfer service in the US, such as e-transfer for us in Canada. This was an issue for me as my landlord requested I pay rent through Venmo for my first contract.
2. Getting a US Number
The second option is to forfeit your Canadian number. You can get a US phone number and switch to an American carrier if you plan on being in the US long term. Logan decided this was the best plan for her. US phone plans are also much cheaper than Canadian ones. To set up with an American carrier, you need to have a US address and US credit history.
T-Mobile
T-Mobile offers a monthly pre-paid phone plan that starts at $40/month. You can also purchase an add-on for $5 a month, allowing you to use your phone in Canada for talk, text, and data.
A pre-paid phone plan is likely your only option until you establish US credit and have a US home address. Initially, I kept my Canadian number until my US credit history grew from applying for and using US-based credit cards. At that point, I went with the third option you can learn about next.
3. Keeping your Canadian Number and Getting a US Number
The last option is to get a US-based phone number while keeping your Canadian number on hold. This was the plan that I ended up going with after a few months of travel nursing.
I use a service called Number Barn that keeps my Canadian number on hold. That means I still own the number and pay a monthly fee of $2. I can still receive all calls and texts from that number and even answer messages through the Number Barn app through my Canadian number. This has been super helpful as I move all my Canadian information to my new US number.
If I ever return to Canada and stop travelling in the US, I can resume using that number by bringing it to any carrier.
I ended up choosing Google Fi as my carrier that allows me to easily switch plans while I travel outside of North America. They have three plans and one of them allows you to use your data in 200+ destinations. They also make it super easy to set up with because they use an eSIM card.
Conclusion
There are so many things to take care of when starting a new travel assignment. Staying connected with family and your recruiter is important, so make sure to consider what your phone plan currently offers and decide whether switching to an US number works best for you.
Ready to Get Started?
If you are considering making the great leap into Travel Nursing in the US, The Guide to Becoming a Travel Nurse provides insight and answers many questions. We will be updating this guide frequently with new information and links often. The information we provide is purely from our personal experiences and what we have learnt along the way.
You can also reach out to us in the contact section by sending us an email or leave a comment below with any questions about the process. We are happy to help you get started!
My name is Marta, I’m a pediatric emergency room nurse from Toronto travelling in the US. I have taken assignments most recently in Boston and Denver. I travel with my husband who is a travel points enthusiast and manages to find amazing deals using points to fulfill all of our travel bucket-list goals. Join us on our next adventure after 13 weeks!