add F&C America roaming for one month?

Any one know if you can add the $5/mo roaming charge for
"one month only"?

How do you know if your'e covered while roaming?
Does the call simply go through or it doesn't? BEST CHOICE
OR is there some trickery involved, that you really never
know when your'e covered--as long as you've made that FATEFUL DECISION
to set your phone to roam?

How do you really ever know if your roaming is covered or you're
treated to the special "uncovered" $1/min roaming charge?

OR, IS IT not worth the headaches and stay Digital only and relax and
enjoy vacation.

Gotta go traveling next mo to DC, Philadelphia, and Toms River, NJ
Just wondering weather its worth it to add a phone and roaming
to my retention plan.

Thanks in advance

---

› See More: add F&C America roaming for one month?

In article
<Y2FybmFs.967e56bf130728fedeb81de48de369ae@1087143470.nulluser.com>,
"dave" <> wrote:

> Any one know if you can add the $5/mo roaming charge for
> "one month only"?
>
> How do you know if your'e covered while roaming?

You'd check your account on the web and see if it showed the F&CA option.
And then print it out for evidence.


> Does the call simply go through or it doesn't? BEST CHOICE
> OR is there some trickery involved, that you really never
> know when your'e covered--as long as you've made that FATEFUL DECISION
> to set your phone to roam?
>
> How do you really ever know if your roaming is covered or you're
> treated to the special "uncovered" $1/min roaming charge?
>
> OR, IS IT not worth the headaches and stay Digital only and relax and
> enjoy vacation.
>
> Gotta go traveling next mo to DC, Philadelphia, and Toms River, NJ
> Just wondering weather its worth it to add a phone and roaming
> to my retention plan.
>
> Thanks in advance

dave wrote:

> Gotta go traveling next mo to DC, Philadelphia, and Toms River, NJ
> Just wondering weather its worth it to add a phone and roaming
> to my retention plan.

You'll have no trouble acquiring a Sprint signal nearly anywhere in DC
or Philly. Toms River area may be spotty, particularly west of the
Garden State Parkway.

In article <Y2FybmFs.967e56bf130728fedeb81de48de369ae@
1087143470.nulluser.com>, "dave" <> says...
> Any one know if you can add the $5/mo roaming charge for=20
> "one month only"? =20
>=20
> How do you know if your'e covered while roaming?
> Does the call simply go through or it doesn't? BEST CHOICE
> OR is there some trickery involved, that you really never=20
> know when your'e covered--as long as you've made that FATEFUL DECISION=20
> to set your phone to roam? =20
>=20
> How do you really ever know if your roaming is covered or you're=20
> treated to the special "uncovered" $1/min roaming charge?
>=20
> OR, IS IT not worth the headaches and stay Digital only and relax and=20
> enjoy vacation.
>=20
> Gotta go traveling next mo to DC, Philadelphia, and Toms River, NJ
> Just wondering weather its worth it to add a phone and roaming
> to my retention plan.
>=20
> Thanks in advance
>=20
>=20
>=20
>=20

If you get the $5 option added to your account, then you're covered=20
as long as the call goes straight through. If you're not covered,=20
your call will be diverted to whatever customer service center covers=20
that signal, and get asked for a credit card.

If you have F&CA, and you can take or make a call without that kind=20
of diversion, you're covered.

--=20
R=D8=DF
O/Siris
I work for Sprint PCS
I *don't* speak for them

O/Siris wrote:

> If you get the $5 option added to your account, then you're covered
> as long as the call goes straight through. If you're not covered,
> your call will be diverted to whatever customer service center covers
> that signal, and get asked for a credit card.


Befoe I added it, I was just paying the roaming charges, no CC needed,
but that might have been the market I was roaming in.

In article <[email protected]>,
JRW <no_addy@no_.com> wrote:

> O/Siris wrote:
>
> > If you get the $5 option added to your account, then you're covered
> > as long as the call goes straight through. If you're not covered,
> > your call will be diverted to whatever customer service center covers
> > that signal, and get asked for a credit card.
>
>
> Befoe I added it, I was just paying the roaming charges, no CC needed,
> but that might have been the market I was roaming in.

or maybe, as is commonly the case, O/sirus doesn't know as much as he
pretends.

Robert M. <[email protected]> wrote:
>> O/Siris wrote:
>>
>> > If you get the $5 option added to your account, then you're covered
>> > as long as the call goes straight through. If you're not covered,
>> > your call will be diverted to whatever customer service center covers
>> > that signal, and get asked for a credit card.
>>
>>
>> Befoe I added it, I was just paying the roaming charges, no CC needed,
>> but that might have been the market I was roaming in.
>
> or maybe, as is commonly the case, O/sirus doesn't know as much as he
> pretends.

Jeez, neither you nor JRW were paying attention to Rob, were you? He said
that as long as you're in an area covered by a Sprint roaming agreement with
some other carrier, you're fine. If you don't have FCA, you end up with
roaming charges but the call still goes through. "If you're not covered" means
"if you're not in an area where Sprint has native coverage, and if the area
is not covered by a company with whom Sprint has a roaming agreement" -
and you WILL ALWAYS know if you don't have Sprint coverage or coverage via
one of Sprint's roaming partners, because if that's the case, you will end
up needing a credit card to complete the call.

"If you're not covered" doesn't mean "if you don't have FCA", as y'all
apparently think.

In other words:

On Sprint's network - no roaming charges
On a roaming partner's network, with FCA - no roaming charges
On a roaming partner's network, no FCA - roaming fees appear on your bill
On a network not covered by a Sprint roaming agreement - pay up front
with a credit card and probably get gouged...

The last situation should not happen often, if at all.


--
JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, http://JustThe.net/
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / [email protected]
PGP Key available from your friendly local key server (0xE3AE35ED)
Apple Valley, California Nothing scares me anymore. I have three kids.

In article <[email protected]>,=20
no_addy@no_.com says...
>=20
> Befoe I added it, I was just paying the roaming charges, no CC needed,=20
> but that might have been the market I was roaming in.
>=20

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply this changed anything. The OP was=20
simply asking when he'd be covered under F&CA. Those areas where you=20
roam without being directed for a Credit Card cost $0.50/min w/o=20
F&CA. Under F&CA, they're covered. It was just an easy way to know=20
one is covered.

--=20
R=D8=DF
O/Siris
I work for Sprint PCS
I *don't* speak for them

O/Siris wrote> >

> If you get the $5 option added to your account, then you're covered
> as long as the call goes straight through. If you're not covered,
> your call will be diverted to whatever customer service center covers
> that signal, and get asked for a credit card.
>
> If you have F&CA, and you can take or make a call without that kind
> of diversion, you're covered.
>


Isn't this MUCH EASIER than Verizons way of handling it?
Dont they have a roam icon "on", or "flashing", to notify you?
Seemed to be confusing to me. Too much to go wrong it seemed.
I also have a single rate west plan with Verizon and never have to
worry about ANY ROAMING, because on those plans they guarantee to EAT
THE CHARGES, if any.

But anyway I like Sprints approach much better. It either WORKS or it
DOESN'T.

For all you experts out there are Sprints roaming areas as generous as
Verizons overall? (F&CAmerica vs Americas Choice) Doesn't matter that
much anyway, since I hardly EVER leave my home Sprint metro area, and
have 12 western states no roaming with verizon as a back up when
traveling.

Thanks for answering, Rob

> --
> RØß
> O/Siris
> I work for Sprint PCS
> I *don't* speak for them

Steven J Sobol wrote:


> In other words:
>
> On Sprint's network - no roaming charges
> On a roaming partner's network, with FCA - no roaming charges
> On a roaming partner's network, no FCA - roaming fees appear on your
bill
> On a network not covered by a Sprint roaming agreement - pay up front
> with a credit card and probably get gouged...
>
> The last situation should not happen often, if at all.


Clear and Simple!


Oh, yes, I almost forgot, as the topic to this thread asks, would
Sprint let me add the $5 "roaming included" charge for one month only?
Or is that a commitment type of thing?

Thanks again!

[email protected] wrote:
> For all you experts out there are Sprints roaming areas as generous
as
> Verizons overall? (F&CAmerica vs Americas Choice) Doesn't matter
that
> much anyway, since I hardly EVER leave my home Sprint metro area, and

> have 12 western states no roaming with verizon as a back up when
> traveling.

Actually, Sprint PCS Free & Clear America provides significantly more
extensive included coverage than VZW America's Choice & marginally even
than SingleRate. SPCS F&CA is the most comprehensive coverage package
available in the industry -- trumping the aforementioned VZW plans,
AT&TWS Digital One Rate or GSM America, Cingular Nation (GSM, TDMA, or
GAIT), T-Mobile National Get More America, & ALLTEL National Freedom.

Because SPCS long declined to offer an included roaming &/or preferred
network plan, because all roaming charges incurred were directly
billable to the subscriber, SPCS held the unparalleled flexibility to
strike the widest possible range of roaming agreements. That legacy of
agreements -- though it is diminishing somewhat as time goes by -- has
enabled F&CA to surpass the included coverage provided by the other
carriers' national plans.

In many markets, SPCS still has roaming agreements & PRL entries for
both the A-side & B-side Cellular licensees -- something that is almost
unheard of for VZW or Cingular. Call it redundant, but locations
certainly do exist where the A-side provides coverage but the B-side
does not or vice versa. However, as evidenced by the updates in recent
PRLs, SPCS is paring down some of the redundant agreements -- removing
numerous AT&TWS markets in particular -- in order to favor primarily
VZW, WWC, USCC, or ALLTEL CDMA 800 roaming. Previous philosophy had
been to enact nearly all feasible roaming accords -- regardless of
technology -- or perhaps even to favor AMPS as an unflattering contrast
to the clarity of the SPCS network. Current strategy seems to be to
reduce AMPS roaming, to prioritize CDMA 800 digital roaming wherever
possible -- at the possible expense of overall coverage -- a dramatic
change in philosophy.

As a concrete example, I offer my experience in northeastern Oklahoma
over the weekend. I use a CDMA 1900 + AMPS dual-mode handset w/ PRL
10015 -- numerous generations behind the current PRL -- though I retain
it for observational reasons just such as this. In the region in which
I was traveling, AT&TWS A-side AMPS SID 111 seemed to have top priority
in PRL 10015. USCC B-side AMPS SID 166 was of lesser priority --
though both are assuredly in PRL 10015. In the current PRL 10024, USCC
SID 166 is now top priority. AT&TWS SID 111 is now completely omitted;
the roaming agreement has been severed. When my handset preferred to
roam on AT&TWS AMPS, if I attempted to initiate an outgoing call, the
access attempt would be rejected & the handset would bounce over to the
USCC B-side before the call would be connected. Somewhat ironically --
if my characterization of roaming philosophy is taken to be accurate --
PRL 10024 has greatly increased USCC SID 166 in priority, but SID 166
is now also ACQ INDEX 4 which mandates AMPS roaming for capable
handsets. Conversely, old old PRL 10015 includes USCC SID 166 at
lesser priority but w/ ACQ INDEX 37 which allows for CDMA 800 roaming
-- oddly even before the USCC CDMA1x 800 overlay was in place in Tulsa
if I recall correctly.

Andrew
--
Andrew Shepherd
[email protected]
[email protected]
http://www.wirelesswavelength.com/

<dave> wrote in message
news:Y2FybmFs.75b6c262a25d28ee5d161a90747f29d6@1087194931.nulluser.com...
<snipped>
> Oh, yes, I almost forgot, as the topic to this thread asks, would
> Sprint let me add the $5 "roaming included" charge for one month only?
> Or is that a commitment type of thing?
>
> Thanks again!

Yes, that is an option you can add or take off, without having to extend
your annual agreement.

Bob

In article
<Y2FybmFs.967e56bf130728fedeb81de48de369ae@1087143470.nulluser.com>, "dave" <>
wrote:
> Any one know if you can add the $5/mo roaming charge for
> "one month only"?

I believe it is permitted to put on FCA for just one month. The $5 version may
not be available to affliate markets. Also beware that since the roaming usage
data is of course collected by another carrier first, then transmitted to
Sprint for billing, that it can take days or weeks for this info to be
exchanged and that roaming usage hits your account only AFTER Sprint
has received it from the other carriers. That is, you get charged when the
usage data hits your account, NOT the actual point in time of your usage.
Therefore, particularly if your roaming usage is towards the end of your
billing cycle, you may need to leave on FCA for two months, to fully cover
roaming usage from the prior month.

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] wrote:

> In article
> <Y2FybmFs.967e56bf130728fedeb81de48de369ae@1087143470.nulluser.com>, "dave"
> <>
> wrote:
> > Any one know if you can add the $5/mo roaming charge for
> > "one month only"?
>
> I believe it is permitted to put on FCA for just one month. The $5 version
> may
> not be available to affliate markets. Also beware that since the roaming
> usage
> data is of course collected by another carrier first, then transmitted to
> Sprint for billing, that it can take days or weeks for this info to be
> exchanged and that roaming usage hits your account only AFTER Sprint
> has received it from the other carriers. That is, you get charged when the
> usage data hits your account, NOT the actual point in time of your usage.
> Therefore, particularly if your roaming usage is towards the end of your
> billing cycle, you may need to leave on FCA for two months, to fully cover
> roaming usage from the prior month.

Heaven forfend SprintPCS be customer friendly and billing according to
when the time was used. Didn't AT&T get sued over such a delayed billing
practice?

"Røbert M." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> [email protected] wrote:
>
> > In article
> > <Y2FybmFs.967e56bf130728fedeb81de48de369ae@1087143470.nulluser.com>,
"dave"
> > <>
> > wrote:
> > > Any one know if you can add the $5/mo roaming charge for
> > > "one month only"?
> >
> > I believe it is permitted to put on FCA for just one month. The $5
version
> > may
> > not be available to affliate markets. Also beware that since the roaming
> > usage
> > data is of course collected by another carrier first, then transmitted
to
> > Sprint for billing, that it can take days or weeks for this info to be
> > exchanged and that roaming usage hits your account only AFTER Sprint
> > has received it from the other carriers. That is, you get charged when
the
> > usage data hits your account, NOT the actual point in time of your
usage.
> > Therefore, particularly if your roaming usage is towards the end of your
> > billing cycle, you may need to leave on FCA for two months, to fully
cover
> > roaming usage from the prior month.
>
> Heaven forfend SprintPCS be customer friendly and billing according to
> when the time was used. Didn't AT&T get sued over such a delayed billing
> practice?

Forfend? That's a bit of an old word ... So, you are blaming SPCS for
another carrier's delay in sending their bill to them for roaming calls?
Last time I was in the Cayman Islands, it took 2 to 3 months for the calls
to show up.

Once again, another false complaint Phillipe ...

Bob