Can I make free calls from canada?

[tjreishus]

I am going to be spending a little time in Canada for work. I know that if I turn my phone on it will connect to the network and start downloading email, texts, etc. Before I leave for canada I want to set up my phone so that when I turn it on up there, it won't try to get my e-mails. I also want to find away to stay in contact with my wife through the wifi. I do have google voice, so is there a way to use that to talk to her? The hotel does have wifi so I need to be able to turn off 1x, 3g, 2g, or whatever the phone uses to connect to the network but leave the wifi on.

I would love some suggestions on how to keep in touch with my wife without getting charged for it.

When I am in the hotel I will be using skype to talk to her through my laptop, but I wont be in the hotel during the day.

 

[Turtledroid]

Just change your plan and have Canada added to it. The Nationwide Plus Canada plan gives fewer minutes, but no long distance or roaming while in Canada. There will be data roaming in Canada, tho, so turn Data Roaming OFF in the settings. When you get back from Canada, call 'em up and change your plan back to whatever it is now.

 

[Kazakaz]

Last year I was in Toronto for a day. I received a few calls and a bunch of text messages on my Blackberry. I never noticed it as an extra charge on my bill. But then again, I only looked for it on my next two bills, and sometimes roaming in Canada might take a few billing cycles before it gets posted. Also, the call was only about five minutes, so if it eventually showed up on my bill, it was a small enough charge I didn't notice it.

The time I spent a weekend in Toronto with my iPhone with AT&T, I really noticed the charges. Billed me $0.50 per text message. Ouch!