How to EASILY find your IMEI number on your cell phone

Ever needed to find your IMEI number on your cell and had to pop the battery lid off your phone, take the battery out and then read the super small text? Has that text ever faded or been rubbed away over time? No worries: just type the following code into your phone dialer and presto! Your IMEI will show up!

*#06#

That's it!

This will work on most phones from the last 10 years or so. I'm not entirely sure when this started and with what model of phone, but all modern phones have this function.

What might you need your IMEI for? Well, if ever your cell carrier asks for it, or if you want to check to make sure a phone has not been reported as lost or stolen and hasn't been black listed, this is what you will need to provide to the carrier. Easy!

The Cheapest Canadian cell plan

If you're looking for the absolute cheapest in market nation wide plan, that honour currently belongs to Koodo Mobile, with their $30 small tab plan.

This plan is awesome for the student, the person who only texts, the emergency caller, or someone who needs to get a cell and is doing so reluctantly. The plan includes:

- 100 day time Canada-wide minutes per month
- Unlimited Canada-wide calling between 5pm and 8am on weekdays
- Voice Mail
- Call Display
- Unlimited Text and Picture messaging

Remember that with Koodo, if you bring your own device, you can save 10% off this plan. Or, you can opt to get a small tab and get $150 off any device Koodo offers.

I'll update this post if I see anything change!

What is Proration?

If you're lucky, the rep at the kiosk will do a good job and set the expectation for you and tell you a little bit about your first bill! What should you expect? What is bill shock? What do all these numbers mean? No worries, you're not the only one asking these questions (and more) and I am here to help you out! Read on for what to expect on your first bill and a simple explanation of what the heck proration is!

A guide to shopping for a Cell Phone in Canada

Hello dear reader. Thanks for visiting this blog! I have been thinking about what I could possibly contribute to the internet that either hasn't been done yet, or, hasn't been done well. I also needed to find something that I know a thing or two about - something that I am passionate about and enjoy as a hobby in order to make the content that I deliver on this blog both relevant and correct while coming from the heart. It may sound silly, but I know a thing or two about cell phones, and feel like I can deliver a personal perspective based on years of experience in the telecommunications industry.

I live in Canada, and I run a Cell Phone store. I'll leave out the name of the company that I work for as there may be a conflict of interest with regards to my employment and the means of which I feed my family, but, I feel strongly that I can help folks out in what has been, and should not be, a stressful purchase.

First, a little about me...