[gearhead]

We get the monthly e-mail from OnStar Subscriber Services.
It's an awesome service and if you haven't signed up, you may want to consider it.
It's free with a new vehicle for 90 days, maybe a year, I'm not sure.
The e-mailed report includes all kinds of vehicle info including remaining hands free calling minutes.

When I view our information on their website (https://www.onstarrenewal.com/xxxxxxxx...I "x'd" out our account info of course, so the link doesn't work it's for reference only), I cannot see the remaining hands free calling minutes.

Anyone know where to locate them online?
Thanks for any ideas.

 

[sjhanlon]

It is free for a year. Its not cheap to renew, but buying it is just like insurance, when you do need it, its invaluable. When I go on the OnStar page and start reading the "real life" stories about stolen vehicle recovery and accident auto-notification, it doesn't seem so expensive. In fact, I wish I could outfit my wife's car with it to give me an extra degree of satisfaction that she's safe.

Yep - I highly recommend at least the Safety OnStar Package. I was in a pretty bad accident in my previous vehicle (08 Equinox) and an emergency advisor came right over the speakers. Asked me if I was ok, how many other people were in the car. Said they were sending emergency vehicles, called my emergency contact so they could meet me at the hospital. Even called her a cab to get her there!

A couple of other times I was travelling on Hwy 400 (Pretty busy highway north of Toronto) and saw street racers nearly killing one another. Pressed the red emergency button and they had OPP there in minutes. Fantastic service.

Oh yea... then one time my girlfriend parked the truck in downtown Toronto on a street where parking ends at 4pm. It got towed. I called OnStar (the girlfriend failed to tell me it was in a tow away zone LOL) thinking it was stolen. They said "Yea, we see it at the impound lot". The called me a cab and told them where to take me.

 

[gearhead]

You rock, SnowItch, thanks very much for the tips buddy!
8)
I agree with you 110%, OnStar is an invaluable service.
There's many times it can come in handy like when your cell phone battery runs down and you don't have a charger, when you're cell phone doesn't receive signal and your OnStar does (just happened to us in the northwest region of Michigan's lower peninsula), remote vehicle unlocking and heaven forbid should you get into an accident!

Add the fact that you can couple your own Bluetooth enabled cell phone(s) to it for hands free calling and it's truly a win-win situation if your budget allows for it.

 

[gearhead]

Yep - I highly recommend at least the Safety OnStar Package. I was in a pretty bad accident in my previous vehicle (08 Equinox) and an emergency advisor came right over the speakers. Asked me if I was ok, how many other people were in the car. Said they were sending emergency vehicles, called my emergency contact so they could meet me at the hospital. Even called her a cab to get her there!

A couple of other times I was travelling on Hwy 400 (Pretty busy highway north of Toronto) and saw street racers nearly killing one another. Pressed the red emergency button and they had OPP there in minutes. Fantastic service.

Oh yea... then one time my girlfriend parked the truck in downtown Toronto on a street where parking ends at 4pm. It got towed. I called OnStar (the girlfriend failed to tell me it was in a tow away zone LOL) thinking it was stolen. They said "Yea, we see it at the impound lot". The called me a cab and told them where to take me.

Thanks for sharing some real world info, sjhanlon!
Sorry, but I have to LOL @ what your girlfriend did!

 

[tbox302]

Add the fact that you can couple your own Bluetooth enabled cell phone(s) to it for hands free calling and it's truly a win-win situation if your budget allows for it.

it was my understanding that the bluetooth hands-free calling was completely separate (a vehicle feature) from the OnStar hands-free calling (hitting the button on the rearview) - is that correct? i fully plan on renewing OnStar after our year is up, but just in case i don't i wanna make sure i still have my hands-free calling through bluetooth!

i have yet to use our OnStar minutes (got 30 free and purchased another 100 (i think) for $15) but the free minutes expire after 60 days so i need to try it out!

 

[tbox302]

Yep, you keep the bluetooth. I have some minutes through OnStar in case I forget my phone.

ok cool, that's what i thought but wanted to confirm. same here, plus as mentioned above, would really come in handy for those areas where cell service may not be good.

 

[Narg]

I've never purchased minutes from On-Star. I did have 60 minutes free once, but they stopped that promotion. I just don't see purchasing minutes that are 1. WAY too expensive. and 2. EXPIRE!!!! YUCK!!

I wish GM would do what Ford did and allow the phone ability in the car to be rolled into a plan (like a family plan) with a carrier (Verizon in this case). It's just like another phone that way, so the minutes are priced identical to a normal cell phone.

 

[Roesterman]

I wish GM would do what Ford did and allow the phone ability in the car to be rolled into a plan (like a family plan) with a carrier (Verizon in this case). It's just like another phone that way, so the minutes are priced identical to a normal cell phone.

In Canada you can roll in your Onstar with Bell Mobility cell provider. Update....program discontinued.... see later posting[/color] by sjhanlon on page 2

http://onstar-qa.digitas.com/canada_english/downloadable/customer_service/reqInfo_Bell_HFC_Brochure.pdf

 

[GMCdriver]

Minutes that are about to expire are saved and rolled forward if you buy additional minutes so for the person who bought the additional 100 min for $15, your promo minutes will roll forward into the 1 year that the new minutes have before they expire.

I use the bluetooth conectivity to my personal cell phone for calls that I make around the city but once I am out of town, I switch to using my OnStar Personal Calling minutes, they have better recepiton in remote areas and when transitioning from tower to tower down the highway and they are cheeper then using my personal phone plan for long distance as the long distance charges are built into the OnStar minutes.

 

[Roesterman]

I use the bluetooth conectivity to my personal cell phone for calls that I make around the city but once I am out of town, I switch to using my OnStar Personal Calling minutes, they have better recepiton in remote areas and when transitioning from tower to tower down the highway and they are cheeper then using my personal phone plan for long distance as the long distance charges are built into the OnStar minutes.

Also the Onstar cell phone built into the vehicle is many times more powerful than a handheld cell phone and will connect to cell tower from a much greater distance.
Many places where you cant get a signal on your handheld, the Onstar will work.
"Can you hear me now?"[/color]

 

[moofy]

Ok, this is probably a dumb question.

If you have a bluetooth phone connected, how would you have the system use the OnStar to make the call instead of your cell? Is it a matter of which button you push?

 

[sjhanlon]

In Canada you can roll in your Onstar with Bell Mobility cell provider.

http://onstar-qa.digitas.com/canada_english/downloadable/customer_service/reqInfo_Bell_HFC_Brochure.pdf

Yea... they got rid of it in Canada now as well. If you already have the plan with Bell you can keep it. But they won't sign up any new people

"OnStar and Bell Mobility previously made the business decision to discontinue its shared minute program for new enrollments. The program created a single bill and allowed users to share minutes between their Bell Mobility wireless cellular devices and the OnStar embedded in-vehicle calling system.

Effective June 1, 2009, OnStar and Bell Mobility stopped accepting any new enrollees to the program. However service for existing users will continue. While the shared minute package is being discontinued for new enrollees, such OnStar subscribers will continue to have access to OnStar’s voice-activated Hands-Free Calling which allows users to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road"

 

[NY_Joe]

Ok, this is probably a dumb question.

If you have a bluetooth phone connected, how would you have the system use the OnStar to make the call instead of your cell? Is it a matter of which button you push?

1 - Press the button on the wheel.
2- Say Handsfree
3 - Say Bluetooth for mobile phone or Onstar for Onstar line.
4 - Then Dial andspeak the number or Call followedby phone book entry

 

[Roesterman]

Doesn't it show on radio display or DIC "minutes remaining" while in an Onstar call?

My 2009 Vue does..and my 2007 Solstice, 2006 Montana, 2004 Montana, 2003 Saturn LW300, 2001 GMC Sonoma and 1999 Montana all did.

 

[gearhead]

Doesn't it show on radio display or DIC "minutes remaining" while in an Onstar call?

My 2009 Vue does..and my 2007 Solstice, 2006 Montana, 2004 Montana, 2003 Saturn LW300, 2001 GMC Sonoma and 1999 Montana all did.

Will have to check that out, Roesterman, thanks for the idea.

 

[tribuin]

1 - Press the button on the wheel.
2- Say Handsfree
3 - Say Bluetooth for mobile phone or Onstar for Onstar line.
4 - Then Dial andspeak the number or Call followedby phone book entry

I never say "Bluetooth" to activate my phone. I just say "Call" voicetag after the "Handsfree" command. It automatically uses my iPhone and not OnStar.

 

[binab]

I never say "Bluetooth" to activate my phone. I just say "Call" voicetag after the "Handsfree" command. It automatically uses my iPhone and not OnStar.

Ditto this for my Droid. I double checked my OnStar minutes just to be sure and none have been used.

 

[GMCdriver]

I don't even say "handsfree"
After I press the button on the wheel and she promts me for my first command I either say "dial" or "call"
She confirms that we will be using my cell phone(whice is the default whenever my paired phone is in the vehicle) and then prompts me for a name tag or number depending on what my first command was.

Edit: I just read another thread and now understand that the reason I don't have to say "handsfree" is because I decided against ordering the nav system.

 

[noncon]

I don't even say "handsfree"
After I press the button on the wheel and she promts me for my first command I either say "dial" or "call"
She confirms that we will be using my cell phone(whice is the default whenever my paired phone is in the vehicle) and then prompts me for a name tag or number depending on what my first command was.

Edit: I just read another thread and now understand that the reason I don't have to say "handsfree" is because I decided against ordering the nav system.

Ditto.

KJ

 

[Boltbacker]

To check your available minutes all you have to do is use either the blue onstar button, or the steering controls, once is says "OnStar ready" say Minutes. It will then ask you to verify or add. Reply verify. It will then tell you the remaining balance of units of OnStar Hands Free Calling minutes.