Cell Phones in Canada

There are a lot of options when dealing with cell phone plans: price, data, talk minutes, texts, and the type of phone you would like to use.

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Monthly or Prepaid:

You can get a Monthly plan (which usually comes with a 2-3 year contract) or a pre-paid account.  Pre-paid accounts are typically cheaper per month but the cost of the phone purchase is more expensive.

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Individual or Family Shared Plans:

Your monthly plan can be shared between family members so that your minutes and data will be shared.

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Some Things to Consider:

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Monthly Minutes – minutes are calls you make and receive. Plans vary and may include free local calling, free calling within the province or Canada. Most companies offer free calling in the evenings and weekends.

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Data – email, web surfing and many apps on your phone will require data. If you will be using your phone to surf the web you should look at a high data plan. Generally, someone who uses their phone to browse the web, download a few apps, send emails and use Facebook or Twitter a few times a day will use approximately 2GB/month. If you use your phone to stream music and videos, and share a lot of photos you might need 4GB or more.

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Messages/Text – most plans will offer unlimited texting in Canada. Texts to numbers outside of Canada can cost extra.  Also make sure that you are not charged for received texts as this is an added cost that you have  no control over.

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Contract – A cell phone contract can last 2-3 years depending on which company you sign up with. The cost of a phone is usually cheaper when you sign up for a longer term. There can also be a high fee if you decide to terminate your contact earlier then the agreed upon time.

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Where to Purchase a Cell Phone:

Cell phone companies have online stores and store front locations where you can order your phone. If you are unsure what plan and/or phone is best for you, we recommend visiting the different providers, discussing your needs with different companies and then comparing the quotes you receive.   It is also good to speak to friends and family to find out how their cell phone service is and if they recommend it to you.

 

Top Cell Phone Providers

The top three providers in Canada are Rogers, Bell and Telus. The smaller companies in the market are Koodo (Bell network), Freedom Mobile,  Fido (Rogers network), Public Mobile and Virgin Mobile.

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Their current coverage maps of Rogers, Bell and Telus are:

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Rogers – Interactive Coverage Map
Telus – Interactive Coverage Map
Bell – Interactive Coverage Map

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Please check the coverage map as some carriers have better coverage in certain areas of Canada depending on where their cell towers are located.