*Best* cell phone provider/plans for new immigrants

[maverick_bigapple]

Hi All,

I'm a new settler that just moved to Canada from America. While looking at the cellular options, I believe the big providers are Rogers, Bell and Telus. However, all of them seem to be pricey compared to the American counterparts, and, I'm told the coverage can be spotty.

Considering that I have a device that I'd be using, and, would prefer to NOT sign a longer contract, what are the options that I should be considering?

A few things that I'd need on the service -
(i) Unlimited calls within all of Canada
(ii) Unlimited calls to/from the USA
(iii) 3GB of data, at the minimum (based on past usage)
(iv) Cost effective international calling rates.

Many thanks!

 

[mgnlky]

I have Bell for both work and personal cell phones and it works well in British Columbia and throughout the United States. I found they had the best deals for what I needed-- unlimited text/call to the USA, as well as the ability to use my phone in the US the same way I would in Canada. I pay 180$, but that's with 15GB of data. For bringing your own device, with 3GB data & unlimited Canada/US calling would run you about 100$+tax.

 

[arthurbr]

Take a look if Fido suits your needs.

 

[APPNOV2014NY]

Bell, Rogers and Telus are super expensive. Look into chatr, Fido and Koodo.

 

[zardoz]

Bell, Rogers and Telus are super expensive. Look into chatr, Fido and Koodo.

Note that Chatr & Fido are both owned by Rogers.
Koodo is owned by Telus.

 

[Samoinp]

I live in Toronto suburbs and Freedom mobile works great. No contract, bring your phone, 10 GB, US calling and Text came to 50 CAD per month. Less than what i used to pay in AT& T I wasn't sure about the network coverage but decided to give it a try as it wasn't a contract and happy so far.

 

[sreekar545]

I'm using "Public Mobile" with 8GB data and unlimited US/Canada calling without contract (BYOD), it runs on TELUS network so coverage is really good even in remote areas. The data was only 3G though. I never really had issues playing youtube so that should suffice.

 

[BC4life]

Freedom is probably the best option and within the GTA coverage has significantly improved and is much better than in previous years. Other relatively cheaper options if you want to be on the big 3 network are Chatr, Lucky Mobile and Public Mobile. The advantage with Freedom is than you get 4G network while with the other cheaper providers their low end plans are set to 3G.

 

[zardoz]

Freedom is probably the best option and within the GTA coverage has significantly improved and is much better than in previous years. Other relatively cheaper options if you want to be on the big 3 network are Chatr, Lucky Mobile and Public Mobile. The advantage with Freedom is than you get 4G network while with the other cheaper providers their low end plans are set to 3G.

The catch with Freedom (Wind) is the use of AWS which impacts compatibility with other carriers.

 

[APPNOV2014NY]

I am part of several Canadian immigrant whatsapp groups. Most people are not recommending Freedom due to poor network.

 

[atzquebec]

Fido is one of the cheapest

 

[BC4life]

I am part of several Canadian immigrant whatsapp groups. Most people are not recommending Freedom due to poor network.

Many people who do not recommend Freedom are not actually Freedom users. Or they are not in the GTA. The poor reputation came from their old days when it was called Wind Mobile. It does not mean that today if you were to start using Freedom you would have the same issues. In any case, it is a trade off if you want to enjoy the cost savings. If network reliability is paramount to you then you can pay more with a more traditional operator.

 

[BC4life]

Fido is one of the cheapest

Not really. A bit cheaper as compared to its parent brand Rogers, but there are many other companies that are cheaper. I would say that Fido is in a similar price range as Virgin (Bell) and Koodo (Telus)

 

[BC4life]

The catch with Freedom (Wind) is the use of AWS which impacts compatibility with other carriers.

Yes you have a very limited number of phones that can be used with Freedom; the iPhone works fine though.

 

[APPNOV2014NY]

Many people who do not recommend Freedom are not actually Freedom users. Or they are not in the GTA. The poor reputation came from their old days when it was called Wind Mobile. It does not mean that today if you were to start using Freedom you would have the same issues. In any case, it is a trade off if you want to enjoy the cost savings. If network reliability is paramount to you then you can pay more with a more traditional operator.

All of these are recent immigrants who suffered under Freedom and then moved to some other service. Most in GTA. May be your experience is an exception.

Among 2nd and 3rd tier operators I have heard least bad things about chatr, koodo and fido.

Original poster - Rogers/Chatr have Chatr to Rogers conversion plan going on. Walk to some Rogers store and ask them about this plan. They will issue you a chatr sim on 40-60$/month plan and then convert you to Rogers at that moment ( or after 30 days of using chatr). After a month or less you will have Rogers at 40-60$/month. Best deal in market.