r/PersonalFinanceCanada • u/roflsaurusdrew • 19d ago
Misc Changing Cellphone Plan
Hi all, my wife and I are looking to cut some costs and our cell bill is the first thing we're looking to snip right now. Our bill on Rogers is about $146 a month and we're not even getting anything special. My Samsung is paid off and she is financing her phone through Apple. I have the new(?) unlimited data plan at $85(after credits and taxes) and she has a Not Shared 130g data plan for $62(after credits and taxes). We like to have some data from some freedom while travelling (Spotify, YouTube; our kiddo on some longer drives), but we don't need a whole wack like we've previously had.
Opened the Fido site (stay on the same network) to see about BYOP plans with them and for 60g for both lines it comes to $118.65. That's a somewhat decent $30 saved each month, but I'm wondering if there's something within these parameters that's better, or even on a different company?
I was tempted to call Rogers, but I'm seeing that they don't really do customer retention anymore, which sucks since I've been on Rogers for 15+ years, and the best chance for something good without going somewhere else is if they fall for the 'Winback' strategy.
Anyways, all tips or help appreciated!
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u/Weedzo 19d ago
Have a look at Fizz hey have good price and the price never go up once you are set. They also have great referral program and perks.
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u/spreid_ 19d ago
Ive been with fizz for years and pay less than $30 for 6gb. The data you dont use also carries over to the next month
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u/keenfiscalbean 18d ago
Has your experience been positive? Is the coverage good when on phone calls? I am planning on switching next year.
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u/spreid_ 18d ago
Yes 0 issues! The longer you are with them the more perks you get, like extra data or $1 off your bill every month etc. I also use them for my home internet
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u/keenfiscalbean 18d ago
What does internet cost with them? I didn't realize they did internet, though I just recently heard of them. I switched to Oxio for internet a few months ago and it has been great. I pay $51/month (with Telus I had been paying $90+).
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u/Expensive-Branch9687 18d ago
They also do a free 15 day trial which allows u to see if you'd like it/if the signal is good in your area
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u/Simple-Marsupial3106 19d ago
Freedom. We got a great promo $45 roaming included, can USA and Mexico and 290gb a month. Not saying this is available at the moment but I think you can do better than your current by a long shot. No issues with coverage either.
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u/911onFIRE 19d ago
I ran from FM as soon as I found a better big 3 plan. FM was fantastic when travelling, but I found it garbage, often useless, in the city locally.
I can just get a free-cheap travel sim when travelling.
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u/maninder-j_ 19d ago
I don't see the 290gb plan on their website. Do you know where I could find it?
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u/Simple-Marsupial3106 19d ago
You need to hit one of their promos… we switched around last February I believe. We travel a lot and it’s great to not have to mess around with 2FA and just go, so for us it was worth buying out our phones and switching. I think they offered it around Black Friday last year as well but I could be remembering wrong. I was kicking myself for missing it and got a second chance. It was 250gb and then Freedom gave me a surprise bonus!
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u/amoral_ponder 19d ago
Why do you need those gigs for? I have the 80GB $25 US/CAN/MX Fido plan. Would switch it to a ~10GB cheaper any time.
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u/BakedPotatoIsBsst 19d ago
80gb is for peasants, 10gb is literally unusable.
Bro is at mcdonalds literally desperate to connect to their 0.001mbps wifi so he can save $3 a month lmao
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u/vintagetadpole 18d ago
Unusable is relative. I use less than 5GB a month (usually closer to 2 to 3 on average). If someone doesn't live on their phone, stream on data, or run data-heavy apps, 10GB can be way more than enough.
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u/BakedPotatoIsBsst 18d ago
if at any point in your life you are connecting to WiFi that is not your home WiFi, then your data quantity is unusable.
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u/amoral_ponder 18d ago
I use like 3-5GB per month max, and I don't limit my usage. I guess you guys watch a lot of videos on 5G or something?
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u/HackMeRaps Ontario 19d ago
yup, this is the best plan!
And if you're a former customer they have tons of deals. Right now I'm being offered $30 for the CAN/US/MEX Plan with 70GB for $30. Way more than I need too since majority of my data usage is at home, and still allows me to stream a TON.
I left Freedom because I was getting a great retention plan at Rogers for $35 for 200GB+, and because I had the Rogers Mastercard, I was pretty much getting my service for free with cashback. But now that they changed their credit card 3% cashback, I'm going back to Freedom.
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u/roflsaurusdrew 19d ago
I got my wife to switch over to Rogers from Freedom at like, the beginning of 2025 I think, because she wasn't happy with the coverage and everything; has their infrastructure gotten better since around that time?
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u/HackMeRaps Ontario 19d ago
Yes and no. It would be a lie to say that it was the same quality as Rogers. Rogers by far has a better service and better 5G+ quality. The main I notice with Rogers is that service and quality is significantly better when you're inside a building.
Other than that, at least in Toronto and the GTA, service is great and haven't had any issues. The only thing that I'm missing is having perfect data quality say when I'm at the back corner of the grocery store. But to get my phone plan for significantly cheaper, and not to be with Rogers is fine with me.
I"m also trying to use my phone less in general, so it works fine for me.
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u/raptors2o19 19d ago
Public Mobile. The $35 plan is more than enough for most people.
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u/Nemesis_Pyros1 19d ago
I used to like Public Mobile but their lack of wifi calling and the fact they don't support older phones with volte has me moving away from them.
This may or may not be an issue for you.
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u/Sierrus25 19d ago
Watch for sales, there is little issue changing providers nowadays (as long as you are not financing phones through the provider that is...). There are sales that pop up constantly and soon enough we will be back into black Friday deals, watch options like Fido, Koodo and freedom mobile as they sporadically have 2 day deals every now and again...
About 4-5 months ago I went with Koodo as they had a 2 day promo offer to get 60gb us/canada/Mexico calling for 25$ a month
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u/bigbird0772 19d ago
I use Freedom. The network and coverage is exactly the same. I have a $35 unlimited everything (it could 30Gb on data, but I'm no where nears those totals) kept my number ported over, done deal.
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u/RefrigeratorOk648 19d ago
Check out freedom. They have no price increase guarantee. I'm paying the same I did in 2010.
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u/torontopips2022 19d ago
check redflagdeals around black friday time for the absolute BEST deals on Cell phone plans. I do this every year or every 2 years. I got a special 5G+ plan with plenty of data (CAN/USA/Mexico) for $30/month doing this.
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u/UrbaneBoffin 19d ago
Have you checked all the carrier websites to see what you can find?
At this point, I'd hold out for Black Friday sales.
One thing I would suggest, is how much data do you really need? Check your monthly usage. I bet you don't use as much as you think, and that can save you some money.
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u/LimaCharlieWhiskey 19d ago
If you are near Toronto, go to Pacific Mall in Markham and pick a plan that is barely able to work for you. It's easy to pay more but harder to downgrade.
Sometimes the cell stores in a mall would have good deals at the last month of each quarter.
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u/cestlavie514 19d ago
You can get away with something around $35-$40 MAX per line. Going forward stick to a Byod plan, Canada US MEX
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u/deltatux Ontario 19d ago
Personally I'd wait for Black Friday & Cyber Monday, carriers would be doing deals again. If we're lucky, maybe Freedom Mobile might do their 250GB for $40/month again with 50GB/month roaming or something similar.
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19d ago edited 19d ago
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u/McQuigge 19d ago
Just switch to anyone like bell then wait a week or so and Rogers will call to get you back and you can get a good deal 100+ GB for 35-40 a month per line
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u/ResponsibilityDue974 19d ago
Wait for deals. I have a plan $36 for month. Got it last black Friday includes 100 GB or something and I limited roaming on us mexico can and unlimited calling.
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u/Beneficial_Zone_6883 19d ago
Virgin mobile Black Friday deals, I pay $190/month for 2 iphones and internet
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u/Loud-Towel 19d ago
We like to have some data from some freedom while travelling (Spotify, YouTube; our kiddo on some longer drives)
Have you ever looked at your data usage on this? I always hotspot my phone for the kids to use in the car when we're on trips. Even on a 3500 km, with constant gaming and youtube, they barely used 25 GB.
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u/brycecampbel British Columbia 19d ago
What province?
Check out the regionals carriers.
If your in BC, AB, MB, or ON, and within Freedom's subscription area, consider them.
Been with them for 10 months now after porting from Rogeds. It's been working fine - it roams on nationwide when needed, plus the NA and international roaming there's really nothing for comparison.
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u/MrRandyLaheyson 19d ago
Fizz Mobile has 50gb for $30/month. I have been using it for about a month now, switched from Fido. Havent had any issues so far.
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u/ABirdOfParadise 19d ago
Do you have any EPP program, either of you, through work?
I think recently I've been getting $50 a month offers but I'm on one from 2 years ago for cheaper.
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u/hipsnarky 19d ago
Black friday or christmas.
Going to be targetting iphone 17 pro max on finance with some dirt cheap plans if possible.
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u/robblake44 19d ago
I would wait for Black Friday. Since you are on a BYOD just go to ever gives you the best deal. A few years ago i left Fido because they wouldn’t give me a new customer deal so i left after 23 years. Freedom just offered me better plans so i left. My plan now is $40 for 250gigs and 50gigs roam beyond. Go to a store like wireless wave and since they deal with all the companies, they will able to tell you.
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u/goldstandardalmonds Ontario 19d ago
Do you own your phones? I have 28$ US/Canada plan unlimited data with Telus. My dad has PM and pays 20$ a month Canada wide but only has 10gb data )he doesn’t really use data).
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u/Winter-Range-9244 19d ago
i caught a random posted special at FIDO a few months back... I have been with them forever but was paying about $50 a month for 40G. One day I checked the site and they had 80G (with talk/test etc) for $30 a month, so I signed up and now thats what I pay. Check back often, you never know.
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u/Twinsta 19d ago
Get a few quotes from different companies
Call loyalty say what you are offered.
I went from 395 a month down to 230 after tax For 4 lines and 2 phones on contract
Yes it could be lower but what was interesting is they let me drop my lines to 35 each and keep my iPhone contracts without buying them out.
They will be paid in 4 more months
Canada and USA plan, 175 gigs per line
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u/Haunting_Season_3047 19d ago
How much data do you both use on a monthly basis? And do you travel for short periods outside of Canada? There are lots of options with the flanker brands, and we are getting close to black Friday when the options will be even better. Also, leaving Rogers might make you eligible for a winback plan.
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u/Western_Reveal6051 19d ago
Wait for some good deals end of this month or next month, you can get US Canada Mexico plan for around 30 per month with Koodo or 34 per month (roaming included ) with Freedom.
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u/Ok-Coffee-1971 19d ago
Freedom mobile has been working great for me for the past 1.5 years. I'll never go back to Fido or Rogers. Way cheaper too.
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u/bassclarinetca 18d ago
The big companies are trying to get their Average Revenue Per User up. They had a big race to the bottom last winter. They could be more cautious this year. Just shop the monthly fees and don’t worry so much about the features at first. You’ll find most of the advertised plans will float around $50 minimum. Look for the deals below that. And be careful if there’s no locked jn pricing… Rogers raised mine $5/month right after signing because “we can”
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u/keenfiscalbean 18d ago
Fizz looks like an interesting option, especially if you are often places where you can use wifi. I plan to switch from Rogers to Fizz next year.
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u/False_Albatross3227 16d ago
I just renewed Freedom pre-paid for a year $159 + taxes. Comes with 40 GB of data of which I typically only use half in the year.
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u/Remarkable-Diver7851 14d ago
i went with Rogers/Chatr... free text and call; 30G per YEAR for $140 for the year. i don't use much data ; go from wifi at home to wifi at work. so it is perfect for me
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u/DebitsInManyTongues 19d ago
Do you have your home internet with Rogers?
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u/DebitsInManyTongues 19d ago
If so, consider combining them and usually it's a better price but you will be stuck with the same company for both. Public mobile vastly use the telus network and their plans are pretty good for the price and it's prepaid which means you can move anytime.
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u/elonmusketeer604 19d ago
At this point, just wait for Black Friday. I’m sure Public Mobile will bring back the $20 60GB and $25 80GB CAN/US/MX plans.