According to research by Global News, the publication has researched what are the ‘best, cheapest cellphone plans in Canada in 2018’, by contacting all wireless carriers to see what they could offer.
Global News went searching for a Service Basket Level 3 category plan, as per the 2017 Price Comparison Study of Telecommunications Services in Canada and Select Foreign Jurisdictions report prepared by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) and NGL Nordicity Group.
The report notes a Service Basket Level 3 plan includes 1200 calling minutes, 300 texts and 1GB of data. In actuality though, the most popular category of plan used by Canadians was Service Basket Level 2, but it only included 450 minutes of calling and 300 texts and no data.
Canada ranks as the most expensive country in the world when it comes to Level 3 wireless plans, at an average of $70.70 per month. Level 2 plans are on average $40.95 per month.
Image via Global News
Global says they reached out to Rogers, Telus, Bell and other wireless carriers to see if the ISED report’s conclusions “stand up in real life.”
Calls were made to each carrier with the script as follows:
“I’m looking to buy a new phone and plan for either an iPhone 8 or Samsung Galaxy S8. I use about 450 minutes a month, send about 300 text messages and need enough data to check my email and social media throughout the day. I have family in the U.S. so I also make a couple of long-distance calls a month. What’s the best, cheapest plan you can offer?”
As for the prices? Since Global was looking for an iPhone 8 on contract and not BYOD, 2-year plans with 2GB data were expensive, since subsidies were involved:
Checking the websites of the ‘Big 3’ as of writing, the Rogers pricing is currently $115/month, while the Bell plan is $125/month (on a side note—carrier websites are still a horrible customer experience, as the confusing number of options available are overwhelming).
As for flanker brands, Global says Fido worked out to $95/month, Koodo at $60 (but doesn’t include the monthly tab, so it’s actually $100/month), and Virgin at $115/month. These monthly prices usually are the same across all flanker brands.
Freedom Mobile worked out to be the best pricing at $65/month for an iPhone 8 with 10GB of data and unlimited Canada/USA-wide calling and Canada-wide texting.
Again, if you’re looking for the best cellphone deal in Canada, it’s probably best to look for a BYOD (bring your own device) plan and go month-to-month if you can, instead of signing a two-year contract. For example, a 2GB BYOD plan with unlimited Canada-wide calling is available from Fido for $45/month right now.
Now that carriers must unlock and sell unlocked phones, plan mobility has never been easier. You’ll have the option to jump ship between carriers once new promos pop up, so you can always get the best deal (like the recent $60/10GB holiday plan).
Click here to visit our cell phone plan comparison tool to compare plans across Canada.
What are you paying per month right now for a cellphone and what does it include?
