Back in August, we told you Telus (and Koodo) was phasing out its long-standing $5 monthly discount for customers who pay their bills by pre-authorized credit card, forcing subscribers to switch to direct bank withdrawals if they want to keep the savings.
Update Wednesday, September 17, 2025: A Telus spokesperson told iPhone in Canada the October 1 date still stands. “To clarify, this date does not apply to all customers. The removal of the discount is tied to each customer’s individual billing cycle starting in October and the timelines to take action will vary. Each customer will receive direct communication from Telus informing them of their specific date,” said the spokesperson.
The company had originally told customers the change would take effect October 1. But new text messages sent this week now give some subscribers until October 11, 2025 to update their payment method. Those who don’t make the switch in time will see the $5 credit disappear. Customers already set up with pre-authorized bank payments will not be affected.
Earlier this year, Telus tried to get people to switch off credit card pre-authorizations by offering a sweeter $10 discount with debit payments. Telus offers $10/month discounts for wireless customers and $5/month for internet customers that set up pre-authorized debit payments.
The change also mirrors past attempts by Telus to offset the cost of credit card processing fees. In 2022, the company tried to add a 1.5% surcharge for credit card payments, but the CRTC blocked the plan.
Many like to pay by credit card to get protection in the event of billing disputes. But with debit, once money is taken from your bank account, there’s no going back. One should never provide debit info for anything especially for payments.
The text message seen by iPhone in Canada reads, “your legacy $5 monthly pre-authorized credit discount is being discontinued in October. To keep this discount, switch to pre-authorized bank payments before October 11, 2025,” then points to the MyTelus login.
Did you switch to Telus debit payments? Or is paying $5-10 more worth the protection you get from credit card pre-authorizations?
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Make the switch, but you can still pay by credit card ahead of the due date. Just need to remember to log in monthly.
Until they catch on.
I'm still hesitant to give Koodo bank info. I will suck it up and pay the extra $5 until Black Friday, then switch back to prepaid.
I will never do this.
Telus gets my bill wrong so many times I have to check my bill each month to make sure it is correct before I pay.
It will be interesting to see how many customers are willing to change carriers over this BS move by Telus…
They’ll all do it eventually. Just a matter of time
To give any utility companies or cellular companies direct access to your bank account is never a good idea!!! Whether the bill is correct or not, they get paid in your left trying to figure it out.