Bell’s Virgin Plus Increases Data Overages to $153 for 1GB [Update]

virgin plus march 2023

Bell’s flanker brand Virgin Plus quietly increased its data overages in the past year, making it more expensive for people to use extra data beyond the amounts allocated in their plans.

According to our checks, as far back as May 2022, Virgin Plus had the following data overages rates:

  • Data use over what is included in your plan is $13/100MB up to 800MB, $0.15/MB thereafter

That worked out to $137.60/1GB (Virgin considers 1GB at 1024MB).

Now, according to what we can tell, sometime after May 2022 to July 5, 2022, Virgin Plus increased data overages on its website to read:

  • Data use over what is included in your plan is $15/100MB up to 800MB, $0.15/MB thereafter

You can see the changes in our screenshot comparison below:

virgin plus data overages

Now, the data overage math for 1GB of data overages under these new rates works out to $153.60, if you keep choosing to accept data overages. Plans start at $55/10GB right now from Virgin Plus.

The math is as follows for 1GB (1024MB) of data overages:

  • 800MB ($15 x 8) = $120
  • 224MB ($0.15 x 224) = $33.60
  • Total for 1GB = $153.60

That works out to a 12% increase for 1GB of data overages compared to the previous rates.

Back in September 2021, Virgin saw its data overage rates increase to $13/100MB for the first 800MB, up from $10/100MB. This same rate increase also applied to Bell at the time.

So it seems around July 2022, another data price increase happened at Virgin Plus, less than one year after the previous price hike.

Now, the Bell website doesn’t make it easy to find data overages, since most postpaid plans are now unlimited data plans. But for prepaid plans, additional data is billed at $0.15/MB, or $15/100MB.

Later this week, Bell and Virgin Plus will be increasing the price of their U.S. and International roaming plans, like Telus.

We’ve reached out to Bell for more information regarding this data overage increase and will update the story accordingly.

Update March 6, 10:35am PT: A Bell spokesperson told iPhone in Canada they have a promo plan that has data overages billed at $20/1GB up to 8GB and $0.02/MB thereafter. This ‘Promo 5’ plan costs $60 per month for unlimited talk, text and 10GB bonus data on top of the included 5GB data, for 15GB total.

Update March 8: It looks like Virgin Plus has dropped its data overages to $20/1GB up to 8GB and $0.02/MB thereafter, matching Bell.

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