It’s no secret—more a tiresome reality—that Canadians pay some of the highest cellphone rates for data in the world. Still, it pays to shop around. The cost per gigabyte of data for carriers servicing British Columbia varies considerably, from as high as $100 per GB—with a Freedom Mobile 5G plan that charges $10 a month for 100 MB—to as little as $0.40 per GB of 5G data with Rogers, when you opt for the 175 GB plan priced at $70 per month.
In some instances, there are even major price fluctuations occurring with the same carrier. Freedom Mobile, for instance, charges $10 per month for a 100 MB plan, which works out to a whopping $100 per GB, whereas if you go with the company’s 100 GB plan for $59, it works out to $0.59 per GB. That’s a price swing of $99.41 per GB with the same company.
Determine what kind of phone plan you need
In evaluating what providers and plans will work for you, considerations include:
- Portability: Can you port your existing number to the new carrier?
- BYOD (bring your own device): Do you intend to use your existing phone, which translates into a lower monthly fee with all carriers, or are you looking to upgrade to a new phone which will bump up your monthly rate?
- Download speed: Do you want/need 5G, or is 4G or even 3G adequate for your needs?
- Coverage: Is the plan just for Canada, or does it include the U.S., and in some instances Mexico, as well? And especially important for B.C. residents, how extensive is the coverage in your home province?
- Pre-payment: Are you OK with committing to regular monthly charges to your bank or credit card in return for a lower rate?
- New vs. old: Is the advertised monthly rate just for new customers, or does it include existing clients—and how long will it last?
Assuming you’re bringing your own phone and are able to keep your existing number, three key questions to ask are:
- How much data do you need?
- Do you need 5G or will 4G suffice?
- How much are you prepared to pay each month?
Data options range from a barrel-scraping 100 MB with Freedom to 200 GB available through Bell, Rogers, and Telus. If you’re used to downloading movies and watching them on your phone on a regular basis, which can chew up to 7 GB per hour if you’re watching in 4K, then you may be inclined to go with a more robust data plan.
Of course, you can save the expense of such a plan by restricting your viewing to times and places you can avail yourself of wifi. Check past bills to see how much you use on a regular basis to give you a clear picture of what you need.
Need for speed: 4G vs. 5G
In terms of navigating the differences between 4G, or fourth-generation, cellular network technology and 5G (as explained on Koodo Mobile’s website), 4G provides download speeds ranging from 20 to 100 Mbps (megabits per second), or up to 30 times its 3G processor, whereas 5G speeds can get up to 250 Gbps (gigabytes per second). Recognizing that 1 Gbps is the equivalent of 1,000 Mbps, 5G speeds could be up to 100 times faster than 4G.
So how much speed do you need? In terms of downloading data, Netflix says it only takes 5 Mbps to stream full HD content—a fraction of what 4G brings to the table. So if you want to download a 2 GB two-hour HD movie to watch later, for instance (e.g., while on a flight), according to the handy GIGAcalculator, using 4G at 100 Gbps it takes about three minutes. With 5G at even 150 Gbps it will be done in a blink of an eye.
Mobile plan pricing in B.C.
The average Canadian consumer uses just under 10 GB of data per month, which helps to explain why many of the current cell plans being offered range between three and 80 GB.
At the low end, Freedom charges $25 per month for 3 GB ($8.33 per GB), compared to Virgin ($39 per month, 13 GB) at 5G. Chatr also offers a 3 GB plan at 4G for $25 per month ($8.33). So, less than Virgin and the same as Freedom, but for a slower service.
If you’re one of those “average” consumers that need 10 GB, Freedom charges $34 per month ($3.40 per GB) for 5G. So, less than half the dollar per GB that it charges when you pay an extra $9 per month while giving yourself an extra 7 GB of data to use. Public Mobile also offers a 10 GB 5G plan for $34 a month.
When comparing most service providers, big and small, most plans top out around 80 GB, with both Freedom and Public charging $49 per month ($0.61 per GB). Interestingly enough, Fido’s 80 GB plan costs more: $55 per month ($0.69 per GB) on a slower 4G LTE plan.
If your mindset is “bigger is better,” for 100 GB per month of 5G data, Bell charges $75, or $0.75 per GB, compared to Rogers and Telus, which both charge $69, or $0.60 per GB. Both Freedom and Public Mobile also have 100 GB 5G plans for $59 per month ($0.59 per GB).
Two other carriers with 100-GB-plus data plans are Chatr Mobile, which charges $55 per month for 100 GB ($0.55 per GB) and Lucky Mobile, which has a 105 GB plan, also for $55 per month ($0.52 per GB). But again, as often is the case with these smaller providers, the plans are tied to 4G, not 5G.
Double your data to 200 GB and you’re looking at $105 per month with Bell ($0.53 per GB) and $90 per month either with Rogers or Telus ($0.45 per GB), the only current providers with 5G data plans of that size.
Also read
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City or highway?
Coverage within Canada and more specifically B.C. is something you need to scrutinize, too. According to a study conducted by Whistleout, “Telus has the best overall coverage in the province, but shares much of its network with Bell. Smaller discount carriers (described by industry insiders as “flankers”) such as Koodo and Public Mobile piggyback on the Telus network.
But even the best network has its limits. People travelling overland in B.C. have to contend with not only the long distances and empty spaces found elsewhere in Canada but also mountains that obstruct cell signals. According to the B.C. government, the province has 15,000 kilometres of primary and secondary roads. As of 2024, 32% of these roads lack adequate coverage.
Canada-wide calling is now a standard feature with most carriers and a growing number offer unlimited calls to and within the U.S. and in some instances Mexico. So if you’re on the fence between two providers that offer the same or similar monthly data plans and are wary of roaming charges, take a closer look at what calling coverage is included.
More ways to save on your cell plan
If you’re budget-conscious and want to keep a lid on how much data you use and consequently pay for, there are several obvious and not so obvious ways to reduce your data usage. Use Wi-Fi whether at home or on the road as much as possible, and avoid downloading movies or other shows without Wi-Fi. Similarly, when using a service like Google Maps, download a map and use it offline versus streaming it, which can use up to 3 MB every five minutes.
Other ways to cut data usage include:
- Set data warning notices to keep tabs of your usage. Go to your phone’s settings, tap Network & Internet (or similar), and then choose the data warning option.
- Stop apps running in the background on your phone.
- Opt for a lower resolution when streaming. A one-hour video at 720p (1280 x 720 pixels) uses 800 to 900 MB, compared to 50% more data (1.2 to 1.4 GB) for 1080p and up to 20 to 22 GB of data if you download at 4K resolution.
Ask about discounts
Ask about discounts for students, seniors, newcomers, multiple lines, bundled services, and workplace perk programs. Just be sure to check the fine print for any short-term promotional rates to see how long they last.
Look for credit cards with cell phone perks
Another way to reduce the cost of cell phone ownership is through your choice of credit card. Cards such as the RBC Avion Visa Infinite, Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite and the American Express Cobalt card provide coverage for a damaged or stolen phone to the tune of about $1,000—provided you purchased the phone with the card and meet other qualification criteria such as getting past an initial one- to three-month grace period.
Other cards such as the Scotia Momentum VISA Infinite offer cash back credits linked to recurring/monthly cell phone charges. For instance, you’ll earn 4% with the above-mentioned Scotia card, 3% with the TD Cashback VISA Infinite Card, and 2% both with the BMO Cashback World Elite Mastercard and the CIBC Dividend VISA Infinite card.
It’s your call
If you’re still torn between two or more options, check out carrier reviews on websites such as cellphones.ca. And it’s never a bad idea to get the opinion of trusted friends. The final decision comes down to your own personal hot buttons, whether they be price, service, or support.
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Read more about smart spending:
- Heading to college or university? Follow these smart money habits
- The best no foreign transaction fee credit cards in Canada
- Looking for a mortgage in B.C.? Don’t limit your options to the big banks
- How to get back-to-school deals, and other ways to save money this fall
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