A Definitive Guide to Cheap Mobile Plans in Toronto

When moving to a new country or from one region to another in Canada, maybe for a spell of work lasting a year or several, getting a cell phone plan of your new locale is among the things you should prepare for well. This is usually for all practical and economic reasons. Attached as you may be to your old mobile service provider, the cost of roaming services can be quite prohibitive.

Toronto is no different and has numerous cell phone plans to choose from that are likely to suit your needs.

However, there are equally many caveats that a foreigner might find surprising in the course of sifting through several cell phone plans in a bid to find a suitable and affordable one.

For instance, you might have a swanky phone, only to find that it is not supported by the network of your preference. Or you might expect features like voicemail and caller ID to be inclusive in a standard package, only to find that they are not.

Well, below, we take a look at a few informative pointers that are sure to make your search for cheap mobile plans in Toronto easier, more enlightened, and less frustrating.

Determine Your Calling Needs

Probably the most logical place to start from when choosing a cell phone plan in Toronto or the wider Ontario area is determining what your calling needs are.

That includes your calling and texting frequency, use of voicemail, data, and the like. Although this may change from time to time, some are pretty predictable, such as weekend calling.

When you have a clue about what your calling needs are, you become best positioned to choose a cell phone plan that is more tailored to you at a decent price.

Use Searching Tools

Using online tools, such as Celagora, in searching for an appropriate cell phone plan can be most helpful as it will save you time on the tedious task of sifting through numerous providers and their features. Celagora is a free Internet tool that asks you pertinent questions such as:

• Your average monthly cell phone usage
• Estimate of how much data and text messages you need per month
• Do you require voicemail?
• Do you require features such as unlimited weekend or evening calls?

Once such data is entered and you click ‘view’, Celagora will avail feedback with the relevant plans that are suited to your entry.

A point of note though is that although Celagora will provide you with relevant information based on your entries, it will not specify the coverage area of the plan it presents, as some plans may not even cover your locale.

Important Questions to Ask

As you delve deeper into potential cell phone plans that look like they could work for you, here are some important questions to ask just to make sure that you have all the bases covered and you are paying only for the services you need.

• What is included? Some plans will bill you for calling and receiving calls that might come as quite a shock for some foreigners. Be sure to know what is included.
• What is the coverage? Does the plan cover your locale? Remember, Canada is a pretty huge country. Some cheaper service providers charge a roaming rate for use outside of city limits owing to poor coverage. Beware!
• Is there a contract involved, and what’s the cost of opting out, if any?
• Is there a roaming fee?
• Does the contract cover the loss or damage to the phone?

5 Of The Cheapest Cell Phone Plans In Toronto

Below we have rounded up 5 cheap mobile phone plans in Canada that cover Toronto.

N/B: All prices are in US dollars.

1. Bell

Bell is Canada’s largest 4G, LTE, and WiFi network. Bell also boasts 99% mobile coverage in Canada, including downtown Toronto. Their network is incredibly strong and never falls below 2G.

Their offers include bringing your own phone options that allow you to enjoy deals such as ‘wide talk’ and text at roughly $60 monthly with an option of adding 2GB of data for an additional $25.

Currently, Bell also offers an amazing selection of premium phones, complete with special data plans. Examples include iPhone X (starting from $399.99), Samsung Galaxy S9+ (from $129), and Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (from $549), just to name a few

2. Koodo

Koodo is a subsidiary of Telus mobility and mostly targets younger consumers. Besides having a wide cell phone coverage throughout Canada, they offer prepaid, postpaid, and wireless home phone services. In January 2017, they discontinued supporting CDMA devices. Currently, they only utilize HSPA+ and LTE networks.

Rather than a fixed-term contract, Koodo uses Tab. With this system, you can either bring your own phone to Koodo or own a new one in an easy and affordable way as you enjoy their services.

If you choose the latter, there would be a tab charge in addition to your monthly plan. But once you’ve settled your tab balance, the device becomes yours, and your monthly bill goes down. Prior to activation, you must undergo a credit check.

Plans start at $30, and you can switch as you please.

3. Rogers

Conveniently headquartered in Toronto, Rogers Communications offers both home internet and mobility plans. Their signal strength is unrivalled as it allows you to watch videos, play games, and stream music without a hitch.

The signal remains strong even when you are riding an elevator or when working from a basement. Their network coverage is wide, covering most of Canada.

You can opt to bring your own phone or get one from them. If you go with the first option, there are several smartphone plans to choose from, beginning with an $80/month plan that includes unlimited talk time, text, and 3GB of data. They also have basic phone plans (talk and text), tablet plans (data only), and mobile Internet plans (data only).

Alternatively, you can get a phone from them and pay less for a monthly cell phone plan. Some of the available devices include Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Samsung Galaxy S9, Huawei P20 Pro, and Google Pixel 2. A standard feature in all the plans includes unlimited calls and text.

The plans start for $110/month (3GB data) with an option of an extra 2GB of data at an additional $5. If you are a corporate customer, these plans will be most suitable for you.

4. Fido

Fido is a subsidiary of Rogers Communications but has autonomy in its operations with its own CEO and independent mobile plans that are very popular with millennials.

This, most probably, is because of their signal strength and coverage, which is quite good, and their mobile plans are fairly friendly, especially if you are a big data user.

If you are using your own phone, plans start at $35/month. For that amount, you get unlimited calls and texts. An additional $10 will get you 2GB plus 5 hours per month of free data. The rest of the plans have this last feature, too.

If you need a new phone, their options include the latest iPhone, premium Samsung Galaxy phones, and Google Pixel models, among others. This allows you, as a customer, the flexibility of selecting a phone and mobile plan that is suited to your budget. Plans start at $45/month.

Generally, Fido’s strong signal strength and affordable data plans, with good phone insurance that accommodates 1 free screen replacement (considering the screen is the most expensive fixture on the phone), are what continue to make them special.

5. Chatr Mobile

Chatr is another subsidiary of Rogers Communications and is particularly popular with entry-level customers because of its notably cheap cell phone plans in Toronto. Its coverage includes the wider Toronto area and other urban areas in cities such as Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, etc.

With Chatr, there is no term contracts and credit checks option. All their plans include group calling, call display, and call forwarding and are available as auto-pay plans (it charges your pre-authorized credit card) and regular plans. What’s more, they range from $20 to $50.

The base plan, i.e., $20/month, includes unlimited local calls, while the high-end plan, i.e., $50/month, includes unlimited talk, text, and 6GB at 3G speed (plus browsing at reduced speeds after you exhaust your data).

With a bring-your-own-phone arrangement, you can enjoy mobile plans for as low as $20. The only downside Chatr Mobile has is the fact that coverage is limited to select urban areas, and data is 3G.

Conclusion  

With so many affordable mobile plans to choose from, finding the cheapest mobile phone plans from which you can then pick the most suitable option shouldn’t be difficult, provided you take into consideration your calling needs and everything else we mentioned earlier. Be on the lookout for new offers as well. Also, don’t forget that plan prices sometimes change. So, regularly check the service provider’s website for any new changes.