| Choosing Wireless When teens are paying their own cell bills and want to change up their phone and features fairly frequently, the Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) plans suit them best. The following overview highlights the main features of the top providers of wireless in Ontario. Check them out and find the one best for you – you may even find a different provider. Ask lots of questions before you buy the phone!!! NOTE 1: ALL providers let you keep your unused minutes BUT ONLY when you add funds before the expiry date. So if you have $5 left on a 30-day card and you are on the 29th day, as long as you add funds within the next day, you will keep the $5 plus your new top-up amount. NOTE 2: ALL providers offer ring tones and wallpapers and other cool stuff for a fee. Sometimes you can pay a download fee per use, but usually you need to have the mobile browsing activated before you can download stuff. You can activate for a month, download everything you want and then cancel the browser. NOTE 3: If you have a Smartphone, most of the information here will not apply, as you have to get going with a data plan, not just wireless airtime. Rogers
- Coverage is said to be excellent and very reliable.
- Quite a good selection of PAYG phones to choose from, start around $79. Refurbished phones may be cheaper.
- Fees are charged for some services (like 911) over and above your airtime.
- Minimum top-up is $10, but actual calling plans start at $20 per month. To get a plan that includes calling your favourite 5 numbers, or other time of day calling and texting options, you are looking at a minimum of around $30 per month. Rates per minute vary based on the plan you choose.
- Without a plan, rates change by time of day, but seem to start at about 25¢ per minute and go as high as 40¢ per minute local.
- Includes voicemail, call waiting and free incoming local calls from other Rogers PAYG customers. Texting of any kind is not free.
-Top-up vouchers available in $10, $20, $30, $40 and $100 amounts. All have 30 day expirations, except $100, which is good for a YEAR.
-You can buy top-up vouchers, use a credit card, or even pay online from your chequing account. PC Telecom (President’s Choice)
- About 5 phones to choose from. Start at $49.
- Receive a start-up airtime credit, usually $10.
- Airtime cards (and the phones) available at all the grocery stores that sell President’s Choice products, like Loblaw’s, Zehrs, Real Canadian Superstore and so on.
- Minimum airtime card is $15 for 30 days. Also a $25 card with 60 day expiry.
- Free services include voicemail, call waiting, call forwarding and all incoming texts.
- You can add funds to your account and call at 20¢ per minute and outgoing texts at 15¢, or you can add-on packages.
- All add-on services are deducted from your airtime balance and can be cancelled by you with a phone call.
- Unlimited outbound texting is $10 a month, unlimited mobile browsing, $5. Calling other PC Mobile phones unlimited, 50¢ per day. You can add these for as little as one month at a time.
- Have auto top-up options available using your chequing account or credit cards, or you can buy airtime cards and do it manually or call in with a credit card if you don’t want automatic.
- Calling rate is always 20¢ per minute local.
- Coverage is the same as Bell Mobility. Virgin Mobile
- Lots of phones at different dollar levels. Lowest seems to be around $49.
- PAYG with no package choice is charged per minute calling and per text message. Minimum top-up is $15 for 30 days. Also have $25 and $50 for 60 days, and $100 for a year.
- If you choose a PAYG plan, then you can pick one that suits you. Talk only, text only, combo plans…all with anytime minutes or anytime messaging.
- If you choose a $20 plan for 200 anytime minutes, or any plan, then you can add a text package of 30 texts for as little as $3 per month. Add-ons are optional and have a range of options too.
- Incoming texts are free.
- Coverage claims are good, but in extreme rural areas, you’ll want to check first.
- PAYG phones come with call display, call waiting, three-way, call forwarding and basic voicemail.
- Start-up promotions give you free airtime, or other stuff, depending on what’s offered at the time.
Bell
- Coverage is said to be excellent. Reliable.
- Fees are charged for some services over and above your airtime.
- Top-up cards, credit card top-ups available. Automatic top-ups by credit card and chequing account available.
- Top-up cards come $15 for 30 days, $25 and $50 for 60 days.
- Many phones to choose from, lowest price is $69.
- Start-up credit given.
- 30¢ per minute local calls, 15¢ per text unless you have a plan.
- Plans available that offer a time period of unlimited calling, unlimited texts and unlimited weekend calling, but not all 3 features. PLUS if you want to pay for the best pricing monthly plan like that, you must sign up for automatic top-up. If you don’t want auto top-up, then you can pay a bit more for the same plans on a by-the-day-plan.
- All PAYG phones come with call waiting, call forwarding, conference calling, call display, and message centre (voicemail of some sort).
- Incoming texts are still free. Koodo Mobile
- They’ll give you up to a $150 dollar credit (a TAB) towards the purchase of your phone, and they have a good selection. Lowest price phone seems to be around $75 before you use the TAB.
- You have to pay the TAB over time as you use your phone. It gets complicated a bit, but if you buy a $200 phone, pay $100 for it right away and put $100 on your TAB, then for every dollar you spend monthly, it is 10% that goes to your TAB. (This is only $2 a month on a $20 monthly plan, so it would take more than 4 years to pay it off.) THE LESS TAB THE BETTER! And if you have no TAB, then the 10% monthly goes into your account to use on a future phone purchase.
- All plans include talk and text combos, so you can pick one pre-made for as low as $25 per month, or you can piece together a really good personalized plan.
- Incoming texts are free, outgoing 15¢ per text if you go over what’s included in your plan.
- Because of the TAB you have to pick a plan of some sort, even the base plan of $15 per month.
- You can set-up automatic debits from your chequing account or go online to pay with credit card or use Internet banking to make payments. There are no top-up cards, because you have to lock in to a monthly amount/plan, even though you don’t have to lock in for a set length of time.
- Coverage same as Telus.
Telus Mobility
- If you already have a Telus phone, you can buy a $50 start up kit.
- If no phone, then choose one from a small selection, starting at $79.
- You receive a start-up credit.
- Top-up cards can be used as straight dollars in your phone at 25¢ per minute, but both incoming and outgoing texts are 15¢ each.
- Top-ups are $10 for 30 days, $25 & $50 for 60 days and $100 for a year.
- Voicemail, conference calling, call waiting and call display are all included free.
- You get to call locally for free on your birthday.
- An extra fee is charged monthly for 911 service.
- Add-on packages for calling start at $20 per month, texting packages as low as $3 up to $15. Also add-ons for Mobile TV, Radio and browsing.
- Top-up cards can be bought or you can top-up by credit card either manually or on automatic.
- Coverage looks good on the map.
Fido
- Phones as low as $55.
- Voice messaging, call waiting and call display included free.
- You get better cost per minute calling if you have an automatic refill. If not, you can just add airtime as needed and use it up for 20¢ per minute. If you choose only to top-up with $10, then your airtime rate is higher - 30¢ per minute!
- Coverage looks good on the map, but check for your area.
- Text rates seem to be 15¢ per outgoing text, but looks like incoming texts are only free when you have a monthly calling plan, which start at $20 if you want the 20¢ per minute rate. Rates per minute change according to which plan you choose, so research carefully.
- Top-up vouchers are in $10, $20 & $30 amounts for 30 days, $50 for 60 days.
- When you choose a pre-set plan, you can earn rewards, which are credits toward future purchases, but not airtime. |
