The 3 Best U.S. Phone Plans for Canadians in 2024

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a Canadian who isn’t looking for a way to save money on their cell phone bill. We understand why: Canada’s plans are the second most expensive in the world, thanks to limited infrastructure, minimal competition, and muted government regulation. Any Canadian who’s ever spent time in the United States knows it’s home to significantly cheaper plans and far more options thanks to its budget-minded MVNOs. Understandably, a lot of Canadians have begun looking south to see if they can score a U.S. plan they can use at home to save some money.

Most U.S. carriers have closed loopholes that allowed their plans to work indefinitely across borders; others slowed off-network speeds to the point of impracticality. Still, we found a number of anonymous commentators who suggested AT&T plans could be used in Canada indefinitely and without penalty. We were intrigued, but the fact that they were anonymous internet commentators makes us a bit suspicious of those claims.

We did the research to find out if these shadowy braggarts were to be believed. We’ve got good news: while it’s hard to find a U.S. plan that works in Canada, they do exist and, more importantly, they will save you money.

In this guide, we’ll break down how to use a U.S. plan in Canada and how much you stand to save.

3 Best U.S. plans
for Canadians

2. AT&T | Unlimited Starter SL | $65.99/month

• Pros: Unlimited data, unlimited talk and text
• Cons: Data throttling during busy times, risk of 2G speeds

If the 25GB limit of the Prepaid Unlimited Data plan isn’t enough for you, this is a good substitute. The Unlimited Starter SL provides unlimited talk and text as well as unlimited data. Unlike Canadian unlimited plans, this one operates a bit differently: rather than slowing your data after you’ve exceeded your monthly limit, your data is slowed when the network is busiest. 

Before signing up for this plan, it’s important to note a potential risk: AT&T suggests that this plan might be limited to 2G speeds when roaming. 2G is slow, especially if you’ve become accustomed to 5G or 4G LTE service. 2G is just 40kbps—enough to message, but not enough to watch a video.

Even though you might not technically be “roaming” if you live in Canada, AT&T will consider you to be roaming if you’re on a partner network, which you will be. Now, there’s no guarantee your service will be slowed, and most of the folks online bragging about their cheap AT&T plans report normal speeds, but it’s worth considering before purchasing a plan. If you’re looking for a deal but don’t want to risk the slow service, we recommend checking out our guide to the best cell phone plans in Canada.

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3. AT&T | Unlimited Extra EL | $75.99/month

• Pros: Large data allotment, auto-pay discount
• Cons: Risk of 2G speeds

The key difference between this plan and the Unlimited Starter SL is throttling. The Unlimited Starter SL slows speeds when the network is busiest. Like most Canadian unlimited plans, the Unlimited Extra EL, on the other hand, provides 75GB of full-speed service per month. After that, your speeds are slowed.

Still, it’s worth noting that the 75GB of guaranteed full-speed service isn’t necessarily guaranteed in Canada. Like the Unlimited Starter SL plan, AT&T says roaming might leave you with 2G speeds—a very real (and very painful) risk for Canadians looking to use this U.S. plan outside of its home country.

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Methodology: How WhistleOut rates cell phone plans

WhistleOut evaluates phone plans based on the following criteria:

• Price & value: Not all cheap plans are “bad,” and not all expensive plans are worth it. We look at everything a plan includes and compare it to other plans from the same carrier, as well as similar plans from competitors in the market, to determine whether the value is consistent with the price.
• High-speed data: Also called “premium” data, this is how much data you get at full 4G/5G speeds before they can or will slow down. The more guaranteed high-speed data the plan includes, the better experience you’ll generally have—but there’s also usually a limit to how much you need, and we ensure that you’re not overpaying for data that will go unused.
• Coverage & network reliability: The breadth of each carrier’s 4G LTE and 5G networks determines your reception and service. Particularly in the case of 5G, some carriers offer far more robust coverage than others, which affects how their phone plans perform in different parts of the country.
• Plan extras and perks: In addition to the basics—talk, text, and data—some plans throw in freebies like hotspot allowances, cloud storage, entertainment subscriptions, or service discounts.

Our mobile experts leveraged proprietary data and real-world customer feedback to evaluate the best U.S. cell phone plans in Canada. We compared the plans from 40 carriers by analyzing their coverage, cost, and plan options. We considered plan-specific elements, including perks, premium data allowances, and mobile hotspot allocations. After performing hands-on testing and extensive research, including customer feedback, we picked the plans we feel meet the needs of most people.

Visit our guide to choosing a phone plan to evaluate a cell phone carrier or plan and find the one that best meets your specific needs.