The Best Cheap Cell Phone Plans for 2024: Coverage starts at $10/month

Looking for a cheap alternative to overpaying for your cell phone plan? You've come to the right place. We've been studying the telecom market since 2008 and have learned how to spot a cheap deal that will still provide excellent service.

The best cheap phone plan right now is Fizz’s 3GB plan, which offers excellent coverage for Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Manitoba.

We also like Lucky Mobile's Unlimited Canada-wide Calling Plan, which offers unlimited talk and text plus 1GB of data on the nationwide Bell network for $25/month.

Read on to learn all about the best cheap cell phone plans in Canada available now.

Best Cheap
Cell Phone PlanS

Fizz | Unlimited Minutes & text Messaging + 3GB Data | $17/month

• Pros: No overages, cheap smartphone options
• Cons: Only available in select provinces

Affordable plans are notoriously hard to find in Canada, but they do exist. If you're looking for a cheap plan to accompany a new phone deal, this offer from Fizz is perfect for you. The plan gives you 3GB of data and unlimited talk and text, with excellent coverage through Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba.

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Best Cheap Unlimited
Plan

Lucky Mobile | Unlimited Canada-wide Calling Plan | $25/month

• Pros: Unlimited data
• Cons: Throttled speeds after 1GB

Lucky Mobile’s $25/month prepaid plan is technically an unlimited plan, albeit with a very low data cap. Customers also get unlimited nationwide long-distance calling and texting, though their speeds will be slowed after 1.5GB. You’ll still be able to keep scrolling Facebook or reading through a recipe on Pinterest at the throttled speed of 128Kbps. That makes it a great option for casual phone users looking for a cheap phone plan that will still keep them connected. 

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Best Cheap
data-only Plan

SaskTel | totalSHARE Data-Only Plan | $10/month

• Pros: Unlimited data after the 1GB cap for $10/month
• Cons: You have to live in Saskatchewan and be a SaskTel customer to get this deal

The cheapest data-only mobile plan in Saskatchewan is SaskTel's totalSHARE Data Only, which offers customers 1GB of shareable data for just $10/month. However, you must already have a SaskTel plan (totalSHARE Nationwide, totalSHARE Canada and U.S., or VIP 35), and the new data-only plan has to be added to an existing shared data group. And since this plan is only available to customers in the Saskatchewan region too, access to it is limited.

You get unlimited data after the 1GB of shareable data at reduced speeds. However, this deal is only available when you bring your own device, and it doesn’t include calling or texting either.

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Best Cheap
Talk-and-Text Plan

Koodo Mobile | Prepaid Base Plan | $15/month

• Pros: Calling, texting, and data; extra add-ons
• Cons: Low data caps

Koodo Mobile operates on the nationwide Telus network and provides cheap, prepaid plans for basic phone users. This plan offers a no-frills plan to keep you connected with 500MB of data at 3G speeds, 100 Canada-wide minutes, and unlimited messaging.

100 minutes, however, might not be enough for calls if you have family in other parts of the world. Add a $30 long-distance talk booster to your plan and get 300 extra minutes. You can add data boosters, too, and we recommend the 1GB of data for $30, which never expires.

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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 actually 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 cell phone plans from 23 carriers. We compared the carriers' plans 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.