Article Summary
There are cell phone plans for $25/month and less for almost every need in Canada. Discount carriers like Public Mobile, Chatr, and Lucky Mobile offer low rates on reliable networks. We cover the best plan for every need.
Canadians pay some of the highest prices for cell phone plans in the world. However, we also have a lot of choices. Flanker brands like Koodo, Fido, and Virgin Mobile offer premium services at lower rates. Discount brands cut prices even further but exclude basic features like fast data or a customer support phone number.
No matter what you need, there could be a plan that suits your needs yet costs less than you spend on a month of donuts.
Best Smartphone Plan
Canada has the highest mobile data rates of any industrialized country. However, we also enjoy some of the fastest and most reliable mobile data speeds found anywhere in the world. When you don't need blazing fast downloads then you can find plans for $25/month and under that will suit your needs.
Public Mobile Unlimited Canada-wide Talk, Text, and 1GB Data
The best unlimited calling plan with data is from Public Mobile which gives you 1GB of data partnered with unlimited Canada-wide talk and text.
Why we love it: Public Mobile receives access from Telus, Canada's largest and most reliable cellular network. Everywhere you go in Canada, you get unlimited nationwide talk and text with this $19 plan.
What's missing: Upload and download speeds are limited to 3 Mbps, but that's still fast enough to upload your pics to Instagram and keep up to date on Facebook.
Best Unlimited Data Plan
Canadians are enjoying a new era of unlimited data plans. Most start at $75 and quickly go up, but look carefully and you can find plans that offer nationwide unlimited data for only $25/month.
Chatr $25 Nationwide Talk, Text & 3G Data plan
The best unlimited data plan for $25/month is from Chatr with 500MB of nationwide 3G data.
Why we love it: Sign up for AutoPay pre-authorized payments with Chatr Wireless and you get 500MB that works anywhere on Rogers nationwide network. You still get unlimited incoming calls and global text. You're not charged any data overages when you hit your monthly data cap and can continue receiving basic email, instant messages and app notifications.
What's missing: "Full speed" data is only about 3 Mbps on the Rogers 3G network. If you use up your data cap for the month your uploads and downloads are slowed to 64 kbps. That's too slow for data-intensive uses like browsing Instagram or even streaming music.
Best Talk and Text Plan
If you're looking for a plan that gets you talk time but don't need data, don't pay for data. Get a basic plan that lets you add minutes as you need them.
Koodo Prepaid $25 Base Plan
The best plan for talk and text under $25/month is the $25 Prepaid Base Plan from Koodo Mobile.
Why we love it: $25/month will give you 500MB of 3G data on the Telus nationwide work. Even better: it doubles to 1GB if you enroll in automatic top up.
What's missing: Without the booster packs, this plan isn't very useful. Getting unlimited talk time requires a minimum $35/month plan. Includes 250MB of data but that isn't very much.
Best Wireless Deals
WhistleOut also tracks the best overall wireless plans from all carriers every week. We also rank the best phones on each carrier and let you narrow down the results to find the best cell phone on Bell Mobility right now. All phones come unlocked (or can be unlocked for free) so you may be able to switch to another Canadian wireless carrier if you're not on a contract.
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