Make the Switch from Koodo to Telus

By Kevin Kearney

Last updated 06 September 2024

Contents

In this guide:

What is Tab Carryover?
Koodo vs. Telus: Should you switch?
How to swtich from Koodo to Telus

Koodo is a cell phone carrier owned by Telus that operates on its nationwide network. The key difference between the two brands is their plans: Koodo primarily offers cheap and prepaid 4G LTE plans, while Telus offers premium 5G options. Both carriers provide outstanding service and excellent plans—the better choice depends on what you need from your cell phone plan.

Recently, Koodo began offering customers the chance to switch to Telus and save money through Tab Carryover. It sounds like a great deal, so we decided to dig into the details to see whether making the switch makes sense for you. We put our two decades in the wireless industry to use, comparing coverage, pricing, and perks from both carriers.

In this guide, we’ll break down the new Tab Carryover offer, detail your potential savings with Telus, and analyze whether you should switch from Koodo to Telus.

What is Tab Carryover?

Tab Carryover allows Koodo customers to switch to Telus and convert their Koodo Tab and Tab Bonus balances to a Telus Easy Payment balance. Typically, switching carriers requires you to pay off any remaining balances before being released from your contract. Tab Carryover allows you to move the balance from Koodo to Telus at no extra cost.

To sweeten the deal, Telus is also offering customers who switch from Koodo to a Telus Unlimited plan a $10/month rebate for 24 months, allowing them to save $240 over two years. Tab Carryover, however, is not available for prepaid or BYOD plans. If you currently have one of those Koodo plan types you can still switch to Telus, but you won’t score that $10/month discount.

Koodo vs. Telus: Should you switch?

Although Telus owns Koodo, the two brands have some important distinctions. Before deciding whether to switch from Koodo to Telus, let’s break down those differences.

Koodo

Cheap prepaid plans
Internet and wireless bundling
Limited phone deals
No 5G

Koodo is Telus’ budget brand, aimed at cell phone users who don’t need unlimited data or 5G coverage. Its many prepaid options allow customers to grab reliable service and limited-time perks like data bonuses and bill rebates. Deal hunters are especially fond of The Happy Stack, which allows users to save up to $21/month when they bundle Koodo’s wireless, internet, and streaming services.

We’re always tracking the best Koodo phone plans and deals on iPhones and Androids. You can find the carrier’s cheapest plans below.

#1	Koodo Mobile	Koodo Mobile $15 Prepaid Base Plan 500MB data Deal: Receive 500MB bonus data per month with Automatic Top-Up $15 Per 30 Day Top-up + $10 Upfront Go	$15 Per 30 Day Top-up + $10 Upfront	Go
#2	Koodo Mobile	Koodo Mobile $19 Prepaid Base Plan 500MB at 4G Speed up to 100Mbps Deal: Receive 500MB bonus data per month with Automatic Top-Up $19 Per 30 Day Top-up + $10 Upfront Go	$19 Per 30 Day Top-up + $10 Upfront	Go
#3	Koodo Mobile	Koodo Mobile $22 Unlimited Canada-Wide Calling Plan 5GB at 4G Speed up to 100Mbps Deal: Receive 1GB bonus data per month with Automatic Top-Up $22 Per 30 Day Top-up + $10 Upfront Go	$22 Per 30 Day Top-up + $10 Upfront	Go
#4	Koodo Mobile	Koodo Mobile $25 Prepaid Base Plan 1GB at 4G Speed up to 100Mbps $25 Per 30 Day Top-up + $10 Upfront Go	$25 Per 30 Day Top-up + $10 Upfront	Go
#5	Koodo Mobile	Koodo Mobile $15 Prepaid Base Plan + 100 Minutes Booster 500MB data Deal: Receive 500MB bonus data per month with Automatic Top-Up $25 Per 30 Day Top-up + $10 Upfront Go	$25 Per 30 Day Top-up + $10 Upfront	Go

Telus

5G coverage
Unlimited data
Expensive monthly payments
Enormous data allotments

Telus is a premium brand, targeting heavy data users and tech-obsessed customers. The carrier offers plans with high-speed 5G service, unlimited data, and over 100 phones for financing. All that comes at a cost, of course: Telus’ plans are, on the whole, more expensive than Koodo’s, though the carrier still provides over a dozen more affordable prepaid options.

We’ve ranked the best Telus phone plans and their best deals on cell phones from Apple, Google, Samsung, and more. You can find a list of the cheapest Telus plans below.

#1	Telus	Telus Nationwide Talk & Text 15 250MB data Deal: Get a bonus 250MB data when you sign-up with auto-payment options and use the promo code 250AUTO $15 Per 30 Day Top-up + $15 Upfront Go	$15 Per 30 Day Top-up + $15 Upfront	Go
#2	Telus	Telus Nationwide Talk & Text 15 250MB data Deal: Get a bonus 250MB data when you sign-up with auto-payment options and use the promo code 250AUTO $15 Per 30 Day Top-up + $15 Upfront Go	$15 Per 30 Day Top-up + $15 Upfront	Go
#3	Telus	Telus Nationwide Talk & Text 25 250MB data Deal: Get a bonus 250MB data when you sign-up with auto-payment via promo code PRE5PROMO24 + Receive $5 credit for 12 months with new activation on this plan $25 Per 30 Day Top-up + $15 Upfront Go	$25 Per 30 Day Top-up + $15 Upfront	Go
#4	Telus	Telus Nationwide Talk & Text 25 250MB data Deal: Get a bonus 250MB data when you sign-up with auto-payment via promo code PRE5PROMO24 + Receive $5 credit for 12 months with new activation on this plan $25 Per 30 Day Top-up + $15 Upfront Go	$25 Per 30 Day Top-up + $15 Upfront	Go
#5	Telus	Telus Nationwide Talk, Text & Data 35 18GB data Deal: Receive 15GB/mo. bonus data + Get extra 2GB data when you sign-up with auto-payment options and use the promo code QCBONUS15 $35 Per 30 Day Top-up + $15 Upfront Go	$35 Per 30 Day Top-up + $15 Upfront	Go

Should you switch from Koodo to Telus?

$10/month discount
Unlimited 5G data
Expensive monthly payment
More data than you need

If you’re looking for 5G speeds, you should switch to Telus. Although Koodo used to offer 5G plans, they were eliminated after Public Mobile, another MVNO operating on the Telus network, began offering cheap 5G plans. Considering the ease and savings of Tab Carryover, we think switching to Telus is a great opportunity for Koodo customers who are looking to finally score 5G and avoid lagging streaming, gaming, and videoconferencing.

If you don’t need 5G speeds, though, you should stick with Koodo. While the $10/month discount is sweet, Telus’ Unlimited plans are still more expensive than even their closest Koodo equivalents. Beyond 5G access, what you’ll gain by switching to Telus is mostly just more data—a lot more, with Telus’ smallest postpaid plan offering 75GB of full-speed 5G data. That may seem like a significant perk, but most people don’t need that much data. (After all, the average Canadian only uses 6GB per month!) Plans like Koodo’s Tab Basic Plan offer more than enough data for most customers and, importantly, don’t come with a premium price tag.

How to switch from Koodo to Telus

If you decide to switch from Koodo to Telus, you’ll only need to follow a few basic steps.

Find a new Telus plan. If you don’t already have one in mind, we recommend checking out our guide to the carrier’s best plans. You can also use our search engine to find the best plan for your needs.
Find your phone’s IMEI number. This is a unique identifier for your device, like your phone’s fingerprint. You’ll need to provide it to the Telus representative when switching. You can find it by typing *#06# into your phone’s dialer app.
Locate your Koodo account number. This will be on your most recent billing statement, which can be found in Koodo Self Serve.
Call Telus’ sales division at +1-855-778-6054. The Telus representative will then take over. You can keep your phone number when you switch from Koodo to Telus, but be sure to make that desire clear when speaking to the representative.

If you’re bringing the same phone from Koodo to Telus, the representative will activate the device. If you’re bringing a new phone to Telus, be sure to unlock it before calling Telus to switch.

Kevin Kearney

Kevin is an experienced journalist and writer whose musings on tech, education, and culture have appeared in Stereogum, InsideHook, The Millions, and elsewhere. As Deputy Editor for WhistleOut, he offers unique expertise on the inner workings of the mobile industry, and has a particular passion for emerging efficiencies within smartphone apps. When he’s not researching the telecom market, he enjoys reading, running, and playing music.