WhistleOut fast facts
- Rogers will discontinue its prepaid plans on December 16, 2024.
- The carrier encouraged customers to switch to its 5G plans or jump to its prepaid flanker, Chatr.
- Customers who don't make a switch before the end date risk losing their phone numbers.
Rogers will discontinue its prepaid cell phone plans after December 16, 2024. The carrier reportedly began texting customers to notify them about the change and encourage them to switch to a Rogers 5G plan. An update on Rogers’ prepaid site explains that customers uninterested in switching to a premium 5G option will migrate to a prepaid option from Chatr, Rogers’ prepaid flanker brand.
Image: Rogers
Rogers prepaid customers will not automatically migrate to Chatr; in fact, if they don’t contact Rogers’ prepaid line (+1-844-235-3766) before December 16, they risk losing their phone numbers or service.
Industry moves away from prepaid
Several wireless carriers have abandoned their prepaid programs in the last year. One such carrier is Fido, a Rogers flanker that similarly pushed users to enroll in a postpaid plan or find prepaid service on its sister brand, Chatr.
Most recently, the Bell flanker Virgin Plus ditched new prepaid activations, though the long-term fate of its current prepaid customers remains unclear. Like Rogers, Virgin encouraged users to enroll in its more expensive postpaid options.
The trend does not bode well for Canadians, who already face some of the world's most expensive cell phone plans. Prepaid plans offer customers affordable options that prioritize basic connectivity and avoid the frills of the Big Three’s premium plan. Whether the CRTC plans to intervene in this consolidation remains an open question.
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.
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