Telus, Rogers, and Bell are the more expensive carriers, but Fido, Koodo, Virgin, Public Mobile, Freedom, Lucky, Fizz have more economical options. However, more expensive plans don't necessarily get you the most coverages in town. Your best carrier is the one that gets you the best signals at your home and school or work.

Important Tips!

<aside> ⛔ Don't jump to a 2 year contract before you understand what their coverages are like at where you live and work. Just looking at the coverage map online is NOT enough. You may get some signals in your living room, but not in your bathroom, for example. Ask your neighbors which carriers they use and see if they're happy with their plans and coverages.

</aside>

<aside> 💡 Be prepared to switch to a new carrier. Use your existing phone to test the coverage. If not happy, simply return the sim card within the return period (usually 2 weeks but make sure to ask) so you're not stuck with them for 2 years. Simply ask your rep you are going to port out your existing number from your existing carrier and it takes only a few minutes for the port to be completed.

</aside>

Recommendations

• If you have a newer phone with eSim compatibility, you could go with the cheapest plan ($5-$15/mo) that covers your voice call needs from any of the Canadian carrier, and then use an eSim provider found from esimdb.com for your data needs which provides you greater flexibility especially if you travel a lot.
• If you visit China often, you can get CM Link from China Mobile where you receive a Canadian local number, but your data can be used while in Canada, China or Hong Kong.
• Best time to get a plan on Black Friday and Christmas season. You can get significant savings on promotional plans. If end of year is only a few months away, I would recommend that you go on a month-to-month plan, and be ready to switch when the promotion goes live.

What I'm personally using and why?

• I have a dual sim phone where I use VOIP as my voice line (costs less than $2 per month with minimal usage. $0.85 per month + $0.0052 per minute) and Fizz’s 3GB data-only plan for $9/mo. Using VOIP as a main voice line isn't something I recommend to everyone, as the initial setup can be quite difficult. (Use Referral Code : QGZR3 for $25 credit)
• I also use esimdb.com to find cheap eSim for my trips to non-Canadian destinations.

Referrals

• $25 bonus from Fizz with referral code [QGZR3]

  Fizz | Mobile and internet plans

• Free first month with Fido

  Fido | Refer Your Friends

• $10 bonus from VOIP.ms