Discussions

Does anyone have any experience with any of the lesser known cell phone providers and have any Pros/cons with them? Looking to move away from the big name providers into something a bit more cost effective. Looking At places like Fido-chatr- lucky. Any experiences good or bad would be appreciated. Just basic plans, 4-5gb data and unlimited texting. Thanks

I made the switch to Virgin a couple of years ago and couldn't be happier, always great to deal with. No better or worse coverage then I had with MTS and my plan is 62$ after taxes for 6gb data and unlimited texting, Canada wide calling etc.

Have been with them for the last 3 years. $57.00. 5 gs of data. Warning issued by text if you are close to going over limits.

I have Bell mobility myself, but got my son Lucky for a prepaid (and I may look into doing that once my contract is over).  
 
What I do not understand though, is Bell "owns" Lucky and Virgin, and can offer lower prices compared to "brand name" Bell.  
 
Rogers is the same with Fido, and I THINK Telus and Koodo arre the same too (thr "brand name" being the owner of the lesser name).  
 
Chatr I do not know who has that one, but and old roommate had issues with them, but could also be because he was never good with paying attention to when his minutes were running out.

We have Xplore Mobile for our daughter. The plans let you roll over unused data if you don't have an unlimited plan. She also has unlimited text/call etc. We've only has it since. Christmastime, but I have no complaints. I bought a cheap Motorola outright from a big box store and brought it to the plan.  
 
I recently switched my pre-paid Rogers to a post-pay plan using my same old phone. With the promotion worked out to be the same price per month as my prepay ($15). I don't have data, but have unlimited voice/text including picture messaging. My old prepay didn't have picture messaging and limits on daytime minutes. They can have some pretty decent plans if you wait for a promotion.

I like dealing with Wirelesswave in the mall. They can check out/compare different plans for you. My kids are with Virgin and pay less than I do. I need to look into switching when my contract is up. Also found great deals in the fall there with new phones etc.

Everyone for your insights. Appreciate all the honest replies.

We use Public Mobile. Great service. Here’s my plan:  
 
- 3 Choices with Canada wide Talk  
- 3GB at 3G Speed /90 Days  
- Unlimited Canada-wide Talk  
- Unlimited International Text  
 
Pay about $35/month.

So, here's the breakdown...  
 
Rogers: Fido and Chatr (budget)  
Telus: Koodo and Public (budget)  
Bell: Virgin and Lucky (budget)  
 
Third Party providers:  
7-11 Speakout , PetroCan Mobility, and Zoomer (Cityphone) Wireless all run on Rogers  
PC Mobile (loblaws)  
 
The prepaid plans on most can save you lots if you don't need tons of data. We use Koodo, our son uses Public. His plan is a bit better with unlimited incoming, but his support is completely online. Only Koodo and public have add-ons that will rollover unused data and voice at the end of the month.  
 
It's best to look around, because each person has different needs. Zoomer often has decent plans for those that have higher needs.

Thank you everyone. There’s a few on this list that I haven’t even heard of before, definitely worth looking further into. I don’t use a lot of data at all ( 2-3 gb a month max) so great to see there’s options out there. I appreciate the guidance greatly

Here is the great thing about lucky. If you need just a talk and text plan theirs is nearly impossible to beat. $15 a month! You get unlimited text, unlimited incoming calls and 100 minutes outgoing calls. If you are smart about it you would never burn up your 100 minutes of outgoing calls. All you need is a $4 sim card from dollarama, then you buy your $15 plan at Superstore or Walmart or you can buy your plan online if you have a credit card.

Yup, Lucky will be my backup if Telus ever changes the Public/Koodo offerings.  
 
The Public plan is very similar. The advantage of Public/Koodo is that if I buy a data or minutes add-on, it will carry over month to month as long as I keep a base plan. I bought add-ons a few years ago that I'm still not finished using. I only draw from them when I go over my monthly amounts

What’s coverage/roaming like ?

Lucky is Bells network only capped at 3G speeds. So if you only call and text it should be fine.

I'll go a little more in depth with what the entry level plans offer on Koodo/Public and Lucky  
 
Koodo Lowest Prepaid Plan  
 
$15.00 per 30 days  
•100 minutes of Canada-wide Calling  
•Unlimited International Text & Picture Messaging  
• +BONUS 250 MB with AutoPay  
 
 
Public Lowest Prepaid Plan  
 
$15.00 per 30 days  
•100 minutesCanada-wide minutes  
•Unlimited Incoming Calls  
•Unlimited International Text and Picture Messaging  
• +BONUS 250 MB with AutoPay  
 
Data is on the LTE network, but generally at 3G speeds. You can add data and talk boosters if you are afraid of going over a little bit per month. Unused BOOSTER minutes/data roll over. Both work on the Telus network. The Public deal is better because of the unlimited incoming calls, but the support is ONLINE ONLY. Koodo has phone support.  
 
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Lucky Mobile Lowest Prepaid Plan  
 
$15 per 30 days  
•100 outgoing Canada-wide minutes  
•Unlimited incoming Canada-wide minutes  
•Unlimited Canada-wide & International texts  
• +250 MB of data every month with Automatic Top-Up  
 
Like Koodo/Public, data is generally at 3G speeds. The problem I see with Lucky is that they don't have a good option for extra data like the other two. This is why for now I'm staying with the two budget Telus brands, Koodo and Public.  
 
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If you want a phone just for emergencies, 7-11 Speakout is the way to go. I believe the smallest amount of airtime you can buy is $25, but once added it doesn't expire for a year. There is a $1.25 "regulatory fee" that comes off each month, but for an emergency phone it's the best deal in wireless. Speakout uses the Rogers network.