So you think $0 means free?

Those advertising for $0 cell phones are everywhere around us, but be careful, $0 is not free. You pay for it every month during your agreement.

A 2 year agreement with a wireless carrier is based on the purchase of the phone. So when you sign your contract read the page regarding the phone, you will find the proof of purchase and its real price. For example, you get a LG Style with Fido right now on a contract, on the contract you will see the full price of the mobile phone $300, and the economy you make: $300.

The benefit exists the moment you buy the phone, but a portion of your monthly fees is used to pay your tab-24. Every month the tab reduces. To find out the fees for your phone every month : the full price of the phone / 24. Those fees are what the mobile carriers call the subsidy.
All the carriers have to respect rules made by the CRTC.

If a rep from a carrier tells you the cellphone is free, it is a lie. Is a $0 phone really cost efficient? Every year, manufacturers launch a new phone and during that year the prices decrease. Though, your tab does not follow that drop. Sometimes, there are only a few weeks between the purchase and the drop in the price. So if you want a new phone before the end of your contract, you would need to buy out your current contract (subsidy) and the initial price of the phone ($0 or discounted price), the total amount can be higher than a new phone sometimes.

Last but not least, at the end of your contract, call your carrier to check how you can reduce your monthly fees as you don’t have to pay your 24 Tab any longer and switch to a “bring you own device” (BYOD) plan.

Iphone 6S will be here soon : 4 things you need to know

On the 25th of September, Apple will launch the last iPhone, the iPhone6S and the iPhone 6S Plus. The camera and the Force Touch Are the most important innovations of the new device.

#1 – The iPhone 6S takes better photos

As usual with the series S, the most important innovation is the camera. The back camera is capable of 12 Megapixels, and the front one is 5 Megapixels. To those megapixels, Appleadded the Live Photo technology. You will now be able to take animated pictures. You will capture pictures before and after pressing the button. You will also be able to take picture while using the videotape. Finally, those who love selfie will be glad to know that they will be able to use the screen as a flash.

#2 – The iPhone 6S has the new 3D Touch feature

The next innovation of the iPhone 6S is the 3D Touch. Users of the apple Watch already know it as the Force Touch. The third dimension of your touch is the pressure. Depending on the pressure you use on the screen, you will get a preview (light) or open the content (hold). That model will also help you with the multi-function of the applications.

#3 – The iPhone 6S is more powerfull

The new A9 64 Bits is 70 % faster and 90 % more powerfull than the A8 of the iPhone 6. Battery life should remain the same. The device is also a bit bigger, 7.1 mm for the iPhone 6S and 7.3 mm for the 6S Plus. Also iPhone 6S is stronger with the new 7000-series aluminum which prevent it from bending.

iPhone 6S A9

#4 – The iPhone 6S can be buy from $379.95 in Quebec, $398,99 in other Canadian provinces

The carrier that offers the cheapest iPhone 6S is Videtron. The iPhone 6S 16 GB is $379.95, the iPhone 6S Plus is $509.95. Bell, Rogers, Virgin Mobile, SaskTel sell it for $398.99 on 2 year term.

If you don’t want an engagement the iPhone 6S 16 GB is $899, $1029 for the 64 GB, $1159 for 128 GB. The iPhone 6S Plus 16 GB $1029, $1159 for the 64 GB, and $1289 for the 128GB. It is already possible for you to reserve the device for each of the provider’s website. Also, be careful of your choice of storage memory. The 16 GB version may seem interesting for its cost. But, if you don’t have the cloud, you might be short as the camera, the Live Photo uses a lot of it.

New Videotron mobile plan with free unlimited music

Videotron launched a new offer for his monthly plan, Unlimited Music. From now on those who use streaming music application will be able to listen to music without consuming any data.

Customers who will get a Premium Data Plan with 2GB ( $65 a month), will have an unlimited access to Spotify, Google Play Music, Stingray and Rdio on their mobile. Songza should join them quickly.

The audio streamed over those applications will no longer be counted in the bandwidth, in other terms, you will not consume any data. This is a great new for those who forget to turn on their Wi-Fi when they use those applications, or those who have high bills because those applications consume too much data.

According to Videotron someone who listen music 1 hour a day consumes about 2GB per month just for that. Of course, it all depends on the audio format you use. For example, if you use the best audio quality with Spotify : you consume about 1 GB in 8 days, 115.2 MB per hour ( 320 Kpbs). Therefore, those plans are interesting if you listen to those applications 1 hour a day on your mobile using your mobile network.

For those who would like to compare that offer from Videotron to the offer from Fido (Spotify Premium), be careful. Videotron does not offer a Premium Account to those websites. You cannot download any music, in order to that you need to have an account with Spotify, or Deezer…You can only stream the music on the LTE network (apparently even if the network switches to 3G your data will not be consumed).

One of the problems with the Unlimited Music is that it might violate federal regulation about competing. In January, the CRTC ruled that Bell offering 10 hours of free TV streaming was anti-competitive. The CRTC should give a statement about Unlimited Music soon.

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Back to School Offers are back!

September is back, so is school, and so are back to School offers from cell phone providers! This year there are three types of offers to convince students: discount on their monthly fees, more data for free, or discount on a new phone.

Videotron and Wind have reduced their monthly fees this year. Videotron offers a 10% discount for the students who would get a Plus or Premium plan. The minimum per month is $42.26, instead of $46.95, for unlimited Canada Wide talk, 500 MB of data. Plus Videotron offers unlimited music for premium plans starting at $58.46, instead of $64.95, form unlimited calls throughout Canada and 2 GB.

Wind does not call it a student offer, but the $45 plan is now $39 for unlimited Data (5GB full speed) and Unlimited Canada/US-wide calling. It can be paired with the first month for free (offer ends on the 07/09).

Fido and Virgin Mobile are looking to seduce the students with free data. On some select plans 1GB of data is offered for a year (minimum fees : $55) .While Virgin offers it for a new activation, Fido targets its existing customer also and offers it on renewal. To enjoy it go in store in September, then it is over.
Virgin : $55, $65 and $75 plans, Fido : BYOD $55, Smart $70, BYOD $65, Smart $80, Max $85, BYOD $75, Smart $90 and Max $105 plans.

The last offer is a credit on the phone price. Rogers is betting on a $200 credit on the Samsung S6 and the S6 edge for a new activation or an upgrade and a 2 year agreement on Premium or Smart tab. It lasts until the 30th of September. The minimum monthly fees are $65 (unlimited talk + 500 MB of data) for a primary line, $45 to activate a second line.

Make sure to use PlanHub to compare the plans to avoid any surprises!