The Best Pay as you Go Plans (2023)
Cell phone plan companies offer all kinds of plans. To find regular contract plans, search using the PlanHub plan finder.
Back to pay as you go plans, some include loads of data, others are more focused on talking and texting, and so on. As a result, finding the perfect plan can become a very exhausting task. Customers could end up signing a two-year contract for a plan they don’t even need. Fortunately, many companies have introduced “pay as you go” plans as a way to counter this. Over the course of this article, we’ll explain how these plans work, where you can get them, and why they might be right for you. Then, we’ll contrast and compare some of the best pay as you go plans in Canada.
What are “Pay as you Go” plans?
So, what are pay as you go plans? Simply put, pay as you go (or prepaid) mobile plans allow you to pay for a large amount of data, minutes, texting and more over the course of a short amount of time. Typically, these plans last about one month. If you enjoy the plan, you can purchase it again at the start of the next month. If you don’t, you can upgrade to a more inclusive plan. Thus, users pay as they go, rather than commit to a long-term contract for an extended period of time.
To purchase a pay as you go plan, all you need is an unlocked cell phone. You could either purchase a new one from your provider, or use your old device. For the majority of these plans, companies will give you a specialized SIM card. Simply insert the card into your phone, and the plan activates. Fortunately, most SIM cards cost $10 CAD and can be purchased online. Prepaid plans are appealing for several reasons. Of course, the lack of commitment is its greatest strength. Additionally, they let customers try different plans on a monthly basis, until they find one that suits them. For the rest of this post, we’ll go over the best pay as you go plans currently offered in Canada.
Best Prepaid Phone Plans Canada – The Big Three
The country’s three largest mobile providers are Rogers, Telus and Bell. Thankfully, they contain some of the best prepaid phone plans Canada offers. Overall, Telus and Bell’s plans are quite similar. They both offer $15 plans as their cheapest option. For both plans, users receive 100 nationwide talking minutes, and unlimited incoming and outgoing texting. Additionally, both brands’ most expensive plans also offer the same perks. For $55 a month, Telus and Bell users will receive unlimited nationwide minutes, unlimited texting, and 8GB of data. The main distinction between the two is Telus’ “Talk & Text 100” plan. For $100 per year, this plan offers 400 minutes of local minutes and 400 incoming/outgoing texts.
Sadly, Rogers’ prepaid plans aren’t quite as valuable or varied. For $15 a month, you only get access to 100 minutes of talk and unlimited text messages. Further, their data plans aren’t as inclusive as Telus or Bell. $50 a month grants you unlimited texting, unlimited calling on evenings, but only 500MB of data. Their most expensive plan costs $65 per month and includes 1 GB of data.
Best Prepaid SIM Card Canada – Smaller Brands
For the most part, the smaller companies offer better deals on prepaid mobile plans. These “flanker” brands are typically owned by one of the country’s major providers. As a result, they are able to offer great deals while allowing their customers to use one of the country’s best mobile networks. Currently, Freedom Mobile and Public Mobile stand out, and offer some of the best prepaid SIM card Canada plans.
Freedom Mobile (owned by Shaw) offers great limited time deals for prepaid plans. Currently, they offer unlimited talk and text for $20 with the option to pay by the gigabyte of data. Additionally, they have an ongoing promotion which provides unlimited talk and text with 1.5 GB of data for only $19 a month.
On the other hand, Public Mobile (owned by Telus) offers more valuable plans for more money. Their cheaper plans are still solid, as $35 a month grants unlimited calling and texting with 2.5 GB of data. However, Public really shines with their pricier plans. In addition to unlimited calling and texting, $50 a month includes 10 GB of data, while $70 includes 15 GB of data. Finally, if you sign up to use their “Auto-Pay” feature, you unlock an extra 500MB of data each month.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, the best pay as you go plan will always be a matter of personal preference. If you want a brand new device, or already have experience with a larger brand, you may want a prepaid plan with Telus, Bell or Rogers. If you already have a phone and want a cheap plan, check out Freedom Mobile. Or, if you want a data-heavy plan, look into Public Mobile.
Sadly, these are only a handful of offers from a few brands. If you want to find the most well-rounded plan for you, you might have to conduct some independent research. Thankfully, Planhub offers a number of services to help you find the most affordable mobile and internet plans. We hope you find exactly what you’re looking for!
Do not hesitate yo use PlanHub’s plan search tool if you are also considering regular contract plans.
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This article on pre-paid plans looks like an advertisement for “use the Big 3 anyway”.
There are other, independent, pre-paid plan providers that can blow these guys out of
the water. Try SpeakOut, an offering from 7-11. Some very good options unless you’re
a seriously heavy data user. For lighter data — and everything else — they’re about as
good as it gets.
Suggesting that the read is going to have to “conduct some independent research”
really doesn’t count as offering data on the best pre-paid plans.