# Pay as you go cell phones in Canada **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 28, 2007, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pay-as-you-go-cell-phones-in-canada/420868 "2007-09-28T21:14:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2007, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pay-as-you-go-cell-phones-in-canada/420868/1 "2007-09-28T21:14:56Z")
I am going to be working in Canada for a while. I just called my cell carrier to find out about rates while I am up there. $0.59/ minute. :eek: If I call forward to a land line the minute charge still applies. So I am thinking that getting a pay as you go phone is the way to go, my question for the Canadian dopers is, what are the rates like? How much is your base phone? Is any one carrier or service better than the others? If it makes a difference I will be in Vancouver and Toronto mainly. Thanks for the info ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2007, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pay-as-you-go-cell-phones-in-canada/420868/2 "2007-09-29T02:22:07Z")
The main national carriers are:[ul][li]Rogers[_]Fido (actually owned by Rogers, but still operated independantly)[_]Bell MobilityTelus Mobility[/ul]I’m pretty sure that all of them offer pre-paid phones.[/li] ETA: I’m not sure anyone can honestly say that one is a lot better than the others, but everyone will have anecdotes to offer. Rogers is the only one that offers a significant GSM network, so if you have a GSM phone, that would be your best bet. ---
**Author:** ![Gregor\_Samsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@Gregor\_Samsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gregor_Samsa)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2007, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pay-as-you-go-cell-phones-in-canada/420868/3 "2007-09-29T02:51:04Z")
I have a little Virgin Mobile pay-as-you-go phone. I think the phone itself cost $60 (a little Nokia 2125 - very basic but good enough for me). Their rates are [here](http://www.virginmobile.ca/site/en/pricesAndFeatures/html/pricesAndFeatures.html). Coverage is fine in cities. It worked fine in Vancouver, Victoria, Winnipeg and Toronto; I’m not sure what it’s like out in the country. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2007, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pay-as-you-go-cell-phones-in-canada/420868/4 "2007-09-29T05:36:55Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] I am going to be working in Canada for a while. I just called my cell carrier to find out about rates while I am up there. $0.59/ minute. :eek: If I call forward to a land line the minute charge still applies. So I am thinking that getting a pay as you go phone is the way to go, my question for the Canadian dopers is, what are the rates like? How much is your base phone? Is any one carrier or service better than the others? If it makes a difference I will be in Vancouver and Toronto mainly. Thanks for the info [/QUOTE] Last I looked , Virgin had the best paygo deal of all the services. Declan ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2007, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pay-as-you-go-cell-phones-in-canada/420868/5 "2007-09-29T05:42:49Z")
Remember that pay-as-you-go phones have a habit of running out of minutes at the most inopportune times, and there is no grace period. Plus, you can’t get around that by loading it with tons and tons of minutes because all minutes expire at a set time after loading. So a large portion goes to waste before you can use it. PAYG = Very Annoying. At least in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2007, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pay-as-you-go-cell-phones-in-canada/420868/6 "2007-09-29T15:10:41Z")
[QUOTE=Declan] Last I looked , Virgin had the best paygo deal of all the services. [/QUOTE] I should have mentioned Virgin. Their service is actually a re-branded Bell offering, so their coverage is good. A quick bit of research indicates the following prices: Bell: $0.30/minute for first two minutes, $0.05/minute subsequently Virgin (1): $0.30/minute Virgin (2): $0.10/minute, plus $0.40 per day flat rate Rogers (1): $0.30/minute, $1.00/day for free evenings and weekends Rogers (2): $0.39/minute, $0.01/minute 8pm-8am and weekends Rogers (3): $0.25/minute for first five minutes each day, $0.15/minute afterwards Rogers also offers something called “Auto Saver.” If you register a credit card for automatic “top-ups” of a minimum amount ($30, I think), you can get a 20% discount. Telus: $0.25/minute to $0.40/minute depending on the time of day and how much you add to the phone. They also offer $0.75/day unlimited evenings and weekends. Fido (1): $1.00/day for unlimited inbound, $0.30/minute outbound Fido (2): $0.30/minute, plus $1.00/day free evenings and weekends Fido (3): $0.30/minute ($10 credit purchase) Fido (4): $0.20/minute ($20+ credit purchase) Fido (5): $0.40/minute, $0.05/minute evenings and weekends ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2007, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pay-as-you-go-cell-phones-in-canada/420868/7 "2007-09-29T15:31:29Z")
Looking at the websites, it looks like Virgin is a clear winner. 0.10/ minute +0.40/day The real kicker is the long distance rates back to the US is 0.25/min additional. This is way cheaper than the other carriers, with the possible exception of Telus, I could not find their LD rates. Compare that to Rodgers at 0.66/ minute to the US. Which is more than my US phone will cost me to use. :eek: ETA: A large thank you to all of the Canadian dopers that contributed to this thread. I owe you one. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2007, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pay-as-you-go-cell-phones-in-canada/420868/8 "2007-09-29T16:58:27Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] ETA: A large thank you to all of the Canadian dopers that contributed to this thread. I owe you one. [/QUOTE] Well, if you’re gonna be in Toronto of an evening, I’d be up for a beverage and some car talk! ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_Venom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9fc348/32.png) [@Lady\_Venom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_Venom)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2007, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pay-as-you-go-cell-phones-in-canada/420868/9 "2007-09-29T19:32:51Z")
Another nice thing about Virgin is you get your calling features (call waiting, caller ID & voicemail) at no charge. Also, with Virgin, your minutes expire depending on the amount you load. I can’t remember the exact numbers, but I think $10 & $15 cards expire in 30 days, $20 cards in 45 days and $50 cards in 60 days. I love my Virgin mobile phone and wouldn’t trade it for the world. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2007, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pay-as-you-go-cell-phones-in-canada/420868/10 "2007-09-30T03:00:38Z")
[QUOTE=Cerowyn] Well, if you’re gonna be in Toronto of an evening, I’d be up for a beverage and some car talk! [/QUOTE] PM sent!