The Best Phone Plan in Canada

We the community use Public Mobile. Let me tell you why.

Photo by Charles 🇵🇭 on Unsplash

** My referral code is at the bottom of the page. Please consider using it to help support my blog and my mission. Last Update: Nov 2019 **

You'll get $10 credit!

Here's a list of why Public Mobile is the best phone plan out there. FYI - I'm not paid by Public Mobile, I just really like them and so does the FIRE community. Let us help you see the light.


#1 They use the Telus network, which is very, very good. Check your phones compatibility here. For reference, I use a Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) and my wife uses the iPhone 6.

#2 Yes, you can port your number.

#3 Three very cheap plans that should cover 99% of Canadians AND their businesses needs: *Ontario bias but I've checked and most provinces are indentical*

• $15/month - unlimited international text, 100 minutes, unlimited incoming calls, 250mb of data
• $25/month - unlimited international text, unlimited nationwide calling, 1gb of data
• $40/month - unlimited international text, unlimited nationwide calling, 5gb of data

#4 By using a pre-authorized credit card, you'll save $2/month automatically. No-brainer.

#5 Even though you'll sign up for credit card payments, you're on a prepaid plan, which means they can't throw garbage at you like hidden fees, roaming or data overage because YOU HAVEN'T PAID FOR THESE. You can't use something you haven't paid for so it's impossible to use without adding these features as add-on's. Anybody (including yours truly) who has been screwed by price-gauging overages before should be jumping up and down by now.

#6 Speaking of which, you can add-on features you might need some months and chop them off next month. You can change your plan and your add-on's every single month if you want to. This is the luxury of being prepaid and not having contracts.

#7 By referring people to Public Mobile, you'll save $1/month on your plan in perpetuity, as long as they stay a paying customer. I'd love to be your referral! I'd appreciate it if you could use my referral code: Y4LY99. You'll get an extra $10 credit by using my code, plus you'll help support my blog and my mission, so thank you!

#8 Here's an extra tip: if you're signing up your spouse + family as well, use my referral code once for you, then activate your other phones using your brand new Public Mobile referral code (your phone number or unique code).

• For example, if you activate three $25 plans with a credit card, you will get $30 in credit, $2/month for referrals, $6/month for using your credit card, and $3/month after your first year to the maximum of $15/month after 5 (explained in #9). So this means:

• Year 0: $67/month + tax - $30 off first month
• Year 1: $64/month + tax
• Year 5: $52/month + tax (FIFTY-TWO DOLLARS FOR 3 PHONE PLANS!???!)

#9 By staying with Public Mobile for a year, you'll save $1/month on your plan in perpetuity. They increase this every year by $1 until you reach year 5, where it caps at $5/month. This is calculated above.

#10 Even though your loyalty caps at $5/month and community help caps at $20/month (more on this below), you can still pay $0/month for your phone plan with enough referrals. Not gonna lie, that's my plan!

#11 If you want to help others resolve any technical issues with their phones, you can join the message boards and post answers to community questions. You'll save up to $20/month off your plan for helping out but I don't really know how they calculate your helpfulness and to be honest I'm just not savvy enough to help people with their tech issues. Here's more information if you're that kind of person: Public Mobile: Help the Community

• The member boards is also where you will go for any customer service you might need. It's incredibly straightforward and if there is any trouble with porting your number (as I had transferring from Koodo), you just message the moderators who are employees of Public Mobile. They're incredibly quick - it's so much nicer than having to call and wait.

#12 Since you have brought your own phone, you are now effectively immune to the marketing of phones! This powerful scheme has kept Canadians paying high premiums for quite lackluster phone plans for decades now. Public Mobile doesn't sell phones, they don't care if you're using a fucking rock. Unlike Lucky Mobile and Chatr (competitors in this discounted space), Public Mobile won't push new phones onto you. Do you remember the difference between the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 5S? Neither do I, but I foolishly upgraded for reasons I can't recall. Wear this new immunity like armour.

#13 Wow, I can't believe you're still reading! Okay, I'm glad you've made it this far because my last point is one of the best ones to consider. By bringing your own phone, you will save money because you are going to take care of it. Phone ownership is the same thing as having no car loan, or not paying a mortgage anymore. It's ultimate freedom and once you own your phone on a cheap plan such as this one, you'll forget all about the newest phone crazes. You'll actually find that you're proud of your 3 year old phone. If and when that phone bites the dust, you can easily find 2 year old phones on Facebook Marketplace or Kijiji that will be selling for 50% or less of its original value.

Have I convinced you? I hope I have because I think it's the best value phone plan out there RIGHT NOW. I'll keep this article updated on a monthly basis - if something better comes along, I can assure you I'll be leading the charge. After all, it is this blog's mission to lower your fixed expenses as much as possible.

** My referral code is Y4LY99 ** Thanks for any patronage you might offer.

Chat soon,

Ryan Myricks