The Best Phone Plan in Canada

Photo by Charles 🇵🇭 on Unsplash

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

** My referral code is at the bottom of the page. Please consider using it to help support my blog and my mission. Last Update: Jun 2020 **

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 Google Pixel 2 XL and my wife uses an 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 identical*

• $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 prepaid for these. You can't use something you haven't paid for so it's impossible to use without adding these features as add-ons. Anybody (including yours truly) who has been screwed by price-gouging overages before should be jumping up and down by now.

#6 Speaking of add-ons, you can pay for these some months and chop them off next month. In fact, you can change your plan and your add-ons every single month if you want to. This is the luxury of being prepaid and not having contracts. You're in control. Any add-on that you didn't completely use will stick around until it's entirely used.

• For example, if you want extra data just in case for emergencies but don't want to buy a more expensive plan every month, you can simply purchase a one-time add-on and viola, those 2 GB's (or however much you bought) will carry over even as your plan renews every month until you actually use the full 2 GB's - and before you ask, YES, Public Mobile will use your plan's data first before using your add-on.

#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 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 to consider. By bringing your own phone, you will save money because you are going to take care of it. Having no phone tab is the same thing as having no car loan because trading in your paid off car for another car loan makes no sense. Trust me, once you have a cheap plan with a perfectly good phone, you'll never go back. It's ultimate freedom and you'll forget all about the newest phone crazes. You'll actually find that you're proud of your 3 year old phone and you would never trade it in for an expensive monthly plan. If and when that phone bites the dust, you can easily find 2 year old phones on Amazon, 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.

Thanks for reading, I've written a companion article detailing a battle between buying a new phone with a 2-year contract VS buying a used phone and using Public Mobile: check it out!

Ryan Myricks

You can email me here: canadianfire1@gmail.com (I respond to everybody!)