Pre-paid cellular service requires that you either purchase a new phone or use an existing phone. Pre-paid plans are ideal for those who would not normally exceed about 30-50 minutes of local monthly airtime. You do not need a credit check and there is no monthly bill to pay. Pre-paid plans generally have higher airtime rates compared to post-paid (monthly) plans and there is a requirement to always have credit on your account for your phone to work.
Service providers sell pre-paid cards that you activate over your cell phone or call a number to charge a certain amount to your credit card. You can also set up a "top-up" where new credit is automatically added to your account from a credit card or your bank account either monthly or when your balance drops below a certain level. All cards have expiration dates and unused credit is lost if the account is not refilled prior to the expiration of the previous card.
Below is a comparison of various features and costs of the pre-paid plans available from Canadian national providers. This information is current as of the date shown at the top of this page and is subject to change. Superscripted numbers indicate that there are additional comments below.
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30 days on $15 card; 60 days on $25 cards or $50 top-offs
30 days on $10, $20, $30; 365 days on $100 cards
30 days on $10, $20, $30; 60 days on $50 cards
45 days on $15; 90 days on $25; 120 days on $50; 365 on $100 cards
30 days on $15 card; 60 days on $25, $50 cards
Monthly system access fee
Included in airtime
$3.95
Included in airtime
Included in airtime
Included in airtime
Included in airtime
9-1-1 access fee
$0.75/month
$1.00/month
$0.75/month
$0.75/month
Included in airtime
$0.43/month
1. Extending your pre-paid card expiration date
If you still have some credit left on your account and it is about to expire, you can purchase and activate a new card, allowing you to carry forward your unused credit to the expiration of the new card. Always mark the expiration date on your calendar to remind yourself that you have to activate a new card before that date -- most service providers will tell you your account balance but not necessary the expiration date.
You buy either a pre-paid phone package or convert any existing Telus Mobility phone for $85. Either option gives you a $50 credit and airtime is deducted at $0.25/min. The catch is that you CANNOT allow your balance to drop to zero or expire, otherwise you are charged a higher airtime rate if you then refill your account with a $10 ($0.40/min) or $25 ($0.33/min) card. A $50 card always gives you $0.29/min and the $10 and $25 cards will as well provided that you never allow your account to become fully depleted.
3. Calls between pre-paid phones using the same provider
If you are on a pre-paid plan with Rogers' PAYG you will not be charged airtime if you receiving a call from another person also on a Rogers' PAYG plan (only the call originator pays airtime).
4. Unlimited evenings and/or weekends
Available from both Telus and Bell Mobility on their pre-paid plans. You call *611 and place this 30 day feature on your account for $15-$25 (billed either through a credit card or deducted from your existing pre-paid credit).
5. Rogers' Pay As You Go Rates
Rogers' has one of the most confusing rate structures for their pre-paid plans. The per minute rate is based on what plan you are on, what time of day it is, and how long the phone call is. Then on top of that, the rate varies further with how much you top-off your account each month! Carefully consider your options if you are a Rogers' PAYG customer; make sure to see their rate structure.
Free to receive, 15¢ each to send or $5/100/month or $10/unlimited/month
Free to receive, 10¢ to receive or $5/100/month or $10/unlimited/month
Free to receive, 15¢ each to send
15¢ to receive
10¢ send/receive Canada/USA or 20¢ international
Additional Comments
Converting between pre-paid and post-paid (monthly) plans
To discourage customers from switching back and forth between pre-paid and post-paid (monthly) plans, most providers charge a change free of $50-75 per plan switch. Carefully consider this fee before migrating between plans. Given other provider incentives on post-paid (monthly) plans, it might be in your best interest to cancel your pre-paid plan and start fresh with a new phone, new phone #, and contract term compared to paying a switch fee. Alternatively, if you do pay the switch fee then you will not need to sign a contract and may continue to use the same phone and phone # and go month-to-month on whatever post-paid plan you choose. Carefully consider both possibilities before moving between plans and make sure to read the Contacts, Should I Sign article.
Rogers lets you use your own GSM phone
If you have your own GSM phone (not SP-locked) that you would like to use on their Pay-as-you-go plan, the cost is $75 for re-programming and includes an airtime card.
Fido lets you use your own 1900 MHz GSM phone
If you already own a Fido phone, you can switch to pre-paid services for $25. If you own a non-Fido 1900 GSM phone (not SP-Locked) there is a fee of $50 to switch onto pre-paid service, but this fee is given back to the customer in airtime credits.
Purchasing a Pre-Paid Phone
All providers offer pre-paid packages that often include a cheaper phone and some airtime credit to get you started. If you want a nicer phone then you can buy this, but you will need to pay the "non-contract price", which could be several hundred dollars. Alternatively you can purchase a used phone from a friend, use a old phone that was on a contract, or purchase a refurbished phone. Refurbished phones are always sold without a contract plan, but their availability varies. Check individual provider websites (e.g., Telus) for current offerings, or visit/call retailers of cellular products to see if they have refurbished phones in stock (e.g., Future Shop, London Drugs, etc).
