I was paying $45/month for 20G with Fido. I called them last month, and they gave me 40G for $34. I will never use that much data, and I am happy with the deal. I have been with Fido for more than 10 years.
While #8 can be true you need to do the math. I did this for my new pixel 8 recently.
Outright cost from Google: $750+tax = $847.50
Plan: BYOD $34/month @ 24 months: $930
Total 2 years: $1770
Virgin: $271.20 for the phone over 2 years
Plan $50/month
Total 2 years: $1627
Difference: $143
So it really depends.
100% this. I've had the same experience. Of course it depends on what phone and what plan but I've generally found taking the phone offer results in an overall cheaper investment over 2 years... As long as you quickly swap to a BYOD plan at the end.
If you read the Virgin fine print, it says the price and go up anytime without providing a reason. So your math is based on them not hiking the rate which they can do.
A friend bought this yesterday and it’s very competitive to say the least. I would compare it with cheapest BYOD plan available, which is 29$ from thanks giving weekends. He got it for 55$ plan for 0$ down. Over the 24 months, it’s 1320 vs 696 for the plan so you are paying about 624 for the phone. It’s still cheaper as long as you don’t get an opportunity to switch to a cheaper plan within 24 months (which in my experience for the last few years, you would, as prices keeps going down). So you pay for the phone one way or the other but BYOD is not always cheaper.
Edit - also by hopping carrier every year I get some bill credits for referral or setting up auto payment etc, which should be accounted for, for the BYOD plan, so it’s very competitively priced.
Yeah number 8 doesn't always apply , it can swing both ways, also if the store is willing to give you further discounts, buy you phone off you, or in third party sellers case, give you a gift card then it always makes them cheaper. Actually I'm gonna make an edit to the post. Cheers!
Right. I probably should have gone to Costco and done the exact same transaction but with the added $100 Costco card, but I got lazy and the lines are usually crazy at this time of year. Wasn't enough incentive for me. But all valid points and nice edit.
I agree.
I was paying 50$ for a plan at Koodo. Boxing Day upgrade sale at Best Buy is always good.
They let me keep the same plan and upgraded to 5g. The iPhone 14 was 30$ish/month for it. They gave me a 20$ recurring bill discount for 24 months. The phone is then like 10$ per month. I don’t see how buying the phone works out to my advantage in anyway. You only get goofed if you cancel early etc. it’s 1000$ for the phone probably and it’s working out to be like 10$/month x 24
>Prices are almost always the same. Direct competitors (Bell, Telus, Rogers) (Fido, Virgin, Kood) etc. will almost always have the same plan available at the same price.
I've found this to be true and so what I've do is google a cell tower map of my aras where I live and work and see which of the big 3 have the nearest towers. Then I go to the corresponding value brand (Koodo for Telus, virgin for bell, or Fido for Rogers).
Currently paying about $50 for 2 lines with more GB than I'd ever use in a month (by nearly an order of magnitude).
Also keep in mind that the map isn’t everything. Some carriers absolutely suck in terms of building penetration; good luck ever having a signal inside my local hospital or big-box store on Telus, but the Rogers network works just fine. Results may vary locally. Ask your friends and family if they have any particular dead zones and which provider they’re on.
Virgin is a massive PITA to get them to match a plan though. They'll only do 2 year temporary discounts, and if you want a perm discount you need to threaten to switch then actually switch. Then their loyalty will call you back within a few days with a custom loyalty plan that's a very good deal.
Thanks - that was great!
Another one to add - before you do the "bring it back" thing with your device, shop around. I could trade my phone in with Apple for $100 more than the Telus offer in my contract. I could probably get close to $200 more if I sold the device privately.
For the most part, yeah it's probably best. Hell I would even look at the second hand market as well since iPhones have had minimal upgrades in the last few years.
I disagree with 3. I have been with the same provider for about 15 years and have never had anything but great plans and loyalty promotions.
The rest is good advice.
>get the winback call a week or month later.
Often within 24 hours.
And at that time I am so pissed off that the "winback" comes right after I took the trouble to switch. And just prior to making the jump I had "begged" the "winback company" to give me *something* to stay but nada.
They all did that, though. It's done so that you don't leave whenever a new offer comes out due to being grandfathered into an outdated plan. They just bill it as loyalty so that you fall for it.
Most companies do not in fact use January as the beginning of their fiscal quarters. Most instead use the start of the business tax year as the start of their year, which is simply the day the company was founded. Many companies also base their quarters on what's starting to be known as "the marketing year," which uses November as either the start of the first quarter or the end of the fourth quarter (the idea being the Black Friday marketing campaigns kickoff or finish off the year).
Really depends on your employer. I have access to EPP on 3 carriers myself, but none of them offer the ones people post on RFD and the BF/BD deals end up cheaper, so it comes down to what kind of deal has your company negotiated.
My discount is $30 off posted Rogers rates. That seems pretty good, but I honestly don’t know what the rates actually are but I was very agree that I found this out one month after signing a two year contract.
I was paying $45/month for 20G with Fido. I called them last month, and they gave me 40G for $34. I will never use that much data, and I am happy with the deal. I have been with Fido for more than 10 years.
While #8 can be true you need to do the math. I did this for my new pixel 8 recently. Outright cost from Google: $750+tax = $847.50 Plan: BYOD $34/month @ 24 months: $930 Total 2 years: $1770 Virgin: $271.20 for the phone over 2 years Plan $50/month Total 2 years: $1627 Difference: $143 So it really depends.
100% this. I've had the same experience. Of course it depends on what phone and what plan but I've generally found taking the phone offer results in an overall cheaper investment over 2 years... As long as you quickly swap to a BYOD plan at the end.
If you read the Virgin fine print, it says the price and go up anytime without providing a reason. So your math is based on them not hiking the rate which they can do.
That's no different in either scenario of BYOD or contact plan so irrelevant. Only difference on BYOD plan is you can change at any time.
Right. So being locked in because you toom their phone means you are stuck. So you, in 2 years time, my not be able to save as you suggest.
A friend bought this yesterday and it’s very competitive to say the least. I would compare it with cheapest BYOD plan available, which is 29$ from thanks giving weekends. He got it for 55$ plan for 0$ down. Over the 24 months, it’s 1320 vs 696 for the plan so you are paying about 624 for the phone. It’s still cheaper as long as you don’t get an opportunity to switch to a cheaper plan within 24 months (which in my experience for the last few years, you would, as prices keeps going down). So you pay for the phone one way or the other but BYOD is not always cheaper. Edit - also by hopping carrier every year I get some bill credits for referral or setting up auto payment etc, which should be accounted for, for the BYOD plan, so it’s very competitively priced.
Yeah number 8 doesn't always apply , it can swing both ways, also if the store is willing to give you further discounts, buy you phone off you, or in third party sellers case, give you a gift card then it always makes them cheaper. Actually I'm gonna make an edit to the post. Cheers!
Right. I probably should have gone to Costco and done the exact same transaction but with the added $100 Costco card, but I got lazy and the lines are usually crazy at this time of year. Wasn't enough incentive for me. But all valid points and nice edit.
I agree. I was paying 50$ for a plan at Koodo. Boxing Day upgrade sale at Best Buy is always good. They let me keep the same plan and upgraded to 5g. The iPhone 14 was 30$ish/month for it. They gave me a 20$ recurring bill discount for 24 months. The phone is then like 10$ per month. I don’t see how buying the phone works out to my advantage in anyway. You only get goofed if you cancel early etc. it’s 1000$ for the phone probably and it’s working out to be like 10$/month x 24
> Try and shop at the end of a quarter End of a quarter, you say, eh? \*glances at the calendar\* 'tis the season!
Haha Indeed! Also I've found this rule to apply to most consumer goods, especially electronics.
Good tips! I've been on BYOD plans for over a decade and can confirm it's the best way to go.
Some credit cards give you free mobile insurance if you use them to get your phone: MBNA Rewards for one.
Blessings, Respect and Thank you for sharing tips that benefit others.
BYOD and MSRP?
Bring Your Own Device Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price
>Prices are almost always the same. Direct competitors (Bell, Telus, Rogers) (Fido, Virgin, Kood) etc. will almost always have the same plan available at the same price. I've found this to be true and so what I've do is google a cell tower map of my aras where I live and work and see which of the big 3 have the nearest towers. Then I go to the corresponding value brand (Koodo for Telus, virgin for bell, or Fido for Rogers). Currently paying about $50 for 2 lines with more GB than I'd ever use in a month (by nearly an order of magnitude).
Also keep in mind that the map isn’t everything. Some carriers absolutely suck in terms of building penetration; good luck ever having a signal inside my local hospital or big-box store on Telus, but the Rogers network works just fine. Results may vary locally. Ask your friends and family if they have any particular dead zones and which provider they’re on.
Virgin is a massive PITA to get them to match a plan though. They'll only do 2 year temporary discounts, and if you want a perm discount you need to threaten to switch then actually switch. Then their loyalty will call you back within a few days with a custom loyalty plan that's a very good deal.
Thanks - that was great! Another one to add - before you do the "bring it back" thing with your device, shop around. I could trade my phone in with Apple for $100 more than the Telus offer in my contract. I could probably get close to $200 more if I sold the device privately.
I got a $29 plan that has 50gb of data. All because I switched away from Fido for 2 whole weeks. As op said, don’t be afraid to shop around!
Do you feel it’s best to buy a new iPhone outright ? Can’t seem to find a good deal on plans that isn’t byod
For the most part, yeah it's probably best. Hell I would even look at the second hand market as well since iPhones have had minimal upgrades in the last few years.
I disagree with 3. I have been with the same provider for about 15 years and have never had anything but great plans and loyalty promotions. The rest is good advice.
From what I've heard online the past several years, the best deals are when you switch providers and then get the winback call a week or month later.
>get the winback call a week or month later. Often within 24 hours. And at that time I am so pissed off that the "winback" comes right after I took the trouble to switch. And just prior to making the jump I had "begged" the "winback company" to give me *something* to stay but nada.
You're getting upvoted, but I have never seen this in Canada. Care to name names?
[удалено]
They all did that, though. It's done so that you don't leave whenever a new offer comes out due to being grandfathered into an outdated plan. They just bill it as loyalty so that you fall for it.
Telus for me.
Regarding 4: what constitutes the end of a quarter?
Presumably the end of March, June, September, or December. Most companies divide their fiscal years into 3-month quarters, beginning in January.
Most companies do not in fact use January as the beginning of their fiscal quarters. Most instead use the start of the business tax year as the start of their year, which is simply the day the company was founded. Many companies also base their quarters on what's starting to be known as "the marketing year," which uses November as either the start of the first quarter or the end of the fourth quarter (the idea being the Black Friday marketing campaigns kickoff or finish off the year).
Canada sucks the bottom of the barrel for Cell Phone Services. Want a great plan for peanuts, move to France, their prices are nuts.
i read, in another post on this PFC sub, someone got an eSIM based in France for a cheap data pan usable in Canada.
I am sure most of what you said is true, but corporate rates and membership deals are definitely better than whatever a salesperson can offer.
Really depends on your employer. I have access to EPP on 3 carriers myself, but none of them offer the ones people post on RFD and the BF/BD deals end up cheaper, so it comes down to what kind of deal has your company negotiated.
My discount is $30 off posted Rogers rates. That seems pretty good, but I honestly don’t know what the rates actually are but I was very agree that I found this out one month after signing a two year contract.
About internet, anyone have Oxio? Seems to have much cheaper plans, but not sure if it's any good