It’s no secret that Canadians pay amongst the highest phone-plan rates anywhere in the developed world. A government report recently found that the average Canadian pays $70 per month for wireless service.
Filter out all the noise and it boils down to two arguments, one from the carriers, and one from, well, everyone else:
Carriers: “Canada has a large and geographically dispersed population base, therefore, the cost of building the network infrastructure is prohibitive, and Canadians must pay more”
Everyone else: “With 4 national wireless carriers, there isn’t enough competition in this market. That’s why prices are high”
We’re not here to pick sides, but we agree that $70 per month is a lot.
Some pay less than $70 per month, some pay more, but the following should help all of you lower your monthly bill.
There are very likely to be better deals out there, but how do you find them?
Comparing plans is harder than it sounds: do they offer phones of a similar quality/value? Are there any hidden fees, can you walk away, or are you locked in? How much is nation-wide calling and voicemail? Is it cheaper if I bring my own phone?
You get the idea.
That’s why we were so excited when we discovered Planhub! They have built an enormous database of *every* *single* plan that the Canadian carriers offer, and make it incredibly easy to do comparisons of identical plans across carriers. Planhub even accounts for the hidden fees that the carriers don’t want to tell you about!
Go try it out! Seriously, your first search will take just seconds. Plus, it’s completely FREE.
They even have a “bring your own device” option, and let you choose your province to make sure you’re seeing only the most accurate information.
So head over and browse on your terms. Optimize for upfront costs, monthly payments, or total costs over the entire contract.
And our personal favorite feature? The ‘alert’ feature: submit your email, and Planhub will let you know when is the best time to buy based on the plan you’re after and the historical price trends in the market.
So what are you waiting for?
Head over to Planhub, find a better deal, and let’s see if we can’t bring down that $70 average this year!
