Best Pay as You Go Cell Phone Canada

While you may find a fair bit of information about plans in the United States, it can sometimes be more challenging to find the best pay as you go cell phone in Canada. With a smaller population sprawled out over a larger space, Canadians have a bit more of a challenge finding the best deal.

Getting your hands on the best cell phone plan in Canada will depend on your specific needs. While one person cannot live without push email, another person just wants to have a cellular phone handy in case of emergencies. Choosing a prepaid cell phone in Canada is a better option for the occasional user, because heavy users probably won't be satisfied with the cheap cell phone rates that some providers offer. These may not have enough minutes or features.

In this way, the best pay as you go cell phone in Canada is probably going to be the one that offers the most reliable reception, the cheapest per minute rate, and the ability to have minutes rollover for the longest period possible.

When most Canadians go searching for a good pay-as-you-go option, they'll take a look at some of the bigger names in the industry. They'll consider Telus Mobility, Rogers Wireless, Fido Cellular, and Bell Mobility. All of these major carriers will have a prepaid option, as will smaller firms like Koodo Mobile.

The value attained by going with these prepaid providers is that you will gain access to the larger customer service and technical support teams, and it will be easier for you to find a local kiosk in your area if you have any questions. That said, these may not be the most affordable options, partly because of the greater infrastructure involved.

Virgin Mobile has one critical advantage over some of the other prepaid cell phone providers in Canada. That advantage is that it offers full BlackBerry support, including the sale of the popular BlackBerry Pearl and the BlackBerry Curve. This is great for people who want the functionality of a BlackBerry without having to pay large monthly bills. The BlackBerry bundles start at $15 a month for unlimited email and instant messaging, growing to $60 a month for the most comprehensive package.

With Virgin Mobile, possibly one of the best Canadian pay as you go cell phone services, users have the choice between three kinds of prepaid rate plans. For those who talk a little more, they can get the best value with the by-the-month plan. For those who only talk on certain days, they can opt for the by-the-day plan. This way, you only pay on days that you use the phone, but you get a reduced rate. Finally, the by-the-minute plan is best for those who talk less than two minutes a day.

Available only in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec, Solo Mobile is wholly owned and operated by Bell Mobility. In this way, you'll find that many of the handsets offered by Solo are mirrored by Bell, as ar their core features and selling points.

With Solo Prepaid, you only pay when you need to use the phone. Features include call display, message centre express (voicemail), call waiting, and three-way calling. While there is no system access fee, an emergency 911 monthly fee is charged.

At the time this article was written, daytime minutes were charged at 40 cents a minute whereas evenings and weekends (between 7pm and 7am) were charged at 5 cents a minute. Because of its array of text message-oriented handsets, Solo may be a good choice as a prepaid service for children and teens.

Interestingly, some of the best cheap prepaid cell phones come from the least expected of sources. Don't forget to consider mobile phone services like those sold by Petro-Canada, the Real Canadian Superstore, and 7-11 Convenience Stores. Inquire about the rates and what they include.

In trying to find the best pay as you go cell phone in Canada, be sure to not only check the per minute rate for your calls, but also the coverage area, any included bonus features, and how long your deposited money lasts before it expires. For example, prepaid cards with Solo Mobile expire within 45 or 75 days, depending on the size of the card. By contrast, the expiration date for PC Mobile is 30 days or 60 days. These are important factors to consider.

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