Cheap Cell Phone Rates Canada

While some people with the Apple iPhone are complaining about their high monthly bills, many other Canucks are interested in finding cheap cell phone rates in Canada. While mobile phone pricing in Canada isn't quite as inexpensive as some other parts of the world, there are still deals to be had.

When trying to find the cheapest cell phone plans north of the 49th parallel, you have to ask yourself what features you would like, what features you don't need, and whether you'd like to go with prepaid or monthly plans. These kinds of considerations make a world of difference when looking at cheap cell phone rates in Canada, so keep them in mind when comparing cell phone plans.

As you can imagine, many mobile service providers offer a series of incentives for signing a contract with them, including the prospect of plans with added value, but these may end up costing you more money in the long run. Pay-as-you-go may be a better option if you don't talk as much or if you don't want to lock into a service agreement (which can be up to three years in length).

Operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Rogers Wireless, Fido is very value-minded and targets the lower end of the market. In this way, the plans from Fido are going to be among the cheapest in the business. They offer contracts (maximum of two years), month-to-month, and prepaid options.

Unlike many other service providers in Canada, Fido does not charge a System Access Fee, nor does it charge an E911 fee. This can represent a monthly savings of up to $9.45 a month! The cheapest monthly plan from Fido (at the time this article was written) is $15, which includes 50 minutes and 50 text messages. Voicemail, caller ID, and other options are extra.

Continuing with the trend of cheap cell phone rates in Canada is Koodo Mobile, a brand that operates separately from its parent parent company, Telus Mobility. Much like Fido Cellular described above, Koodo does not have a System Access Fee and its least expensive plans is also $15. In many ways, Fido and Koodo mirror one another.

Instead of getting customers to sign a contract, Koodo operates on a system known as the "Tab." A percentage of each bill goes toward paying off the price of a subsidized mobile phone. You typically cannot bring your phone to Koodo, unlike Fido, because it operates on CDMA. You may be able to import a Telus phone, but you should check with your local Koodo representative for more information.

For people who are interested in cheap Canada cell phone rates that include BlackBerry support, Virgin Mobile may be a good option. Offering both prepaid plans and monthly plans, Virgin Mobile has a healthy assortment of mobile phones from which to choose, including a couple of BlackBerry devices.

The monthly plans from Virgin are not quite as cheap as Fido and Koodo, but you can add BlackBerry support for as little as $15 a month. This would include unlimited text, IM, and email. Check with Virgin Mobile for more details.

When looking for the cheapest cell rates in Canada, it's easy to zero in on the bigger names in the business. However, some of the smaller firms can actually offer a better price, especially in the pay-as-you-go realm. These smaller companies typically do not have a network of their own. Instead, they operate as MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators), using the larger networks like those from Bell Mobility.

A couple of the better and more reliable small network operators in Canada are PC Mobile from the Real Canadian Superstore and Petro-Canada Mobility from Petro-Canada. Yes, even grocery stores and gas stations are playing the cell phone game.

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