Majority of Canadians often stumble when asked to explain the true definition of a “Canadian”.
Well, it is not very clear due to the multicultural nature of the country. But interestingly enough Canada still manages to uphold its own culture, and this is also reflected in the wireless service industry.
Whether if you have just landed or settled in for a bit, getting that wireless connection is often on the top of your priority list. So to help you avoid culture shock, read on before you get hooked up with cellphone service in Canada.
There are quite a few mobile carriers in Canada. I will not be going into detail about each of them since they all have very similar characteristics. Instead, I will be outlining the process and giving you time saving tips when you go look for wireless service.
REQUIREMENTS FOR NEW ACTIVATION:
- government issued ID such as a foreign passport or Canadian permanent resident card, driver’s license
- SIN (social insurance number) – if your SIN numbers starts with a ‘9’ that means it is temporary and it would be sufficient for new activation
- current Canadian address – no, this can’t just be written on a sticky note ya shmuck, you will need an official document stating your Canadian address such as a temporary SIN number issuance letter, school enrollment letter, job offer from your employer or your apartment lease
- credit card – although it is not required, a credit card would greatly help your case (such as future payments and approval)
Please note that getting cellphone service is also a privilege that cannot be taken for granted. This means for whatever reason if you have established a poor credit already in your country of origin, Canadian wireless providers may reject your activation request to avert risk; they are a business after all.
CHOOSING A PHONE NUMBER:
- once you are approved you will be able to choose your own phone number, it will be 7 digits long starting with the first 3 as the local provincial area code (the country code is 1)
- pro tip: ask the sales representative to search for your desired number as they usually do not give you much of a choice, but if you ask nicely they will accommodate
- make sure you are completely satisfied with your phone number choice as changing it later on will cost you in fees around $20 – $40, and the annoyance of texting all your buddies to notify them of your new number
CHOOSING A PLAN:
- the plan indicates the features that are covered within your monthly service fee, therefore the pricing will differ due to the features and also between neighboring provinces
- pro tip: majority of carriers offer unlimited Canada-wide calling, so if you have a number from one province and you are moving to another province it is completely fine as there won’t be any long distance charges so there is no need to change your number if you are relocating
- Talk & Text: these plans only allow you to call and text contacts, and will charge accordingly if you want to go on the internet on your phone; these plans also may have particular parameters such as 500 texts per month or unlimited calling from 7AM – 7PM, so make sure you read that fine print!
- Talk, Text & Data: similar to the above just with mobile data so you can go on the internet with your smartphone and check out buns on Instagram
HOW TO BE FRUGAL WITH SMARTPHONES:
The Canadian government recently updated its Wireless Code to shorten the length of a phone contract to 2 years. This is only important to know if you are planning on purchasing a phone on contract through a wireless carrier.
For example, the new iPhone X 64GB version on the Apple store is priced at $1,319 CAD. Most people cannot afford to fork over that kind of cash, so Canadian carriers will subsidize the phone in order to make it more ahem “affordable”. This means the carriers will finance the phone over a period of 2 years through a contract while you promise to remain loyal using their wireless services. For argument sake, Bell Wireless offers the exact phone at a subsidized price of $599.99 on a 2 year contract only if you also get a [Talk, Text & Data Plan] with a minimum monthly service fee of $70.
Read that again.
Now let’s do the math.
$599.99 spread out over 2 years (24 months) equals to a monthly payment of $24.99 but this is ONLY the cost of the phone subsidy excluding your plan. Now add on the plan of $70/month, your total cost of owning and operating an iPhone X 64GB on a data plan is $94.99/month. Over 2 years of wireless service you will have spent $1,680 ($70/month x 24 months) plus the phone subsidy of $599.99, altogether you have spent $2,279.99 for the iPhone X 64GB.
If you just went to Apple and bought the phone by itself, it will cost you $1,319. But then again, if you have an iPhone X, why wouldn’t you add on data to your plan?
Now for you folks that are bringing over your own phone from your original country of residence, the carriers have a great little program called BYOD (bring your own device) to attract new customers.
Let’s use Fido Wireless in the province of Alberta as an example.
If you are looking to purchase a new phone, the Unlimited Talk & Text Plan is priced at $50/mth, but if you already have your own phone then this exact plan will be discounted to $40/mth. There’s tremendous upside to this program but sales reps usually do not push this due to the lower commission that gets paid out. The only caveat to this program is that you must have an unlocked phone; meaning your phone will be able to work with any wireless carrier SIM card that gets inserted. So if you have your own phone make sure to go on this program as you get a discounted monthly service fee and no monthly phone payment obligations.
MISCELLANEOUS:
- the sales reps have no control on the monthly service fee pricing, so don’t bother bargaining; plan pricing is written in stone unless there is a promotion going on
- make sure you go through each carrier website to find the best deals as they are very competitive throughout holidays, monthly promotions etc.
- each sales rep actually has a quota of the amount of discount he/she will be able to give on the phone pricing depending on the situation, so make sure you do your homework before bargaining; but keep in mind they cannot give discounts on monthly service fees
- if for whatever reason you are dissatisfied with your carrier, make sure to call them to threaten to cancel because then you will be redirected to the retention department; in which they will try to retain you through offering a compromise like giving you $5 off per month
- order your phone accessories online once you have picked out the phone you like; the “official” cases and whatnot each carrier sells are much cheaper on Amazon, Aliexpress etc.
- majority of carriers are national but there are local provincial ones such as SaskTel in Saskatchewan, in order for them to stay competitive they often offer packages that include home internet service but be weary, local provincial carriers often do not have great support outside of the province; it means weak signal once you are outside of the province you reside in
- if you are poor and/or cheap, go on Kijiji to see who’s selling their phones off for dirt cheap so you can get a premium smartphone for cheap and get on that BYOD plan
The process of getting cellphone service in Canada can be very different compared to other countries due to operations and culture.
For example, in China, the local vendors just give you a book of various phone numbers to choose from and then a SIM card so you can be on your merry way. But since you are in Canada, you will have to adapt to the local culture.
I hope this post have thoroughly explained the process and greatly minimized your stress when it comes to getting wireless service in Canada.
Sound off in the comment section about your experiences of getting wireless service in Canada for the first time!
As always – stay thrifty