Bell, Virgin, Public Mobile Plan Changes: The New Canadian Price List

At the start of October, Lucky Mobile and Chatr each sold a CA$19 plan with 500MB of data. By Oct. 8 both were gone, and the replacement at Chatr cost CA$22 for half a gigabyte of data that only shows up if you sign up for automatic payments.

That was one of several changes in a single week. Bell raised its bring-your-own-phone prices by up to CA$10. Telus-owned Public Mobile trimmed data on three 5G plans. Bell-owned Virgin Plus pulled a plan and raised another. None of these moves came with a press release. They showed up on carrier websites and were caught by iPhone in Canada and MobileSyrup.

Here’s what changed, what’s now the best deal at each price, and how to check whether your own bill is about to move. All prices are monthly, in Canadian dollars, before tax.

Bell, Virgin, Public Mobile, Lucky and Chatr: old vs. new prices

Bell’s change landed on Oct. 6 and reverses a cut: Bell had dropped the 60GB Essential plan by CA$5 in September, iPhone in Canada noted. The CA$100 Global plan didn’t move. Public Mobile’s changes followed the end of its back-to-school promotions on Oct. 5, according to iPhone in Canada. Prices held and data shrank. Its cheaper 4G plans were untouched.

Virgin Plus made its changes on Oct. 7, MobileSyrup reported. Its remaining bring-your-own-phone options are CA$50 for 60GB and CA$55 for 60GB with Canada-US-Mexico use. MobileSyrup says Virgin’s listed prices already include a CA$10 autopay credit, so they cost CA$10 more if you pay manually.

Watch the Bell and Virgin gap. Both brands belong to BCE, and both now sell 60GB, at CA$70 for Bell and CA$50 for Virgin.

The cheapest phone plans in Canada now, by price

These are the best-value plans at each price as reported by iPhone in Canada and MobileSyrup on Oct. 6 and 8. Data amounts for Chatr and Lucky include their autopay bonuses, so you get less without autopay.

• CA$22: Public Mobile 1GB (4G) beats Chatr’s CA$22 plan, which includes 500MB only with autopay and no data at all without it. Lucky’s CA$21/1GB new-customer offer ended Oct. 8.
• CA$24 to CA$25: Public Mobile 5GB for CA$24. Chatr gives 6GB and Lucky 5GB for CA$25.
• CA$28 to CA$30: Public Mobile’s 35GB 4G plan at CA$30 is the standout. Chatr offers 20GB and Lucky 15GB at the same price.
• CA$35: Public Mobile 50GB on 5G. Chatr gives 35GB and Lucky 30GB.
• CA$40 to CA$50 with U.S. and Mexico use: Public Mobile’s 70GB, 100GB or 150GB tiers, even after the cuts.
• Bell itself: CA$70 for 60GB is hard to justify when its own flanker sells 60GB for CA$50.

Caveats matter here. These are flanker brands: Public Mobile belongs to Telus, Chatr to Rogers and Lucky to Bell, and their plans and support are not identical to the parent’s. Before you switch, check coverage where you actually live and work. The CRTC is tightening coverage map reporting, but that standard only starts phasing in with a provider survey in early 2027.

Will your current plan go up? How to check

The changes above apply to plans you can buy now. Whether your existing plan changes depends on the type of contract you’re on.

1. Find your plan type. Log in to your carrier’s app or website and open your plan details. Look for a fixed term (an end date) or “month-to-month.”
2. If you’re on a fixed-term contract, the CRTC’s Wireless Code says a provider must not change the key contract terms, which include your minimum monthly charge, without your express consent during the commitment period.
3. If you’re month-to-month, which covers most prepaid and bring-your-own-phone customers, the Code defines the commitment period as just “the current month or billing cycle.” That protection is thin.
4. Look for promo end dates. Check your bill for credits labelled as promotional or “limited time.” When those end, your price rises even if the plan didn’t change. The CRTC will require a 90-day warning before time-limited discounts end, but not until April 13, 2027.
5. Screenshot your plan page today, with the date. If your price changes without notice, it’s your evidence for a complaint to the carrier and then to the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services.

Switching is cheaper than it was a year ago

Since June 12, 2026, carriers have been barred from charging fees to activate a new plan or change an existing one, and from charging early cancellation fees when you didn’t get a subsidized phone, under CRTC Telecom Regulatory Policy 2026-43. “Today’s decision removes extra fees to activate, change or cancel a plan,” CRTC chair Vicky Eatrides said in March.

In April the CRTC also ordered carriers to let customers change or cancel plans through an app, online or by email, without having to call. The release did not give a date for that requirement to take effect, so if your carrier still makes you phone in, that’s not yet a violation.

If you’re on a phone you own outright, the practical cost of leaving is now close to zero. Rising phone prices make keeping your current handset more attractive too, as we found when Galaxy S26 and Pixel 10a prices jumped in Canada on Oct. 1 and 2.

What to do before Black Friday

Black Friday falls on Nov. 27 this year, and iPhone in Canada expects more deals around then. Our read: the promos that ended in early October may come back richer in late November, but no carrier has promised that.

• If you’re happy and month-to-month, sit tight until late November, and check your bill monthly for changes.
• If you need a plan now, Public Mobile’s CA$30/35GB and CA$35/50GB plans are the best value in this round of changes.
• If you’re on Bell Essential and own your phone, compare Virgin’s CA$50/60GB plan on the same parent company’s network.
• Prices on gadgets are rising for some of the same reasons, explained in our memory shortage buyer’s guide.

The new floor is CA$22, and at Chatr that buys calls, texts and zero data unless you hand over automatic payment. On Oct. 1, CA$19 bought 500MB at two carriers.