Although there is free Wi-Fi in most of the hotels, bars, malls, and restaurants, we still recommend you have a working SIM card in Canada. It simply averts a lot of hassle and makes your daily life convenient. The country is huge but has a small population per square kilometer. However, finding a SIM card is not at all difficult. You can get a local SIM card and top-ups in the official stores of the telecommunications companies and convenience, electronics, and grocery stores. However, it is important to note that SIM cards and their plans are quite pricey in Canada.
Anybody living or arriving as a tourist in Canada can have a SIM card from a local carrier without restrictions. As a tourist, if you are buying a SIM card in Canada, you don’t need to register with your passport information. It is still better to get it from official or partner stores, though. Online purchase requires you to use a Canada-issued debit or credit card. The average price of 1 GB of data is 5.72 USD in Canada. This is higher than the world average of 4.07 USD but lower than the North American average of 8.21 USD. Now, let’s take a look at the top 10 SIM cards in Canada in more detail.
1. Rogers
Rogers Communications, commonly known as Rogers, is the largest wireless carrier in Canada in terms of the number of subscribers. It has extensive coverage and even the widest range of 5G connectivity in the country. Sadly, 5G is not yet available to its prepaid SIM subscribers. Despite the aforementioned facts and that it covers 97% of the population, Rogers has poor network penetration in sparsely populated or remote areas.
Its SIM cards and top-up vouchers are available in Roger Stores and other retail shops. The SIM card costs 10 CAD, while top-ups are available for 10 CAD to 100 CAD. Rogers offers two kinds of plans — (i) Talk, Text, and Data Plans (combo of minutes, SMS, and data), and (ii) Wireless Internet Add-ons (bonus packs that cannot be bought as standalone plans).
2. Telus
Telus Communications, popularly known by the name Telus or Telus Mobility, is the second-largest Canadian mobile service provider with the fastest network. It covers 99% of the population and provides the best coverage in Canada, sharing its 4G/LTE and 5G network with Bell. It is important to note that only its postpaid customers have access to the 5G network. A Telus SIM card is available for 20 CAD with 20 CAD in credit. Its top-ups range from 10 CAD to 100 CAD. Telus offers two kinds of plans — (i) Talk, Text & Data Plans and (ii) Add-ons. The Talk, Text & Data Plans range between 35 CAD to 60 CAD, and the add-ons range from 10 CAD to 30 CAD.
3. Bell
Bell Canada, commonly referred to as Bell or Bell Mobility, is the third-largest carrier in Canada. It has extensive coverage across the country that covers 99% of the population. After shutting down its 2G network, it offers 3G, 4G/LTE, and 5G NR connectivity. Its 5G network is not yet ready for its prepaid users, however. A Bell SIM card is available for just 10 CAD, and its top-ups range between 15 CAD and 100 CAD. Bell offers two kinds of plans — (i) Prepaid Voice and Data Plans (combo plans available for 35 CAD to 60 CAD) and (ii) Data Add-ons (available for 10 CAD to 50 CAD).
4. Koodo Mobile
Koodo is a flanker brand of Telus that targets young subscribers. It is fully owned by Telus, and it uses its network. A Koodo SIM card is available for 20 CAD with 20 CAD credit, which makes the SIM card free. Its top-up vouchers are available from 10 CAD to 50 CAD. The company offers two plans — (i) Base Plans (combo of data, local/international SMS, and local minutes) and (ii) Data Boosters (data add-ons for the Base Plans). Data Booster allowance never expires and can roll over for unlimited time when you renew your Base Plan. This is ideal for users who consume lots of data monthly.
5. Public Mobile
Public Mobile is yet another flanker brand of Telus. It launched as a self-service brand in 2010 to boost the competition in the Canadian telecom market before Telus took over in 2013. Budget-minded customers are its major target. Public Mobile SIM cards can be obtained at 10 CAD, and their top-up vouchers range between 5 CAD and 60 CAD. The company offers two tiers of plans: (i) Plans (combo of unlimited local minutes, unmetered local and international SMS, and data) and (ii) Data Add-ons (add-ons for the Plans). Plans range from 15 CAD to 50 CAD, while the Add-ons cost between 5 CAD (200 MB) and 15 CAD (1 GB).
6. Chatr Mobile
Chatr Mobile, commonly known as Chatr, is a flanker brand by Rogers. Flanker brands are owned by the main business, which in this case means it doesn’t have its mobile infrastructure, so it uses Rogers’. Its main target is budget-minded or entry-level customers. Its mobile SIM cards are available for a mere 5 CAD, and its top-up vouchers cost between 5 CAD and 50 CAD. Chatr Mobile offers two plans: (i) Talk, Text & Data Plans (combo plans of data, unlimited local minutes, and unmetered international/local SMS ranging from 25 CAD to 55 CAD) and (ii) Data Plan (combo of 500 MB data, unrestricted local voice minutes and unlimited local/international SMS for 25 CAD).
7. Fido
Fido is also a flanker brand of Rogers. Therefore, its network coverage matches the carrier’s, albeit Fido prepaid customers aren’t privy to the Extended Coverage feature. Rogers bought Fido in 2004 with the goal to mostly target millennials. Fido SIM cards are available for 10 CAD and their top-ups are available from 10 CAD to 100 CAD. Fido offers two kinds of plans — (i) Prepaid Plans and (ii) Data Add-ons. Prepaid Plans are a combo of data, local minutes, and local and international SMS ranging from 15 CAD to 70 CAD. Data Add-ons, data packs for prepaid plans without data, are available for 15 CAD, 25 CAD, and 35 CAD.
8. Lucky Mobile
Lucky Mobile, Bell’s flanker brand, is relatively a new player in the Canadian telecommunications market, targeting mostly budget-minded customers. It is fully owned by Bell and uses its mobile network like the others above. The main obstacle for users is that Lucky Mobile SIM cards are expensive at 20 CAD. The silver lining is the competitive pricing of their top-up vouchers, which cost between 15 CAD and 100 CAD.
The company offers two types of recharge options — (i) Plans and (ii) Data Add-ons. Plans represent a combination of local minutes, data, and international/local SMS ranging from 15 CAD to 50 CAD. On the other hand, Data Add-ons only include a single pack with 2 GB of data monthly at 15 CAD.
9. Virgin Mobile Canada
Virgin Mobile Canada, or only Virgin Mobile, is yet another flanker brand Bell owns. Its main targets are millennials and Gen Z (teenagers). They sell SIM cards for 10 CAD, while the top-up vouchers cost between 15 CAD and 100 CAD. Like other carriers, you can also reload online, but they only accept Canada-issued credit cards and no debit cards. There are two types of reload options offered by Virgin Mobile — (i) Monthly Plans and (ii) Add-ons.
Monthly Plans are a combo of data, unrestricted local voice minutes, and unmetered local SMS ranging from 15 CAD to 75 CAD. Add-ons are simply bonus packs for Monthly Plans (250 MB/month for 15 CAD, and 1 GB/month for 28 CAD), and can’t be purchased as standalone plans.
10. Freedom Mobile
Freedom Mobile is the smallest independent mobile operator in Canada, with just a 6% market share. Until 2016, it was known as Wind Mobile. Though its coverage is only limited to the metro areas (large cities in Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta), it is also the cheapest network provider in the country. It operates only on 3G and 4G/LTE frequencies and has the worst network penetration out of all. Where it has no coverage, it operates on a nationwide roaming agreement with Telus, Rogers, and Bell.
You can buy a Freedom Mobile SIM card for 10 CAD but be careful. There is a fee of 30 CAD to activate the SIM card. Its top-up vouchers range between 5 CAD to 40 CAD. The company offers two plans — (i) Freedom Prepaid by the Year and (ii) Add-ons. The first one represents monthly and yearly plans with unlimited local/international SMS, unmetered local minutes, and data available from 14 CAD to 179 CAD. The second one is a mere bonus, either data-only or data and calling, ranging between 15 CAD and 45 CAD.