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By Dean Brown.
Good morning,
When was the last time you actually looked at your cellphone plan?
Not just the total.
The actual plan.
How much are you paying for service?
How much are you paying for your phone?
How much data do you actually use?
And is the deal you signed up for two years ago still competitive?
Because something strange has happened in Canada.
Cellphone plans have gotten cheaper.
A lot of cellphone bills have not
The price went down. The bill didn’t.
The CRTC says cellphone plan prices are still significantly lower than they were in early 2021.
By September 2025, a typical 10 GB plan was around $41, compared with more than $70 in early 2021. A 50 GB plan was around $53, down from more than $120.
But cheaper plans do not necessarily mean cheaper bills.
In 2024, mobile companies collected an average of:
$68.41 per subscriber each month when device costs were included.
Take the device out?
About $50.95. CRTC
That is a difference of more than:
$17 a month
or roughly:
$209 a year.
And that is only the average.
If you are financing a $1,000 or $1,500 phone, your number can be much higher.
Your phone bill is probably more than one thing
A monthly cellphone bill can include:
Your wireless service.
Your phone financing.
Extra features.
Device protection.
Other charges.
That can make a $90 cellphone bill feel like you have a $90 cellphone plan.
You might not.
Your service could be $55 while another $35 is paying off the phone in your hand.
That distinction matters when you start comparing plans.
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More data does not always mean more savings
Canadians are increasingly choosing bigger data plans.
The CRTC says the proportion of subscribers with at least 10 GB has more than doubled since 2020, while the share with 50 GB or more has more than tripled since 2022. CRTC
At the same time, the price gap between smaller and larger plans has narrowed.
That sounds like a better deal.
Sometimes it is.
But there is another question:
Are you actually using the data?
If you pay for 100 GB because it was only slightly more expensive than 50 GB, but normally use 15 GB, you are getting more data for your money.
You are not necessarily saving money.
What could this actually cost you?
Say you pay:
$85 a month
You compare plans and realize you could get everything you need for:
$60.
That is only:
$25 a month
But over a year:
$300
Over two years:
$600
For two people making the same change:
$1,200 over two years.
That is why an old cellphone plan is worth checking.
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Try this with your own bill
Pull up your latest bill and find four numbers:
Monthly total: $____
Device payment: $____
Actual service cost: $____
Average monthly data use: ____ GB
Then compare your service cost, not just your total bill, with what is available today.
If your current plan is $25 more expensive than a comparable alternative:
$25 × 12 = $300 a year
If it is $40:
$480 a year
If it is $50:
$600 a year
That is the number that matters.
Switching also got easier this year
New CRTC rules took effect on June 12, 2026 prohibiting activation and modification fees tied to starting or changing telecommunications plans.
There are limited exceptions for things like physical installation and additional products or services that customers explicitly choose.
But that does not mean every telecom fee disappeared.
The CRTC has already raised questions about newer charges including SIM fees, device setup, shipping and device-handling fees at major providers.
So before switching, ask exactly what you are being charged for.
What should you actually do?
First, check your last few bills.
See how much data you really use.
Then separate your device payment from your service.
Next, compare similar plans.
If you find something considerably cheaper, call your existing provider first.
Tell them exactly what competing offer you are looking at.
They may offer you something better.
If they do not, switching may make sense.
Just check whether you still owe money on your device and whether there are legitimate additional costs attached to the move.
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Worth knowing
You do not need to check every carrier one by one.
A comparison site can put several Canadian cellphone plans side by side so you can compare:
Monthly price
Data
Carrier
Bring-your-own-phone options
Current promotions
Even if you never switch, that gives you something useful before calling your provider:
a real competing offer.
Partner link: The Canadian Take may receive compensation if you sign up through this link, at no extra cost to you.
This Week’s Poll
How much do you pay for your cellphone each month?
The Take
Cellphone service in Canada has gotten cheaper.
That does not automatically mean your bill has.
Your phone payment, oversized data plan and an old rate can quietly eat up the savings.
So the next time you look at your bill, do not just ask:
“How much am I paying?”
Ask:
“What am I actually paying for?”
That could be the difference between keeping the same bill and saving a few hundred dollars a year.
Until next time,
Dean
P.S. Pull up your last cellphone bill before you close this email. Do you know how much is actually going to the plan and how much is going to the phone?