Tag: chatr

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Mobile Syrup

Chatr flash sale offers one month’s fee in credit

Rogers flanker brand Chatr is offering one month’s fee in credit on select nationwide prepaid service plans.

Plans are available for both 3G data, 4G data and talk-and-text, with all Chatr phone plans including call display, group calling and call forwarding.

The flash sale lasts until May 1st and includes one month’s fee in credit. Eligible 3G talk-and-text plans start at $30/mo and go up to $70/mo for unlimited Canada/US Talk and Data at speeds up to 10 Mbps.

Plans also exist for 4G talk-and-text with an additional $5 price increase per plan, starting at $40/mo and up to $75/mo.

Chatr confirms that a credit equivalent to one month’s plan fee will be applied on the 2nd-anniversary date. To activate their credit, users must reply to a text message following activation. Credit must be redeemed as per the instructions in the text message received following activation, and failing to do so will forfeit the credit.

As usual, Chatr offer up to 2GB of bonus data when activating select plans with automatic payments.

They also state that unused data does not roll over into the next month, with data usage being rounded up to the next full KB. Data overage and data roaming rates apply where applicable.

Full details of Chatr’s latest deals can be found here. Lucky Mobile is also offering one month of free service as part of a new offer.

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Mobile Syrup

Chatr offering 4GB of bonus data up to 12 months on select plans

Rogers flanker brand Chatr is offering an additional 4GB of bonus data per month for 12 months on select nationwide prepaid service plans.

The company has plans for both 3G and 4G talk & text. All Chatr phone plans include call display, call forwarding, and group calling.

Until April 24th, you can get the 4GB data bonus on 3G talk & text plans starting at $35/mo up to $70/mo for unlimited Canada-Wide Talk and Data at speeds up to 10 Mbps.

Chatr 4G PlansThe same deal applies for 4G talk & text plans, with an additional $5 price increase per plan, starting at $40/mo and up to $75/mo. The deals are eligible with new activations and auto-pay until April 24th. Moreover, the 4GB bonus includes the 2GB of bonus data you get from signing up for auto-pay, so really you’re getting 2GB of extra data.

Looking at the fine print, Chatr confirms that unused data will not roll over into the next month and that additional data overage and data roaming rates apply where applicable. They also state that the data bonus will expire if the account becomes inactive or the plan is changed before the end of the 12-month period.

Full details of Chatr’s latest deals can be found here. Lucky Mobile is also offering 4GB of bonus data as part of a new offer.

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Mobile Syrup

Chatr offering 4GB of bonus data for 12 months, free month of service

Rogers’ Chatr Mobile is offering 4GB of bonus data per month for 12 months and a free month of service on select plans.

Until April 3rd, you can get the 4GB data bonus on plans $35/mo and up and the one-month credit on all of the provider’s plans.

Unfortunately, the 4GB bonus isn’t quite as good as it seems at first glance. Per the fine print, the 4GB bonus is only available with a “new activation and auto-pay,” and the bonus “includes [the] 2GB auto-pay bonus.” So realistically, you’re only getting 2GB of bonus data since if you were to sign up with auto-pay, you’d get a 2GB bonus anyway.

As for the free month, Chatr says it’s a credit equal to one month’s plan fee and is “applied on [the] 2nd anniversary date.”

Like most Chatr deals, both of these offers will expire if an account becomes inactive or if customers change their plan. With that in mind, customers should make sure to pick a plan they’re going to stick with for the 12 month period.

You can check out the deals here.

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Mobile Syrup

Chatr offering 5GB of bonus data for six months on $35+ plans

Rogers’ Chatr is offering customers 5GB of free bonus data per month for six months.

The deal applies to plans starting at $35/mo and up, which means customers can get as much as 25GB of data per month for six months at the top end of Chatr’s plans.

As with similar deals Chatr has offered in the past, customers can’t combine it with other data bonus offers, and the bonus will expire if the account becomes inactive or if the plan changes before the end of the six-month period. As such, make sure to pick a plan you’ll want to keep for at least that long.

Unfortunately, you also need to sign up for Chatr’s automatic payments to get the offer. Moreover, Chatr notes that the 2GB of bonus data customers normally get with auto-pay is included in the 5GB bonus, so really you’re getting 3GB of bonus data for six months.

The bonus data offer is only available until March 20th.

While not a bad offer, it’s worth keeping in mind that Fido, Koodo and Virgin Plus are currently offering a double-data promo and $10/mo credit on select plans. That means you can get $50/20GB or $55/30GB plans with them, though the price will go up by $10 after 24 months. Still, you end up with more data than Chatr’s similarly-priced plans, and faster data too, since Chatr caps speeds at 10Mbps.

You can check out Chatr’s offer here.

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Mobile Syrup

Understanding the differences between Canadian wireless providers

Most Canadians know the Big Three carriers — Rogers, Bell and Telus.

But for those who only think about their carrier when its time for a phone upgrade (or those who aren’t avid MobileSyrup readers), it might come as a surprise to know that most wireless service providers in Canada are owned by the Big Three. Even if you know that, figuring out the differences between, say, Rogers, Fido, and Chatr can be tough.

So here’s everything you need to know about the differences between Canada’s wireless providers, though this isn’t an exhaustive list of every provider operating in Canada (it’s also worth noting many of these brands offer other services, like internet or cable TV, but we’re going to focus on wireless).

National providers

First up, the national providers. These are your Big Three, Rogers Bell and Telus. If you have cell service in Canada, you’re probably using one of these three or a provider owned by one of these three. Unless you want to dig into the technical nitty-gritty, there isn’t a lot that’s different between the Big Three carriers and, in all the ways that matter to most Canadians (like price), they’re effectively the same.

What makes the national providers stand apart from the others on this list is that they offer 5G services (most of the others cap out at 4G or 3G), service bundles (such as family discounts if you have multiple lines, or discounts if you have multiple services with one provider), and they’re also the most expensive.

Here are some of the things you can get with the Big Three that might not be at other providers:

  • Plans starting around $85/mo and up
  • 5G/5G+
  • “Unlimited” data (what you actually get is a data cap at a set speed, and then unlimited usage throttled at a maximum speed of 512Kbps)
  • Speed caps of 250Mbps to 1Gbps, depending on the plan
  • Canada/U.S. plans
  • Multi-line/multi-service bundles
  • Streaming bonuses (Bell offers Crave with some plans, Rogers offers Disney+, and Telus has a streaming bundle, though it’s also available at Koodo)

Flanker brands

Koodo, Fido, and Virgin Plus logos on smartphones.Next up, we have the flanker brands. Chances are you’ve heard of these guys: Fido (owned by Rogers), Virgin Plus (owned by Bell) and Koodo (owned by Telus). Despite looking and acting like separate entities from the Big Three, the flanker brands are very much part of the Big Three’s strategy. Moreover, they operate on the same wireless network as what’s offered by the respective Big Three carrier — in other words, if you have poor service at home with Rogers, switching to Fido probably won’t help.

The flanker brands tend to add value compared to the Big Three offerings, if you’re willing to take a hit on network performance. You might also get worse customer service with flanker brands, though your mileage may vary with that (in my experience, I’ve had better customer service from Koodo than from Telus, Bell, Rogers and Fido.)

Here are some things you’ll get with the flanker brands that you might not get from other providers:

  • Plan prices ranging from $30-$70 per month
  • Conventional data allotments with overage fees
  • Up to 4G LTE service
  • Speed caps of 100Mbps to 150Mbps (depending on provider)
  • Special perks or bonuses (Koodo’s Pick Your Perk plans, Virgin’s Member Benefits, Fido Xtra)
  • Refer a friend perks
  • CRTC-mandated ‘Starter’ plans

It’s also worth noting that at the time of writing, Koodo was the only flanker brand that hadn’t switched over to the device financing model offered by the other flanker brands and the Big Three.

Budget brands

There are several budget brands available in Canada as well that are owned by the Big Three. This includes Chatr (Rogers), Lucky Mobile (Bell) and Public Mobile (Telus). Like the flanker brands, the budget brands offer service on the Big Three networks but at a reduced price (and usually at a reduced quality, such as capping data speeds at a 3G level).

Moreover, budget brands only offer a small number of cheap phones but focus on bring-your-own-phone service, often with no-commitment plans and no credit check. While the service can be basic, it’s often cheaper than flanker brands or the Big Three.

Here are some of the things you can get with the budget brands that might not be available at other providers:

  • Plan prices ranging from $15-$70/mo
  • 3G or 4G speed (depending on the provider)
  • No credit check
  • Monthly data bonuses
  • Service credits for things like helping the community or referring a friend

Regional and other players

Finally, Canada has a variety of regional providers that are only active in certain areas of the country. Sometimes these providers also offer service that falls back on the Big Three networks if you leave their coverage region.

Regional players include providers like Freedom Mobile, Shaw Mobile, Vidéotron, Eastlink, Tbaytel, Sasktel and more. When shopping for mobile services, it’s almost always worth exploring regional options since they tend to offer lower prices than the Big Three, although service might be unreliable or restrictred outside of the regional provider’s footprint.

Most regional players offer at least 4G service, with some offering 5G as well.

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Mobile Syrup

Chatr Mobile offering 8GB of monthly bonus data for eight months

Rogers flanker brand Chatr Mobile is also getting in on the Lunar New Year action by offering 8GB of bonus monthly data for eight months on select plans.

The deal is available on the following plans:

  • $40/mo 5GB + 8GB bonus
  • $50/mo 10GB + 8GB bonus
  • $60/mo 15GB + 8GB bonus
  • $70/mo 20GB + 8GB bonus

It’s worth noting, as with past Chatr deals, that the bonus will expire if the account becomes inactive or if customers change their plans before the end of the eight-month period. As such, make sure to sign up with a plan you’ll want to hang onto for the next few months.

Chatr’s website also notes that the offer is for new activations with auto-pay (the 8GB bonus includes a 2GB auto-pay bonus), and it will be available until February 7th.

Finally, it’s worth keeping in mind that Chatr caps its data at 3G speeds, which the providers notes is up to 10Mbps.

You can check out the deals here. Alternatively, check out Rogers’ other flanker brand, Fido, which is offering $10/mo in savings for 12 months on select plans for Lunar New Year. Telus’ Public Mobile also has a Lunar New Year offer of 5GB of bonus data for eight months, which you can find here.

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Mobile Syrup

Chatr offering 10GB of bonus data on select plans for one year

Rogers’ Chatr joined Telus’ Public Mobile in slapping big data bonuses on several plans.

Although not quite as good as Public’s 12GB data bonus, Chatr is offering 10GB of bonus data for 12 months on $40+ plans. That includes:

  • $40/mo 5GB
  • $50/mo 10GB
  • $60/mo 15GB
  • $70/mo 20GB

As is typical with Chatr deals like this, the data bonus will expire if the account becomes inactive or if the plan changes before the end of the 12-month period. In other words, make sure you select a plan you’ll want to keep for at least 12 months.

Chatr’s website doesn’t note an end date for the data bonus, but it is listed as a limited-time offer.

All the plans included unlimited Canada/U.S. talk (except the $40/mo plan, which only has Canada-wide talk), unlimited international texting, voicemail, and data at 3G speeds (3Mbps up and down, according to Chatr).

Moreover, Chatr typically offers 500MB of bonus data to customers who sign up for auto-pay, but with all these plans, the auto-pay bonus is listed at 2GB.

Technically, Public Mobile’s offer is a little better, with 12GB of data on 4G plans, but the Chatr deal isn’t bad either. You can check it out here.

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Mobile Syrup

Here are the biggest Canadian telecom stories of the week [Sept. 24-29]

Atlantic Canada was hit by Hurricane Fiona a week ago, impacting telecommunications services for thousands. Here’s a roundup of how carriers responded and other telecom developments over the last week.

Business

Spam calls are incredibly annoying, but the worst part is that there isn’t much people can do about it. While the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) mandated all service providers to implement STIR/SHAKEN technology to curb spam calls in November, various factors have stopped the technology from taking full effect. Unfortunately, until these factors are addressed (or people choose to implement third-party technology), Canadians will continue to receive unwanted calls.

Xplore is extending its fibre services in Quebec under the provincial government’s Operation Haute Vitesse program. The service provider is currently working on giving access to 6,000 homes and businesses.

Telus will use Palo Alto Network’s security software on its 5G network.

Several service providers, including Telus and Freedom Mobile, waived charges for long distance calls and texts to Iran as protests continue in the country.

Following Hurricane Fiona’s arrival on September 24th, several carriers offered impacted customers various forms of assistance. Bell gave customers 50GB of extra data, Eastlink applied free data overages and top-ups, and Telus waived long-distance charges for calls, text, and data overages.

Government

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston sent a letter to Minister François-Philippe Champagne complaining about the “poor participation and support” of telecom companies before, during, and after Hurricane Fiona made downfall. “I’m asking you, as the Minister who oversees these companies, to consider all potential legislative and regulatory means to hold telecommunications companies accountable for participating in emergency planning, preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery to the fullest extent possible,” Houston wrote. However, several companies have spoken up in their defence, stating they participated where possible.

Ministers Champagne and Chrystia Freeland met with telecom companies on the same day Houston shared his letter, according to a statement Champagne made on Twitter. It’s not clear if the parties met before or after Houston published the letter.

Deals

Rogers flanker brand Chatr is offering new activations 2GB of bonus data for 12 months. The bonus applies to most plans the brand offers and expires on October 3rd. You can find more details here.

Image credit: @TimHoustonNS/Twitter

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Mobile Syrup

Chatr offering 2GB/mo data bonus for 12 months until October 3

Another day, another Chatr data bonus. The Rogers flanker brand now has a 2GB monthly data bonus for 12 months on most of its plans.

The deal is available to new activations of select plans until October 3rd. As with other Chatr offers like this, the bonus will expire if the account becomes inactive or if the plan changes, so make sure to pick a plan you’ll want for at least a year.

Customers can get the deal on Chatr plans starting at $35/mo and up, except for the $45/mo plan. Instead, Chatr offers a special back-to-school deal on its $45/mo 5GB plan that gives it 10GB of bonus data per month for 12 months. The provider has extended the offer several times already, and currently, it’s slated to end on October 3rd as well.

Chatr plans come with either unlimited Canada-wide or unlimited Canada/U.S. talk (depending on the plan), unlimited text, and voicemail. Data is capped at 3G speed, and customers can get an extra 500MB/mo if they sign up for auto-pay.

You can check out the Chatr deal here.

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Mobile Syrup

Chatr offering 3GB monthly data bonus for six months, one month free

Rogers flanker brand Chatr is back with another limited-time data deal. This time around, new customers can get 3GB of bonus data per month for six months on $35/mo+ plans. Moreover, Chatr is offering one month free on all plans.

Both offers run until September 26th. For the data offer, customers must keep the same plan for the six-month period, and the bonus will expire if the account becomes inactive. In other words, pick a plan you’ll want for at least six months.

As for the one-month credit, Chatr notes it will be applied on the third-anniversary date. To claim the credit, customers will need to reply to a text message they receive from Chatr after activation. Once again, if an account becomes inactive or if customers change the plan, Chatr won’t apply the credit.

It’s worth noting that Chatr still has its $45/mo 5GB plan with a 10GB monthly data bonus for one year available. That offer can’t be combined with the other offers (although I’d argue the 10GB bonus data is the better deal).

Chatr’s website lists the 10GB bonus offer as expiring on October 3rd, which is yet another extension on the deal. Previously, Chatr listed it as ending on September 20th, and before that, it was supposed to end on the 8th.

It’s worth noting that Chatr’s plans cap data at 3G speed, and that customers can get an extra 500MB of data per month if they sign up for auto-pay. Chatr’s ‘Talk, Text & Data’ plans come with either Unlimited Canada/U.S. or Unlimited Canada Talk (depending on the price), and Unlimited texting.

You can check out all the Chatr deals here.