Tag: koodo

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Koodo to end $10/mo Lunar New Year discount on February 14

Koodo, Fido and Virgin Plus launched a Lunar New Year discount back in mid-Janaury, but it looks like the deal could soon come to an end.

Telus flanker Koodo now lists February 14th as the last day to get the deal. While Fido and Virgin haven’t added similar notices to their websites, they’ll likely follow suit soon.

End date for Koodo’s Lunar New Year discount.

The deal, for those unfamiliar with it, gives customers a $10/mo discount for 12 months on select plans ($120 in total). In the case of Koodo, it’s available with three plans, the $55/8GB, $60/10GB and $65/15GB options.

If you’re looking for a new phone plan, you might want to claim this offer before it goes away on February 14th. While not the best offer from Canadian wireless providers, $10 off each month is better than nothing — even if it’s only for a year.

You can read the original post 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

Koodo emailing customers about $5/mo bill increase starting in February

Telus’ flanker brand Koodo is raising prices again for some customers. In a recent email sent to some Koodo customers obtained by MobileSyrup, Koodo said customers would see a $5/mo increase starting on the February bill.

The email reads as follows:

“As mentioned on your January bill, the monthly service charge for the above lines on your account will increase by $5/month. You’ll start to see this monthly increase on your February bill.”

This is the second such price increase in just six months — at the end of July 2022, Koodo said “a small number of Koodo customers on select legacy rate plans will see a $5 increase on their next billing cycle.”

MobileSyrup has reached out to Koodo for more details about this latest price increase and to see if it similarly targets customers on legacy rate plans.

Thanks Lisa!

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Mobile Syrup

Koodo, Virgin offer $10/mo discount for 12 months for Lunar New Year

Koodo and Virgin Plus have joined Fido in offering a $10/mo discount for 12 months on select plans to celebrate Lunar New Year.

Rogers flanker brand Fido first rolled out the discount on January 13th, and the other providers added similar discounts over the weekend.

Telus flanker brand Koodo will apply the $10/mo credit on plans $55/mo or higher. Koodo’s website also advertises that it will waive the $50 connection fee, although it’s worth noting that Koodo (as well as most other wireless providers in Canada) waive the connection fee for online orders already.

Koodo’s Lunar New Year plans as of January 16th, 2023.

Koodo plans are as follows:

  • $55/mo 8GB ($45/mo with the discount)
  • $60/mo 10GB ($50/mo with the discount)
  • $65/mo 15GB ($55/mo with the discount)

It’s worth noting that Koodo only offers the discount on bring-your-own-phone (BYOP) plans, so if you want to get a phone, you can’t benefit from the deal.

Virgin’s Lunar New Year plans as of January 16th, 2023.

As for Bell flanker brand Virgin Plus, it also offers the $10/mo credit for 12 months on $55/mo+ plans:

  • $55/mo 8GB ($45/mo with the discount)
  • $60/mo 10GB ($50/mo with the discount)
  • $65/mo 15GB ($55/mo with the discount)

Likewise, Virgin only offers the discounted price for BYOP plans, and it also specifies on its website that the discounted plans are available for “new activations only.”

You can check out Koodo’s plans here, Virgin’s plans here, or learn more about the Fido offer here.

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Mobile Syrup

Telecom news roundup: Bell drops 5 cents per post donation for Let’s Talk Day [Jan 7-13]

2023 is just two weeks old, but the telecom news isn’t coming in slowly. Some companies have already released Q1 financial results for the year, while others have changed the way they’ll make financial donations.

As a recap, here’s almost everything that happened in Canada’s telecom sector this week.

Business

Bell is changing its donation method for Bell Let’s Talk Day. The company typically gives five cents for every message shared on the day. But it’s now retiring the practice for a $10 million donation instead. It’s unclear why Bell went this route.

The telecom giant also rolled out 3Gbps speed and 5G+ in Atlantic Canada. The latter service is now available in Moncton, Riverview, Mount Pearl, and Halifax.

ISP TekSavvy says Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne must block Rogers’ $26-billion takeover of Shaw. Peter Nowak, the company’s spokesman, said ISPs are being “squeezed out,” and the Minister must take action.

The Competition Bureau is set to face the Federal Court of Appeal on January 24th to argue against the Competition Tribunal’s approval of Rogers’ merger with Shaw. In its original appeal, the bureau argued the tribunal should’ve solely focused on the Rogers-Shaw merger instead of Vidéotron’s commitment to acquire Freedom Mobile. The tribunal said it would’ve reached its conclusion to support the larger merger either way. In its updated appeal, the bureau said the tribunal failed to explain why that would’ve been the case.

SaskTel has launched Cloud PVR service on maxTV Stream, allowing users to record up to 300 hours of content.

The University of Waterloo is leading a group of companies and academics to create technologies that will protect Canada’s national security through 5G. École de technologie supérieure in Montréal, University of Regina, BlackBerry, NoviFlow, Rockport Networks and Rogers are part of the consortium.

Shaw reported adding 12,000 new wireless prepaid customers in the first quarter of 2023. However, the company’s overall revenue decreased.

Cogeco also released its Q1 financial results for the year, bringing in $762 million in revenue. Despite the revenue increase, the company projects growth will slow this year.

The House of Common’s industry and technology committee will hold a second hearing on Rogers’ merger with Shaw, according to The Globe and Mail. 

Deals

Public Mobile is offering new customers 5GB of bonus data per month for eight months. Read the details here.

Koodo and Virgin have increased the cost of their unlimited talk and text plans to $33/ month. This is a significant price increase, considering the plans used to close $27 back in August 2022.

Fido has discounted some of its plans by $10/month for Lunar New Year. More specifics are available here.

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Mobile Syrup

Koodo offering up to 40 percent off hotels through Booking.com for some customers

Telus flanker brand Koodo sent out emails to customers offering up to 40 percent off their next stay through Booking.com, although with several conditions.

When you click through the link to Booking.com and click the option to view the promotion details, the website lists the following conditions:

Booking.com details for Koodo promotion.

  • “Koodo savings feature prices from Rocket Travel that are lower than the crossed-out public rates available on Booking.com regardless of room category and cancellation policy.”
  • “Koodo savings are available only at select properties with Rocket Travel inventory.”
  • “All aspects of eligible Koodo savings bookings are handled by our trusted partner Rocket Travel.”

Beyond that, it’s a matter of sifting through Booking.com listings to actually find properties with Rocket Travel inventory. I did a few cursory checks (I’m not exactly looking to travel anytime soon) but when you do a search, Booking.com seems to highlight properties with special offers attached, including Rocket Travel stuff.

Screenshot of the Koodo x Booking.com email.

Humorously, Koodo uses the rest of the email to remind customers to use its ridiculously expensive Easy Roam feature while they travel and also plugs Telus Health MyCare, which is included free with Easy Roam while travelling in the U.S. (usually valued at $45 per call).

Anyway, if you’re a Koodo customer looking to travel, keep an eye out for the offer in your inbox.

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Mobile Syrup

Koodo, Virgin up unlimited talk and text plan to $33/mo

Koodo and Virgin Plus have upped the monthly cost of their unlimited talk and text plans by $1. At $33/mo now, the plans are even worse value than before.

The unlimited talk and text plans are exactly as they sound — subscribers get unlimited minutes and unlimited texting, but data is pay-per-use (read: expensive). These plans are great for people who just need access to calling and texting, but for a while, the plans cost $32/mo, an arguably high price for what’s on offer. (It’s worth noting that back in January 2022, these plans cost about $30/mo).

Back in August 2022, Koodo, Virgin, and Fido briefly lowered their respective unlimited talk and text plans to $27/mo, a more acceptable price but still pricier than comparable plans from other budget brands.

After the Black Friday deals and before the Boxing Week deals, the three flanker brands put the unlimited talk and text plan back up to $32, and now Telus’ Koodo and Bell’s Virgin have pushed the plans to $33/mo. Fido, for now, remains at $32/mo.

Of course, there’s absolutely no reason to pay more than $30/mo for these plans when other providers offer talk and text for less. Telus flanker brand Public Mobile, Rogers flanker brand Chatr Mobile, and Bell flanker brand Lucky Mobile all offer a $25/mo unlimited talk and text plan with 1GB of data capped at 3G speed (technically, Chatr and Lucky offer 500MB and a bonus 500MB to customers who sign up for automatic payments for a combined 1GB).

Now, 1GB of data capped at 3G speed isn’t a lot, but if the goal is unlimited talk and text for a reasonable price, these are among the best value out there.

You can view Koodo’s plans here and Virgin’s plans here.

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Mobile Syrup

Last chance for $50/40GB Boxing Week plan at Fido, Koodo, Virgin

Today looks to be the last day for the $45/20GB and $50/40GB Boxing Week plans at Fido, Koodo, and Virgin Plus. Both Fido and Koodo now list the plan as ending on January 9th — Virgin Plus didn’t have a similar label at the time of writing, but it likely will follow the other two.

Koodo first launched the plans on December 13th, and Fido and Virgin launched their versions of the plans the following day. The plans have been available since then, but they were limited-time promotional offers, so it’s no surprise the plans are going away.

At all three providers, the plans actually cost $60/20GB and $65/40GB, but come with a $15/mo credit for 15 months. The downside is that anyone who signs up will need to be ready to switch carriers in 15 months’ time unless they’re okay with paying a higher monthly price. That said, Black Friday and Boxing Week 2023 will happen within that time frame, which means customers could potentially switch to a different promotional plan before the credit expires.

The deal isn’t as good for those looking to get a phone with one of these providers, as the phone contracts are 24 months long, so customers will be stuck paying the higher cost for the last nine months of their contract.

Aside from the large data buckets, these plans also include unlimited Canada-wide text messaging, unlimited Canada-wide calling, and other features that vary from provider to provider, such as voicemail, call display, international texting, and more.

If you’re in the market for a new plan, you may want to pick up one of these deals before they go away — it’s unclear what plan options will be available tomorrow, but they’ll likely cost more and have less data. Before the flanker providers added the Boxing Week plans, they had $60/10GB and $65/20GB plans.

You can check out Fido’s plans here, Koodo’s plans here, and Virgin’s plans here.

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Koodo texting subscribers with $3/25GB extra data offer

If you’re already a Koodo customer, check your texts — you might have a great deal waiting for you.

The carrier recently sent me a text offering 5GB of additional data for $1 per month, 10GB of extra data for $2 per month or 25GB of bonus data for $3 per month. I opted for the 25GB/$3 option. According to the text, I received this offer because I’m on Koodo’s ‘offers and deals’ list.

Koodo data offer

This means that my $70/30GB plan now includes 55GB, a ridiculous amount of data I’ll likely never use, but it’s still nice to have. I also feel marginally better about missing out on the $45/50GB Black Friday plan Koodo was offering.

It’s unclear how widespread this offer is or if you can reach out to Koodo’s customer service and request it (my guess is your mileage will vary if you take that option).

Let us know in the comments below if you’ve received a similar offer from Koodo.

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Koodo joins forces with Altima to offer $44/mo 100Mbps internet

It looks like Telus flanker brand Koodo is trying to get in on those sweet, sweet home internet deals thanks to a partnership with Altima Telecom. Per emails sent to Koodo customers, Koodo and Altima are offering a discount on the latter’s ‘Unlimited Internet 100’ plan.

MobileSyrup gaming editor Brad Shankar received one such email, but so did some people on RedFlagDeals (RFD). The offer gives customers access to 100Mbps home internet with unlimited use for $44/mo for 24 months (savings of $6/mo, or $144 over two years).

The offer is available until February 15th and comes with free activation and a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. However, it’s worth noting the service may not be available in your area — for example, my address in Whitby, Ontario, couldn’t get the plan.

The Koodo x Altima deal appears to be an attempt for Koodo to match internet offers from the likes of Fido and Virgin Plus. Both providers have a wireless and wireline business offering lower-cost home internet. Fido and Virgin both have $45/mo 100Mbps plans, along with other deals. Moreover, both providers currently have their home internet plan on sale for 50 percent off for 12 months — typically, it costs $90/mo for 100Mbps.

If the Altima internet deal is available in your area, I’d argue it’s a better option than Fido and Virgin. The discount lasts longer and when it does end, your bill will only go up by $6/mo instead of $45/mo.

You can check out the deal here.