I’ve been a Telus Mobility customer for over 25 years, ever since I got my first pager when I was in high school (we’ve come a long way from the pager era, haven’t we?). With my phone plan, I had an Employee Purchase Plan (it is supposed to be about 30% off regular Telus plans) with bring your own device pricing. I even bought an iPhone straight from Apple without increasing my phone plan last year because I liked paying less than $45 a month after taxes. Here’s my Public Mobile review.
Then all of that came to a halt. I noticed that my phone bill was $60 one month. I waited on hold for I can’t even remember how long, it might have been over 30 minutes trying to get past that Telus robo-voice.
Telus robot: Welcome to Telus, how may we help? Are you looking for Internet or mobility?
Me: Mobility.
Telus robot: Sorry, I didn’t quite get that. Are you looking for Telus Internet or mobility?
Me: Mobility. Customer service representative please.
Telus robot: Sorry, I didn’t quite get that. Are you looking for Internet or mobility?
Me (exasperated): CUSTOMER SERVICE PLEASE.
Telus robot: I’m sorry. I didn’t quite get that. Please call back, phone lines are busy right now.
I think I went through that robo-voice from Telus 6 times and each time it took me 30 minutes to finally talk to a real person. Each customer service rep (when I finally got to them) seemed to say something different as to why my plan suddenly went up and what they could do about it (they could offer me a plan that was $53 after taxes but only for 12 months)… it was all quite infuriating. I think the reps would have to deal with less agitated customers if they didn’t use that Telus robot greeting.
I didn’t care about being a seasoned negotiator for Telus internet and mobility anymore. I knew I could easily get a cheaper plan elsewhere (there are many that are less than $35 a month), but told Telus I was happy paying the $45 a month and would continue to be a loyal Telus customer (and shareholder). That wasn’t good enough for Telus. They said there were a number of Employee Purchase Plan customers who were getting 30% off on top of the 30% off plans so they had to stop that.
One Telus representative after I said I would switch to Koodo or something (yes I know Koodo is still in the Telus family tree) gave me Koodo’s phone number to switch.
Telus doesn’t care that I walk?! After TWENTY FIVE years?
It really felt like a break up. I’m loyal, I offered to stay but Telus didn’t want me anymore.
I’ve been with Telus longer than I’ve been with my husband.
Fortunately, the painful separation was relatively short lived though and I have moved on.
Enter:
Table of Contents
Public Mobile Review
Public Mobile is Canada’s first 5G subscription phone service. It is a PRE-PAID service so you pay ahead of the month and you won’t see any surprise charges.
Public Mobile is a subsidiary of Telus. It uses the same Telus network just like Telus and Koodo.
How come it’s so cheap then?
Well, Public Mobile doesn’t even really have customer service. There are no kiosks, there are no stores, there aren’t even any customer service reps that you can talk to on the phone.
There is a forum where Public Mobile members are encouraged (and rewarded) for answering other customers’ questions.
If you do need help, you can create a support ticket or try to chat with Public Mobile online.
PUblic Mobile Canada US Plan
This is not a detailed Public Mobile review with all their plan offerings, but I want to highlight the Canada US plan.
They have a Public Mobile Canada US Plan that gives you:
- Unlimited Canada US calling and text messaging
- 50GB Data to use within Canada and the US
- Unlimited International text and picture messaging
- Call Display
- Voicemail
- Call Waiting
- Call Forwarding
- Conference Calling
All for $34 per month and a free eSIM, or free physical SIM card, and free activation fee.
It’s a great Roam Mobility alternative. No eSIM or SIM needed going to the US. Seems too good to be true, but it’s true!
How to Sign Up for Public Mobile
The first step is click on the plan that you want to subscribe to and to download the Public Mobile App.
Then, if you want to save $10 on the second month of your Public Mobile subscription, you can use the referral code during sign up: QR8 PJJ (I’ll receive 1 Public Point for your subscription).
If you ordered a physical SIM card, you have to wait for the SIM card to come in the mail. It didn’t take too long for me. Once I received it, I enter the information on the SIM card in the Public Mobile app to finish sign up.
There was a bit of a hiccup when I signed up because the app was under maintenance- however I just had to be patient (hard to so sometimes) and finished the set up in the morning. When my husband set up his Public Mobile account it was more seamless than mine.
After the SIM card is inserted and it is set up, you can port your phone number within the Public Mobile app. I inputted my Telus mobility account number to port the number (and it did take about 30 minutes to one hour or so) and my husband inputted his IMEI number and it was instantaneous transfer of phone number for him porting from Koodo to Public Mobile.
When heading to the US, all you have to do is turn on data roaming (feels scary to do, I know!). Then you will be set up with the T Mobile net work. There really are no extra charges. The 5G internet works great especially if you are in a bigger city.
On top of all that low price, you can earn Public Points that can be redeemed for a bill credit.
Public Points
In the spring of 2024, they made some changes with the points system. Before, if you made a referral (someone signs up with your referral code), you would get $1 off your monthly bill as long as that person you referred still uses Public Mobile.
Now, you can still earn $1 but with Public Points (the person you refer still gets $10 off their bill). The minimum bill credit you could do is $15 with 15 Public Points.
When you sign up, you get a 5 point welcome present and with each $34 monthly plan, you can earn 1.70 Public Points.
Then you can redeem your Public Points for a bill credit or extra data etc.
People with Public Mobile aren’t too happy with the current changes to the rewards system and many have switched providers because of this.
Other Public Mobile Promotions
Points-back earning was 5% per bill payment but now it is 2% back as of October 15, 2025
Anniversary bonus (bonus points you get for one year of loyalty) was 10 Points (worth $10) and as of October 15, 2025 it will be 5 Points
Public MObile Recap
I hope you enjoyed my break up story and brief Public Mobile review.
It’s been great not having to get another eSIM for a US road trip and it’s been great to receive phone calls and text messages and not worry about roaming charges.
My husband couldn’t believe it to be true and was a bit wary to turn on his data roaming since he has always turned off his data when we entered the US.
If you are interested in Public Mobile as well, please consider saving $10 with this referral code QR8 PJJ (thanks in advance, I will receive 1 Public Mobile point). The amount will get loaded to your Public Mobile app and account within 3 business days.
Public Mobile is for you if you don’t like to talk to customer service representatives (because there aren’t any) and you feel comfortable with the computer and the app, looking for answers in the forum.
What do you think of Public Mobile?
GYM is a 40 something millennial writing about personal finance since 2009 and interested in achieving financial freedom through disciplined saving, dividend and ETF investing, and living a minimalist lifestyle. Before you go, check out my recommendations page of financial tools I use to save and invest money. Don’t forget to subscribe for a free dividend yield spreadsheet and the free Young Money Bootcamp PDF.
Hi GYM,
I have the same situation but with Bell so, your useful info came right on time. Thank you! These days all companies try to make more and more money so they do not care for their customers, new or old. No loyalty at all.
After I read your article I entered on Public Mobile to inform myself with all the plans they have and more. The one question I have but couldn’t find an answer for is “Was someone’s plan price increased without notification?” I am afraid to go through all the process and in 2 months from now to get an increase in monthly payment. It might sound pessimistic, but I mentioned you can not trust any company these days.
Thank in advance for your reply.
Best regards
Melinda
@Melinda- hah I said the same thing to Telus- that I didn’t feel I could trust them since the CSRs were saying different things.
Hi again!
Dear GYM, I already ordered my plan and used your referral code QR8 PJJ. Fingers crossed!!
Best regards,
Melida
Oh wow thanks Melinda! I was worried about the same thing and found in the forum that no people haven’t had a price increase. And the amazing thing is that you don’t get charged for things you don’t sign up for unknowingly because it’s a subscription- no surprise charges.
Hi GYM,
Thanks for your reply! I am now waiting for my SIM and hope that the process of transferring my phone number from Bell to Public Mobile will go smoothly. Meanwhile I started my “hunting” for an internet provider. Ohhh didn’t I mention? My internet provider was also with Bell. For years, and…guess what? They increased my monthly payments by…a lot. Wish me luck, please….
Best regards,
Melinda
@Melinda- I hadn’t had too much luck with Telus either for the internet realm, but at least the new bill is only a little more than previous. It took many phone calls to the Telus customer service though- similar situation where the CSRs said different things
Have been with Public Mobile for years and have been very happy. Although I must say I was disappointed with their recent rewards program changes. Their reward for loyalty has substantially decreased.
And to answer Melinda’s question above we have never had our plan unexpectedly increase and hubby and I have both been with Public for years now.
@Maria- I signed up after this change and was still happy that you can get 1.7 points each month, haha I guess I am easy to please after coming from the price gouging and frequent bill changes from Telus.
Thx for sharing your experience re: no price increases.
Hi Maria,
Thanks for your reply! The experience I just had with Bell, made me very suspicious, so I had to ask, now….I hope for the best.
Best regards,
Melinda
How do you find coverage? From what I hear with these discount providers, is that service is great in Toronto for example, but once you step into the suburbs, forget it. True? False?
@dividend daddy- it’s pretty good so far. We were near Astoria, Oregon and the coverage dropped for a bit (it transfers to T mobile) but in Vancouver BC no issues. Once I head to the burbs in Vancouver I’ll update you.
I’ve been a Public Mobile customer for 10 years. It’s essentially Telus, without the high prices: Public Mobile uses Telus towers and the coverage is identical Canada-wide. We’re in Hamilton, but travel often to northern Ontario, Newfoundland, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Absolutely no issues with coverage.
Roaming in the US is equally good, and inexpensive: If you have a Canada-only plan, you can get a 15-day roaming package (talk and text) in the US for $15. That’s for the full 15 days, not per-day. Insanely cheap in comparison to the big carriers. And Public Mobile’s recent introduction of a North America-wide plan (Canada / US unlimited talk, text and a 15 GB of data) for $34/month is one of the best values out there. I’ve just changed my plan to this one, and we leave for the US this morning…
So, no downsides.
@John- Nice, thanks for sharing, great to hear it’s been good for 10 years and you have no complaints!
I’ve been with Zoomer Wireless for 7 years and have been happy that prices haven’t increased since I became a customer. But the service is being discontinued. There are so many of these great phone deals. I’ve been looking around to switch next year when my contract ends. Thanks for the PM review.
@Dividend Rise- oh cool never heard of Zoomer but sorry it is being discontinued. There’s definitely more options now than the big 3, it’s not an oligopoly anymore. I also hear that Fizz is another good option.
OK this one might be a bit trickier to figure out – when renegotiating my Optik/Home services contract a year ago, I got an additional $10 discount for something they call “Internet Mobile & Home Discount” (we have 2 iPhones). Neither of the phones are on contract and both were purchased in 2023. I wonder how this would affect transferring out one of the phones to Public? I figured the safest thing would be to try one phone first…
Comments or suggestions?
@Dan- do you mean your IPhones BYOD plans are with Telus? I had the same thing and called multiple times and got different responses. One guy just said whatever to get me off the phone with a completely apathetic voice (customer service is now that bad at Telus). According to the manager I spoke to, Public Mobile isn’t included in this only Koodo and and Telus. Until your non-contract ends it will be the same discount until then, but when you renew your “non contract” you won’t get the discount. The manager I spoke to coded some other discount that was equivalent for our internet service.
Ok thanks. Yes our phones are ours and on month-to-month 40GB + 40GB shared data unlimited talk/text Canada and USA. From what I am hearing, the Home Services bill will remain the same (including the $10 discount) until contract is up for renewal…
On another topic, do you know why Pubic’s T&C lists a whole bunch of weird area codes + prefixes that are not covered? Looking at the superscript start to this item doesn’t show up in the main offer but it’s a bit baffling to me especially when no explanation is given.
====
⁶Calls made to numbers starting with the following six digit combinations are not included in US calling from Canada and will not be completed when dialed: 712-432, 605-562, 641-552, 605-475, 605-477, 712-775, 559-726. Calls made to numbers starting with the following UK codes are not included in UK calling from Canada and will not be completed when dialed: 4470, 44870-44879, 44843-44845.
@Dan- Yes that’s correct- you’ll get the home service discount until the contract is up for renewal. With regards to the T&C I have no idea why but looking at some of those area codes they seem a bit rural? I’m not sure.
Big fan of Public Mobile! Their plans are much better than Telus or Koodo. Awesome to have a Canada-US plan that give you more data at a lower price than the plans you see from Koodo/Fido/Virgin. The one downside to Public is that their service doesn’t work outside of Canada/US. So, if you are traveling further afield, you won’t even be able to receive 2FA codes via text message (e.g. to log in to your bank)— a dealbreaker for me, so I had to switch back to one of the mainstream discount providers (Virgin).
It’s nice that Virgin Plus has a mobile app that actually works and nice to be able to talk to someone on the phone vs. trying to navigate a forum or start a support ticket via chat. But, Virgin Plus increased the price of my plan not even six months into service and have applied bogus roaming charges every time I’ve gone away. Their customer support has reluctantly reversed the charges but they cannot give a coherent explanation for why in one case there was $100 extra charged on my bill. Stay away.
Freedom Mobile and Fizz are new options I’m investigating… they have the same prices as Public Mobile but you can message Freedom on WhatsApp or go into their stores. You can only subscribe to them if you live in certain metro areas. Coverage works nationwide though and they have international roaming at reasonable rates. We’ll see how it goes. Freedom has a “Price Freeze Promise” to not increase your bill for 24 months.
@PhoneReview2024- Thanks for the info, and yes good point about the 2FA codes via text message. I’m used to not having my phone number used (just use a different SIM or just data only) when I go overseas anyways. Thanks for the info re: Freedom and Fizz. A family member of mine used Freedom but found the reception very poor (wasn’t able to get reception in the basement of his own home in Vancouver) and switched back to Telus the same day. Now he’s switched to Public Mobile and had no issues.
We travel to Europe pretty frequently, and I ran into the same issue with the lack of the ability to receive a text for banking and other suppliers. Aside from the fact that banks should not be using texts for 2FA, the fact is that they still do it.
The solution we’ve gone with is to get a free virtual phone number from TextNow: It’s actually a full VOIP-based number with unlimited calling and texting. It’s ad-supported and app-based. You can choose to pay a small amount per month to remove the ads, but it works just fine othewise. You can receive texts worldwide: Just add you new number to your banking profile and you’re done.
We’ve been very happy with this approach, combined with purchasing an Airalo or Keepgo eSim for overseas data.
@John- Agree, the 2FA thing is annoying sometimes banks send authentication numbers to emails too. I use Airalo too, I plan to use them when we go overseas. But the US roaming and phone calling, man it’s a game changer.
I’ve been with Public Mobile for 6+ years now, no complaints. It’s the low-cost, no-frills Telus brand so coverage will be the same as what you get with Telus mobility.
@Grace- Wow, great to hear, thanks.
Hello,
Does any action have to be taken with Telus to cancel the existing service. In particular, I went with the esim option so do I need to take steps to cancel with them?
Thanks,
James
@James- I called Telus previously about this issue and they said no, don’t need to tell them. I ported my number and got a final bill from Telus. I guess if you port your number it tells them you are cancelling. If you have a contract with Telus then I would assume you would need to take some action to cancel the contract.
I’ve been on Public Mobile for the last year and genuinely was concerned at first and very skeptical, but I’ve had no issues with it and its been an all around amazing service. Much better then being with Rogers over the past 10 years. Also since there are no contracts you can sign up, test it out, and if you dont like it, leave after 1 month.
@Thenuk- Thanks for sharing your experience with Public Mobile.
I actually made the same switch last year and haven’t looked back. The savings are significant, and I was surprised by how reliable Public Mobile’s network has been. Your breakdown of the hidden fees was spot-on—that was the final push I needed.
@16- Glad to hear 🙂