Loading

Frequently Asked Questions - All About PlanHub

What is PlanHub?

PlanHub is a mobile phone and Internet plan comparator based in Montreal. Our innovative and qualified search engine helps you to easily identify your needs and choose between the best phone and Internet deals available in Canada.

How does PlanHub work?

Our technologically advanced search engine combined with a qualified and daily updated database helps you find the best mobile phone and Internet deals available in all Canadian provinces.

In addition to the regular plans of the main national carriers (Bell, Telus, Rogers, Videotron, Fizz,...) and their sub-brands (Koodo, Fido, Public Mobile,...), PlanHub's database is updated every day with new mobile plans, cell phone deals and Internet offers in Canada.

Our teams work hard to keep all offers current and correct on our site. However, we’re not perfect, so if you find any error on our comparator, please let us know and we’ll fix it right away.

Can I buy a cell phone plan on PlanHub?

PlanHub is a mobile phone and Internet plan comparator, currently we do not offer online purchase, as our teams are working actively to expand our offer of mobile and Internet plans.

However, if you see the “Get more details” red button on the mobile plan page you are interested in, you can buy that plan or order it on the mobile plan provider’s website by clicking on it.

For plans that don’t have the red button, you’ll have to call the provider and ask for that plan. Don’t forget to tell them that we sent you!

Is your service really free?

Yes! Absolutely. The PlanHub's mobile and Internet comparator, as well as all the services provided in our website are free to use for all our visitors.

Our main revenues come from agreements with some of the mobile providers and cell phone carriers who have the “Get more details” red button next to their offers.

Are you owned by any of the telecom companies?

PlanHub is a 100% founder-owned and self-funded company based in Montréal, we are not owned in any part or funded by any of the telecom companies. We have never received any outside equity or debt funding.

PlanHub is a fully consumer-focused company, we do not alter our search results or our customer recommendations based on whether the companies are our clients or not.

Why do I not see my local mobile plans provider on PlanHub?

It takes a lot of technological and human effort to add and keep updated the offers of the site.

For each mobile and Internet provider there exist hundreds of mobile, Internet, cell phone and Television plans, extras and device combinations and deals to add and keep updated on a daily basis.

For now, you can find on PlanHub all the biggest national mobile, Internet and Television carriers, as well as their sub-brands plans, and we are continually working to add regional carriers.

So if we don’t carry a mobile or cell phone provider in your region, let us know and we’ll work on adding them as soon as possible! 

Why can’t I see any pre-paid mobile plans?

We are gradually adding regional providers and pre-paid plans to our database. So rest assured we’re actively working on it. Stay tuned for more! 

I live in Alberta; why don’t I see any Internet plans in my province?

PlanHub started as a cell phone plan comparison site, we added not so long ago the Internet and Television plans comparison.

Being Montréal based, we started our Internet plan comparison from Quebec and are slowly but surely expanding into Ontario and Canada. So stay tuned for more!

I’d like a bundle with Internet, TV and a few phone lines. Where can I find that?

Unfortunately, PlanHub don’t offer bundle comparison just yet, but… it’s coming!

We are actively working on adding Television plans to our comparator. The next step of our journey is of course to add all kind of mobile, Internet and Television bundles.

So rest assured - bundles are coming to PlanHub soon!

The mobile plan I see on PlanHub is not available on the provider’s website. What do I do?

Oh-oh! We are sorry for the inconvenience but this should be a rare occurrence. There could be two reasons why you’re facing this issue:

1. It is a hidden promotional deal that our bots have spotted but it does not have a designated URL on the provider’s site. In this case, all you need to do is to call the provider and tell them the deal you saw on PlanHub and purchase it through them.
Or 
2. It could be a genuine error on our part. If that is the case, we apologize for the inconvenience. Please do point the error out to us and we’ll fix it right away. Thanks for making the PlanHub community better with your contribution.

How do I evaluate my needs?

The most effective way to save on phone and Internet bills is to make sure that you’re paying only for what you really need.

If the data plan is too small for your monthly use, you’ll pay overage fees and if it is too big you’ll be paying for stuff you don’t use. We’ve found from amongst our users that people tend to overestimate their needs by as much as 50-100%.

So, we’ve come up with an easy way to find with as much precision as possible the phone or Internet plan you will require:
  • For cell phone plans - simply look at your monthly bill. It will tell you in details what your usage the past month was - across calls, text and data. Check for overage fees or see if you always have a lot of unspent mobile data. 
  • For your Internet plan needs, our Internet search page has a handy step questionnaire with a few relevant questions that will help you estimate your Internet needs and find the best Internet deals in Canada.
  • If you have a Smartphone, then you can also check out our post on how to find your actual usage and to limit it, if need be - here.

How do I find the best cell phone plan in Quebec?

PlanHub is the easiest and simplest way to find and compare between the current cell phone plan deals in Quebec and in Canada. Just choose the number of call minutes and data you need each month and click ‘Search’.
In just a few seconds, we’ll show you a selection of the best cell phone plans in the market that will suit your needs.

If you choose a cell phone, we also tell you what your device costs upfront, what your monthly payment is for your device + your mobile plan and we also tell you what the overall cost of each plan is over a two-year period.

In the details of each search result, we also tell you if there are any upfront costs or promotions.

So there are NO SURPRISES AND NO HIDDEN FEES when you choose a cell phone plan on PlanHub! 

Watch out, even if the plan prices look identical from one mobile carrier to another, the price for the device can vary and can make a real difference in final price of the cell phone plan over a two-year contract period.

Which cell phone should I choose?

There is no right or wrong answer. If you don’t have access to Internet or don’t use apps, don’t buy a Smartphone. Most of the time they’re more expensive, are fragile and have lesser battery life.

If you are buying a Smartphone - Consider buying a previous generation phone. We have reached a stage in Smartphone development when with each passing year, we’re making mainly cosmetic updates. A previous generation phone will have the same functionality and performance of the latest model, but will be substantially cheaper. Most carriers also have their best deals on BYOD plans. So together, you can make significant savings with last year’s Smartphone + a BYOD plan. 

Another option is buying a used phone from a recognized reseller. Please refer to our guide on buying used devices

Is there a way to find the best mobile deals on a particular device?

For sure! Just click the logo of the device you’ve chosen from any search result and it will take you to a page that shows you the best deals currently available on that device in your province! 

Should I buy my cell phone on contract or unlocked?

Today, there are multiple options when it comes to buying a new cell phone. Each with its own pros and cons. You can choose to buy your cell phone upfront or you can lease it for a two-year period with an obligation to give it back at the end of the contract.

To help you weigh the pros and cons of each, we’ve written a couple of articles. Check them out:

Leasing Your Phone in Canada: Should you Lease or Should you Buy?

And

Is device financing worth it?

Our comparator takes all these factors into account and shows you what the actual cost will be for a device of your choice if you choose BYOD vs financing over a two-year period. 

How are the fees applicable when I cancel my contract?

The cancellation fee for your particular contract depends on the financing you got for your device as well as where you’re at in your contract.

Let's take an example:

You’ve agreed to a 24 month contract with Fizz, and there’s 6 month left to it. You still have to pay 6 / 24 = 1/4 of the cost cell phone after any upfront payments you may have made. So if your cell phone was worth 1000$ and that you paid 200$ upfront, the financing is 800$. The cancelation fees are 800$ / 4 = 200$. And nothing more! 

And after you pay that, your device is supposed to be unlocked for free! You’re protected by the CRTC.

How do you rank your search results?

The results displayed represent the total cost for each mobile, cell phone or Internet plan over 2 years.

To calculate the total cost over 2 years, we include the cost of the cell phone and the total monthly payments for the mobile plan.

The results are displayed considering the price, starting with the cheapest mobile or Internet plan.

I’m not getting the Internet speeds I pay for. Is it my modem?

It could be. There are multiple factors that determine what Internet speeds we actually get.

First and foremost, check here to see if your Internet provider is throttling your speeds at peak times.

If it is not your Internet provider it could be your modem or your router. If your modem is leased from your ISP, they should be able to troubleshoot it for you and replace your modem with one that can support the speeds they advertise.

If you own your own modem and router, check out our article below to see what you should look for and how to decide if the one you have suits your needs: 

How to choose a wifi router for your home?

And if you have spotty speeds throughout your home, perhaps what you need is an Wifi amplifier. To find out more, read our article below: 

Wifi Amplifier vs Mesh Network: Which one to choose?

I’m not getting the Internet speed I pay for, but it is sufficient for my needs. Can I find a better deal on PlanHub?

Of course! We built the PlanHub Speed Test to answer just such a question.

Sometimes, it's neither the modem nor anything you can control. It is just the network in your area. You’ll only get the speeds you get. It might be sufficient for your needs, but it does not mean that Internet providers won’t try and charge you for speeds they know they can’t provide.

So if you are ok with the speeds you get, you can still take the PlanHub Speed Test to find the best Internet deals in your area for the speeds you are already getting. 

Check our Speed Test page, you can find out more about exactly how our speed test works by clicking on “More Info”.

How can I keep track of the latest cell phone deals that might interest me?

Our Alerts! For any search that you are interested in, just click on the green bell icon at the bottom of the screen to set an Alert for that search.

So instead of wasting your time researching to keep you up to date with the latest and best mobile phone deals, we'll do the work for you.

When a really good cell phone deal comes up for one of your saved searches, we will send it to you and let you decide whether you want to buy it or not. Each alert remains active for 3 months. If you continue to be interested in that search after that time, be sure to set up a new alert for the same search.

Don’t worry, we won’t ever spam you. You should get no more than 1 or 2 PlanHub emails alerting you to new deals over that 3-month period.

Why do you ask me for my postal code and email id? What will you do with it?

We ask you for your postal code so we can show you the offers most relevant in your area. We do not store it or use it for any other purposes.

We only ask you for your email id to provide you with services you request. Thus, if you set an Alert for a particular search, we’ll ask for your email so we can send you a deal if one comes up.

If you sign up for our newsletter, we’ll ask for your email id so we can send it to you. And if you would like to leave a review of your ISP or mobile service provider on PlanHub, we ask for your email id so that we can be sure the review is authentic and useful to our community. 

Don’t worry, we will never spam you. All the personal information we receive from you is stored and dealt with in accordance with our Privacy Policy and respects Canadian Privacy and Anti-spam regulations. 

Is there a way to keep up with you on Social Media?

Yes! You are more than welcome to like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.

Why the total cost over 2 years of a plan does not match to the monthly fee x 24?

The calculation of the Total 2 years may include a discount or additional fees such as installation fees. It is also possible that the monthly fees are of a certain amount the first months and then have a different amount the following months. To know the detail of the calculation on 2 years of an offer you just have to click on "details" on the plan to see the calculation in its whole.

How to write a review ?

As an impartial price comparator PlanHub strives to collect and display user’s reviews on all covered companies.

All reviews must be 100% user-generated, and we do not allow any review to be altered or removed by the company itself.

PlanHub reserves the right to remove feedback that isn't directly related to customer experience. If your comment includes any of the following, it is subject to removal: promotions and commercial solicitations, abusive language, sexual content, infringing content, illegal activity, irrelevant or malicious comment, personal information. Customers in the same household may not post multiple reviews of the same provider. We may restrict the ability to submit a feedback when we detect unusual reviewing behavior.

If you wish to write a review, please follow the steps below:

-- Go to the company’s profile page that you would like to review
-- Scroll down to the “Review” section
-- Click on the “Leave a review” button
-- Follow the guided steps provided by PlanHub

Once submitted your review will be moderated by one of our team before it is published live on the site. We aim to review all submissions within 24 hours.