Activation Fees & SIM Card Costs: All Canadian Phone Carriers Compared

You've spent the time to crunch numbers, check prices and find the phone and plan that fits into your budget.

Everything is going great. No need to eat only rice and beans this month.

Then the first bill rolls in...

What are all these added activation and SIM fees?

Much like bag fees at the airport, activation and SIM fees are often part of the standard (yet unmentioned) cost of phone service.

To make matters worse, they don't just pop up when you start service. If you upgrade phones or add a line to your plan, they're likely to show up on your bill yet again.

While you can sometimes ask your service provide to waive these fees, most won't... you're simply stuck paying.

But what are these fees exactly? 

To further complicate matters, some carriers charge both fees.

Others have made big announcements that they're cancelling one type of fee only to raise the price of the other by the same amount... if not more.

The bottom line is, you need to keep these costs in mind when comparing cell phone companies.

To help keep track of the various SIM and Activation Fees, we've put together a chart that compares all the major carriers for you without having to jump between an endless list of sites!

As the table shows, avoiding both fees is nearly impossible. But by choosing the right service provider, you can reduce your costs.

Many providers also waive or reduce fees if you complete your purchase and setup online. So be sure to check the carrier website before heading down to your local store.

We hope this chart helps save you money!

Note: We do our best to keep this page current, but fees are subject to change. We'd appreciate you letting us know if you spot any errors. Always confirm any addition fees with your carrier prior to starting a new line of service or making changes to an existing plan to avoid an unexpected expenses.