Note this post contains a referral code 6L9MZO\u00a0(that\u2019s a capital \u201co\u201d not the number zero)<\/strong>.\u00a0 By using this referral code we will get $1 off our phone bill each month and you will get a $10 credit at no additional cost to you.\u00a0 It\u2019s a win-win for the both of us and you help support our blog.<\/p>\n Public Mobile is a prepaid, self-serve brand launched in 2010 and acquired by Telus in 2013.\u00a0 Essentially it\u2019s the DIY low-fee phone provider.\u00a0 If you like the idea of saving money, listen up.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how it works: you supply your own phone, select one of their low-fee plans, and off you go.<\/p>\n If you switch over from another network, you can port your old phone number so it will stay with you.\u00a0 The fact that you bring your own phone upfront is a perk in and of itself.\u00a0 You are no longer tied to being stuck with a plan\/provider as you\u2019re slowly chipping away at paying off your device (which is typically built into your high monthly phone bill with the large phone service providers).\u00a0 You own your phone outright and you use it until it dies.\u00a0 Most people pursuing FI will see this as a huge perk as you can gamify the lifespan of your phone just as you would your used low-mileage car to try to get the most bang for your buck.\u00a0 The same mindset applies to most FI principles such as paying off your mortgage faster than the typical amortization rate or travel hacking and flying a family of 4 for less than the price of 1.\u00a0 If there is a cost saving strategy that does not diminish the quality of our life, we’re on it.\u00a0 Heck, maybe you\u2019ll even show off that you use a 4 year old phone vs having to be forced<\/em> to upgrade to a newer device even though you didn\u2019t want\/need it.\u00a0 Buying a good case upfront does wonders to the life of your phone.\u00a0 You can pick whichever phone you like and Public Mobile won\u2019t shove marketing and advertising down your throat to upgrade upgrade upgrade to the newest shiny device out there.\u00a0 Nic is proudly entering year 5 of her iPhone 5 SE – although the battery life is definitely wearing on her as this point.\u00a0 You can check to see which phones are compatible with Public Mobile here<\/a>.<\/p>\n You simply start off with a $5 SIM card<\/a> to insert into your phone (note it used to be $10 but now it’s $5).\u00a0 You then go to Public Mobile’s website to activate the SIM and fill out the required info<\/a>.\u00a0 Then you request to transfer your existing number from your previous phone provider.\u00a0 And off to the races you go. It’s really that simple.<\/p>\n The immediate question most people have is, how is the service?\u00a0 They use Telus\u2019 4G LTE network so the short answer is it\u2019s very reliable, just as Telus\u2019 service is reliable.\u00a0 As for coverage, you can enter your address to ensure you\u2019re covered<\/a> \u2013 you likely are.<\/p>\n Their plans are cheap<\/u><\/strong>.\u00a0 Way cheaper than what we\u2019ve seen with the bigger players.\u00a0 Currently (as of the latest update: August 15, 2021), here\u2019s what they are offering<\/a>:<\/p>\n Their plans are subject to change so if you see a plan that works for you, you may want to look into changing sooner rather than later or be sure to check their website to see if there have been any changes to what’s currently offered.<\/p>\n Also, after you’ve made the switch to Public you may see an updated plan that works better for you.\u00a0 Or say your plan at $35 was for $2 GB of data but now it’s offering 3 GB of data for the same cost.\u00a0 You can easily adjust your plan to any of the current rates\/coverage after being with them.<\/p>\n They also have ad-ons if you\u2019re looking to add more minutes, data, US roaming etc to the plan you select.\u00a0 You can decide if you want to do these ad-ons one time or more frequently.\u00a0 It\u2019s totally up to you.\u00a0 So there are no hidden fees that will pop up on you which is really nice since everything is based off a prepaid plan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n AND<\/strong> if you enroll in auto-pay you get an additional $2 off per month.\u00a0 So there goes $2 from the prices above.<\/p>\n Yep, we\u2019re not done here.\u00a0 There\u2019s also a Loyalty Reward.\u00a0 Every year you stay with Public they knock off $1\/month from your bill, capped to $5\/month off once you\u2019ve been with them for 5 years.<\/p>\n They also have a Community Reward program where you have the potential to earn up to $20\/month off.\u00a0 This involves helping others to resolve any technical issues they may be having with their phones (they post questions on the message board and you post answers back).\u00a0 If you have any issues, this is where you can also go to try and resolve any questions\/issues or get customer service (there are also moderators who are actual employees of Public Mobile).\u00a0 Of course, you could also call their customer service line at 1-800-567-0000 for help too.\u00a0 We haven\u2019t spent any time on this perk as we are not technical people so we can\u2019t be of too much use here to explain how it really works.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s an example taken straight from their website showing how you can go from a $45 plan down to $0.<\/p>\n Note that their rewards program is also subject to change, so check their rewards rules page<\/a> to see if there have been any changes since writing this post.<\/p>\n My phone is provided through my employer but Nic used Public Mobile\u2019s $15\/month plan and had no regrets or issues with it.\u00a0 With wifi so prevalent these days, you likely can be on a lower plan than you anticipate.\u00a0 Since she\u2019s enrolled in auto pay, she paid $13 per month for her plan.\u00a0 She’s been with Public Mobile for over 2 years so that knocks her plan down by another $2 to $11 per month. And thanks to our faithful FImily for using our referral code, M4O794 (that\u2019s a capital \u201co\u201d not the number zero),<\/strong> she\u2019s been able to knock down this plan to $0 per month (thank you!).\u00a0 She then transitioned to the $25\/mo plan which also got knocked down to $0 thanks to even more referral codes.\u00a0 She’s now on the $35\/mo plan for 3 GB and we’re working on getting that close to $0 shortly.\u00a0 It really is as simple as that and you too can have a $0 phone plan.<\/p>\n (Note this $35 plan used to be for 1.5 GB of data but has switched to 3 GB.\u00a0 We simply logged in to her account and switched from her “old” $35 plan to the “new” $35 plan to get an extra 1.5 GB of data each month.)<\/p>\n If you’re ready to switch over, you simply enter in this referral code when you\u2019re activating your SIM card.\u00a0 Public Mobile can\u2019t retroactively enter in the code after the fact so it\u2019s important to enter it right at the beginning to get your $10 credit. Once you\u2019ve signed up, you too can get your very own referral code to get $1 off per month from your plan as well. And anyone using your code then also gets $10 off.\u00a0 If you have friends or family switching over, make sure to sign up first yourself, then give them your code to maximize this benefit. The race to a $0 plan is on!<\/p>\n Now I know some of you reading this could not fathom the $15 plan with 250 MB of data, but hear me out before you scoff at it (you also can obviously choose one of their other plans with more data).<\/p>\n There you have it!\u00a0 Cheers to an easy way of lowering one of your recurring monthly bills!\u00a0 It’s little hacks like this that do not impact your day-to-day lifestyle but help you reach FI that much faster. And no, I am no way paid or sponsored by Public Mobile, I just want more people to get their phone bills down to $0.<\/p>\n Any Public Mobile users have anything to add?\u00a0 Any Canadians ready to make the switch over to Public Mobile? What cell phone provider do you currently use and how much are you paying?\u00a0 If you\u2019re ready to switch over please use referral code M4O794 (that\u2019s a capital \u201co\u201d not the number zero)<\/strong> and leave a comment below so we can personally thank you \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n If you liked this article and want more content like this, please support this blog by sharing it.\u00a0 Not only does it help spread the FIRE, but it lets me know what content you find beneficial.\u00a0 Writing is NOT my strong suit and it honestly takes me hours to write each post so the more encouragement the better!\u00a0 Engaging in the comments below keeps me motivated.\u00a0 You can also support this blog by subscribing to receive emails anytime a new post is published.\u00a0 Thank you FImily!<\/p>\n We believe in stacking up life hacks to keep your enjoyment levels to the max without depleting your bank account.\u00a0 Here are some ways to further educate yourself and save thousands of dollars over your lifetime by making some simple adjustments:<\/p>\n When we first moved up to Canada we realized a few differences from our time spent in Florida \u2013 one of the notable things was …<\/p>\nWho is Public Mobile?<\/h2>\n
What About Coverage?<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nPlans?<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nAny more perks?<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nWhat About My Precious Data?!<\/h2>\n
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Support This Blog<\/h2>\n
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