Even if you restrict yourself to plans in the US, there are differences in how we think about data and plan features. Unlimited data has become normalized in the US, and many people don’t know how much data they use each month. Plus, you have fewer unlimited options if you use a budget carrier or a carrier in another country.
No one needs unlimited data. Most people who pay for unlimited could get by on a smaller and cheaper plan. Still, carriers like Verizon are popular and only offer unlimited options on their postpaid plans. Comparing Verizon to a carrier north of the border, Bell in Canada, unlimited data may not be the selling feature we think it is.
Coverage can’t be directly compared
Every country will have different networking challenges
It isn’t easy to compare carriers in different countries, especially when it comes to coverage. Each country decides how much spectrum carriers have access to, and that’s before they think about building towers. Canada is a massive country with a sparsely populated space, so looking for a carrier to cover all of it is unrealistic. Still, coverage is an important consideration when choosing a carrier. If you’re signing up, make sure there’s coverage where you live.
According to Bell’s Q3 2024 financial results, Bell has over 10.3 million phone subscribers, making it the second-largest carrier behind Telus, with 11.6 million phone subscribers. Compare that to 114.2 million prepaid and postpaid subscribers at Verizon from Verizon’s Q3 2024 results.
Verizon and Bell have been expanding their 5G networks, with both carriers utilizing low-band and mid-band 5G. Bell’s 5G+ uses a mid-band spectrum at 3.5GHz, which is similar to Verizon’s C-band coverage at 3.7GHz. While Verizon’s coverage appears to be more uniform when comparing Verizon’s coverage map to Bell’s coverage map, both carriers have solid urban and suburban coverage.
How do the plans stack up?
Bell offers plenty of data but not unlimited
Verizon has three main plans, and so does Bell. Bell also has a talk and text plan for $35 per month. Verizon’s plans stick to unlimited data with some priority differences between plans. The biggest differences between these plans are international features, hotspot data, and potential new device savings. Verizon’s cheapest plan, Unlimited Welcome, is $65, which is roughly equal to Can$91 at the time of writing. Verizon’s middle plan, Unlimited Plus, starts at $80, or about Can$112. Unlimited Ultimate is the most expensive at $90, or about Can$127.
These prices make Verizon look expensive, but you save when you have multiple lines. For example, Verizon’s Unlimited Welcome plan is $65 for one line, but it’s $30 per line with four lines.
Bell offers multi-line discounts. It does so by discounting the additional lines rather than all at once. This is a $15 discount on additional lines on Bell’s two Ultimate plans.
Bell’s two top-end plans are Ultimate 100 and Ultimate 200. The former comes with 100GB of high-speed data, while the latter gets 200GB. Both get full 5G access in Canada, though Ultimate 200 includes roaming in the US and Mexico. Both can use their data in a hotspot. Ultimate 100 costs Can$65 per month, and Ultimate 200 is Can$95. That works out to around $46 and $68 in USD. Bell’s plans are cheaper, with all other things equal.
What I like about Bell’s plans is that the amount of data you get and the speeds you can expect are straightforward. While there isn’t unlimited data, 100GB is a lot and should be fine for most users. I don’t love that SD streaming is enforced on a plan with a 100GB limit, and I don’t like it when plans with a data cap tell you how to use your data. At least hotspot data is shared from the same large pool of data.
Bell offers a cheap talk and text plan for light users. Verizon does as well, though you must get it from the prepaid side of the carrier.
Related
Do you get the same sort of features with both?
Bell and Verizon have many plan features in common, but Bell does some things differently that I like. For one, Bell’s top plan includes data usage in the US and Mexico, as do Verizon’s postpaid plans. Both carriers limit which plans get access to full-speed 5G, with Bell’s 5G+ only available on the two Ultimate plans and Verizon’s Ultra Wideband limited to the top two Verizon postpaid plans.
Verizon offers unlimited data, while Bell gives you a generous but limited pool of data. This can be helpful, as hotspot data and general phone data use the same pool of data. Verizon has separate pools for hotspot data with unlimited data when used on your phone.
Solid phone compatibility
There are plenty of Android models to choose from
With Bell, you can bring your phone or purchase a new one with the option for 24-month payment plans. Since Verizon sells phones with 36-month payment plans, the monthly payment may be lower, but you’ll make them for a year longer. With many flagship models getting years of software support and mid-range phones packing in a lot of power, you should be able to get by for three years.
The plan price is cheaper when you bring your phone to Bell. For example, Bell’s middle Ultimate 100 plan with auto-pay is Can$75 when you buy a new phone but only Can$65 when you bring your phone. The carrier discounts phones, with the Galaxy S24 coming in at Can$10 per month for 24 months. At Verizon, that phone is $0 per month for a new customer with 36 monthly bill credits, though you’ll need one of Verizon’s pricier plans. While prices will never line up perfectly, especially since the value of the Canadian Dollar isn’t tied to the US dollar, you can save on a new phone if you stay with the carrier for a couple of years.
