The Galaxy S7 Edge is not exactly a cheap device, but that doesn't mean you need to pay any more than you absolutely have to. Let's take a look at your options for cell plans: contract vs BYO.
Contract plans offer a discounted up-front price for the phone, but make up the difference by charging more per month for your cell service over the life of the plan; usually 24 months.
BYO plans let you bring your own phone, are usually cheaper per month, and generally don't have any lock-in contractual obligations. However, in this instance that means purchasing the Galaxy S7 Edge outright.
Let's take a look at how the two compare over the two years you'd spend on a contract, and see what they really cost in the long run.
Note: These plans are from the perspective of someone living in Ontario. If that's not your province, then carrier and plan availability, as well as pricing, may vary. Unless you're in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, or Quebec, the differences shouldn't be too huge, although you might not have access to Videotron or some of the other smaller carriers.
To change your location, or adjust the search parameters for any of these tables, hit the "view full results" link at the bottom of each, and make your changes on the following page.
1GB plans
1GB plans are a good starting point for a flagship phone. It's enough to get use out of your fancy bells and whistles, although you'll want to keep an eye on that usage meter.
Light daily browsing and social media is ok, but make sure you avoid and video or music streaming services when on cellular data. Restrict yourself to downloading or updating any apps only over WiFi.
It's even a good idea to avoid sending or receiving too many images over IM programs, and definitely steer clear of GIFs whenever possible.
Contract Plans
(Smaller up-front cost. 2 year contract)
BYO Plans
(Buy phone for full price. Usually no contract)
Interestingly, we have a fairly even mix here. WIND will always come in first, thanks to its low-cost BYO plans, but in second place we have Fido with a 24 month contract.
Next is TELUS's BYO plan, which is somehow cheaper than Koodo's even though the latter is wholly-owned by the former and is designed to be a cheaper option. The difference here, of course, is that the TELUS BYO plan offers 300 local minutes, where Koodo's has 500 nation-wide minutes.
The rest of the plans are pretty self-explanatory, although it is worth noting that there's very little difference between Videotron's contract and BYO pricing.
2GB plans
2GB and 2.5GB plans are more comfortable than 1GB. Browsing and social media usage shouldn't be a problem, unless you're absolutely prolific on a daily basis.
Still try to avoid downloading any large apps, or doing multiple app updates while you're off of WiFi, unless absolutely necessary. Light music streaming is fine, but if you do it every day there's a good chance you'll go over. Video continues to be something to avoid, except on rare occasions, and it's probably a good idea to turn video auto-play off in any apps.
If you're a gif-heavy instant messanger, then you might want to rein it in, but feel free to go pretty nuts with images and stickers.
Contract Plans
(Smaller up-front cost. 2 year contract)
BYO Plans
(Buy phone for full price. Usually no contract)
Once again WIND is first by a significant margin.
Videotron takes second place with its contract plan, but its BYO plan is over $100 more over 2 years.
TELUS's BYO plan manages to be significantly cheaper than Koodo's (once again there is a difference in call inclusions between the two), and is even a little cheaper than Fido's contract plan.
5GB plans
5GB is were you can pretty much breathe easy, unless you're a seriously heavy user and don't often find yourself in range of a WiFi network.
Daily music streaming should be ok, and you can go pretty much as gif heavy as you want on IM apps. YouTube is still something to look out for, but feel free to watch away as long as you spare the occasional glance in the direction of your usage meter.
Contract Plans
(Smaller up-front cost. 2 year contract)
BYO Plans
(Buy phone for full price. Usually no contract)
Videotron takes second place again, but this time by a huge amount. The next-cheapest plan (TELUS BYO) is almost $600 more-expensive over 24 months.
Once you get past third place things even out a bit, but do gradually creep up as you get further down the list.
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