How To Get a Phone Plan Without a Credit Check in Canada

Steve Vegvari - Staff Writer

Last updated 30 June 2026

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3 ways to get a phone plan without a credit check
Prepaid plans won't affect your credit
The best no-credit-check phone plans

You might assume you need a stellar credit score (and a credit card) to get a cell phone plan in Canada, though that's thankfully not the case. It's entirely possible to get a phone plan in Canada without a credit check.

Prepaid carriers don't require contracts and, as a result, don't require credit checks. In the past, prepaid plans offered minimal data and limited talk and text options, primarily designed for basic cell phone users, like young children and senior citizens. A lot has changed in the past few years. Now, prepaid options are some of the best cell phone plans in Canada, with generous data allotments, fast speeds, and, most importantly, no credit checks.

In this guide, we'll explain how some phone plans let you skip a credit check and which plans we recommend.

3 ways to get a phone plan without a credit check

Prepaid plans in Canada don't require credit checks. Here are three ways to activate your prepaid plan without using a credit card or having the carrier run a credit check.

1. Use a debit card

You might not have a credit card, but it's rather easy to open a bank account and, with it, get a debit card. You don't need a credit check to open a bank account. In fact, Canada guarantees its citizens the right to bank accounts, even if they have bad credit. All you'll need to open a bank account is proof of identification.

From there, you can use your debit card to purchase a prepaid plan online, at a carrier store, or from a third-party retailer like Best Buy or 7-11. Once you activate your account, you can set up autopay with your debit card, ensuring you pay your bill and don't start a new month without an active plan, just like a more traditional postpaid plan. (Just watch out for overdraft fees if your autopay doesn't have enough money to use from your bank account)

2. Use a prepaid gift card

If you'd like to purchase a prepaid cell phone plan online but don't want to use a debit card, you can use a prepaid gift card instead. Many Canadian retailers sell Visa and Mastercard gift cards that are effectively limited-use debit cards. They're loaded with a finite amount of money and expire once you spend that amount. You can pay for your prepaid plan without worrying that you'll overdraft your bank account or forget about autopay.

3. Pay in cash at a store

Prepaid plans can be purchased in cash from a variety of retailers, convenience stores, and gas stations, including Best Buy, 7-11, and Petro-Canada. There's no credit check required to start using your new plan, though you'll need to top up (or refill) your account when you run out of data, minutes, or messages. If you want to continue doing that in cash, you'll need to return to a retailer each time.

Prepaid plans won't affect your credit

It’s important to note that paying for a prepaid plan by debit or cash won’t build credit. If you’re looking to use a phone plan to build credit, then you’ll need to activate a postpaid plan, which, unfortunately, often requires a credit check. We recommend reading the Financial Consumer Agency’s guide to improving your credit to learn how to get your foot in the door.

The best no-credit-check phone plans

We selected some of the best plans from the most reliable prepaid carriers in Canada. Although they lack some premium options, like financing and family sharing, they still offer quality service. Most importantly, these prepaid carriers don't require credit checks despite their great coverage, generous data allotments, and cheap monthly payments.

Public Mobile

This is not only the best prepaid plan in Canada, but Public's Unlimited Canada-US Talk + Text plan is the best cell phone plan in Canada. Period. This plan gives you unlimited talk and text plus an enormous amount of 5G data. Even though Public rebranded from a “prepaid” carrier to a “5G subscription” provider, that's just an attempt to distance themselves from the low quality most Canadians associate with prepaid plans.

The good news is that this plan, whether Public calls it “prepaid” or a “subscription,” is still technically prepaid—you pay for 90 days of service at a time, which means it doesn't require a credit check. So you can take advantage of 5G speeds on the Telus network, even if you don't have a good credit score.

Public Mobile	Public Mobile $24 Unlimited Canada-Wide Talk + Text + 5GB 5GB at 4G speeds up to 100Mbps Telus 4G Network Deal: Receive 2% in Public Points Rewards $24.00 + $15 Upfront View Plan	$24.00 + $15 Upfront	View Plan
Public Mobile	Public Mobile $28 Unlimited Canada-Wide Talk + Text + 10GB 10GB at 4G speeds up to 100Mbps Telus 4G Network Deal: Receive 2% in Public Points Rewards $28.00 + $15 Upfront View Plan	$28.00 + $15 Upfront	View Plan
Public Mobile	Public Mobile $30 Unlimited Canada-Wide Talk + Text + 35GB 35GB at 4G speeds up to 100Mbps Telus 4G Network Deal: Receive 2% in Public Points Rewards $30.00 + $15 Upfront View Plan	$30.00 + $15 Upfront	View Plan

Chatr Mobile

Chatr runs on the nationwide Rogers network, offering cheap plans with access to the country's most reliable network. This plan offers unlimited talk and text, along with a generous 4G data allowance. If you're interested in pairing a phone with your new plan, they also offer several affordable devices you can purchase outright, including the Motorola Moto G Play and the TCL 502.

Chatr Wireless	Chatr Wireless $159 Nationwide Talk, Text & 4G Data plan 40GB data Rogers 4G Network $159.00 Per 1 Year Top-up + $10 Upfront View Plan	$159.00 Per 1 Year Top-up + $10 Upfront	View Plan
Chatr Wireless	Chatr Wireless $19 Nationwide Talk & Text plan 500MB data Rogers 4G Network Deal: Get 500MB bonus data when you sign up with Auto-Pay $19.00 Per 1 Month Top-up + $10 Upfront View Plan	$19.00 Per 1 Month Top-up + $10 Upfront	View Plan
Chatr Wireless	Chatr Wireless $21 Nationwide Talk & Text plan 1GB at 4G speeds Rogers 4G Network Deal: Get 500MB bonus data when you sign up with Auto-Pay $21.00 Per 1 Month Top-up + $10 Upfront View Plan	$21.00 Per 1 Month Top-up + $10 Upfront	View Plan

Lucky Mobile

Like Chatr and Public, Lucky is a flanker brand, also known as an MVNO. Lucky is owned by Bell rather than Rogers and, as such, operates on Bell's nationwide network. One of the best Lucky Mobile plans is its Unlimited Canada-wide Calling plan, which provides unlimited talk and text plus 5GB of 4G data. That's just below the average amount of data Canadians use per month. If you're a basic cell phone user who leaves most of your internet activity for when you're on Wi-Fi, 5GB should be more than enough.

Lucky Mobile	Lucky Mobile $19 Unlimited Canada-wide Calling Plan 500MB data Bell 4G Network $19.00 Per 1 Month Top-up + $10 Upfront View Plan	$19.00 Per 1 Month Top-up + $10 Upfront	View Plan
Lucky Mobile	Lucky Mobile $21 Unlimited Canada-wide Calling Plan 1GB data Bell 4G Network Deal: Get 500MB Auto top-up bonus $21.00 Per 1 Month Top-up + $10 Upfront View Plan	$21.00 Per 1 Month Top-up + $10 Upfront	View Plan
Lucky Mobile	Lucky Mobile $25 Unlimited Canada-wide Calling Plan 5GB data Bell 4G Network Deal: Get 1GB Auto top-up bonus $25.00 Per 1 Month Top-up + $10 Upfront View Plan	$25.00 Per 1 Month Top-up + $10 Upfront	View Plan

Steve Vegvari

Staff Writer

Steve Vegvari is a 10-year veteran writer in the gaming and tech space, having covered everything from the latest marquee games and hardware to smartphones and smart home devices. He emphasizes his love of weird, experimental tech while uncovering the pros and cons of the Canadian mobile market.

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