Fido has added a new branch of Max Plans, after stepping in to the world of subsidized cell plans at the end of January. These new plans have 300 minutes local calling, where the originals offer unlimited Canada-wide (CW) calls for a higher price. Both options offer unlimited CW text, picture, and video messaging.
Let's see how the two compare.
|
|
500MB | 1GB | 2.5GB | 5GB | 7GB | 10GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Unlimited |
$85 | $90 | $100 | $115 | $130 | $150 |
|
Limited local |
- | $80 | $90 | $105 | $120 | $140 |
Click the links to check out the plans.
At $10 cheaper per month across the board, you can save a decent amount if you don't think you'll be needing to make too many calls outside of your locality. In the case of the 2.5GB + 300 minute plan, you're paying the exact same amount as if you had less than half the data with unlimited calls.
It's up to you, would you prefer more data for less money ($240 over the life of your contract), or is making calls in this day and age really that important to you?
How much data do you need?
A fair question, but one that is surprisingly easy to get your head around. For a more-detailed analysis, you can check out our mobile data usage guide, or you can just peruse a quick summary.
500MB
This is not going to be enough for most users. Light browsing and barely any social media use on a daily basis might be ok, but anything more and you'll hit that cap before month's end. Steer clear of instant messaging apps; it's become common practice to hurl stickers, pics, and gifs back and forth without a second thought. Avoid music streaming services when not on WiFi, and absolutely forbid yourself from YouTube or any other video streaming services.
1GB
1GB is generally the entry point for getting use out of that smartphone's online capabilities. Light daily browsing and social media is fine, so long as you don't pair it with too much instant messaging (remember: pictures and gifs are a data killer), or music streaming. Keep an eye on that usage meter every few days and try to avoid updating any apps unless over WiFi. Once again videos are a no; disable auto-play on your Facebook and avoid YouTube.
2.5GB
You can start to breathe a little easy. Browsing and social media are a lot safer (unless you're a total fiend for either), and you can stream music occasionally without too much fear. Instant messaging is safe, and you can even watch the odd video as long as you're mindful of your usage. Still avoid using apps like YouTube too often, but you should be safe leaving Facebook's auto-play option switched on. App updates can be dangerous if they're particularly large, but they'll tell you in advance so you can use your own judgement.
5GB
Don't even worry about browsing, social media, instant messaging, or app updates. Daily use of music streaming services should also be fine, so long as you're using it too and from work, and don't go too crazy on weekends. Watching videos as they pop up in your news feed, or even seeking them out and browsing through them yourself should generally be fine, although be careful if you're viewing in HD. As always, video uses the most, so be mindful of how much you're watching, as you could still go over. Under no circumstances use your phone to stream anything from Netflix; those videos are a lot longer and tend to stream in high quality, so you can hit your cap in a single sitting.
7GB and 10GB
If you need this much data, you probably know what you're using it for and why you need it. Basically feel free to do anything but go on a Netflix binge. You are among the cellular oligarchy, be responsible with your power.
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