Koodo to drop Canada-wide calling, separate BYOD and Tab plan pricing

Update 03/09/2021 at 4:17pm: Koodo walked back the change below following a ‘thoughtful review.’ The carrier’s plans are back to offering Canada-wide calling now.

Update 02/23/2021 at 3:41pm: Koodo confirmed to MobileSyrup that it is also increasing some legacy plans by $5 per month. The carrier stressed that increase was not related to the plan changes discussed in this article. Further, Koodo says that the plan changes in this article do no affect existing customers unless they change their plan.

Update 02/23/2021 at 9:32am: The new plans discussed in the article below are now live on Koodo’s website. Additionally, we added a $30 BYOP plan listed on Koodo’s website that wasn’t included in the list of plans MobileSyrup received before the change came into effect.

Telus flanker brand Koodo will soon change its plans to no longer include Canada-wide calling while offering separate pricing for bring-your-own-device (BYOD) and ‘Tab’ plans.

According to details received by MobileSyrup, the carrier plans to make the shift on February 23rd. When the carrier switches, it will offer province-wide calling and Canada-wide texting with each plan. Those who want Canada-wide calling will need to pay an extra $5 per month for a Canada-wide add-on.

Koodo confirmed the change to MobileSyrup in a statement, positioning the change as a way of offering customers “more choice and flexibility.”

You can read the full statement below:

“Beginning February 23, Koodo is making changes to its rate plan pricing to provide customers more choice, flexibility, and opportunities to save.  For example, new customers choosing a Tab rate plan will get 3GB of data, unlimited Province-wide calling and Canada-wide text starting at $50/month. Customers who bring their own device can save $5 off Tab rate plans, such as 3GB of data for $45/month, which includes unlimited Province-wide calling and Canada-wide text.

“We heard from customers that they wanted more choice and flexibility when selecting specific features, and that Canada-wide calling was not a service everyone needs built into their plans. As a result, we have decided to introduce optional add-on features like unlimited Canada-wide calling and International text for $5 for customers who need it. Nothing will change for existing or renewing customers as long as they keep their current plan.”

Starting February 23rd, Koodo will offer separate pricing for most BYOD and Tab plans. For those unfamiliar with Koodo’s plan structure, the carrier lets customers put a set portion of the cost of a phone on the Tab. They then pay back that amount as part of their monthly bill through a ‘Tab charge.’

Tab Basic, for example, reduces the upfront cost by $240. Customers pay a $10 Tab charge on their monthly bill for 24 months. Tab Mid is up to $360 with a $15 per month Tab charge, while Tab Plus is up to $792 with a $33 per month Tab charge.

Currently, Koodo’s plans are the same whether you get a phone on the carrier’s Tab system, or get a BYOD plan without a phone. The only difference in cost between Tab and BYOD was the extra monthly Tab charge. Once the change comes into effect, that will no longer be the case.

MobileSyrup also received details about how much the new BYOD and Tab plans will cost when the switch happens on February 23rd. The cost of the BYOD plans doesn’t appear to have changed significantly, although it’s hard to make a direct comparison since Koodo currently has its Lunar New Year sale on and most of its plans include more data than usual.

BYOD

• $25 – Talk and Text, no data
• $30 – Unlimited incoming messages, 1GB data, no calling
• $45 – 3GB (this and other data plans include talk and text)
• $50 – 5GB
• $55 – 8GB
• $70 – 12GB

Tab

• $30 – Talk and Text, no data
• $45 – 2GB (this and other data plans include talk and text)
• $50 – 3GB
• $55 – 5GB
• $60 – 8GB
• $75 – 12GB

With that said, if you’re a new customer considering switching to Koodo, you may want to do so before the changes come into effect. Aside from the benefit of the ongoing promotions (which are only for new customers and run until February 22nd), you’ll dodge the incoming plan changes.

Finally, it’s worth noting that Telus’ other flanker brand, Public Mobile, recently made a similar change to its plans.