Update 07/07/2021: Bell did increase its connection fee to $50 on July 7th, as rumoured. Further, the carrier increased Virgin Mobile’s connection fee too.
Bell reportedly plans to increase its connection fee to $50.
According to information obtained by MobileSyrup, the carrier plans to make the change starting July 7th. Currently, Bell’s connection fee costs $45, matching the fee charged by other carriers.
Carriers charge connection fees on new activations, although most will waive the fee for online customers. Bell’s website explains that it applies the connection fee to customers’ first bill to “activate [their] device on the Bell network.”
MobileSyrup reached out to Bell regarding the reported change, but the carrier didn’t respond in time for publication. This article will be updated with any additional detail the carrier provides if it responds.
Typically, Bell and its flanker brand Virgin Mobile increase connection fees at the same time. Bell and Virgin last increased connection fees on October 1st, 2020, when the fee jumped from $40 to $45. Previously, Bell increased the connection fee to $40 in June 2019 (Virgin followed suit a month after).
Unfortunately, Canadian carriers tend to copy each other when it comes to pricing, so we’ll likely see Telus, Rogers and their respective flanker brands Koodo and Fido increase connection fees from $45 to $50 in the coming weeks. Shaw’s Freedom Mobile and Shaw Mobile both currently charge a $30 connection fee.
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