Koodo now charges a $5 SIM card fee on online orders

Koodo now charges a $5 SIM card fee for online orders.

I spotted the change on Koodo’s website over the weekend while writing about Rogers’ increasing its $50 connection fee. Rogers was following Bell, which upped its connection fee earlier in July, while Telus announced plans to increase its connection fee to $50 starting July 29th.

However, Koodo confirmed to MobileSyrup that it implemented the $5 SIM charge on July 15th. You can read the full statement below:

“On July 15, Koodo introduced a $5 SIM card fee for transactions that customers process online. We do not take the decision to increase the cost of services lightly and recognize this increase has an impact on our customers. Of note, this increase does not apply to Koodo plan renewals.”

In other words, new customers who plan to activate with Koodo online will see the $5 SIM charge charged at the time of purchase. The fee won’t apply to people who renew their Koodo plans or for in-store orders, since Koodo charges a $45 connection fee that includes the SIM charge.

It’s worth noting that Koodo — and most Canadian carriers — waive the connection fee for online orders. While a $5 SIM charge is certainly better than a $45 connection fee, I’d rather not pay any one-time fees when signing up with a carrier.

Koodo also plans to follow Telus in increasing its connection fee to $50 on July 29th. Typically, flanker brands like Koodo follow the parent brand when implementing changes like this.

It’s worth noting that Koodo and Telus previously charged SIM card fees. Back in 2018, the carrier replaced its $20 SIM charge with a $30 connection fee. Since then, Telus and Koodo have followed other major Canadian carriers in routinely increasing the connection fee by $5 every eight to ten months.

Update 07/27/2021 at 1:08pm: Added clarification that Koodo plans to increase its connection fee to $50.