Fido plans get free U.S. roaming, but only for a limited time

Fido is making its plans a little more enticing with the addition of unlimited calling to seven countries and free U.S. roaming, though there’s a catch.

The Rogers-owned flanker brand added the bonuses to two of its current plans, the $45/60GB and $55/80GB options. The free U.S. roaming bonus, however, is only available for a limited time — Fido’s website now says that customers get Fido Roam in the U.S. “at no charge” for 30 or 90 days after activation, depending on the plan.

Fido only added the free U.S. roaming and unlimited calling bonuses to two of its plans, the $45/60GB and the $55/80GB options. The $45 plan includes 30 days of free U.S. roaming, while the $55 plan gets 90 days.

As for the unlimited calling, it’s only for calls placed from Canada to one of the following countries: the U.S., Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, and U.K. — something Fido offered back during the holidays. Fido’s website notes that customers get unlimited texting to these countries as well, though notably all Fido data plans have included unlimited international texting sent from Canada for years.

Further, Fido added a $39/20GB Canada-wide plan, copying a change Koodo made last week. Fido also recently raised its connection fee to $75, so customers will need to pay more when switching unless they shop online, where Fido waives the fee.

It’s worth noting that all Fido plans include a $10/mo autopay discount and 4G data with speeds capped at up to 150Mbps.

These new bonuses from Fido are likely an attempt to remain competitive with other wireless providers like Freedom Mobile and Public Mobile, which both offer cheaper 5G plans with built-in roaming. For example, both providers have $39/60GB 5G plans with Canada/U.S./Mexico roaming, offering better value than Fido’s 4G plans.

All of Fido’s plans can be found on its website. Additionally, MobileSyrup’s rate plan tool can help Canadians find wireless deals that meet their needs.