costco LG G3 $19.99(250gc) vs BestBuy LG G3 $0(200gc)

thetimebytime wrote: ↑wrong forum to ask.

It seems to be a hot deal likewise...

if you are just go for the phone then go with koodo. many people signed up and cancel the next day pay the tap of 360. However I am no guaranty you are free of claw back from koodo for the gift card. many people said no problem but who knows.
for Virgin. they have same deal. same plan. and member benefits. so for long term is with virgin. for short go with koodo

seaking wrote: ↑if you are just go for the phone then go with koodo. many people signed up and cancel the next day pay the tap of 360. However I am no guaranty you are free of claw back from koodo for the gift card. many people said no problem but who knows.
for Virgin. they have same deal. same plan. and member benefits. so for long term is with virgin. for short go with koodo

thanks. i am going for long with cheap plans like $40-50 plan. Then go to Virgin? good service?

Since you are going to stick with the provider for the long term, you need to price out your total cost over the 2 years. Then take into account coverage, customer service, and data speeds. As far as those qualities go, it would depend a bit on where you live. But Virgin/Koodo both use the Telus/Bell network so they should be fairly similar for reception/speed, so between them it would be down to customer service and price. Fido uses Rogers so their network service/speed would be different than Virgin/Koodo.

As to which one is better for you, only you can really judge that, but if you want help, you need to give people an idea of what plan you are thinking of using. Because then they could give you more info. I wouldn't go with Virgin/Fido for a new phone because I couldn't guarantee I would stay the whole 2 years, and then I'd have to pay back a lot on the phone, whereas with Koodo, you would only pay back what you owe on the tab. But that's me.

So pick the plan you would choose for each provider and post them here, then someone might be able to help more. Best I can do without that info (and using Alberta tax, and assuming $5 per sim card) is:

For the G3 on Koodo, you would add $15/month for 24 months to your plan for the phone payments. So if you were taking the cheapest plan ($30) which has little data, your total cost over 2 years would be ($5 sim card + $15x24 + $30x24) plus tax - $200 in PC points = $1085 plus tax -$200 for Alberta it would be $939.25 total cost for 2 years.

On Virgin you don't have a monthly fee per se, but you actually do anyways because you have to be on a certain tier to get the tab. So for instance byod price for cheapest plan is $30 but on Gold plan (minimum plan required in the Costco deal) is $45. So again using Alberta as a reference on Virgin Costco plan ($5 sim + $19.99 + $45x24) plus tax - $250 GC = $910.25 total cost for 2 years.

On Fido, it's like Virgin, you have to go to at least a smart plan to get the deal. Cheapest smart plan is $45. So again using Alberta tax rate, Fido Costco plan ($5 sim + $19.99 + $45x24) plus tax - $225 GC = $935.24 total cost for 2 years.

But with both Fido and Virgin from what I understand, if you leave, your cancellation fee includes more than the $360 "tab" I think they put the phone as worth around $600ish. So if for some reason you had to cancel early, add around $240+tax to your total cost.

With the Costco deals, you would also get a car charger. So basically Virgin would be the cheapest option assuming the phone plan you end up going with is the same price on all 3 carriers which is likely seeing as how they seem to all have the same plans at the same price, yay competition (sarcasm). But only by about $30 cheaper vs Koodo or about $25 cheaper vs Fido.

For me, I'd choose Koodo. Saving $30 over 2 years doesn't seem like a good deal on Virgin when if you leave early you'd end up paying around $240-$30= $210 plus tax more. With Koodo as soon as you've stayed at least 90 days you could switch at any time if a deal comes up and only pay back the $15/month times number of months left in your contract, which you'd be paying anyways if you stayed.

But again if you are 100% sure you'll stay for 2 years, determine if whichever provider you choose pro/con list makes the difference in price worth it. Not taking Koodo into account, between Virgin/Fido, I'd go for Virgin since they have the member benefits to sweeten the pot and a better network in my area than Fido. Check out their membership benefits here. On the other hand maybe where you live Fido has better reception and you like Spotify, since iirc Fido gives you a free membership to Spotify.

So pick your plan, cost it out over 2 years, then compare the prices and benefits. But assuming the plan you would choose is the same price on all three, I can save you the trouble and tell you Virgin cheapest, + ~$25 more gets you to Fido, + another ~$5 gets you to Koodo. With the big caveat that you do stay for the full 2 years. If not, Koodo wins by a long shot. Remember when looking at plans, on Koodo add $15/month for the tab, on Virgin you need to look at Gold plans and above, and on Fido smart plans and above.

Edit: While I was writing this you put down an approx amount for the plan. Too late though. But just wanted to add. I bought the G3 on Black Friday, and I chose Koodo, because I won't likely be staying for 2 years. Also, I believe all the carriers have a referral bonus if you get referred to them by a friend. So check what providers your friends have. I don't know what the others offer, but on Koodo its $25 for you and for the referrer.