SIM card for international students in Canada
Order a Canadian SIM or eSIM before your term starts and land with a working number for orientation week, monthly plans from $35, with no credit check, no contract, and no deposit. A term costs $140 to $160 in total, so you can budget it before you fly.
- From $35/mo
- No credit check
- No contract
- Passport + study permit
Is this page for you?
- You have a study permit or a letter of acceptance, and a term start date to hit
- You are arriving for at least one semester, so a 30-day plan will not cover you
- Your institution, landlord, or homestay will need a number that actually reaches you
- You are on a student budget and want to know the cost per month before you commit
- You have no Canadian credit history, no Canadian address, and no SIN yet
If this is not you: here for a short exchange or a summer programme under a month? A prepaid 30-day plan is cheaper and simpler, see SIM cards for visitors. Already in Canada with a year of credit history behind you? Compare what Canadian carriers will offer you directly, these pre-arrival rates are aimed at people who cannot yet get those deals.
Why orientation week is the worst week to be sorting this out
The squeeze for students is timing, not money. The week you have the least free time is the week the most people need to reach you, and it is the same week you are trying to find a phone shop in an unfamiliar city.
Everything wants a number
Registration, housing, student advising, a part-time job application. Each form asks for a phone number, and a foreign one tends to mean the callback never lands.
The deposit surprise
Walking into a Canadian carrier with no credit file often means being asked for a deposit or being steered to prepaid, an unwelcome hit in the same week as tuition and rent.
You change it twice
Register with a temporary number, then update your institution, bank, landlord, and every two-factor login again a month later once you finally pick a real plan.
The best phone plan for international students in Canada
For students, the deciding question is not data, it is where you live. If you are in residence or anywhere with solid wifi, most of your day runs on that network and the 75 GB Fido plan at $35 a month is enough. That is our recommendation for a typical student, and it is the cheapest monthly plan we offer. Step up to the Unlimited Data plan only if you commute, have unreliable internet at home, or make long video calls to family.
75GB · 5G
Fido · Postpaid
$35
Monthly · Postpaid, $60/mo if purchased in Canada
- 75 GB on Fido 5G, enough alongside campus wifi
- $140 for a four-month term, all in
- Unlimited Canada-wide calling and texts
- 1,000 minutes to Bangladesh, China, India, Mexico and the UK
- No hotspot, check this if you tether a laptop
Unlimited Data · 5G
Rogers · Postpaid
$40
Monthly · Postpaid, $80/mo if purchased in Canada
- 100 GB at up to 1 Gbps, then unlimited at reduced speed
- Hotspot included, runs a laptop off your phone
- $160 for a four-month term
- Same 1,000 international minutes
- Worth it if home internet is poor or shared
Prepaid or postpaid, and the credit-check question
Prepaid means paying up front for a fixed 30 or 90-day block; when it ends, service stops until you buy another. Postpaid means using the plan and paying afterwards, month after month, with no end date.
For a semester, postpaid is the right shape, a four-month term does not divide neatly into prepaid blocks, and a gap in service mid-term is exactly what you do not want. The usual obstacle is that Canadian postpaid normally involves a credit check, and a new international student has no Canadian credit file to check. These postpaid plans require no credit check and no Canadian credit history, and payment is not due until 20 days after activation, so there is no deposit to find and no need to start on prepaid and switch later.
We make no claim that paying these plans builds a Canadian credit history, because we have not confirmed whether payments are reported to Canadian credit bureaus. If building credit is a goal for you, ask your bank about a student or secured credit card.
Every Get Canada Sim plan, including term cost
Here is the full catalogue, not just the two we recommend above, with what a standard four-month term actually costs on each.
| Unlimited Data 120 GB (Rogers) | Unlimited Data (Rogers) | 75 GB (Fido) | 90 GB (chatr) | 50 GB (chatr) | 75 GB, 90 days (chatr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data | 120 GB up to 1 Gbps, then reduced speed | 100 GB at up to 1 Gbps, then reduced speed | 75 GB | 90 GB, then reduced speed | 50 GB, then reduced speed | 75 GB, then reduced speed |
| Network | Rogers 5G | Rogers 5G | Fido 5G | chatr 4G LTE | chatr 4G LTE | chatr 4G LTE |
| Calls | Unlimited USA & Canada-wide | Unlimited Canada-wide | Unlimited Canada-wide | Unlimited Canada and US | Unlimited Canada and US | Unlimited Canada-wide |
| Texts | Unlimited local and international SMS | Unlimited local and international SMS | Unlimited local and international SMS | Unlimited Canada, US and international | Unlimited Canada, US and international | Unlimited Canada, US and international |
| International minutes | 1,000 min to 5 countries | 1,000 min to 5 countries | 1,000 min to 5 countries | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Hotspot | Included | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Term | Monthly, no contract | Monthly, no contract | Monthly, no contract | 30 days, then re-buy | 30 days, then re-buy | 90 days, then re-buy |
| Billing | Postpaid | Postpaid | Postpaid | Prepaid, paid up front | Prepaid, paid up front | Prepaid, paid up front |
| Cost of a 4-month term | $200 | $160 | $140 | $220 (four 30-day blocks, always re-buying) | $140 (four 30-day blocks, always re-buying) | $150 (two 90-day blocks, or one plus a gap) |
| Price | $50/mo | $40/mo | $35/mo | $40 per 30 days | $35 per 30 days | $75 per 90 days |
Why the 75 GB Fido plan beats the rest for a typical student:
- Vs. Rogers Unlimited ($40/mo, $160/term): $20 more over a term for hotspot and extra data most residence students on campus wifi will not touch. Worth it only if you commute or tether.
- Vs. the Rogers 120 GB plan ($50/mo, $200/term): the most expensive option here, and the USA roaming it adds is not something a semester in one Canadian city needs.
- Vs. the three chatr prepaid plans: all three are priced in 30 or 90-day blocks that do not divide evenly into a four-month term, the 75GB plan costs $75 for 90 days and still leaves a gap or a wasted block. A monthly postpaid plan simply continues for exactly as long as you need it.
Your four options, compared fairly
Ordering before you fly
GoodA number you can put on institution and housing forms before you arrive, at a fixed monthly cost with no credit check.
CatchYou need a carrier-unlocked phone and you have to plan a few days ahead.
Roaming on your home plan
GoodWorks from the moment you land with nothing to set up, and family can reach you on your usual number.
CatchPriced for a holiday, not a semester. You also have no Canadian number, which is the thing your institution and landlord actually want.
Buying a plan after you arrive
GoodYou can compare Canadian carriers in person and pick from the full market.
CatchOrientation week is when you most need a number, and it is the week you have least time. Postpaid plans bought in-country commonly involve a credit check or a deposit for someone with no Canadian credit file.
Campus wifi and a data-only eSIM
GoodGenuinely cheap. If you live on campus, wifi covers most of your day.
CatchNo Canadian number at all, so no SMS codes, and nobody from the institution can phone you. Weak once you are off campus, house-hunting, or working a part-time job.
How to get your SIM before you fly
Pick a monthly plan
A semester is four months or more, so a monthly postpaid plan beats re-buying 30-day prepaid blocks. Start on whichever fits your budget, you can change later without a penalty.
Order before your flight
Fill in your contact details, arrival date, and visa type on the order form. No SIN, no Canadian address, and no credit history are needed, and no payment is taken at this stage.
Choose eSIM or a posted SIM
An eSIM QR code is emailed to you once your order is processed. A physical SIM goes to a Canadian address, your residence, homestay, or a friend already in the city.
Land in time for orientation
Your line activates up to 24 hours before the arrival date you gave us, so the number is generally working when you land. On postpaid, payment is not due until 20 days after activation.
The timing rule: activation is scheduled against the arrival date you enter at checkout, not the day you order. Give the date you actually land, and if your travel changes, tell support before that date passes.
Will my phone work in Canada?
Your phone must be carrier unlocked, able to accept a SIM from an operator other than the one that sold it. Phones bought outright usually are; phones on a contract or instalment plan often are not, and only your home carrier can unlock them. Sort this before you fly. It is a support call from home and a much harder problem from a different continent.
For the eSIM option, your phone also has to support eSIM. On iPhone, check Settings → General → About for an EID number; on Android, look for an option to add or download a SIM under mobile network settings. Our eSIM Canada guide covers installation step by step.
If your phone is dual-SIM, keep your home number active for the first few weeks while family and your home bank still text it. Turn data roaming off on that line so it does not bill you in the background.
Arrival-week connectivity checklist
Ordering the plan is the easy part. This is the sequence that actually saves you time in your first week, roughly in the order it matters. For what else to arrange as a study permit holder, the Government of Canada publishes official guidance for international students.
Before you fly, put the number on your forms
Once you have ordered, you have the number. Add it to your institution record, your housing application, and your emergency contact details while you are still at home, rather than updating everything twice.
Day one, give it to the people who need to reach you
International student advising, your residence or landlord, and anyone running orientation. These are the callbacks you cannot afford to miss in week one, and they are the ones most likely to phone rather than email.
Day two or three, set up two-factor before you need it
Your student portal, your bank, and your email will all want a phone number for verification codes. Set them to the Canadian number now, while you still have your home SIM working as a fallback.
End of week one, call home properly
Both monthly plans include 1,000 minutes to Bangladesh, China including Hong Kong, India, Mexico, and the UK. If your family is elsewhere, plan on data-based video calls instead and budget data accordingly.
Campus wifi changes the maths
This is the single biggest reason students overbuy. If you live in residence, your lectures, library sessions, and evenings all run on institution wifi, mobile data only covers the walk between buildings, the commute, and weekends. Students who live off campus, share a flaky connection, or spend hours a week on video calls home are the ones who genuinely need 100 GB. Start on 75 GB, watch your first month, and move up if you actually run short. There is no contract stopping you.
Help before and after you land
If the eSIM will not install when you try it at home, that is the moment to contact us, not after you have landed. It is usually a locked phone, and there is still time to do something about it.
Canada office
+1 778-682-3771
Surrey, British Columbia
Email reaches the same team as either phone line. Send your order number and arrival date with the first message so you get a useful answer rather than a request for more detail.
Student SIM questions
How much data does an international student actually need?
Less than you would guess if you live on campus, because wifi covers lectures, the library, and residence. The 75 GB plan is enough for most students in that situation. Choose the Unlimited Data plan if you commute daily, live somewhere with unreliable internet, or make long video calls home, those three things are what push students over.
Should I choose prepaid or postpaid as a student?
Postpaid, for a semester-length stay. Prepaid plans run in 30 or 90-day blocks and stop dead at the end, so covering a four-month term means re-buying and risking a gap. A monthly postpaid plan continues on its own at a predictable price, with no contract, so you can still leave whenever you want.
Can I get a postpaid plan without Canadian credit history?
Yes, on the plans here. No credit check is run and no Canadian credit history is required, which is the main practical difference from signing up with a carrier after you land, where a student with no credit file is often asked for a deposit. Regular online orders do not require document upload.
Is there a student discount?
There is no separate student discount. The prices on this page are the pre-arrival rates available to everyone ordering before they fly, and they are lower than the rates the same plans carry inside Canada. If your institution runs its own carrier partnership, it is worth comparing that against these before you order.
Can I share my data with a roommate?
Only by using your phone as a hotspot, and only on the Unlimited Data Rogers plan, the 75 GB Fido plan does not include hotspot. There is no shared or family data pool across separate lines, so if you and a roommate both need service, you each need your own plan.
What happens if I go home for the summer?
The plans are for use in Canada, so a monthly plan running while you are abroad is money spent for nothing. Because there is no contract, you can contact support and stop the plan before you leave, then order again before you fly back. Ask about it before you go rather than after your next billing month starts.
Can I cancel between terms?
Yes. There is no contract and no cancellation fee on any plan, so you can stop at the end of a term by contacting support. Bear in mind that stopping the plan is what ends your claim on the number, if you want to keep the same number over a long summer break, ask support what your options are before you cancel.
Do I need a Canadian number to open a student bank account?
Requirements vary by bank and by branch, so check with the bank you plan to use rather than treating a number as a guaranteed requirement. What is consistently true is that a local number removes friction: appointment confirmations, verification codes, and callbacks all work more reliably on a Canadian number than a foreign one.
Will my institution be able to reach me on this number?
Yes, it is an ordinary Canadian mobile number, so it receives calls and SMS from any Canadian service, including institution systems and two-factor codes. Add it to your student record as soon as you have it, and check that it replaced your home number rather than sitting alongside it.
What does a full term actually cost?
On the 75 GB Fido plan at $35 a month, a four-month term is $140. On the Unlimited Data Rogers plan at $40 a month, the same term is $160. There is no setup fee and no deposit on either, so those figures are the whole cost, which makes them easy to put in a budget before you arrive.