Public Mobile
$0
Pros
- Super affordable plans
- Great coverage
- Customer rewards
- No unexpected fees
- Ability to get plan to $0/month!
Cons
- Prepaid, bring your own phone only
- Customer support is online only
- Only available in Canada
Last Updated: December 2022
We save $2000 off our phone plans every year because of sharing Public Mobile’s referral code and taking advantage of their bonuses.
Let me show you how you can get major discounts on your phone plan too!
Start by using referral code O3KVQV when you sign up to get $10 credit!
Public Mobile is the most affordable cellphone plan in Canada.
They have top notch reception and coverage areas and they actually reward customers for staying with them over time, rather than jacking up prices!
In this Public Mobile review I go over Public Mobile plans, coverage area & reception, FAQ, pros and cons, as well as my personal experience with Public Mobile. I’ll also give you a referral code for Public Mobile which will save you money as soon as you sign up!
I’m also going over a brief comparison of Public Mobile to other lower cost Canadian phone plans like Freedom, Koodo, Lucky & Chatr with handy links to easily compare for yourself.
This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission if you use them, at no additional cost to you. See disclosure policy for details.
Honest Public Mobile Review & My Personal Experience
I signed on with Public Mobile in February 2020 and wanted to wait a few months of using them before writing a review.
As of the time of writing this, I am insanely pleased with them. Since then I’ve now got both my plan and my partner’s plan for FREE thanks to Public Mobile’s awesome referral program!
We save over $2000 per year now!
Keep reading to see how you can get your plan for cheap or free too!
My only regret is honestly not signing up a year earlier when I first heard about them!
I was hesitant to go with Public Mobile because I literally knew no one who used it. There were virtually no reviews online and I was skeptical as to whether it was crap or not.
Finally, in a money-saving Facebook group a fellow Canadian mentioned her experience with them which prompted me to get the ball rolling to look into it more.
It took me a couple hours of researching the company and trying to find Public Mobile reviews (there aren’t many!) before I decided to sign up.
Part of the reason I delayed was because I already felt my phone plan was pretty affordable at $60/month with Telus. For comparison, my partner’s plan was $105/month!
Once I decided to sign up to Public Mobile, I got my SIM card on Amazon. Once it arrived, it took me about 20 minutes to get it installed and switched over to my new plan!
So for just a few hours of research and 20 minutes of installation, I saved literally hundreds of dollars! Totally worth my time!
With a bit extra time telling my BF about it and getting him switched over, we have saved literally THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS! 😲
I’ve done the research and compiled it here in this comprehensive Public Mobile review so you can save hundreds or thousands of dollars in even less time!
Public Mobile Referral Code
When you sign up, make sure to use a Public Mobile referral code O3KVQV to get your $10 sign up bonus!
Once you’ve signed up you can refer your friends to earn rewards that you can use to decrease your phone bill.
You could literally get your phone bill down to $0 with a few referrals!
As of July 2020, both mine and my BF’s phone bills are free from Public Mobile refer a friend bonuses!
To me, that is one of the hugest benefits of Public Mobile over other phone companies!
And the thing about Public Mobile is that it’s actually a great service, so it’s a win-win when you refer someone since you’re helping them save potentially hundreds of dollars!
When they sign up using your Public Mobile referral code, they will get $10. Plus you will get $1 worth of points for each month they are with Public Mobile.
While you might not have many people to refer, their plans are still super affordable and even just one or two referrals saves you real money!
I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have that money to spend how I want rather than spending it on something boring like a phone plan!
Plus, keep reading to find out other ways to get more money off your bill:
$0 Phone Plan & Other Public Mobile Rewards:
The best thing about Public Mobile is that they reward loyal customers and allow you to get your phone plan down to $0!
As of January 2022, the Public Mobile rewards program was updated. Overall it’s very similar to what it was before, but a few things have changed.
I’ve highlighted the changes of Public Mobile points vs rewards below or read the reward rules here:
- changed rewards from dollars to points. 1 point = $1 so essentially only the name has changed
- SAME: friends you refer earn $10 for using your referral code, you get $1 for every month they’re active
- NEW: 5 points welcome present
- NEW: 5% points back for every dollar spent
- CHANGED: Public Mobile loyalty rewards previously got $1 off your bill for each year you are with them. Now you get 10 points for each year.
- NEW: ways to redeem rewards. Previously just automatically took rewards off your bill, now you can choose whether to take it off your bill, use it to get add-ons, or enter for the chance to win prizes
Referral Code
Use your Public Mobile friend referral code when you recommend Public Mobile to friends and family. They’ll get a $10 bonus credit when they sign up with your code, plus you earn 1 point each month for as long as they are with Public Mobile!
So for each person you refer, you get 12 points which can be used to get $12 off your phone bill every year! After referring a few people, that really adds up and can even help you get your phone plan for free!
When you sign up to Public Mobile for the first time, make sure you use referral code O3KVQV to get your $10 sign up bonus!
Customer Loyalty Reward (updated)
Unlike other companies who jack up prices the longer you’ve been with them, Public Mobile actually rewards long term customers by REDUCING your monthly bill!
They give you 10 points (equivalent to $10 credit) for each year you’re with them!
Community
You can earn points to get up to $20 off your bill per month by being active in the Public Mobile community forums and answering people’s questions.
To be honest, I haven’t tried this. I think it could be fun if you’re a techy person and enjoy that kind of thing. You’d basically be answering people’s tech and customer service questions via a forum.
Learn more about the Public Mobile community here.
Low Priced Plans
These rewards plus the low priced Public Mobile plans make it easy to decrease your bill to $0 or close to it!
See their plans here.
Even if you just got your 5 bonus points for signing up, you refer 5 friends, and stick with Public Mobile for 5 years, you would save $365.
It’s not a ton, but I don’t know of any other phone companies who take money off your bill over time!
Plus that’s only counting the amount you’d save from the rewards they offer.
That’s not counting the amount you saved from switching to the lower priced plan from a high priced plan with another mobile company!
Public Mobile Promos
Public Mobile has certain promotions on their monthly plans that don’t require any special promotion codes as they’re just applied automatically.
Public Mobile also occasionally offers promos like 500GB free data or free Public Mobile SIM card when you activate in store.
When you go to sign up, definitely do a quick search to see if they currently have any promos like that, but I wouldn’t wait around for a promo.
You will likely save more on your phone bill by switching now than waiting to try and save the small price of a SIM card. It’s usually about $10 but if you can get it for less than that, buy it right away!
You don’t need a Public Mobile promo code to get special offers or deals on their plans, but you should definitely use a referral code when signing up because it’ll give you a $10 sign up bonus!
Since my boyfriend & my plans are already free, use my senior father-in-law’s code O3KVQV and help him get his plan for free too!
Public Mobile Plans
Public Mobile has several low-cost plans to choose from starting from $15 per month! See Public Mobile’s plans here.
Public Mobile offers prepaid plans with bring your own device.
Public Mobile also sells certified pre-owned phones. Learn more about that here.
Even if you have payment left on your phone with your current plan, it may be worth switching over to Public Mobile and paying the difference.
The annual savings can be quite high so it’s worth doing the math to see how many months it would take to pay for itself!
For example, my BF had $180 left on his contract. His original plan was $105/month, and he chose the $25/month plan with Public Mobile.
Each month he was saving $82 off his phone bill.
In just over 2 months, the difference was paid off and he was into pure savings!
Update: Both our plans are now free each month because I was able to refer people! Woohoo!
When you sign up, make sure to use Public Mobile referral code O3KVQV to get your $10 sign up bonus! This is my father-in-law’s code and we’re helping him get his plan for free!
Public Mobile Coverage Area & Map
Not only does Public Mobile have great coverage in major cities like Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Quebec, etc, they have solid coverage for rural areas as well!
They use Telus towers so have excellent coverage! Check Public Mobile’s coverage map here to see the coverage in your area.
Public Mobile Reception
I’ve been using Public Mobile for several years now and have had excellent reception! Since they use Telus network, the reception is top notch.
To give a few examples, I live in a basement apartment with thick walls and always have full reception.
Also, I went on a hike West of Toronto near some cliffs. At the bottom of the cliff I had full reception, while my friend who was with another company only had 2 bars.
I also got perfectly good reception in central Saskatchewan.
The lowest priced Public Mobile plans use 3G connection, so download speed might be a bit slower than other plans, but if you don’t mind waiting a few milliseconds to save literally hundreds or thousands of dollars a year, I think it’s worth it 😉
I honestly have never had a speed issue and even used FaceTime on data with no issues.
But if you want faster speeds, they also have 4G plans available too.
Public Mobile FAQ
You can buy Public Mobile SIM cards on Amazon.ca, which is great because you’ll get free shipping with Amazon Prime! Click here to get 30 days free trial of Amazon Prime if you don’t already have it.
The SIM card should be about $10 or less. Click here to check the current price on Amazon. If it’s less than $10 definitely get it right away because it’s a good deal!
You can also get a SIM card directly from Public Mobile, here.
Public Mobile SIM cards are also available in most stores that sell SIM cards like mobile outlet retailers, WOW! Mobile Boutique, K Mobile, London Drugs, The Mobile Shop, Public Mobile Kiosks, & Walmart.
See the map of store locations that sell Public Mobile SIM cards here.
See the Public Mobile community forum for updates on these locations.
Public Mobile vouchers are prepaid credits that you buy in-store and add to your account.
You can purchase Public Mobile payment vouchers at select stores that carry them (see the locations here). Here are the instructions on how to add the voucher to your account.
The Public Mobile community is a customer support forum where you can go to find out the answer to any of your general questions about Public Mobile.
If you participate in the community and help answer questions, you can get points to use towards money off your phone bill!
Learn more about that here.
There is not currently a Public Mobile app. Everything you need to access your account is done via the website which has a mobile friendly version.
You can see the discussion about a Public Mobile app on the community forum here.
Plans:
Freedom has bring your own phone plans starting at $40/month, while Public Mobile has plans starting at $15 per month (or lower with rewards). Please see Freedom Mobile plans and Public Mobile plans for the most up-to-date plan offers.
Public Mobile plans start lower and they offer rewards that allow you to get your plan down to $0, whereas Freedom Mobile plans start significantly higher and don’t have rewards.
Coverage:
Freedom has a much spottier coverage area than Public Mobile. See Freedom vs Public Mobile coverage maps here & here to compare.
Parent Company:
Freedom is owned by Shaw, while Public Mobile is owned by Telus.
Phones:
Freedom sells a variety of phones or allows you to bring your own. Public Mobile allows you to bring your own or purchase certified pre-owned phones.
Customer Service:
Freedom has a variety of support options including phone, chat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Apple iMessage, & Twitter DM while Public Mobile uses a chat and community forum to answer support questions.
Plans:
Koodo has bring your own phone plans starting at $30/month, while Public Mobile has plans starting as low as $15 per month. Please see Koodo plans and Public Mobile plans for the most up-to-date plan offers.
Public Mobile plans start lower and they offer rewards that allow you to get your plan down to $0. Koodo plans start significantly higher and don’t have rewards.
Coverage:
Koodo and Public Mobile have the same coverage areas as they both use Telus towers. Compare Koodo vs Public Mobile coverage maps here & here.
Parent Company:
Koodo & Public Mobile are both owned by Telus.
Phones:
Koodo sells a variety of phones or allows you to bring your own. Public Mobile allows you to bring your own or purchase certified pre-owned phones.
Customer Service:
Koodo encourages you to use their self serve options online and may charge fees to have someone help you make changes to your account over the phone! Public Mobile uses a free chat and community forum to answer support questions.
Plans:
Telus has bring your own phone plans starting at $35/month, while Public Mobile has plans starting as low as $15 per month. Please see Telus plans and Public Mobile plans for the most up-to-date plan offers.
Public Mobile plans start lower and they offer rewards that allow you to get your plan down to $0. Telus plans start significantly higher and don’t have rewards.
Coverage:
Telus and Public Mobile have the same coverage areas as they both use Telus towers. See Public Mobile vs Telus coverage maps here & here to compare.
Parent Company:
Public Mobile is owned by Telus.
Phones:
Telus sells a variety of phones or allows you to bring your own. Public Mobile allows you to bring your own or purchase certified pre-owned phones.
Customer Service:
Telus offers support in store, over the phone, via online chat, or in your MyTelus account. Public Mobile uses a free chat and community forum to answer support questions.
Plans:
Both have very similar plan offerings starting as low as $15 per month. Please see Lucky Mobile plans and Public Mobile plans for the most up-to-date plan offers.
The main difference is that Public Mobile offers rewards that allow you to get your plan down to $0, whereas Lucky Mobile doesn’t.
Coverage:
Both have great coverage that is very similar. Lucky uses Bell towers, so coverage may vary by area. Compare Lucky Mobile vs Public Mobile coverage maps here & here.
Parent Company:
Lucky Mobile is owned by Bell, while Public Mobile is owned by Telus.
Phones:
Lucky Mobile sells a variety of entry level phones or allows you to bring your own. Public Mobile allows you to bring your own or purchase certified pre-owned phones.
Customer Service:
Lucky has phone support, while Public Mobile uses a chat and community forum to answer support questions.
Plans:
Both have very similar plan offerings starting as low as $15 per month. Please see Chatr plans and Public Mobile plans for the most up-to-date plan offers.
The main difference is that Public Mobile offers rewards that allow you to get your plan down to $0, whereas Chatr doesn’t.
Coverage:
Chatr has good coverage, but it’s definitely spottier than Public Mobile’s coverage area. They use the Rogers’ towers, so coverage may vary by area. Compare Chatr vs Public Mobile coverage maps here & here.
Parent Company:
Chatr is owned by Rogers, while Public Mobile is owned by Telus
Phones:
Chatr sells a variety of entry level phones or allows you to bring your own. Public Mobile allows you to bring your own or purchase certified pre-owned phones.
Customer Service:
Chatr has phone support that may add extra processing fees, while Public Mobile uses free chat and a community forum to answer support questions.
Public Mobile allows you to bring your own device or purchase certified pre-owned phones.
Generally any regular manufacturer’s phone is compatible, but to be sure, you can easily check your phone compatibility with Public Mobile by entering the brand and model here.
Public Mobile uses 3G speed on it’s regular plans but gives you the option to purchase a 4G data package if you’d like.
3G seems to work perfectly for me. I’ve watched videos, downloaded podcasts, uploaded photos, used GPS, and even FaceTimed using the 3G network with no issues at all.
If you’re a heavy data user or super techy, you might not like 3G, but it seems to work great for a regular user.
You can also get 4G plans if that works better for you.
You will never get charged hidden data overage fees with Public Mobile.
Since they are prepaid only, if you use up your data, they’ll send you a message telling you you’ve reached your limit and offer you to add on more data. They will actually send you a notice that you’ve reach 75% of your data limit so you can be conscious and prevent running out of data completely.
If you choose not to add on data you just won’t have any data until your next billing cycle stops. This is no big deal as you can find wifi everywhere!
To prevent using up your data before your next billing cycle, I recommend choosing a plan that meets your data use needs. Check with your current provider to see what your average usage has been over the past few months to get an idea.
It’s also a good idea to turn off data to all apps that you don’t need to be accessing with data. Sometimes they use data when you’re not even using the app which is a total waste!
No need to wonder “is Public Mobile good?” any longer. I hope by reading my Public Mobile review you’ve realized that, yes, it is good! I’d even say Public Mobile is great!
I’m honestly so happy with them because they provide great value; the service is good and the price is low!
I’m definitely a value shopper but I’m not going to settle for crappy quality just to save a few dollars.
With Public Mobile, I’m getting literally the exact same plan (same number, same coverage, same data & talk, etc) for less than 1/2 the price!
| Public Mobile is for you if: | Public Mobile is not for you if: |
|---|---|
| You’re looking for the most affordable phone plan in Canada | You just got a new phone and can’t afford to buy it outright or don’t want to sell it |
| You use a low to moderate amount of data | You are a heavy data user and don’t want to compromise on that |
| You live in Canada | You only want to use tech support over the phone |
| You have your own device or don’t mind purchasing a pre-owned | You live outside of Canada |
| You prefer to deal with tech issues online | You only want to solve tech issues over the phone |
Now that you’ve read my Public Mobile review, you should be easily able to decide if it’s right for you!
If you’re ready to sign up, follow the easy steps below:
How to Activate Public Mobile
- Get a Public Mobile SIM card from Public Mobile, on Amazon, or in-store.
- Make sure your phone is unlocked.
- Once you get your SIM card go to activate.publicmobile.ca & fill out all the info including referral code O3KVQV
- Wait a few minutes and it’ll be activated! They will cancel your plan with your old provider and you don’t have to do anything else! So easy!
I hope you found my Public Mobile review helpful! Please share with a friend and help them get a super affordable phone plan too!
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131 Comments on Public Mobile Review & Referral Code (We Save $2000 a Year!)
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I have just signed up using the latest referral code from sandir.
If you would like to receive the $10 credit, please use my referral code O0LNEE to activate a new account for keeping the referrals chain.
Thank you
an honest entry-level provider that won’t try to upsell you plans you don’t need! use this code during activation and receive $10-$25 bonus credit
Sandra can you explain how people can get $25 with the referral code? I temporarily removed your code because I don’t want people to be mislead, but if you can show us how I’ll add it back. Thanks
Signing up to Public Mobile was so easy! I signed up for the $25/month 1GB plan with the FREE3GB add on and may switch to the 2 GB plan when the free data runs out.
I found this blog post and information from the ChooseFI Canada Facebook group. Sharing referral codes is such a great idea, thank you Bri!
My referral code is: 8N767N or https://activate.publicmobile.ca/?raf=8N767N
I love the Choose FI Canada group!
Thanks for the great review!
I got my SIM card for $5 from Canadian Cell Supplies, free shipping included.
Feel free to use my code for a $10 bonus credit: 7P9OZK
Money saving provider over Telus network. $10 off bonus with code VN8J29
Thank you so much for all of the great information. I signed up for the $25/month plan with the bonus 3GB (Code FREE3GB) of data for the first month! I also paid forward the $10 sign up bonus. My code which provides me with a $1/mth and you with $10 sign up is EXE5O3 Thanks in advance for any pay forwards.
Hi Bri (and others who may be reading this):
Thanks for the useful information. I researched Public Mobile (PM) and found it to be a great alternative to the more expensive carriers.
– I ordered my PM SIM from Amazon Prime, there was a sale on so it cost $5.65 total.
– I also found out there’s a special on where you get a one time bonus of 3 GB data. Details here: https://forums.redflagdeals.com/public-mobile-get-3gb-data-0-when-you-join-public-mobile-2408406/
– I chose the $25/month plan with autopay so I get unlimited talk/text/1G data.
If you found this helpful, please feel free to use my referral code for $10 off:
O0PY5V
https://activate.publicmobile.ca/?raf=O0PY5V
In return, I will use the most recent commenter’s referral code (Frank), to keep the referral code chain going. 🙂
Cheers, have a great day and thanks again, Bri.
Vic
Wow thanks for the additional helpful advice!
Excellent Article!!! I’m very thankful to Bri for having an informative site like this to help make a smart decision to join Public Mobile! I wish I could thank you by using your referral as I hope someone may use mine now that I’ve signed up:
O0EVVJ is the Referral Code # or use the link…
https://activate.publicmobile.ca/?raf=O0EVVJ
Thanks & Cheers
You’re welcome! Glad you found it helpful!
What a great review!
I am a new Public Mobile customer (since early August 2020).
What strikes me is how people are nice in the Community and how questions are answered easily and effectively.
Feel free to use my code: LYRZVY
Thank you so much!
Thank you, Bri for all the detailed info covered in this article. Wow! I have just signed up one member and look forward to signing up the remaining members of my family. Ha! Thanks for the referral code, Geoffrey.
Please feel free to use my sharing is caring $10 sign up bonus code EX4K7N
or
link https://activate.publicmobile.ca/?raf=EX4K7N
when activating with Public Mobile.
Thank you.
You’re welcome!
Thanks for the great article! I have been with Telus for what seems like forever, and depend heavily on good reception out of major city centres to run my business. I was always concerned with the “little guys” if the reception would be good enough, but I feel like I’ve heard enough comments now that it’s basically no difference for Telus users since they run on the same towers. Just made the switch and it feels great! I used Joey’s code below. 🙂
If someone else would like to use my code for sign-up that would be awesome to keep paying it forward!
Ref. code: MY25R4
Link: https://activate.publicmobile.ca/?raf=MY25R4
Cheers!
Caitlin
You’re welcome!
New offers have come up in Public Mobile. Also get discount of $10 when you activate using a referral code. You can use my code- NYEEZV
Great article! I would also like to share my code 88J92Z
Much appreciate this review – was researching providers trying to decide who to go with for my 13-year-old’s first phone – even in these pandemic times, increasingly it’s essential to be able to stay connected. Sign up on Public Mobile’s site was easy, no fuss.
Our referral code is 55Y8Z7, or feel free to click the direct link
https://activate.publicmobile.ca/?raf=55Y8Z7
to keep on paying this credit forward (thanks to Erica, posting on Sept. 7/20, whose referral code we used at sign up).
Hi! I used Mike’s referral code when I activated my account, but don’t see a $10 credit on my account. Does it take some time to process the referral discounts or credits? Let me know if you see any credit or discount to your account from me using your referral code!
If anyone else wants to use my referral code to continue the pay it forward momentum, my referral code is: X4W79N
Did your $10 credit come through, Laura? Mine took at least a couple of days to be posted to my account, if I recall correctly.
A little update on our experience! Our son has been using Public Mobile for 2 weeks now and he is very happy with the service. I am also very happy with the price, and found out that he shouldn’t be able to go over his allowed data without having to purchase “extra” data, so we shouldn’t be getting any surprises. He is very careful not to use up his 250 mb haha!
Here’s our reference Code to get 10$ off: X4E3PN
My husband and I are also with Public and love them!
If you’re looking for $10 sign up bonus, use the code P2VVYP
Awesome! Thanks 🙏
The code P2VVYP worked!
For anyone else you can use that code, or use this link if it’s easier:
https://activate.publicmobile.ca/?raf=P2VVYP
I took another user’s advice and purchased my Public Mobile SIM from canadiancellsupplies.com for $4 delivered by Canada Post to NB in 3 days.
I opted for the $40/month plan, actually $38/month with AutoPay.
Save $10 with this code
EXON55
Public mobile is such an amazing phone company. I’ve been happy with it since day one just over a year ago. Its very simple and straight forward with the rewards too.
Feel free to use my referral code R37LNX to get a 10$ discount and to help me get to 0$ a month. Lol I’d really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!
I just switched over to Public Mobile today. I was worried it would take a couple days to transfer my number, but everything was switched and ready to go within about 20 minutes! The community questions and guide are very straightforward to activate it on your own online too.
Please feel free to use my code P0V2VN if you’re looking for a deal when you activate a plan!
Very quick & painless switch from Speakout. For migration, during initial activation I used my current phone’s IMEI as the Equipment Serial Number and the number got ported automatically in about 6 hours. If you need a referral code to get a $10 discount, you can use 39X4YR
Thank you for a great review!
I just switched to Public Mobile today and excited to be saving!
If anyone would like $10 off their sign up, here is the discount code: 2MNX45
I had switched to public mobile 3 months back and am quite happy with their services.
You can use my activate code NYEEZV to get a discount of $10