Freedom Mobile (previously Wind Mobile) offers the cheapest unlimited talk, text, and data plans out of all the Canadian carriers.
Freedom is a solid choice if you spend most of your time in major urban areas (see full list below) where coverage is the most dependable. Outside of these cities, you could find yourself without service, or facing roaming fees.
If you’re an iPhone user who is thinking about switching to Freedom, here is everything you need to know before making the move.
6 facts about using your iPhone with Freedom
1) You can (finally) buy an iPhone from Freedom
For a long time, the iPhone was sorely lacking from Freedom’s smartphone line up. No longer! Since the release of the iPhone 8 in 2017, Freedom has had the full slate of iPhones available.
2) Freedom Mobile does not have Device Financing Plans
The Big 3 carriers rolled out Device Financing Plans last year as a new way of paying for your phone (we broke down at Rogers’ financing plan here). Unfortunately, Freedom does not offer Device Financing plans, but does allow customer to choose from contract- and tab-based financing solutions.
3) You cannot buy an iPhone from Freedom online
Freedom currently does not allow customers to buy phones on their website — you have to do that in store.
4) Freedom does not sell refurbished iPhones
Some of the Big 3’s flanker brands have started selling refurbished iPhones. Unfortunately, these phones can only be purchased if you sign up for a contract with these companies.
If you’d to take advantage of Freedom’s attractive Bring-Your-Own-phone plans without having to pay $979 for an iPhone 11, Orchard sells a range of used iPhones that are compatible with the Freedom network. Click here to see our full selection.
Canada's leading provider of quality used phones
Check out all of Orchard's Freedom compatible iPhones
to the shop5) Not all urban areas have LTE coverage
As of February 2020, Freedom’s LTE network was really only in a handful of metro areas, centered in Ontario: the GTA, Hamilton, London, Ottawa, Kingston, Windsor, etc. Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver and Victoria (and surrounding areas) also have LTE coverage.
If you’re in Montreal, Quebec City or anywhere on the East Coast, you’re out of luck for now
You can see Freedom’s full coverage map here.
6) Phones older than the iPhone 8 may not work with Freedom’s LTE network
Freedom’s LTE network runs on bands B4, B7 and B66. If you have an iPhone 7 or older, it may not work with Freedom’s LTE network. You can use this site to check whether your iPhone (or any other phone) is compatible with Freedom’s network.
Final Thoughts
Since being acquired by Shaw back in 2015, Freedom has been aggressively improving their coverage, so keep that in mind if you’re considering switching but have concerns about the quality of their network.
Some people definitely think of Freedom as a no-frills discount carrier, which isn’t entirely fair. We like to think of them as a smaller carrier playing catch-up with more well established (and more expensive) brands.
So if you were to join Freedom today, you can expect to see improvements to their coverage as time goes on. We’re optimistic.