Fido emailing former customers a $34/50GB win-back deal

Rogers-owned Fido is emailing some former customers with a $34/50GB win-back deal that isn’t quite as good as it looks on the surface.

I got one such email from Fido, which notes that the $34/50GB plan uses 4G data capped at speeds of up to 150Mbps. It also includes Canada-wide calling and presumably text, though neither the email nor the fine print specifically mentions texting. Also of note is that the plan is only available to customers who bring their own phone (BYOP), so if you were hoping to score a new device from Fido, this isn’t the deal for you.

But the thing that caught my eye was that the price includes a monthly bill credit that goes away after 24 months. While that sucks, it’s pretty par for the course for a Canadian wireless provider. But what’s really odd is that the fine print says the bill credit is $21. That means the plan Fido is offering here is actually a $55/mo plan, which is quite a bit more than the $44/mo ($39/mo with autopay) 50GB BYOP plan listed on its website.

Typically I’d recommend anyone taking the deal make sure to switch plans before the end of the 24-month period to avoid paying the higher rate, but Fido gets you another way too: the fine print says the credit “will be applied by your third invoice,” so it sounds like anyone who takes the deal might end up paying $55/mo for the first few months. Plus, Fido is offering a credit to cover the cost of the now $70 connection fee, which also won’t arrive until the third invoice. If you get one of these offers, prepare for a hefty first bill.

Fido’s fine print makes this deal less appealing.

Given all this, I don’t think I’d recommend this particular Fido win-back offer to anyone, especially when you can get similar plans elsewhere without all the hoops. Public Mobile has $35/60GB 4G and $39/50GB 5G plans, the latter with Canada/U.S. calling, texting and data, while Freedom Mobile offers $35/50GB 5G with Canada/U.S./Mexico usage after a $5 autopay discount and $5/mo credit for 18 months.

Anyone who gets the email from Fido will need to use the included promo code and sign up with the same phone number listed in the email, which should be the same number used last time you were with Fido.