Rogers raising prices for some mobile customers up to $5/mo

Rogers is raising prices again for some mobile customers by as much as $5 per month.

MobileSyrup spotted reports of the price increase on Reddit, with one customer sharing a screenshot of a message from their Rogers account noting that their price would increase on the October bill. Others commented that they received similar messages but with a $3/mo increase.

Rogers confirmed to MobileSyrup that it was increasing prices for a “small percentage” of customers. A Rogers spokesperson said that the average increase is “less than $4” and that the majority of customers impacted will see only a $3 increase. Additionally, customers who are not financing a device or not on a fixed term will see the increase on their first bill after October 9. Rogers said customers can switch to a different plan that better suits their needs and budget. The company also clarified that customers on a fixed term or who are financing a device won’t see a change to their base monthly service fee during their contract.

“Canadians are using more mobile data than ever before, and we are continually investing to bring the best mobile experience to our customers on Canada’s largest and most reliable 5G network. To help support network capacity and performance, a small percentage of our customers will experience a change to their mobile plan rate,” Rogers said in a statement to MobileSyrup.

It’s worth noting that Rogers’ revenue has increased year-over-year, with the company’s Q2 2024 earnings report stating that growth in wireless and media revenue drove the company’s overall revenue increase. The company also saw an increase in average revenue per user (ARPU) to $57.24 and reported growth in mobile phone subscribers drove the increase. At the same time, Rogers saw a drop in equipment revenue thanks to fewer existing customers upgrading phones, though it did see an increase in new customers purchasing devices.

Regardless of the amount, any increase in price is bound to frustrate customers, especially when it’s the second such increase this year (though Rogers says no customers impacted by the current rate increase were included in the one earlier this year). Plus, Rogers has found other ways to charge customers more, like raising the connection fee to $70 despite the fee now potentially violating the Telecommunications Act and charging for basic shipping when ordering a phone online.

Rogers also said that overall wireless prices are going down, pointing to Statistics Canada’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) as evidence. However, Statistics Canada recently detailed changes it was making to how it measures wireless pricing to more accurately reflect what Canadians actually pay.

With Black Friday around the corner, this serves as an excellent reminder to Canadians to switch their wireless service regularly. Once the holiday deals emerge, I’d strongly recommend that anyone not locked into a contract find a suitable deal and switch providers. Some will get extra lucky and might receive special win-back offers from their former carrier, but most will at least end up with a cheaper, better plan for probably the next year.

Update Oct 3rd, 2024 at 11:14am ET: Added additional financial details.

Update Oct 3rd, 2024 at 11:40am ET: Added clarification that customers impacted by a rate increase in January are not included in this recent rate increase.