Freedom Mobile to charge $20 connection fee on in-store hardware upgrades starting June 8

Update – June 8th: Freedom Mobile has updated its website to reflect this change. The company notes, “A one-time connection fee of up to $20 will apply to each new line activation or phone upgrade in-store.’

Shaw Communications’ Freedom Mobile will be charging a $20 connection fee for in-store hardware upgrades starting June 8th.

There is still a $0 connection fee for online upgrades, according to documents obtained by iPhone in Canada.

Freedom Mobile started charging a $20 connection fee for new postpaid activations and a $10 connection fee for new prepaid activations in December 2019. The carrier had said that “a one-time activation fee will allow us to fund further network improvements and explore transformative technology.”

At that time, Freedom Mobile had indicated that there wouldn’t be a connection fee if customers are just upgrading their current devices. However, the recent documents indicate that Freedom Mobile will start charging for hardware upgrades done in-store.

MobileSyrup has reached out to Freedom Mobile for confirmation and more details.

Source: iPhone in Canada

Update 08/06/20 11:55am ET: A spokesperson from Shaw Communications has provided MobileSyrup with the following statement: “Starting June 8, Freedom Mobile will extend its Connection Fee program to include a $20 fee for in-store hardware upgrades on our network. Customers who activate or upgrade their device online will continue to pay $0. Charging a connection fee on in-store activations and hardware upgrades will help us invest in improving the quality of our network and provide better coverage and more value to more Canadians.”