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  • Simplii Financial vs Tangerine: Which Is Better for Canadians? (2026)

    Last verified: July 2026 | Author: Harold Phillips

    Quick Answer

    Both Simplii Financial and Tangerine are strong no-fee banking options that will immediately save you money compared to a traditional big bank. Simplii edges ahead for most Canadians: cleaner experience, strong cashback card, and CIBC's branch network as a backstop. But Tangerine has a genuine case if you want a more flexible rewards card, care about GICs, or want 24/7 customer support. Neither is a bad pick, which is still a rare thing to say about Canadian banking. As of mid-2026, both banks continue to sharpen their digital offerings in response to growing competition from newer fintechs, making either a sound choice for Canadians looking to ditch big-bank fees.

    At a Glance

    Feature Simplii Financial Tangerine
    Monthly Fee $0 $0
    Chequing Account ✓ No-fee ✓ No-fee
    Savings Account ✓ High-interest ✓ Competitive rates
    GICs ✗ ✓
    Credit Card Cash Back Visa, up to 4% on select categories Money-Back Mastercard, 2% on chosen categories
    ATM Network CIBC (3,400+ locations) Scotiabank (3,500+ locations)
    Parent Bank CIBC Scotiabank
    CDIC Insured ✓ ✓
    Foreign Transaction Fee (debit) 2.5% 1.5%
    Customer Support Phone + CIBC branches Phone + 24/7 chat
    Referral Bonus Cash bonus (varies by product) Cash bonus (varies by product)
    Best For Simple banking + flat-rate cashback Flexible rewards + GICs

    Simplii Financial Overview

    Simplii is CIBC's digital banking arm, launched in 2017 after CIBC wound down the PC Financial partnership. The pitch is simple: no monthly fees, access to CIBC's ATM network, and a chequing account that works exactly like you'd expect (e-Transfers, mobile cheque deposit, pre-authorized payments, all of it).

    The real draw for a lot of people is the Cash Back Visa. Four percent back on eligible groceries, gas, and drugstore purchases (up to $5,000 per year combined), 1.5% on restaurants and bars, 0.5% on everything else, with no annual fee. For Canadian spending patterns, that grocery rate specifically is hard to beat in the no-fee card category.

    I switched to Simplii back in 2022 after sitting down one evening and actually calculating what I'd paid TD in monthly fees over the previous few years. The number was embarrassing. The switch took about three weeks end-to-end, mostly waiting to make sure I'd caught every pre-authorized payment before closing the old account. Since then, the app has been fine. Not beautiful, not exciting, just functional. I've done everything I need to do without thinking too hard about it, which is exactly what I want from a bank.

    Tangerine Overview

    Tangerine has been doing this longer than almost anyone else in Canada. It launched as ING Direct in 1997, ran for 15 years as the original digital-bank-before-digital-banking-was-a-thing, and then Scotiabank acquired it in 2012 and rebranded it. That history gives Tangerine something Simplii doesn't have: a track record that spans multiple economic cycles and bank runs (literally; ING survived 2008 without drama).

    The Money-Back Mastercard is where Tangerine stands out. You choose two spending categories for 2% cashback (groceries, restaurants, recurring bills, gas, hotel-motel, drug stores, home improvement, public transit, entertainment, furniture) and get 0.5% on everything else. Add a Tangerine savings account and you get a third 2% category. If your spending is spread across categories that Simplii's card doesn't reward well, Tangerine's flexibility can come out ahead.

    They also offer GICs, which Simplii doesn't. If you want to lock in a rate for 90 days or 5 years on savings you won't need to touch, you can do that inside the same Tangerine ecosystem without opening another account somewhere else. In 2026, with interest rates still above pre-pandemic lows, GIC access within a no-fee banking ecosystem remains a meaningful differentiator.

    Detailed Comparison

    Pricing

    Both banks are free for everyday banking. That sentence should still feel more significant than it does, given what most Canadians have accepted from their banks for decades.

    Cost Simplii Financial Tangerine
    Monthly chequing fee $0 $0
    Interac e-Transfer $0 (unlimited) $0 (unlimited)
    ATM fee (in-network) $0 (CIBC) $0 (Scotiabank)
    ATM fee (out-of-network) Varies by machine Varies by machine
    NSF fee ~$45 ~$45
    Foreign transaction fee (debit) 2.5% 1.5%

    The foreign transaction fee is a detail most people skip past. If you travel internationally and use your debit card with any regularity, Tangerine costs less. 1% less per transaction. Not a reason to switch banks by itself, but worth knowing if you're the kind of person who spends two weeks in Europe every summer. (I'm not, right now. Maybe someday.)

    Both banks also pay some interest on chequing balances under certain conditions. Neither makes it a headline feature, and the rates are low enough that it's not moving the needle for anyone. Just flagging it exists.

    Credit Cards

    This is where the real comparison happens for most people, because both cards are genuinely competitive in a Canadian market where most no-fee cards offer you a coin for every dollar spent and call it a perk.

    Simplii Cash Back Visa:

    • 4% cash back on eligible groceries, gas, and drugstore purchases (combined cap of $5,000/year in those categories)
    • 1.5% on restaurants and bars
    • 0.5% on everything else
    • No annual fee
    • Requires a Simplii chequing account

    Tangerine Money-Back Mastercard:

    • 2% cash back on 2 chosen categories (3 with a Tangerine savings account)
    • Categories: groceries, restaurants, recurring bills, gas, drug stores, home improvement, hotel-motel, public transit, entertainment, furniture
    • 0.5% on everything else
    • No annual fee
    • Requires a Tangerine savings account

    Which card wins depends entirely on how you spend. If you're heavy on groceries and gas (and most Canadian households are), Simplii's 4% in those categories beats Tangerine's 2% by a significant margin. But if your biggest discretionary spending falls outside those categories, or if you want to optimize for transit and recurring bills, Tangerine's flexibility is real.

    I use Simplii's card. My spending skews heavily toward groceries and gas, so the math works in my favour. My partner pointed out recently that they'd probably do better with Tangerine's card given how much they spend on recurring subscriptions and restaurants. They're probably right. It's the kind of thing you should actually calculate rather than assume.

    Savings and GICs

    Product Simplii Financial Tangerine
    High-interest savings ✓ (rate varies) ✓ (rate varies + promotional offers)
    TFSA savings ✓ ✓
    RRSP savings ✓ ✓
    RESP ✗ ✗
    GICs ✗ ✓ (multiple terms)
    USD savings ✗ ✗

    Tangerine wins this category, mostly because of GICs. If you want a fixed-rate product without opening a separate account at EQ Bank or a credit union, Tangerine keeps it in-ecosystem. That's not a small convenience.

    Savings rates fluctuate constantly and I'm not going to quote specific numbers here. They'll be wrong by the time most people read this. What I will say is that both banks run promotional introductory rates from time to time. Tangerine in particular has a history of high-rate promos that drop to a lower regular rate after a few months. If you're disciplined about checking and moving money when the promo ends, that's genuinely useful. If you're like me and will forget about it for eight months, you might prefer Simplii's more consistent (if sometimes lower) rate.

    User Experience

    Experience Simplii Financial Tangerine
    iOS app store rating (approx.) ~3.8/5 ~4.0/5
    Android app store rating (approx.) ~3.5/5 ~3.8/5
    Web banking ✓ Full-featured ✓ Full-featured
    Mobile cheque deposit ✓ ✓
    Savings sub-accounts (buckets) ✓ ✓
    Joint accounts ✓ ✓
    Customer support Phone (business hours) + CIBC branches Phone + 24/7 chat
    French language support ✓ ✓

    Neither app is going to be your favourite app. They work. I've never had a mobile deposit fail, and e-Transfers have always processed when expected. Both apps have picked up minor quality-of-life updates through the first half of 2026, including quicker in-app dispute flagging and small tweaks to how spending categories are displayed, but nothing that changes the core comparison here.

    The meaningful difference is support. Tangerine has 24/7 chat, which matters if you see something wrong with your account at 11pm on a Saturday. When I had an unrecognized charge show up on my Simplii account once, I had to wait until the next morning to call in. The call itself went fine. Took about 20 minutes, the charge turned out to be a merchant billing error, it was resolved. But sitting with an unexplained transaction overnight is uncomfortable in a way that Tangerine's chat availability would have fixed.

    On the other hand, Simplii's CIBC connection gives you branch access for situations that require in-person help. Tangerine has a small number of "Café" locations in a few cities, but they're not full-service branches. If you ever need to certify a cheque, access a safety deposit box, or deal with something unusual, walking into a CIBC branch and saying "I have a Simplii account" works. That's not nothing.

    Availability in Canada

    Both are available nationwide, operate in English and French, and are CDIC-insured. Neither has meaningful geographic restrictions. Rural coverage for in-network ATMs depends on where you are. If you're regularly somewhere without a CIBC or Scotiabank machine, you're going to pay out-of-network fees regardless of which bank you choose.

    Which Should You Choose?

    Choose Simplii Financial if:

    • You want straightforward no-fee banking without a lot of active management
    • Your household spending is concentrated in groceries, gas, and drugstores (the 4% cashback card is strong)
    • You occasionally need branch access, and knowing a CIBC branch is a fallback matters to you
    • You'd rather have a stable savings rate than chase promotional offers

    Choose Tangerine if:

    • Your spending doesn't fit neatly into grocery/gas categories and you'd get more from a customizable 2% card
    • You want GICs in the same account ecosystem as your chequing
    • 24/7 chat support is important to you (maybe you've been burned by slow support before)
    • You travel internationally and want to reduce debit foreign transaction fees

    Referral Codes

    Both services have referral programs. The bonus amounts change periodically depending on the product and current promotions. Check the link for the live offer before signing up.

    Service Referral Code Where to Sign Up Reward
    Simplii Financial 77DLTc referralmaxxing.ca/go/simplii Cash bonus on new chequing or savings account (varies)
    Tangerine 40683976S1 referralmaxxing.ca/go/tangerine Cash bonus on new chequing account (varies)

    If you use either of my referral links, I may receive a small reward. It doesn't change what I've written. I'd say the same things either way, and I've said them above.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Is Simplii Financial or Tangerine cheaper for Canadians?

    Both are free for everyday banking, so the cost difference is minimal. The one meaningful gap is the foreign transaction fee on debit: Tangerine charges 1.5%, Simplii charges 2.5%. If you travel internationally and use your debit card, that adds up. For purely domestic use, they're essentially the same cost.

    Are Simplii and Tangerine safe?

    Yes, both are safe. Simplii is operated by CIBC, Tangerine by Scotiabank. Both are Big Six Canadian banks. Deposits at each are CDIC-insured up to $100,000 per depositor per category. This is as safe as Canadian banking gets.

    Can I use both Simplii and Tangerine at the same time?

    Yes. Nothing stops you from having a chequing account at one and a credit card at the other, or accounts at both. Some people keep a Tangerine savings account for the GIC access while banking primarily with Simplii. It's more to manage, but it's a reasonable setup if the features split nicely for your needs.

    How long does it take to switch banks?

    The actual account opening is quick: 10-15 minutes online. The real time is the transition: updating direct deposit with your employer, redirecting pre-authorized payments (subscriptions, utilities, gym, phone). Give yourself 4-6 weeks to make sure you've caught everything before closing the old account. I'd recommend keeping the old account open with a small balance for about 30 days after switching, just in case something slips through.

    Which has the better savings account rate?

    Honestly, this changes enough that I don't want to quote a specific number. It'll be stale quickly. As of mid-2026, both banks offer competitive rates for digital banking, but neither consistently beats dedicated high-interest savings providers like EQ Bank. If maximizing your savings rate is the priority, you might use Simplii or Tangerine for everyday chequing and park your savings somewhere else. Not glamorous advice, but it's accurate.

    Does Tangerine's referral bonus apply to credit card sign-ups?

    The referral bonus on Tangerine typically applies to the chequing account. The credit card sign-up may have a separate welcome offer. Same deal with Simplii. Read the current offer terms when you're signing up, because these change more often than I can keep up with.

    Final Verdict

    For most Canadians, Simplii is the easier call. The no-fee chequing is solid, the cashback Visa is one of the strongest no-annual-fee cards in Canada for everyday spending, and you have CIBC branches available if you ever need them. If you're switching from a traditional bank and want minimal friction, Simplii gets you where you're going.

    But Tangerine isn't a consolation prize. The customizable cashback categories mean the Tangerine card genuinely outperforms Simplii's for certain spending patterns. And if you've ever wanted to do GICs without opening yet another account somewhere else, Tangerine keeps everything tidy. The 24/7 chat support is the kind of thing you don't notice until you need it, and then you really notice it.

    The thing is, both of these banks exist because Canadians finally figured out they didn't have to keep paying big-bank fees. Picking between them is a genuine first-world problem, one where both answers save you money compared to where most people started.

    This article contains referral links. If you sign up using my code, I may receive a reward at no extra cost to you. I only recommend services I personally use.

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  • Simplii Financial Review 2026: No-Fee Banking With a Real Referral Bonus

    Last updated: July 2026 | Author: Harold Phillips

    Key Takeaways

    • Simplii Financial is CIBC's no-fee digital banking brand: no monthly fees on chequing, backed by one of Canada's Big Five
    • New clients can earn a cash bonus through the referral program (amount varies by product and promotion); Simplii only tracks it through a referral link, so sign up via my link below
    • No minimum balance, no transaction limits, access to CIBC ATMs, and a Visa cashback card option
    • Best suited for people who want free banking without leaving the traditional banking infrastructure entirely

    What Is Simplii Financial?

    Simplii Financial is CIBC's direct banking division. It launched in 2017 when CIBC purchased President's Choice Financial from Loblaw, essentially inheriting an existing no-fee banking customer base and rebranding the whole thing. If you used PC Financial before 2017, you effectively became a Simplii customer overnight.

    The pitch is simple: free chequing account, no monthly fees, no minimum balance, access to CIBC's ATM network across Canada. It sits in the same category as Tangerine (Scotiabank's digital brand) and, to some extent, EQ Bank and Wealthsimple Cash. Simplii's connection to CIBC gives it a few advantages those fintech-native options can't match though, particularly around bill payments, Interac e-Transfers, and branch access if you genuinely need it.

    It's not flashy. There's no crypto, no stock trading, no premium metal card. Simplii is banking for people who want banking to work reliably and cost them nothing. Heading into the second half of 2026, that no-frills positioning has aged well, as more Canadians shift away from chasing the flashiest fintech app and back toward banking that's simply reliable and free.

    Simplii Financial Referral Code: 77DLTc

    When you open a new Simplii chequing account through a referral link, both you and the referrer can earn a cash bonus. The exact amount fluctuates (Simplii adjusts their referral promotions throughout the year), but the sign-up step is the same regardless.

    Use my referral link at referralmaxxing.ca/go/simplii to sign up — Simplii's fine print says the bonus is only paid when you arrive through the link (there's no box to type a code into). The reward applies to new clients only.

    Step Action
    1 Go to the Simplii sign-up page (use the referral link in the section above)
    2 Click "Open an Account" on the Simplii site
    3 Make sure you land on the referral welcome page — the bonus only tracks when you arrive through the link
    4 Complete identity verification and fund your account
    5 Meet any qualifying conditions (typically a direct deposit or minimum transaction)
    6 Cash bonus is deposited to your account

    One thing to be aware of: Simplii sometimes requires a qualifying action (a direct deposit or a minimum number of transactions) before releasing the bonus. Read the current terms when you sign up, because the conditions change. I'll be upfront that I haven't checked the exact qualifying threshold in the last few weeks, so confirm what's required at the time you open your account.

    Pricing and Plans

    Simplii's account lineup is small. That's not a criticism. It means less decision fatigue.

    Account Monthly Fee Key Features Best For
    No-Fee Chequing $0 Unlimited transactions, Interac e-Transfers, CIBC ATM access Everyday banking
    High Interest Savings (HISA) $0 Variable interest rate, no minimum balance Short-term savings
    Simplii Financial Cash Back Visa $0 annual fee 4% on restaurants/bars (capped at $5,000/yr spend), 1.5% on groceries/gas/drugstores/pre-authorized payments, 0.5% all other Everyday spending
    Personal Line of Credit Rate varies Flexible credit access Borrowing
    GIC Rate varies Term deposits, CDIC-insured Locked-in savings

    The cashback Visa is the standout product for a lot of people. No annual fee, a genuinely useful cashback structure, and it integrates cleanly with your Simplii chequing. Everything in one place, one app.

    Interest rates on the HISA are competitive sometimes, and not competitive other times. Simplii goes through phases where their savings rate is solid, then quietly drops it and forgets to announce anything. I'll come back to this in the review section.

    Pros and Cons

    Pros Cons
    ✅ Truly no-fee chequing, with no minimum balance and no transaction limits ❌ HISA interest rate is inconsistent and often lags behind EQ Bank
    ✅ Access to CIBC's full ATM network (2,800+ machines across Canada) ❌ Customer support is primarily phone-based; wait times are real
    ✅ CDIC-insured (deposits protected up to $100,000) ❌ Cashback categories are capped (the 4% dining rate stops after $5,000/yr of spend)
    ✅ Solid cashback Visa with no annual fee ❌ App is functional but not as polished as Wealthsimple or Tangerine
    ✅ Backed by CIBC, useful for mortgages and lines of credit ❌ Referral bonus requires qualifying conditions to claim
    ✅ Interac e-Transfer included at no charge ❌ No in-app budgeting tools or spending analytics

    Simplii Financial vs Tangerine

    These are the two most common comparisons in Canadian no-fee banking, and honestly they're both decent choices. Here's how they stack up in 2026:

    Feature Simplii Financial Tangerine
    Monthly fee $0 $0
    Parent bank CIBC Scotiabank
    ATM network CIBC (2,800+) Scotiabank + ABM (3,500+)
    HISA rate Low tiered base (roughly 0.3–1.5%); promos can hit 4.5%+ Variable, often competitive, promotions available
    Cashback credit card Yes (Visa, no annual fee) Yes (Mastercard, no annual fee)
    Joint chequing Yes (up to 2 people) Yes
    In-app budgeting Basic More developed
    CDIC insured Yes Yes
    Referral program Yes (cash bonus) Yes (cash bonus)
    App quality Functional Generally better-rated

    Joint chequing used to be Tangerine's easy win, but Simplii offers it now too (up to two people), so that one's mostly a wash. If you're primarily interested in the credit card and ATM network, Simplii is at least as good. For savings rates, you need to check both at the time you're opening an account. Neither one is consistently better, and both will try to lure you with a promotional rate that quietly drops after a few months.

    The thing that keeps me on Simplii personally is the CIBC ATM network. I'm not going to pretend ATM access matters less than it does. When you need cash (at a farmers' market, at a garage sale, paying a tradesperson) being able to find a fee-free machine without a 15-minute walk is worth something real.

    My Experience with Simplii Financial

    I made the switch to Simplii back in 2022. The short version: I was at TD for years, paying somewhere around $16 a month in account fees, and I finally did the math on what that had cost me over a decade. The number was embarrassing. I switched in a weekend.

    Setting up the account was straightforward. I had a new chequing account active within a day, moved my direct deposit, and updated my pre-authorized debits over the following two weeks. The migration wasn't painless (one auto-payment still tried to go to my old account because I'd missed it) but that's a me problem, not a Simplii problem.

    What I use Simplii for day-to-day: all my incoming deposits, bill payments, e-Transfers, and the cashback Visa for groceries and restaurants. My partner was skeptical when I switched — "why would CIBC give you a free account, what's the catch?" — and honestly, there's no catch. The business model is that they want you to eventually take out a CIBC mortgage or line of credit. Whether you do that is entirely up to you.

    The cashback Visa is genuinely good. The 4% on restaurants and bars is a standing rate, not an intro promo — the catch they don't put in the headline is a $5,000-a-year cap on that category — and the 1.5% on groceries and gas plus 0.5% on everything else with no annual fee is solid. I've pointed several coworkers toward it. One of them switched their primary card and was happy. Another preferred the Tangerine World Mastercard for the slightly better rewards structure. Both are reasonable choices.

    Where Simplii has frustrated me: the savings rate. I moved some savings into the Simplii HISA in 2023 when their promotional rate was genuinely competitive. Then it dropped. I noticed when I was doing my quarterly subscription audit and saw the interest being deposited, less than I expected. I didn't catch the rate change because Simplii didn't make any fuss about it. I ended up moving most of those savings to EQ Bank, where the rate has been more consistent. I still have the Simplii HISA open, but it's not where I'd park anything I actually care about earning yield on.

    The app. It works. It doesn't impress me. The UI feels like it was designed in 2019 and hasn't been updated much since. Compared to Wealthsimple's app or even the newer version of the TD app, Simplii feels a bit stale. You can do everything you need (check balances, send e-Transfers, pay bills, manage your Visa) but it's not a pleasant experience in the way modern fintech apps are.

    Customer support is phone-based and that means wait times. I had one issue with a merchant dispute that took three phone calls across two weeks to resolve. The outcome was fine; the process was annoying. If you need to get something done urgently, you'll probably sit on hold for a while.

    None of this has been bad enough to make me leave. Free banking, a card I use every day, and access to ATMs I actually walk past: those things keep me here. But I want you to go in knowing it's not the most polished product in the category.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Is Simplii Financial available in all provinces?

    Yes. Simplii is available to Canadian residents nationwide, including Quebec. You don't need to live near a CIBC branch to use it. It's entirely digital for account management, though CIBC branch access exists if you need it.

    How does the Simplii referral code work?

    When you open a new chequing account through a referral link, you're eligible for a cash bonus. Sign up via referralmaxxing.ca/go/simplii — the link is the only way Simplii attributes the referral. You'll typically need to complete a qualifying action (a direct deposit or a minimum number of debit transactions) before the bonus is released. The amount varies depending on what promotion is active when you sign up.

    Is Simplii Financial safe?

    Yes. Simplii is a division of CIBC, one of Canada's Big Five banks. Deposits are CDIC-insured up to $100,000 per depositor. This is the same protection you'd have at RBC, TD, or any major chartered bank.

    Does Simplii charge for Interac e-Transfers?

    No. Interac e-Transfers are included with the no-fee chequing account at no extra charge. This was one of the things that used to differentiate no-fee accounts from traditional bank accounts, where e-Transfers sometimes cost $1–$1.50 each.

    Can I access cash from non-CIBC ATMs?

    You can, but you'll pay the other bank's ATM fee (usually $2–$3 per withdrawal). Simplii itself doesn't add an extra surcharge, but you're not insulated from the machine owner's fee. With 2,800+ CIBC machines across Canada, you can avoid this most of the time in any city, though in smaller towns and rural areas your options get thinner.

    How does Simplii compare to EQ Bank for savings?

    For pure savings rate, EQ Bank has generally been more reliable. Their rate is usually higher than Simplii's standard HISA rate, and they don't do the "promotional rate that quietly disappears" thing as much. If you want a savings account where your money is actually working, I'd look at EQ Bank over Simplii for that specific purpose. Simplii is better as an everyday chequing hub. These aren't mutually exclusive; I use both.

    Is Simplii worth it in 2026?

    For no-fee chequing, yes. If you're still paying $14–$20 a month at a big bank for a standard chequing account, switching to Simplii and keeping $200 a year is a straightforward win. For savings, it depends on the current rate. Check it when you open the account and don't assume it'll stay there.

    Does Simplii offer joint accounts?

    Yes — the No Fee Chequing account can be held jointly (up to two people), and joint savings works too. I'll admit I had this wrong for a while: when my partner and I first talked about consolidating accounts I'd read that chequing was solo-only, and that's no longer the case.

    Final Verdict

    Simplii Financial is one of the better no-fee banking options in Canada, and the CIBC connection gives it a stability and ATM network that pure fintech alternatives can't match. It's not the most exciting product (the app is dated and the HISA base rate is forgettable once the promo window closes) but as a free alternative to paying $16 a month at TD or RBC, it does exactly what it needs to do.

    My recommendation: use Simplii as your primary chequing account. Pair it with EQ Bank or Wealthsimple Cash for savings if you care about the rate. Use the Simplii Visa cashback card if you want a no-annual-fee card that integrates cleanly with your account.

    If you're opening a new account, sign up through referralmaxxing.ca/go/simplii to pick up the cash bonus on top.

    If you're a couple who needs joint chequing, Tangerine is probably the better first call. If you're a solo account holder who wants reliability and zero fees, Simplii has been solid for me for four years.

    This article contains referral links. If you sign up using my code, I may receive a reward at no extra cost to you. I only recommend services I personally use.

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  • Fizz Mobile Review 2026: Get a $35 Credit with Referral Code U7YL7

    Last verified: July 2026 | Author: Harold Phillips

    Key Takeaways

    • Fizz Mobile offers fully customizable, no-contract plans starting at $26/month. You build your own plan from scratch and pay only for what you configure
    • Available in Quebec and Ottawa only; if you're in Toronto or Vancouver, this review doesn't apply to you yet
    • Use referral code U7YL7 at sign-up to receive a $35 credit applied to your account, one of the better referral values in Canadian budget telecom
    • Fizz rewards long-term subscribers through a Perks system that compounds over time; my effective monthly cost has been meaningfully below the listed plan price for years

    What Is Fizz?

    Fizz is a digital-first mobile carrier backed by Videotron, Quebec's largest telecom company. It launched in Quebec in 2018, expanded to Ottawa in 2020, and has been slowly building its subscriber base ever since. The pitch is simple: build a plan from scratch, pick exactly what you need, manage everything through an app, and don't sign a contract. No stores, no retention calls, no bundle pressure.

    What sets Fizz apart from most budget carriers is the granularity of plan customization. You're not picking from three sizes. You choose your data amount, whether to include Canada-wide calling, whether to add US roaming, and what your data overage behaviour looks like. The price changes as you add and remove features. For people who are annoyed (genuinely annoyed) by paying for things they don't use, it's a good fit. I'm one of those people.

    The other differentiator is the Perks system. Every month you're a Fizz subscriber, you accumulate points that can be redeemed for data top-ups, plan discounts, or hardware. It's not dramatic, but it rewards loyalty in a way most carriers don't bother with. The big three would rather lock you into a contract; Fizz tries to keep you by gradually making the service cheaper the longer you stay. In mid-2026, with budget telecom competition in Canada continuing to tighten, Fizz's combination of plan flexibility and compounding loyalty discounts keeps it competitive against newer entrants in the Quebec market.

    Fizz Referral Code: U7YL7

    Sign up through a referral and Fizz gives you a $35 credit on your account. That's applied automatically as your monthly bills come in, so if your plan is $26/month, your first month is free and you've got $9 banked toward the second. If your plan is higher, the $35 still comes off whatever you'd otherwise pay.

    Here's how to use it:

    Step Action
    1 Go to referralmaxxing.ca/go/fizz
    2 Click "Get Started" and configure your plan
    3 At checkout, enter referral code U7YL7 (it may be pre-filled if you arrived via the link)
    4 Complete sign-up and activate your SIM (physical or eSIM)
    5 The $35 credit appears in your account within a few days

    One thing to know: the code must be entered during sign-up. There's no retroactive application. If you skip it and complete your account, it's gone. So don't skip it.

    The credit structure (applied as an account balance rather than a one-time checkout discount) is actually more useful. It stretches over multiple months instead of disappearing in one transaction.

    Pricing and Plans

    Fizz plans are assembled from individual components, not selected from a preset menu, so there's no single price list to reproduce here. What follows is a realistic range based on common configurations in 2026:

    Configuration Approx. Monthly Price Who It's For
    1 GB data + unlimited Canada calls ~$26 Light users, secondary device, SIM for Quebec travel
    5 GB data + unlimited Canada calls ~$35 Moderate users, WiFi-heavy environments
    15 GB data + unlimited Canada + US calls ~$45 Regular users who occasionally cross the border
    30 GB data + unlimited Canada + US calls ~$55 Heavy data users
    Unlimited data + all options ~$75+ Power users (speeds are throttled above a threshold)

    Prices shift with promotions, and there's minor variation between Quebec and Ottawa markets. But the ranges above are representative of what you'll see right now.

    The Perks system changes the effective cost over time. After six months, you'll typically have enough accumulated to take a few dollars off per month. After a year or more, it's more meaningful than that. I can't quote you an exact number (it depends on your usage and how you redeem) but my effective rate has been consistently below the listed price for the past couple of years.

    Pros and Cons

    Pros Cons
    ✅ Fully customizable plans, pay for exactly what you need ❌ Available in Quebec and Ottawa only
    ✅ No contracts, no cancellation fees ❌ Rural and cottage-country coverage is inconsistent
    ✅ Perks system rewards loyalty over time ❌ Support is chat-only, no phone line
    ✅ $35 referral credit is strong in budget telecom ❌ Videotron network infrastructure is thinner than Rogers or Bell outside urban Quebec
    ✅ Backed by Videotron, not a virtual reseller ❌ App-based plan management has a learning curve
    ✅ eSIM support ❌ No service bundling outside Quebec market

    Fizz vs. Public Mobile

    The comparison I see most often is Fizz against Public Mobile. Both are no-contract, digital-first carriers with loyalty reward systems. The key difference is that Public Mobile is available nationwide.

    Feature Fizz Public Mobile
    Availability Quebec + Ottawa Nationwide
    Network Videotron Telus
    Plan structure Fully customizable Preset tiers
    Starting price ~$26/month ~$25/month
    Contracts None None
    Physical stores No No
    Referral bonus $35 $10
    Loyalty rewards Yes (Perks) Yes (Rewards)
    eSIM support Yes Yes
    Customer support Chat only Chat only
    Rural coverage Limited Better (Telus infrastructure)

    If you're in Ontario outside of Ottawa, the comparison is moot. Fizz just isn't available to you. Public Mobile, or something like Lucky Mobile, would be the realistic alternative.

    For Quebec residents, though, Fizz competes well. The customization is better, the referral value is higher, and the Videotron network holds up fine for most urban and suburban use cases. The Telus network advantage for Public Mobile mostly shows up in rural areas, which matters depending on where you spend your time.

    My Experience with Fizz

    I picked up Fizz in the summer of 2021. My family has had a small cottage in Quebec's Eastern Townships (near Sherbrooke, not far from the Vermont border) and we'd been spending a stretch of July there like every year. My partner noticed a Fizz SIM card display at a dépanneur in town and mentioned it. This was before Fizz expanded out of Quebec, so most of my Toronto contacts had never heard of it. I was curious enough to spend twenty minutes on my phone signing up.

    The process was entirely self-serve. I built the plan, ordered a SIM, and it arrived at the cottage a few days later. That was it. No call centre, no sales rep, no upsell. I'd been on Koodo before and had recently sat through one of those retention calls. You know the kind, where they progressively offer you better and better deals over the course of an hour until you eventually give up and stay out of exhaustion. Fizz has no retention department. There's no one to call even if you wanted to. Honestly, that was more appealing than it probably should have been.

    Coverage at the cottage itself was fine in town, weaker once we got to the lake. I expected that. Videotron's infrastructure doesn't reach deep into rural Quebec any more than Bell's or Rogers' does in comparable areas. There are stretches on the drive up, somewhere between the 401 and the 10, where signal drops for a bit regardless of carrier. It's not a Fizz-specific problem; it's just how rural Quebec cellular coverage works. Worth knowing if you spend time outside urban centres.

    The Perks system is where I've been surprised. After about six months I had enough to take $10 off a month. After a year, more. I haven't paid the listed plan price in a while, which I didn't fully anticipate when I signed up. It's not a dramatic discount, but it's real. I'm not sure exactly how the Perks math compounds over multiple years. The formulas have been tweaked at least once since I signed up, and I haven't dug into the current structure recently. Whatever it is now, the practical effect for me has stayed positive.

    The referral side is where I've spent the most time paying attention, since it's sort of the whole premise of this blog. A lot of people I know have Quebec connections (family visits, cottages, time in Montreal) and a Fizz SIM is genuinely useful if you're spending any real time in the province. The $35 credit makes it an easy recommendation when someone mentions they're heading up. Over the past few years, I've accumulated a significant amount through the referral program as a result. Whether you call that referral maxxing or just telling people about a service that works, the math has been pretty good.

    One honest frustration: chat support. When Fizz works (which is most of the time) it works quietly and you don't think about it. When something goes wrong, you're dealing with async chat, and I've had instances where I needed something sorted and waited hours for a response. It resolved eventually, but in the moment it was annoying. There's no phone number to call, no escalation path in the way you'd expect from a traditional carrier. If you occasionally need to resolve something urgently with your carrier, that will frustrate you at least once.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Is Fizz available in Ontario?

    Not in most of Ontario, no. Fizz currently operates in Quebec and Ottawa. Toronto, Hamilton, London: not covered. If you're in Ontario outside the Ottawa area, Fizz isn't an option for you right now. Worth checking their coverage map periodically if you're hoping for expansion, but as of July 2026, it's still Quebec and Ottawa.

    How does the Fizz referral code work?

    You enter referral code U7YL7 during sign-up at checkout. Fizz applies a $35 credit to your new account, which draws down automatically as monthly bills come in. There's no single-use discount structure. It's an account balance. If your plan is $26/month, you're covered for the first month and a bit. If your plan is higher, the $35 still reduces what you'd pay.

    Can I add the Fizz referral code after I've already signed up?

    No. The code is applied at initial sign-up only. If you complete your account without entering it, there's no way to apply it retroactively. Enter it during checkout or you'll miss it.

    Is Fizz good for cottage-country coverage?

    It depends entirely on location. In towns and suburbs throughout Quebec, Fizz is solid. In genuinely rural areas (lakeside cottages, backcountry, anything past the last cell tower), coverage is variable. The Fizz coverage map is the most accurate resource for a specific address. My general experience: it works in most towns and fails in a lot of places that other carriers also fail in. Not unique to Fizz, but not great either if you need consistent signal at a remote property.

    What network does Fizz run on?

    Fizz uses Videotron's network. Videotron is an established Quebec telecom (not a virtual reseller with borrowed infrastructure) but it's not Rogers or Bell, and in areas where Videotron doesn't have direct towers, coverage is thinner. For urban Quebec and Ottawa, this isn't a real concern. Outside those areas, it can be.

    Does Fizz have any contracts?

    No contracts. Month-to-month by default. Cancel whenever you want, no fees.

    How does the Fizz Perks system work?

    You earn points each month just by being a subscriber. You can redeem those points for data top-ups, bill credits, or other rewards. The accumulation rate increases the longer you stay, so it's a loyalty mechanism, not a promotional gimmick. I haven't tracked my exact effective discount in a few months, so I can't give you a precise number, but after two or more years on the service, it's meaningful.

    Is Fizz worth it in 2026?

    For Quebec residents and Ottawa subscribers: yes, especially if you're comfortable managing your plan through an app and don't need physical store support. The customization, no-contract flexibility, Perks loyalty rewards, and $35 referral credit put it ahead of most alternatives in the province. It's also worth noting that eSIM activation has become noticeably smoother in 2026 — you can be up and running in minutes without waiting for a physical card, which removes one of the last friction points in the sign-up process.

    For anyone outside Quebec and Ottawa: it's not an option. Take a look at Public Mobile or one of the budget phone plan roundups for what's available nationwide.

    Final Verdict

    Fizz is one of the better options in Canadian budget telecom, for the specific audience it serves. If you're in Quebec or Ottawa, want to stop paying for data you don't use, and can tolerate a fully digital support experience, it's a genuinely good fit. The customizable plans, the Perks compounding, and the $35 referral credit are all real advantages over most alternatives in the province.

    The caveats are real too: rural coverage is inconsistent, chat-only support will frustrate you at least once, and if you need consistent signal at a remote property, check the coverage map carefully before committing.

    If you're ready to sign up, use referral code U7YL7 at referralmaxxing.ca/go/fizz to get $35 credited to your account. It's applied automatically. No promo game, no expiry countdown. Just $35 off your first bills.

    This article contains referral links. If you sign up using my code, I may receive a reward at no extra cost to you. I only recommend services I personally use.

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  • Oxio Review 2026: Is Canada’s No-Contract Internet Actually Worth It?

    Last updated: August 2026 | Author: Harold Phillips

    Last verified: August 2026

    Key Takeaways

    • Oxio is a Canadian internet service provider offering month-to-month plans with no contracts and no hidden fees
    • Plans start around $45/month; pricing varies by speed tier and province
    • Referral code RWQ2GOC gets your first month free, roughly $50 in value depending on your plan
    • I've been an Oxio customer for several years and have personally referred over 200 people; it's the internet service I recommend most often

    What Is Oxio?

    Oxio is a Canadian ISP that operates as a wholesale reseller. They don't own physical infrastructure, but they buy access to existing fibre and cable networks and sell plans directly to consumers. In Ontario, that's primarily Bell's network. In Quebec, it's Videotron. Think of it the same way you'd think of Fizz or TekSavvy: the lines running into your building are the same ones the big carriers use, but you're not paying for a Bay Street office tower or a sports sponsorship deal on top of your monthly bill.

    The pitch is straightforward: no contracts, no rate hike after a promotional period, no modem rental fee hidden inside a vague "equipment charge." What you sign up for is what you pay, and if that's going to change, Oxio is supposed to tell you. In practice, that's held up in my experience, which is more than I can say for every ISP I've dealt with over the years.

    They currently serve customers in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia, though urban availability is much stronger than rural. More on that below. In 2026, ongoing CRTC wholesale rate decisions continue to keep competitive pressure on the big carriers, which is good news for resellers like Oxio and, by extension, their customers. As of mid-2026, that wholesale framework is still holding, so resellers like Oxio should keep the same network access heading into next year, which matters if you're weighing a switch now versus waiting.

    Oxio Referral Code: RWQ2GOC

    Using a referral code at sign-up gets you your first month of service free. On most plans, that's around $50. The process is about as simple as it gets.

    Step Action
    1 Go to referralmaxxing.ca/go/oxio
    2 Enter your address to confirm availability in your area
    3 Select your speed tier and plan
    4 Enter referral code RWQ2GOC at checkout, or use the link above and it auto-applies
    5 Complete sign-up; first month credit appears on your first invoice

    No minimum commitment required to get the discount. You can cancel after month one if you decide it's not for you, and you haven't lost anything. That said, most people don't cancel. The price difference from what they were paying before is usually significant enough that it's an easy decision.

    I want to be upfront: I receive a reward when someone signs up using my code. That said, I was sending people to Oxio before I even knew they had a referral program. I'd already told several friends and coworkers to check it out by the time I noticed I had credits accumulating in my account. A lot of them.

    Pricing and Plans

    Pricing depends on your province and the specific infrastructure available at your address. The numbers below are approximate starting prices for Ontario as of early August 2026. Your quote may be slightly different.

    Plan Speed Approx. Price/Month Best For
    Basic 30 Mbps down / 10 Mbps up ~$45 Light use, 1-2 people
    Standard 75 Mbps down / 20 Mbps up ~$55 Most households
    Performance 150 Mbps down / 20 Mbps up ~$65 Streaming + remote work
    Gigabit 1 Gbps down / 1 Gbps up ~$85 Power users, large households

    Quebec tends to come in a bit lower because Videotron's infrastructure creates more competitive wholesale pricing. Alberta and BC options are more limited right now. Heading into the back-to-school season, several incumbent carriers tend to roll out short-term promotional bundles to win back customers; Oxio's flat rate hasn't moved, so it's worth comparing the full-term cost of any promo offer against Oxio's plain month-to-month price before you commit.

    One thing worth knowing: there are no activation fees beyond what's listed, and you can change your plan month-to-month without a penalty. Want to downgrade in the summer when your cottage is pulling half your household's bandwidth? You can. Upgrade when you move to a larger place? Also fine. This should be standard practice across the industry. It isn't.

    Pros and Cons

    Pros Cons
    ✅ No contracts, cancel anytime ❌ Not available in smaller cities and rural areas
    ✅ Transparent pricing, no promotional rate bait ❌ Customer support is slow; email and chat only
    ✅ No modem rental fee (bring your own) ❌ No bundled TV or phone options
    ✅ Change plans month-to-month ❌ Speed quality depends on the underlying network
    ✅ First month free with referral code ❌ Installation uses third-party technicians; results vary

    Oxio vs TekSavvy

    TekSavvy is the most commonly cited alternative when people are shopping for indie ISPs, so this is the comparison I get asked about most.

    Feature Oxio TekSavvy
    Starting price ~$45/month ~$45/month
    Contracts No No
    Referral program Yes, first month free No referral program
    Modem rental Bring your own, no fee Optional rental available
    Coverage ON, QC, AB, BC ON, QC, BC, AB, SK, MB
    Customer support Chat + email Phone + chat + email
    Speed range Up to 1 Gbps Up to 1.5 Gbps
    Plan flexibility Change monthly Change monthly

    TekSavvy has broader coverage. They're in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, which Oxio isn't. Their customer support also has a stronger reputation, partly because they've been operating longer and have actual phone support. For most people in Toronto, Ottawa, or Montreal, the day-to-day experience is comparable. But if you're in a smaller city or a mid-sized Ontario town, check TekSavvy first. They may have better availability where Oxio doesn't.

    The referral program is the honest differentiator. TekSavvy doesn't have one. If first-month-free means something to you, that tilts the decision toward Oxio for people where both are equally available.

    Oxio vs Bell

    This is the comparison most Ontario customers are actually making when they consider Oxio, because Bell is the network Oxio resells, and a lot of people switching to Oxio are switching from Bell.

    Feature Oxio Bell
    Starting price ~$45/month ~$75/month (promotional)
    After promo No change Often jumps $20-30/month
    Contract No Often 2 years
    Cancellation fee None Up to several hundred dollars
    Modem Bring your own Rental included/required
    Customer support Chat/email Phone, 24/7
    TV/phone bundles No Yes
    Installation Third-party Bell technicians

    The catch with the Bell comparison is that Bell's promotional pricing looks competitive on paper. $69.95/month for 150 Mbps is a number I've seen on their flyers. What they're less upfront about is that it's a 24-month promotional rate that jumps significantly after the first year or two, and there's a cancellation fee if you want out before the contract ends. Oxio's $65/month for the same speed tier is just $65/month. Forever, until you choose to leave.

    The one area where Bell wins cleanly is support. If you need a technician dispatched urgently, or your internet goes down on a Sunday evening and you need it fixed by Monday morning for a client call, Bell can move faster. That's a real advantage for some people.

    My Experience with Oxio

    I switched to Oxio back in 2019, right around the time I was rethinking several things about how I was spending money. That's also the year I finally opened a proper RRSP, ditched TD, and realized I'd been paying Rogers about $95/month for 100 Mbps internet. The math on that last one still bothers me.

    The switch itself was fine, mostly. I brought my own modem — I'd done a bit of research and bought a compatible one outright, which I'd recommend — so the installation was just about scheduling a technician and waiting. The appointment window was 8 AM to noon. The technician showed up at 11:40. Beans had knocked my coffee off the desk twice by the time anyone arrived. That kind of appointment window is an industry-wide problem, not specific to Oxio, but it's still annoying.

    Once it was up and running, though, the connection has been reliable. I work a hybrid schedule and I'm on video calls most weekday mornings. In several years as an Oxio customer, I've had maybe two or three noticeable outages. One of those coincided with a broader Bell network issue in my area that hit multiple ISPs. I've checked enough community boards over the years to know that's about as good as you can expect from any ISP in this city.

    The referral piece happened kind of accidentally. I was telling people about Oxio the same way I'd tell someone about any service I genuinely used. A coworker mentioned they were thinking about leaving Rogers, I said I'd switched to Oxio and was paying $55 instead of $90, they asked how to sign up. Eventually I thought to check my referral account and found I'd sent a lot of people that way without really keeping track. More than 200 referrals accumulated over several years. Those credits stack up. It's a big part of why this blog exists.

    One real complaint, and I want to be direct about this: Oxio's customer support is slow. When I had a billing discrepancy to sort out last year, the resolution took about 48 hours over email and chat. For a billing question, that's annoying. For an actual service outage you need fixed today, that timeline is a genuine problem. Their support has improved from what it was a few years ago (I remember the early days being genuinely rough) but it's still not what you'd get from a big carrier. If you're someone who needs to be able to call a phone number and get a human immediately, Oxio isn't the right fit.

    The app and account portal are fine. Nothing impressive, but functional. You can check usage, update payment info, and change your plan without running into dead ends. I'm on Android so I'm not sure how the iOS version compares; that's a gap in my knowledge I can't honestly speak to.

    My partner keeps teasing me about the spreadsheet I used to first track referral credits. ("You made a spreadsheet for your free internet." "It was a simple spreadsheet." "You named it.") Fair. But several years of essentially free or heavily discounted internet is hard to argue with.

    For more on Canadian internet and mobile alternatives, the Fizz Mobile Review covers their service if you're in Quebec and want to compare your options.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Is Oxio available in my province?

    Oxio currently operates in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia. Coverage is concentrated in urban centres: Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver. Rural and smaller-city availability is more limited. The fastest way to check is to enter your address on the sign-up page; it takes 30 seconds and doesn't require creating an account.

    How does the Oxio referral code work?

    Enter code RWQ2GOC during sign-up, or use the link at referralmaxxing.ca/go/oxio and it applies automatically. Your first month of service is credited on your first invoice. You pay nothing for month one. There's no minimum commitment.

    Does Oxio use Bell's network?

    In Ontario, yes. Oxio resells on Bell's infrastructure, which means the actual fibre or cable running to your building is Bell's. This is normal for resellers; TekSavvy does the same thing. In Quebec, Oxio uses Videotron's network. The practical effect is that your connection quality is largely determined by whatever Bell (or Videotron) infrastructure looks like in your specific neighbourhood.

    Is there a contract or cancellation fee?

    No contract, no cancellation fee. You're on a month-to-month basis by default. This is one of the core reasons people leave Rogers and Bell. Both carriers have promotional pricing that converts to a higher rate partway through a multi-year contract, with cancellation fees that make it expensive to leave early. Oxio doesn't structure plans that way.

    Do I need to buy a specific modem?

    Oxio publishes a compatibility list on their website. You can bring your own compatible modem (DOCSIS 3.1 modem for cable, or the appropriate model for fibre depending on your address) or rent one from Oxio. I'd buy. A solid modem runs $80-150 and pays for itself within a few months of not renting. You own it outright, and it'll work with other ISPs if you ever switch.

    How long does installation take?

    Usually one to two weeks between sign-up and active service. You schedule a technician appointment once you've completed the sign-up process. Appointment windows are typically a half-day. The technician is third-party, so the experience can vary. Mine was on time but late within the window, which seems to be common.

    Is Oxio worth switching to in 2026?

    For most people currently paying $80-100/month to Bell or Rogers for standard residential internet in Ontario or Quebec, yes. You're likely getting access to the same underlying network for $30-40 less per month with no contract. The trade-offs are slower customer support and no phone or TV bundling. If you need a single provider for internet, cable, and home phone, Oxio won't cover all of that. If you need reliable internet and want to stop paying the Bell markup, the math is pretty simple. With remote work now a permanent fixture for many Canadian households, locking in a reliable no-contract plan at a predictable price has become even more appealing in 2026. Mid-2026 also marks a period where more Canadians are actively shopping around after a wave of big-carrier price increases earlier in the year, making the savings gap between resellers and incumbents more visible than ever.

    Can I change my speed tier after signing up?

    Yes, any time. Plan changes take effect on the next billing cycle. I've done this myself, upgrading when I needed more headroom, downgrading when I didn't. There's no fee for changing plans.

    Final Verdict

    Oxio is a solid choice for Canadians who are overpaying their current carrier and want month-to-month flexibility without the complexity of negotiating with a retention department every two years. The pricing is transparent, the no-contract model is genuine, and the connection quality — which runs on Bell or Videotron infrastructure depending on your province — has been reliable in my experience.

    The real limitations are customer support speed and availability outside urban centres. If you're in a smaller city or rural area, check TekSavvy alongside Oxio. If you need to be able to call someone at 9 PM and get your service restored that night, Oxio may frustrate you.

    For most renters in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, or Vancouver paying $85+ to a big carrier right now, this is worth a look. Use referral code RWQ2GOC at checkout or sign up through referralmaxxing.ca/go/oxio to get your first month free. If it doesn't work for you, cancel. There's no penalty for trying.

    This article contains referral links. If you sign up using my code, I may receive a reward at no extra cost to you. I only recommend services I personally use.

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