DigitalGhost

That's for 2 households. JG has 2 properties, a house and a downtown condo. It's not a normal situation really. A lot of people around the GTA also have a cottage in a more rural area as a kind of weekend place but these days you could probably just leave a firestick there. You wouldn't need to pay for 2 TV subscriptions unless you really wanted to.

Jerseygirl

We do not pay rent, that figure is for the following only, per month: 2 cell phones, internet with unlimited data for 2 properties, Bell Fibe TV 1 basic package and 2 mid level package.

DigitalGhost

That does seem expensive but then again if you had the same arrangement with Virgin Media in the UK then the bill would probably be similar (e.g. around 250-300 quid).

Jerseygirl

We pay approx $23 per mth for the basic TV package and yes we do use firesticks.

DigitalGhost

Good call. I actually bought another one on Black Friday that's still in the box actually. I need to set it up but I never seem to get around to it. I bought it specifically to take to Canada with me since you can just chuck them in hand luggage etc.

That's a point probably worth making to seseman though I think. That basic cable package might cost $23 per month but Canada has no concept of a TV license. That $23 is all you would pay and if you're the type of person who just uses Netflix, Amazon etc then then there are no additional fees at all. Using over the air TV is far less common in North America than it is in the UK where we have Freeview HD etc so most people who would want access to regular TV services use cable. It's obviously less of an issue in the days of streaming services though.

Jerseygirl

We also have ‘bundles’...cell phone, TV and Internet. If I drop one service it could well increase the cost of the others.

Many get by without a TV service...they use the internet and firesticks.

DigitalGhost

That's what I've been doing for years tbh. The last time I lived in Canada, I just used Teksavvy internet, a TV and my Xbox.

seseman

Ok thank you for clarifying.

seseman

I dont think I would need to sign up for cable anyway as even in the UK we barely watch live TV. We mostly just watch netflix, amazon prime and youtube.

scrubbedexpat091

Our cell phone is $55 per month with Fido, 8gb data, unlimited US/Canada calling and text.

Our home internet and TV is $123, the internet is unlimited data, which is a promo, they list the full price as $250 per month which I would never pay.

We keep the cable as combining cable + internet into a package is cheaper than the internet as a stand alone.

Jerseygirl

You also have to keep on top of the promos/deals. Some are for 1 year, some for longer. It is easy to forget when they come to an end, before you know it your monthly bill is much higher.

scrubbedexpat091

Yes and I do keep tabs on the end, we usually call a month before to cancel and they offer a new promo, its been the same game for 10 years.

Shaw does make it easier to track, they put the promo dates on the bill.....so that helps as well.

Jerseygirl

I called a couple of months ago to check. I was told there was no time limit on the deals we have.

Daughter called recently and said she was changing providers. They juggled around and almost halved her monthly bill.

DigitalGhost

You'll watch less in Canada, believe me, it's shite. Plus the commercial breaks are a lot less frequent.

I'm not sure if you've ever spent much time in the US but there's a common misconception that America has the best TV, usually among people who only watch the likes of friends, the big bang theory etc. The truth is that in Britain we only really see the best of what US TV has to offer AKA what they could flog to international networks. The bulk of it is garbage.

Canadian TV is essentially the same only slightly worse. They do show more of our stuff than American networks do including Coronation Street and EastEnders and a lot of ITV dramas but the actual Canadian shows themselves are mostly terrible.

Jerseygirl

I dislike the type of programs you mentioned. I do enjoy quite a few of the US series, but not comedy programs. The beauty of the internet is, I can watch US and UK programs, with a few Canadian and Australian thrown in. I know, I know they are usually crap, but there has been a few good series.