Earlier this year, Telus altered its autopay discount to push new customers to use pre-authorized bank payments instead of a credit card to get a discount. Now, Telus and its flanker brand Koodo are forcing existing customers to stop using credit cards to keep their autopay discount.
Previously, customers could use a pre-authorized debit card or a credit card to sign up for auto-pay discounts. Now, the carrier is rolling this back, apparently to avoid paying fees to credit card companies.
Telus emailed some customers with automatic credit card payments about the change, warning them that the credit card discount would be discontinued and that they would need to switch to pre-authorized bank payments to continue getting the discount.
In one screenshot of an email shared online, Telus mentions that the change will start on the October bill. However, wireless price comparison site Planhub claimed in a Reddit post that the change would come into effect starting August 13. MobileSyrup has reached out to Telus for clarification.
If you have autopay signed up with Koodo or Telus, you’ll need to log into your account and alter your payment methods to ensure that you still receive your discount.
Bell also has a similar restriction on its plans, but Rogers and Freedom Mobile are still offering discounts to people using credit cards. Flanker brands like Bell’s Virgin Plus and Telus’ Public Mobile also still appear to offer discounts for auto-pay via credit card.
Telus has been fighting against paying credit card fees since at least 2022, when it added a fee to pass that cost on to its subscribers. The CRTC then slapped it on the wrist and required it to reverse the charge. However, years later, the company is finding new ways to avoid that fee.
Update 5/08/2025 5:27 pm ET: Telus has shared that, “Beginning this October, the legacy $5 monthly promotional discount for pre-authorized credit card payments will be discontinued and no longer applied to eligible plans.”
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