topic Re: 3G $5 charge in Get Support

3G $5 charge

Suzanne11 — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 17:40:24 GMT

I am being charged an extra $5 this month for 3G but I have a Samsung phone that is 4G, so why the charge?

Re: 3G $5 charge

umnikke8 — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 18:12:23 GMT

There are about a million posts asking the same question, could search for one of them.

You phone needs to support VoLTE with Public otherwise no calls when 3G shuts down. https://publicmobile.ca/en/get-help/articles/volte

Re: 3G $5 charge

Suzanne11 — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 18:18:05 GMT

My current phone is a Samsung S23 Ultra which is supported by the Volte network so I should not be charged the 3G fee.

Re: Additional charge for 3G phone. But it's NOT! It is a 4GLTE

Suzanne11 — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 18:29:47 GMT

My S23 Ultra phone's IMEI was accepted as being compatible with the Volte network, yet I was charged the 3G fee. How can I get someone to correct that?

Re: Additional charge for 3G phone. But it's NOT! It is a 4GLTE

slusagm — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 18:59:34 GMT

Tell PM that you have a new device and they will remove the charge

Just open ticket with PM using the Orange Chatbot icon on the lower right. (For 2FA when login, you might need to use email to receive if you cannot receive the text on the phone.) Type the question Submit ticket and select Contact Us to get to ticket open screen

But if you have trouble with open ticket using Chatbot, then message them using this link: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

CS_Agent will reply to your community inbox, check here: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/privatenotespage

Re: 3G $5 charge

Yummy — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 19:50:21 GMT

Open a ticket and agent will reverse charge.

Reply from the agent:

The system should automatically recognize the new phone after approximately 30 days of active use. Once recognized, since the increase is temporary and once the SIM is inserted into a compatible 4G or 5G/ VoLTE device, the increase should be removed automatically and the monthly payment should return to the regular amount in the following billing cycles.

Re: 3G $5 charge

Yummy — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 19:56:12 GMT

No matter how old or new your phone or from which company you bought or if it is VoLTE compatible - it if it is NOT compatible with PM network – check VoLTE compatibility on PM site – then that phone will NOT work with PM services.

ALWAYS check PM database with your phone’s IMEI – current phone or prospective purchase.

Your plan has nothing to do with phone compatibility; you can have the Most expensive plan but if phone is not compatible with PM then you will be charged extra or phone will not work at all.

Check it here: https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/get-help/articles/volte - BE AWARE database is NOT up to date at all and results are NOT accurate. Best way is to contact agent for clarification (talking from personal experience) as they have access to the REAL compatibility database.

Re: 3G $5 charge

Yummy — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 19:57:41 GMT

@umnikke8 wrote:
There are about a million posts asking the same question, could search for one of them.

He, he, I am talking about that like forever.... But it is easier to post question then to make an effort to search through forum... Humans will be always humans... Lazy...

Re: 3G $5 charge

softech — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 20:02:26 GMT

@Suzanne11

Thanks for posting your question. We are here to help

you have been hit with a $5 surcharge for using a device that is not VoLTE compatible with PM network. The charge is only meant to encourage you to get a new and compatible device as PM will be retiring 3G network.
Once you upgrade your phone with a VoLTE compatible device, the $5 surcharge will be removed. However, if you do nothing and just paying the $5 surcharge, you will not have any voice service once PM retires 3G network in March 2027.

Let's try to confirm what phone you have and how to have this charge removed with a compatible phone

What phone do you have? Which province you are in?

First, use the IMEI checker on this page to see if your phone is compatible with PM's VoLTE network: https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/on/get-help/articles/volte

If it is not compatible with PM's VoLTE, then your phone had been using 3G for voice and is now affected by the 3G Network Shutdown that has just started in Manitoba:
https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/get-help/articles/3g-shutdown

If you’re using a 3G-only device, your phone will stop working after these dates:
Manitoba (Rural): January 12, 2026
Manitoba (Urban : Winnipeg & Brandon): Starting March 31, 2026
National: Starting March 1, 2027

If the lack of VoLTE support is what affecting your voice calls, there is really nothing much you can do other than getting a phone that is compatible with PM's VoLTE network. Hare are couple choices that will work:

iPhone 8 or later
Google Pixel 4 or later
Samsung S22 or later
Samsung Flip 2/Fold 2 or later
Samsung A15/A35/A55 or later

But generally most major brands of phones released after 2024 and are designed and sold for the Canadian market should work. ( BUT Imported phones/grey market phones sold on marketplaces likely won't work)
If you are unsure whether a particular phone will work, share the model here and we can help

Re: 3G $5 charge

LaxX — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 04:27:05 GMT

Hi Suzanne11. I don't have an answer for you, but just gonna say I'm having pretty much the exact same issue. You're not alone. Let's hope this can be resolved soon. It's odd that PM's system takes time to detect a phone change.

When you log into your account and look at your next bill, are you also still being charged $5 extra? That's also my situation, and I'm sure many others' as well.