I switched my mobile phone from Telus to Koodo because Koodo is cheaper and their self-service website is easier to use - I regularly had to call Telus to enable call forwarding. While travelling recently, I got the usual popups reminding me of how expensive international texts and voice are outside of Canada and offering Easy Roam. I ignored them - for the number of text messages I send, I was willing to pay the per-message fee.
I made one text message on the way back due to a flight delay on the return leg home. When my Koodo bill arrived, I was surprised to find a $16+tax add-on. It turns out that my 'no cost' add-ons included the oddly phased Easy Roam options shown at the right. That solitary text message activated Easy Roam INTL without any action or confirmation on my part, making it a very expensive text message.
I have no recollection adding Easy Roam to my plan. It is quite possible that I never checked the included add-ons - this was the first trip outside of Canada after switching to Koodo. As always, your mileage may vary.
Updated 2025/03/27 I recently verified that when I entered roaming areas, Koodo did inform me that Easy Roam would be enabled for the rest of the day if I used any data, voice, or text services. Aside from seeing the message at 03AM, it was mixed in with Koodo offers for travel insurance. To avoid roaming charges, Koodo suggested turning on airplane mode. I appreciate the convenience factor of not having to track roaming charges if you are going to use voice/data/text extensively, but the convenience can be costly otherwise. Buyer beware.
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