If you've stood at a counter trying to decide between "financing" and "Save & Return" and had someone rattle off numbers too fast to follow, you're not alone. The two options sound similar but work completely differently, and picking the wrong one for your situation costs you money either way.
What Is Device Financing?
Financing means you're paying off the full price of the phone in monthly installments, usually over 24 months, as a separate charge on top of your plan. Once the term ends, the device is fully paid off, and it's yours. No return required, no conditions.
The tradeoff is straightforward: the monthly device payment is higher than Save & Return, because you're paying for the entire phone.
What Is Save & Return?
Save & Return lowers your monthly device payment in exchange for one condition: you return the phone in good working condition at the end of the term. You never fully own the device under this plan. Instead, you're paying a reduced monthly rate specifically because Rogers gets the phone back afterward and can resell or refurbish it.
This is why the monthly cost is noticeably lower than financing; you're not paying for the full value of a device you get to keep.
The real difference, side by side
Financing | Save & Return | |
|---|---|---|
Monthly device cost | Higher | Lower |
Do you own the phone at the end? | Yes | No, must return it |
Can you upgrade after your 2-year term? | Yes, it's already paid off and yours; trade it in, sell it, or keep using it. | Yes, return it in good condition, and you're clear; no balance owed when you upgrade with another device. |
Best for | People who want to keep the phone long-term | People who upgrade every 2 years anyway |
(Note: exact monthly figures vary by device and plan. Example numbers only; always confirm current pricing for your specific device.)
So which one is actually better?
Here's the honest answer: it depends on what you do with your phone after two years.
If you tend to keep your phone for 3+ years after your term ends, financing usually works out better. You're paying more monthly for two years, but once it's paid off, you own a phone with real resale or trade-in value, and you're not locked into upgrading.
If you upgrade every time a new phone launches, Save & Return is usually the better deal. You're already planning to give the phone back or trade it in, so paying less monthly for a device you were never going to keep long-term makes more sense than paying full price for ownership you won't use.
One thing worth knowing: even if you finance and plan to sell the phone later, you generally won't get anywhere close to what you paid; phones depreciate fast. We'll cover trade-in values and what to actually expect in a separate article, since that number surprises most people.
Getting This Set Up
Whichever option fits, you can browse current device and plan pricing on our phones page, or head straight to reserve a phone online and pick it up in-store.
A few things worth knowing if you go through us specifically: we ship free anywhere in Canada, rain or snow, no exceptions. Bundle accessories with your device and you'll get a discount on those too. And if you'd rather talk it through in person, we've got 80+ locations across the country.