A Huge Data or Roaming Bill?
There are hard caps on both, and they are supposed to stop the charges automatically. If your bill went past them, something went wrong.
The two numbers to know. Your provider must suspend data overage charges at $50 in a monthly billing cycle, and national and international data roaming charges at $100. Both caps apply per account no matter how many devices are on it, both must be provided at no charge, and both stop automatically unless you expressly consented to pay more.
Last updated: September 2026
What “Express Consent” Actually Means
This is the whole case, so be clear about it. Express consent means you agreed to keep going past the cap. It does not mean you kept using your phone. It does not mean you scrolled past something once. It does not mean it was in the contract you signed two years ago.
If you did not agree, the charges above the cap should not be on your bill — and that is the sentence to put in front of your provider.
What to Do
- Work out what is above the cap. Separate your bill into plan charges, overage, and roaming. The disputed amount is overage above $50 and roaming above $100 for that cycle — not the whole bill.
- Ask them to show your consent. Ask, in writing, when and how you gave express consent to exceed the cap. Either they can point to it or they cannot, and that answer resolves most of these.
- Ask for the amount above the cap to be removed, citing the Wireless Code caps by name. Get a reference number.
- Take it to the CCTS if they refuse. This is squarely a billing dispute, which is exactly what the CCTS decides. It is free, and reachable at 1-888-221-1687.
Do not simply refuse to pay the whole bill. Pay the part you do not dispute and make clear in writing which amount you are disputing and why. If it goes to collections anyway, filing with the CCTS freezes collection while the complaint is open.
More Warning Is Coming in 2027
From April 13, 2027, providers must notify you at no charge when your device starts roaming in another country, telling you the rates for calls, texts and data and what your options are. They must also alert you when roaming data reaches $50 — halfway to the existing cap. You will be able to opt out of those notifications if you want to.
That is an addition, not a replacement. The $50 and $100 caps apply now.
What if the charges are on someone else's device on my account?
The caps apply per account, regardless of how many devices are on it. A family plan does not get a separate $50 or $100 for each line — the account as a whole is capped, which usually works in your favour.
Does this cover voice and text roaming too?
The $100 cap is on data roaming. Voice and text roaming are charged separately and are not covered by that cap, which is worth knowing before you assume a large roaming bill is entirely disputable.
What to Write
"I am a [provider] customer (account [number]). My bill dated [date] includes $[amount] in [data overage / data roaming] charges for the billing cycle [dates]. Under the Wireless Code my provider must suspend data overage charges at $50, and data roaming charges at $100, within a single monthly billing cycle unless the account holder has expressly consented to pay more. I did not give that consent. I contacted [provider] on [date] and spoke with [name/reference number], who [their response]. I am asking that the $[amount] charged above the applicable cap be removed and refunded."
These caps only work if people know about them
The CRTC is still adding protections — roaming alerts arrive in 2027. We follow the proceedings that decide what your provider owes you, and email once when something is actually decided.