Major telecom employee here - former phone sales rep. Just wanted to clear the air on a few things about prepaid...
You can go to any carrier (Rogers, Bell, Telus) and sign up for prepaid anonymously - doesn't necessarily need to be 7-11 (though it could be, I don't care). The only thing you have to provide is a real address and you can provide ANY real address. You can choose a Pizza Pizza in Vancouver for all they care, as long as it's in the Canada Post database that they use for verification. I signed up many a questionable customer using my store's address and a "John Smith" pseudonym.
You'll need to own a phone that works on that company's network and a SIM card. Most companies have prepaid starter kits they can sell you with a phone and SIM card include. SIM cards usually run around $10. Phone and SIM bundle might run you between $60-$150 depending on how fancy you want to get.
You'll also need to start with some kind of balance - $10 minimum. $10/month may or may not be enough for you, though. Calling is $0.15/minute and texting is something stupid like $0.30/message incoming and outgoing. So you might want to add some sort of message plan ($15/month for unlimited).
You can carry multiple SIMs with a different number on each and switch them out of your phone, but a few things you need to be aware of:
- Each number needs its own balance to work.
- Balances expire. Depending how much you top up by, they'll either expire in 30 days or 60 unless you top up again before expiration. Some companies offer a $100 top up that lasts a year. So you'll need to keep track of your multiple accounts and their balances on a regular basis. Sounds like a nuisance.
Most carriers make prepaid top-up cards available at multiple locations. Other than their stores, you can typically get top ups at places like Shoppers Drug Mart, Superstore, and Walmart. If you're having trouble masking where your funds are going, you might have an easier time with it if it's Walmart showing up on the statement instead of Rogers.
Hope that helps or, at least, wasn't totally redundant.