Telstra Mobile charges

[123rover50]

We have two Telstra Blue Tick Mobiles on a $10 plan each per month.
We dont get coverage here so they are only used when we go to town.
Last month we made one call each.
One phone was $10 for the plan plus $1.27 for the call total $11.27.
The other was $10 for the plan plus $2.27 for the call. Total $12.27.

Now Telstra have increased our plan to $20 each which adds $10 to each of those totals.
This will bring our bill to $43 .54 for two calls totalling $3.54.
Does anyone know of a cheaper way for us to still have two mobiles we hardly use?
Pre-paid perhaps?

Keith

[PhilipA]

I have been told by Telstra that my $20 BYO plan becomes a $35 plan with unlimited national calls in later November 2015, so have they told you recently that there is a $20 plan?

A $35 BYO plan with unlimited National calls to hard lines and mobiles is very good as I only have to make a few calls in the country to get the current $20 plan over that, but still I am in your position in that I currently use my wife's Amaysim phone which at $19 per month and 7c per minute is very cheap.

I guess I will have to use the phone more!
Like you I rarely use the phone now.
Telstra have also changed the data allowance automatically adding $10 for a gig once you are over your limit, rather than selling data packs. This is better than the previous system for me as it is cheaper than spending $60 for 4? gigs as it was before.
Regards Philip A

[Eevo]

long life prepaid or another carrier might have cheaper rates

[123rover50]

I have been told by Telstra that my $20 BYO plan becomes a $35 plan with unlimited national calls in later November 2015, so have they told you recently that there is a $20 plan?

A $35 BYO plan with unlimited National calls to hard lines and mobiles is very good as I only have to make a few calls in the country to get the current $20 plan over that, but still I am in your position in that I currently use my wife's Amaysim phone which at $19 per month and 7c per minute is very cheap.

I guess I will have to use the phone more!
Like you I rarely use the phone now.
Telstra have also changed the data allowance automatically adding $10 for a gig once you are over your limit, rather than selling data packs. This is better than the previous system for me as it is cheaper than spending $60 for 4? gigs as it was before.
Regards Philip A

Our $20 plan comes into effect 22November and includes unlimited voice calls, SMS and MMS to standard Australian numbers within Australia.

Whatever that means:(
We dont MMS or SMS anyway.

[ramblingboy42]

Why can't they just do it the same as your landline?

I ****i'n hate plans that I don't use.

[carlschmid2002]

For about $100 I think you can get 12 months prepaid. You still get $100 worth of calls and your phone is connected for 12 months. I set my Mum's up with this as she never uses it. She wonders why no one rings her. Bit hard when she never turns it on.

[Ferret]

Pre-paid perhaps?

Yes, Telstra long life pre paid (https://www.telstra.com.au/mobile-phones/prepaid-mobiles/offers-and-rates#long-life). One up front payment of $70 last up to 12 months. The cost of calls and text messages are quite high but you get ~100 mins of talk time before call charges begin to be deducted from your credit.

Unused credit is rolled over each time you recharge provided you recharge before the 12 month expiry deadline.

Data on this plan is very, very expensive but you can 'buy' a data pack from your remaining credit at any time for ~$10 to give you ~250mb of data. I use this when I know I will be away from wifi (holidays etc.) and having mobile internet access would be handy.

[cafe latte]

Aldi mobile uses Telstra next G network, no contract and credit lasts 12 months and it is only 12c a minute, you cant go wrong, ditch the plan you are on. I have a dual sim phone and I have aldi on one sim and Optus on the other, Optus is great if I know I will make a few calls in that day as it is a dollar for the first 30 mins of calls in any given day, if you go over 30 mins they charge you another 50 cents ie 1 dollar 50 cents for that day and then you can call unlimited to any mobile or land line for the rest of the day. Great for me as if I am incident controller on a fire I can make hundreds of calls and the cost is only 1 dollar 50. If however it is late in the afternoon and I make just one call to say I will be home soon I always use aldi then it is just 12 cents.
We had a Telstra plan similar to yours just for the long expire thing, but now you can charge 20 bucks and have it last a year and have sensible call costs so there is no point in the expensive Telstra plan.
Chris

[p38arover]

i have a Telstra Simplicity pre-paid. I put on $50 which lasts 3 months. If one recharges before the expiry date, one doesn't lose the unused balance.

Calls are 15 cents per minute with no flag fall. Texts are 12 cents each. I have voice mail turned off. Ditto for mobile data because that costs an excessive 10 cents/Mb (a lot better than one of their plans which charges $2/Mb!)

You could look at the Aldi or Woolworths plans - both use Telstra's network. $15 lasts 365 days.

[123rover50]

Thanks folks. Lots of good info there. Would like to keep our current flip phones. ( LG) as I have a hard wired car kit in the camper, and another in the 120, which boosts the signal when we are travelling as well.

[p38arover]

Thanks folks. Lots of good info there. Would like to keep our current flip phones. ( LG) as I have a hard wired car kit in the camper, and another in the 120, which boosts the signal when we are travelling as well.

Not a problem if you aren't locked into a contract. Just buy the SIM to suit.

[LandyAndy]

If you are out of contract,and saying you have an LG flip phone you should be by now,you can ask telstra to change your plan to pre-paid without needing to get another sim card.
Andrew

[cafe latte]

If you are out of contract,and saying you have an LG flip phone you should be by now,you can ask telstra to change your plan to pre-paid without needing to get another sim card.
Andrew

If you have Telstra phone the aldi mobile sim will work just fine in it even if it is Telstra locked.
Chris

[Eevo]

Just check that the phone does 3g as 2g is being turned off soonish

[Fluids]

Not phone, but still mobile. Telstra

I wanted a data sim for the iPad. Best value was to buy pre-paid for 12 months. Equals $15/m. Use the bandwidth as and when. Recharge before expiry, excess rolls over ...

... Or $30/m for 3Gig

My 3/4G wifi modem was $140 for 2yr expiry with same recharge deal. $6/m :)

[cafe latte]

Just check that the phone does 3g as 2g is being turned off soonish

Good point a lot of people think servers like Optus is not good, but they have turned off 2g in some areas basically they just need a newer phone.
Chris

[123rover50]

Went into town, waited at the Telstra shop the obligitory 30 mins and eventually settled on a $30 pre paid for 6 months for each phone.
This gives us the $30 worth of phone calls as well. We never use that much so still works out cheaper than our previous plan.
Our LG TU550 phones are good for 3G so thats OK.
Havnt worked out the recharge bit yet so I will have to study the brochure a bit more in the next 6 months.

Keith