This TPG Mobile Review focuses on the variations and how it might affect you too. Mid 2013, TPG Mobile decided on a major transformation of their mobile plans. When there was plenty of options to choose from, now we only have a single option to pursue. This has caused disappointments for many customers.
Despite having great value now, TPG Mobile plans used to provide excellent benefits for its users. Losing the older options has put into disadvantage some of the user groups. The previous plan of $1 a month pay as you use was a fantastic choice. Look, if you travel overseas for conducting business or otherwise, you might want to retain your previous number while traveling. And that was possible for just $1 a month which is a super deal, or you might say, was.
The current plan that TPG Mobile offers lose a bit of value in the same pricing range. Here is what you get now, and in bold is what was previously available:
TPG Mobile Review: Plenty Plan $19.99 Per Month
- Monthly Charge – $19.99 (Was $17.99)
- Included Value – $500 per month (Was $550)
- Flag fall for Standard Australian Call – 40¢
- Call Costs:
- Standard Australian Numbers – 99¢ per minute
- to 13/1300 Numbers – $1.02 per minute
- 1800 Numbers – $1.24 per minute
- SMS to Standard Australian Mobiles – 25.3¢ per message
- MMS to Standard Australian Mobiles – 50¢ per message
- Included high-speed Mobile Data – 1 GB (Was 1.5 GB)
- Excess Data Rate – 25¢ per MB (min 10 KB session)
- Calls to TPG Mobile and Home Phone – Unlimited
- Calls to TPG Support (13 14 23) – Unlimited
- Voice Mail Deposit – Unlimited
- Voice Mail Retrieval – 99¢ per minute plus 40¢ flagfall
So, the cost has increased by $2 per month. Now, it provides $50 less credit and 512 MB less data than before. While there is not a lot of difference, but that doesn’t mean it is something insubstantial.
Another change that has occurred is that you need to have an extra of $20 in credit each month to cover any extra charges. In the words of TPG: “You must make a prepayment for usage that is not within the included value for the plan that you have acquired. You may nominate how much you wish to prepay but the minimum prepayment is $20 ($500 for international roaming)”. It is like paying for the gas before you can drive so that you might not overuse the resource. For a mobile plan; it does not sound inviting.
TPG Mobile Review: Final Thoughts
There are a few sides to the equation too – which are worthy of consideration. TPG still is offering a month to month contract rather than on a semi-annual or annual basis. Apart from that, there are plenty of providers that you would find better in Australia.