iPhone 7 Carrier Plans - Is it worth it?

iOS
#1

Every year the carrier deals seem to get worse, I’ve looked at Telstra and Optus so far and compared them as follows.

The top section shows plan cost and handset cost.
Then the total plan cost over 24 months.
The next section shows what the carrier claims you’re paying for the handset

In the second to last section I have tried aligning the closest “SIM Only” plan and calculated the real handset cost (ie what it’s really costing you by getting a phone on a plan on the premise that the SIM only plans are far far better value). Note that there is no direct comparison for some plans, the Telstra 30GB plans appear to be new and all phones appear to be “free”.

The numbers in red are showing where you’re paying a premium to get the phone on a plan rather than just buying it outright. Of course it’s an interest free loan and you might have the option to upgrade for “free” (or a small fee) half way through your plan… which of course just adds to the cost.

In short, the best way to get the phone is to just buy it outright (and sell it privately at 12 months if you need to). It’s worth noting that using one of those 24 months interest free jobs from Harvey Norman or the like could also give you 24 months interest free to pay off the phone on the understanding you pay it off in full in that time… otherwise it will cost a fortune).

Screen Shot 2016-09-10 at 9.14.12 PM.png2270×1706 504 KB

Excel File: http://mooshen.com/shared/2016%20iPhone.xlsx

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#2

Vodafone seem to have a whole mess of options which makes them much harder, but I did have a look at the 9GB Plan and compared it to the 13GB 12 month SIM Only plan and it’s pretty close to even, ie you’re paying about retail price for the phone give or take depending on which one. For example the iPhone 7+ 128GB you would save $3 :stuck_out_tongue:

#3

$195/month for 30gb holy shit…

#4

God Telstra is overpriced.

#5

I’d be willing to bet that unless you live under an Optus or Voda tower, Telstra is the only carrier you’d be able to use 30gigs on. :wink: They are expensive but they have the best network by far. And their sim only plans are pretty good. I’m on $50/month with abut 5gigs and lots of calls. Not too bad really.

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#6

I am in Telstra and planning on going sim only next upgrade. On line deals you get more data going prepaid’ and it costs less.

BTW You are doing the work of the Lord there Hawk with that spreadsheet.

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#7

The Optus is pretty good for everywhere I go - i actually have very poor Telstra reception at my house, and my grandparents (where I spend a lot of time) and at work! Must be opposite world for me.

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#8

You don’t need to live under a voda cell tower but you do need one in your suburb… I get great speeds everywhere I get voda coverage which is most places I go day to day, but it’s painful when I’m out of the big cities and often can’t get any reliable signal for phone calls let alone 4G. For $50 I get 10GB of data (original plan had 4 and I have a bonus of 6 for as long as I stay on that plan), unlimited Aus calls and texts, unlimited international calls to 10 countries (I call UK and US a lot) and $5 roaming when I’m overseas, so I’m happy to put up with poor coverage in regional areas.

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#9

Vodafone is not really that bad, I have to go out in the sticks, like out the back of Noosa and beyond out to Pomona, and what have you, and most of the fault of that isn’t Vodafone its the fact that there’s mountains in the way of visual sight and if you can’t see it, the signal can’t go through it.

I get 4G cells pretty much everywhere Brisbane city, or otherwise regional Queensland, or anywhere else I travel to for the most part. I wouldn’t consider the Vodafone network bad, I would consider the Optus network bad if you live outside of Metropolitan areas.

You only need Telstra coverage if you’re going out in the boondocks and even still, I have another Telstra account that deals with home phone and internet. Where I am living right now I can’t get Telstra Air, nor in most places I travel so, it’s not all peaches with Telstra anyway.

Between my main residence and my other home I could do with Telstra Air because I’m in a complex, that is too old to be on an NBN GPON, and doesn’t have copper lines to every house in the complex, and wont have new copper to the complex thanks to the NBN… And so you’re stuck in that situation with an expensive third party Wifi services, where I could in theory, otherwise get free Wifi through my Telstrs account on Telstra Air. No such luck. I pay for GSM data that works out as the same price as community broadband over Wifi for the same amount of base data instead.

It doesn’t always work out better with Telstra. Voda gives me 4G here, and even if I were with Telstra I’d be paying through the teeth for no real benefit.

#10

This is the first time I’ve bought an iPhone outright (apart from the first ever iPhone which I got from the States).
I’m currently on an old $110 plan with Telstra with great coverage but only a measly 2.5GB.
Tossing up whether to go with the Telstra $50 month to month plan with 5GB or the Boost $40 plan with 9GB (5GB plus a bonus 1GB every weekend).
Anyone used Boost before? Data speeds ok?

#11

Boost is for all intents and purposes the same as Telstra. Boost accounts are managed within Telstra’s own billing system (Siebel) and use the same APNs for data.

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#12

I’m on a plan through my work, but if I wasn’t, I would be on Boost. It’s by far the best value of just about anything and you get the Telstra Network, unless you need more than 9GB of data. You can set it up to recharge automatically, set and forget. I guess the only risk is that they could change the deal at any time, but then it’s easy enough port away or switch to some other Telstra Plan.

#13

Does Boost have Visual Voicemail? That’s a deal breaker for me. I love Visual Voicemail in the car with CarPlay.

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#14

They recently changed the plans - unless you opted to move to the new offer you stay on the old offer - I recently went through and sorted this out for my mother and step-father.

#15

Hm, that’s a good question, I actually don’t know. I have a feeling the answer is probably no. Personally I’m not to fussed on it as I don’t get many messages, but I can see how it might be a deal breaker for some.

#16

One thing I should factor in with Telstra is I get an AFL Live Pass free (cost $90 p.a.). Not sure if you also get NRL Live Pass or if it’s only one of the other.

#17

one or the other

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#18

AFL only it is. I haven’t spent much time looking at new plans, will probably just keep my 6S and get the 8.

and buy the new rMBP this year, oh yeah :slight_smile: