Want an phone upgrade after a year? Well it’ll cost you $120 – on top of your plan
Telstra say they will give you a new phone after 12 months on its new 2 year Accelerate plans, which will let you experience that ‘new phone feeling’ more frequently.
Launched today, ‘Telstra New Phone Feeling’ allows customers to trade up after 12 months instead of waiting two years, on a new 24-month Accelerate plan, available from 4 March.
But it’ll cost you $10 (per month) on top of your plan ($120 in all), and you’ll have to return your old phone undamaged.
Telstra says it has listened to millions of its customers, as a new survey finds around half (46%) of Australians want an affordable way to trade up to the latest smartphone.
But at this price, and considering the price of smartphones has fallen dramatically and likely to fall further, you might as well be buying a new one yourself and keeping your still (relatively) new device as a spare.
The new Mobile Accelerate Plans, which it says has more generous allowances, and Telstra have chopped excess internet data charges from 10c to 3c per MB – which is one of the lowest rates in Australia, which may lessen bill shock.
Each plan comes with a safety net for excess MMS/ voice charges so you pay no more than $130 per month on eligible call types.
The new 24 monthAccelerate Plans range from $55 (500GB data, $550 allowance), $70 (1.5GB, $700 calls, SMS), $130 (3GB, unlimited) p.m, to use in Australia.
These ‘generous’ allowances are still less than Vodafone’s $65 Red plans, which offers 1.5GB data, while its $80 offers 2.5GB.
Accelerate also come in casual plans, BYO- phone and month-to-month from $45- $95, and Data Share plans to share mobile allowances across multiple devices.
“Our new plans cater for the continued demand for voice calling and the growth in mobile internet use. And because customers tell us cost certainty is really important to them, they offer peace of mind that they won’t face big surprises should they exceed their included allowances,” said Telstra’s Warwick Bray.
“We also know that a great-performing network is central to value from a mobile plan. That’s why the Telstra Mobile Network offers four times the 4G coverage area of any other Australian mobile network and we’re investing $1.2bn in our mobile network this financial year to ensure customers continue to enjoy a superior coverage area, more reliable speeds and fewer dropouts.”
Customers can register their interest in the new plans here.
The Telstra New Phone Feeling offer arrives as new research reveals the top reasons Australians want to update their mobile more frequently includes a desire to have the latest features and boredom with their existing device.
