New Telecom Smartphone plans

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › New Telecom Smartphone plans

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6434 posts

Uber Geek

#689340 21-Sep-2012 12:04

skewt: So, to have a telecom phone on a contract, it costs you MORE?

they lock you in to charge you more, how does that even work

$59 Smartphone plan
LOCKED into a contract, have to pay to switch plans, end contract
200 minutes
600 text
1GB
$100 of $250 off a phone
Overage: 69cents a minute
International Calling: Australia, UK, USA, CAN, IRE - 91c/min, Rest of World - $1.43/min

$59 Open Smartphone plan
Can change or cancel at anytime
500 minutes
Non-Stop Text (fair usage, but will be 2500/5000ish)
1GB Data
Overage: 59cents a minute
International Calling: Australia, UK, USA, CAN, IRE - 51c/min, Rest of World - $1.43/min

you get a discount on a phone upfront with the contract. that is the difference. don't want it? don't sign up to a contract. simple as that.

Paulthagerous

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#689341 21-Sep-2012 12:10

skewt: So, to have a telecom phone on a contract, it costs you MORE?

they lock you in to charge you more, how does that even work

It gives you more choice.

Yes you get more usage from the Open term plan, but if you get a $250 handset subsidy with a 24 month term then that saves money (it works out to be $250/24 = $10.42 less a month if you like to look at it that way.) If the lower amounts of included usage don't worry you that is the better way to go; if you need more usage go open term. Plus bear in mind that sometimes there are special deals on certain devices that offer more than the standard discount. For example, on the $109 Smartphone plan the standard handset subsidy is $650 on a 24 month term. For iPhone 5, it is a $830 subsidy instead.

So for some people open term will be the answer, for others it will be a termed contract. But there is more choice than before.

EDIT - clarifying that the $250 comes with a 24 month term.

mattbush

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#689346 21-Sep-2012 12:17

I assume telecom are allowing outright purchase of the iphone5?

Paulthagerous

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#689347 21-Sep-2012 12:18

mattbush: I assume telecom are allowing outright purchase of the iphone5?

Not to start with.

https://twitter.com/jeremykjtan/status/248889340380475394

mattbush

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#689352 21-Sep-2012 12:28

Just been told by a Telecom person that supplies of Iphone are very very limited on the 28th and only the top 20 outlets in NZ (I assume Vodafone and Telecom) will have stocks that day from Apple.

It will be 2 weeks before another shipment arrives from Apple.

Pathetic

Im going to go Galaxy now..screw Apple.

jeffnz

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#689356 21-Sep-2012 12:38

mattbush: Just been told by a Telecom person that supplies of Iphone are very very limited on the 28th and only the top 20 outlets in NZ (I assume Vodafone and Telecom) will have stocks that day from Apple.

It will be 2 weeks before another shipment arrives from Apple.

Pathetic

Im going to go Galaxy now..screw Apple.

Obviously it matters to some to have it on release day but as we have seen no one gets it right on the day as demand outstrips supply, fact of life and Samsung no better.

If you really want the Iphone5 a few weeks shouldn't make a differance.

Galaxy S10

Garmin Fenix 5

johntynz

119 posts

Master Geek

#689362 21-Sep-2012 12:46

and there are still the $0 phones on contract available too, looking at the website, still the flavor of the month phones too aka iphones and most the samsungs

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sbiddle

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#689383 21-Sep-2012 13:11

mattbush: I assume telecom are allowing outright purchase of the iphone5?

It's been impossible to buy iPhones outright for the last few launches. Since Apple can control supply and it's in their interests to create demand to restricting supply telco's have to find a way to control stock levels.

You would be amazed how Apple control telcos and retailers. Even the social media guidelines that telcos have to abide by (and Vodafone know ezxactly what happens when you dare challenge Apple) are unbelievably restrictive.

jeffnz

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#689457 21-Sep-2012 14:28

Paulthagerous:
skewt: So, to have a telecom phone on a contract, it costs you MORE?

they lock you in to charge you more, how does that even work

It gives you more choice.

Yes you get more usage from the Open term plan, but if you get a $250 handset subsidy with a 24 month term then that saves money (it works out to be $250/24 = $10.42 less a month if you like to look at it that way.) If the lower amounts of included usage don't worry you that is the better way to go; if you need more usage go open term. Plus bear in mind that sometimes there are special deals on certain devices that offer more than the standard discount. For example, on the $109 Smartphone plan the standard handset subsidy is $650 on a 24 month term. For iPhone 5, it is a $830 subsidy instead.

So for some people open term will be the answer, for others it will be a termed contract. But there is more choice than before.

EDIT - clarifying that the $250 comes with a 24 month term.

Open term to me is a rort and just looks attractive for the subsidy or free phone. The subsidy is based on full retail, if you take the Samsung S3 telecom list it as $1049, Harvey Norman have these for $899 so if you wait till interest free you are making more savings than contract and getting a better plan.

for the $109 you get:

500 minutes
600txts
1.5gb data
24 mths = $2616

on $59 plan no contract
500 minutes
non stop txt
1gb data

24 mths = $1416
phone cost vary s from as low as $738 but lets go with $899
cost then $2315
so $300 differance and the data is more but you aren't tied into 24 months and end up with an out of date phone worth a lot less.

To me its a no brainer

Galaxy S10

Garmin Fenix 5

Paulthagerous

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#689481 21-Sep-2012 14:46

jeffnz:
Open term to me is a rort and just looks attractive for the subsidy or free phone. The subsidy is based on full retail, if you take the Samsung S3 telecom list it as $1049, Harvey Norman have these for $899 so if you wait till interest free you are making more savings than contract and getting a better plan.

for the $109 you get:

500 minutes
600txts
1.5gb data
24 mths = $2616

on $59 plan no contract

cost then $2315
so $300 differance and the data is more but you aren't tied into 24 months and end up with an out of date phone worth a lot less.

To me its a no brainer

I assume you mean fixed term looks like a rort to you?

In this particular case for you it may be. But for someone who really needs the extra data it may be worth it, the difference works out to be $301/24 = $12.54/month for another 500MB (on your figures). And depending on any special deals where the device is cheaper than it would normally be on the plan that could make it a cheaper option full stop.

I'm not saying that fixed term will ALWAYS be the cheaper option - clearly it won't be in some cases. But depending on the needs of a particular person it MAY work out better.

And lots of people are more than happy to have the same phone for 2 years and changing more frequently could even be considered a nuisance, learning a new device - though I doubt many on Geekzone feel that way :)

jeffnz

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#689512 21-Sep-2012 15:38

Paulthagerous:
jeffnz:
Open term to me is a rort and just looks attractive for the subsidy or free phone. The subsidy is based on full retail, if you take the Samsung S3 telecom list it as $1049, Harvey Norman have these for $899 so if you wait till interest free you are making more savings than contract and getting a better plan.

for the $109 you get:

500 minutes
600txts
1.5gb data
24 mths = $2616

on $59 plan no contract

cost then $2315
so $300 differance and the data is more but you aren't tied into 24 months and end up with an out of date phone worth a lot less.

To me its a no brainer

I assume you mean fixed term looks like a rort to you?

In this particular case for you it may be. But for someone who really needs the extra data it may be worth it, the difference works out to be $301/24 = $12.54/month for another 500MB (on your figures). And depending on any special deals where the device is cheaper than it would normally be on the plan that could make it a cheaper option full stop.

I'm not saying that fixed term will ALWAYS be the cheaper option - clearly it won't be in some cases. But depending on the needs of a particular person it MAY work out better.

And lots of people are more than happy to have the same phone for 2 years and changing more frequently could even be considered a nuisance, learning a new device - though I doubt many on Geekzone feel that way :)

ahh yes I did thanks for picking it up.

It is up to the individual but my point was that I think people see it as a good deal when in fact it really isn't as phone price taken is full retail. Having a 2 year contract to some may not be an issue as you say but it does limit your choices in a market where technology is changing very quickly. What Telco's get is they make money on selling you the phone but more importantly they get your business for 2 years unless you want to break contract whereby they charge you the differance until end of contract so they control you, on open plan I can switch phones or telco's without too much effort.

I don't like being controlled by others hence open term and non Apple devices

Galaxy S10

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eXDee

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#689897 22-Sep-2012 15:38

Im also confused by people being locked in getting less. Would have expected the other way around.
"Stick with us for 2 years and you'll get an even better deal!"
Not so. I dont think the handset subsidies are worth the difference in plan offerings. No idea why you'd want to reward customers for not going on contract, i thought the goal was to sign on as many people as possible?

khull

1245 posts

Uber Geek

#690404 24-Sep-2012 09:28

I'd say the telecom plans represent better value compared to voda all things considered overall performance. I say this from personal experience over multiple devices across the 3 providers including 2deg.

lokhor

2858 posts

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#690665 24-Sep-2012 15:16

Is there any way to get 2gb+ of data for fairly cheap with the new plans?

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

wongtop

565 posts

Ultimate Geek

#690675 24-Sep-2012 15:27

It seems that the only plans now on the telecom site are "Smartphone" plans and this may be causing some confusion. I recommended to someone of the older generation that they switch to one of the new "open smartphone" plans as this is a better deal than the older plan that they are on. Their response was, "But I don't have a smartphone".

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