Telstra is taking the fight to excess data charges in their latest change to data limits this week – introducing a new plan to allow mobile customers to automatically add data 1GB at a time when they reach the end of their allotted amount.
Under the new scheme, which goes into effect on the 12th of May, customers will be able to opt in to have Telstra automatically charge them $10 to add a 1GB data pack to their plan as they reach the bottom of their data bucket. The new scheme will end the common bill-shock experienced by customers who pay excessive data charges when they go over their data cap. Of course if you don’t use your data limit from your plan, you won’t be charged – this is a ‘just in case’ fallback for those data intensive months.
With this new update, Telstra will effectively match rivals Optus and Vodafone in pricing for their data. This move takes away a key criticism of the company, who has previously charged a premium for access to further data in the past.
Telstra Retail Group Executive, Gordon Ballantyne, said of the new plan, that this will give customers ‘greater confidence and control over their data use and combating bill shock’.
Telstra has spent much of this week adjusting their data allocations and charges, starting the week by upping data caps for fixed line broadband customers, before moving on to adjusting data caps for mobile users on Monday.
Customers will be contacted by Telstra in May and explain how to activate the option on their plan. Users will be able to Opt-in through the Telstra 24×7 App or by heading to the website.
Does this new plan make for a more
This is a great move from telstra, They are definitely making it harder to hate them from a data point of view, just don’t mention lollipop updates or the fact they still charge for call ID on home phones, to me.