It wasn’t that long ago that Woolworths announced its Woolworths Mobile offering, initially through Optus, before folding that and re-branding as Woolworths Connect, using Telstra’s 3G network. Coles is evidently keen to get in on that action, with the announcement today of its Coles Prepaid service, in partnership with Optus’ 4G network.
Coles Prepaid will begin with two simple plans, $10 for 10 days, and $10 Pay As You Go.
The $10 for 10 days plan includes unlimited standard national talk and text within Australia, and 400MB of data to last you the ten days, all this on Optus’ 4G network. Averaged out to a month, this plan will cost you $30 a month for unlimited talk and text and 1.2GB of data; not a huge amount, but about on-par for the price.
For those who don’t use as much data and just want to stay in touch, the $10 Pay As You Go plan looks like a good offering from the earlier days of prepaid. For $10, you get $10 credit with $60 day expiry, including national calls at 12c per minute, 12c per SMS and MMS, and 12c per MB of data. While this is quite a good offering for those who make occasional calls and texts, it’s not a good offering for anyone wanting to use data; $10 works out to just over 83MB of data, which on 4G, you could blow with one or two app updates. Definitely an option for those looking for low-cost recharges with long expiry only.
For those looking for a bit of extra, on either offering, there are options available:
- $5 gets you 500MB of data, to use within the next 7 days, and this is available on both $10 for 10 and $10 Pay As You Go.
- $5 also gets you extra credit for use on international calls, premium services and roaming, on the $10 for 10 plan only.
Coles General Manager Non-Food, Karin Zimmerman, said Coles is delighted to partner with Optus to deliver great value for prepaid mobile customers as the category continues to grow:
“Our customers told us they’re looking for prepaid options to assist in managing tight budgets and they enjoy the simplicity and freedom of no commitments or contracts. We’re excited we can offer options on the Optus network for budget conscious shoppers such as mums managing mobile plans for the whole family. With a plan that costs as little as a dollar a day, this is another way we can help our customers control their costs week to week.”
Michele Garra, Vice President, Retail Sales, Optus, said:
“This brings together two trusted Australian brands that offer great value for prepaid mobile customers. Partnering with Coles allows Optus to extend our prepaid mobile base to more people at a fantastic price point.”
Coles Prepaid’s $10 for 10 offer, when taken on monthly value, works out to be similar value to Optus’ standard $30 Prepaid offering, with the added option to pay for it throughout the month rather than up front. While some might not consider $30 a month to be a big expense, for others it can be the difference between making ends meet, and letting something go unpaid.
For these customers, who still have a very real need to stay in touch with family, friends, employers and others, Coles Prepaid’s offering could be really fantastic news.
Is Coles Prepaid something you’d consider for your needs, your family, parents or children? Let us know in the comments.
Just to pick up from Richard I don’t think advertorials like this ad much to the android community.
I’m pleased that you think that my article writing skills are equivalent to paid copywriters who work for the major brands… as an amateur journalist, I aspire to such goals! 🙂
I’m sorry to break it to you, though, but it’s not a paid advert. We disclose all of those.
It came through on our PR wire, and we wrote it up. Same as we wrote up the Kogan and Vodafone piece later this morning.
Totally disagree with you Cameron. I never knew about this till I read the article. And as part of the android community I like to know what is happening out there on phone plans so I can use my android phone to the best value that suits me.
I like knowing what’s happening with mobile and Android that is specific to Australia. RedditAndroid is very good, but often no Australian content. That is why I flock here in Ausdroid too, advertorials or otherwise…but that’s just me.
Exactly. Ausdroid is a one of a kind Android site. We get local content that’s relevant to us. I see the same on American Android sites with their own local offers and deals. I think it’s great to see this stuff on here. I’m sure it’s helped some people make decisions in the past.
with Optus itself you get unlimited talk and text and 1.5 gig of data per month on prepaid. Coles is offering 300MB of data less as an mvno? I think people will stick with optus and save the uncertainty of this shutting down in a year or two.
Am I atypical?
– I’ve sent 3 sms’es in last 12 months (I use Whatsapp exclusively).
– I haven’t made a phone call in 3 months (the last one lasted 20 seconds).
– I haven’t sent an MMS since 2010 (I use Whatapp exclusively).
I’m on a “data centric” (Spintel). I gobble up around 4-6Gb per month.
If everyone’s like me, we would all be seeking data centric plans.
The fact that carriers still offer plans centered around voice, sms, and mms suggests that a lot of grandmas out there still cling on to old relics?
Maybe?
personally I make ~1 phone call a week, ~3 sms a week and only use ~250-300mb/ month (I am rarely without a WiFi connection). I only spend $30 every ~2 months too for it.
So I am sure I am just as atypical as you just in a different way.
I would say the real problem is carriers do not seem to allow data only sims to work in phones as I am sure there are many like yourself who use data only.
Which plan are you on?
I suspect that the new wave of unlimited calls and texts on $30 prepaid plans is due to these being used less, texts not costing carriers much (1 cent?), and people wanting the peace of mind of not using all of their credit. The reality is that hardly anyone makes enough calls to warrant being on an unlimited plan (apart from those without a landline, perhaps).
It’s all about data now. It’s what people want and it’s what costs carriers the most.
I am on a Tel$tra Simplicity plan. I buy a $10 data block of 200mb when I need it. There may be other cheaper or “better” plans I chose to stay on Tel$tra for the mobile coverage when needed. My phone is more for inbound calls anyway so I am more about longer life than anything else.
I read on Whirlpool that Spintel is adding a $5 downgrade fee? I didn’t read too much but looks like the good days are over? Might be looking into if you aren’t aware. Maybe it wont apply or make a difference for you.