Most Australians are paying for mobile data they are not using so Circles Life has launched a calculator to help Australians understand how much data they need and help them save big money.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says telco customers use an average of just 11GB of data per month.
Yet the major telcos median plans offer around 35GB per month.
Circles Life says one customer – 23 year-old Syroni Moore from Sydney – switched telcos to a plan that was more suitable to her data usage.
As a result, she has managed to halve her phone bills and is pocketing $800 a year in savings.
“The way we use our mobile phones has changed dramatically over recent years, with consumers relying less on data allowances and more on free wi-fi offerings at work, school, airports, shopping centres and hospitals,” said Head of Conversation at Circles Life, Jordan Kerr.
“Streaming movies, music, and games chews up a lot of data on your smartphone but many download while connected to their home internet which often has unlimited data.
“It means the telco industry is selling people more data than they need and consumers are overpaying on their mobile phone plans more than ever before.”
The Circles Life Mobile Plan Health Check is a calculator that lets you list how much time you spend web browsing, on social media, streaming music and video and playing online games.
Customers can move the slider to the choices – Really never, Few mins a day, Hour or so and More than 2 hours.
When you’ve set all your values there will be a suggested amount of data you need and a list of the Circles Life plans.
Customer who come across to Circles Life can also freeze their plan price for 18 months and receive a $5 discount per month.
The 30GB plan is $20 a month (down from $25) for 18 months while the 50GB plan is $30 a month (down from $35) for 18 months.
“We want customers to only pay for what they’ll use, which is just one reason we’re able to offer such competitive rates on our mobile phone plans,” Kerr said.
“The big three telcos; Telstra, Optus and Vodafone don’t offer sim-only postpaid plans below 30GB a month and given their huge market share, it means most Aussies are paying for data they aren’t using.
“The ACCC report found overall, the amount of included data in mobile plans is rising faster than use; and where a person’s existing plan already meets their needs, it’s unclear what additional value, if any, consumers derive from more data.
“We’re committed to being there when our customers need us most and that’s why we’ve also announced a guarantee of no price increases for the rest of 2023.
“Additionally, we’re offering a special deal for customers wanting to escape the yearly price rises other telcos have implemented and offering a price freeze if they switch to Circles until the end of 2024.
“Circles Life has also committed to removing excess data charges by August on all their plans.
“This means customers who may have been at risk of ‘bill shock’ will now be able to either upgrade or buy a one-off data bolt on – but will not be charged any additional excess data which is normally charged at a much higher rate.
“Even if you decide not to upgrade or buy additional data, you’ll still be able to use wi-fi, SMS and call services. It’s just another way we’re making sure our customers have complete peace of mind and are always in control – during times of economic uncertainty.”
Circles Life uses the Optus 4G network in Australia.
