This certainly isn’t my first Optus prepaid mobile plan review, however I thought given several of their plans have changed over the past few months, it was worth giving an update on where the plans sit in comparison with the market.
Optus during 2011 was leading the way when it comes to prepaid mobile plan development. New plans, new concepts, offers, competitive
pricing. It was all happening. The plans are still leading the way in some respects but there are certainly a few areas that Optus could improve. This review will cover the New Turbo Cap Plus plans. However I will also touch on some of the strengths and weaknesses of the other plans.
This is probably the 3rd of 4th iteration of the Turbo Cap Plus plans. The latest version has some great advantages in that Unlimited SMS/MMS and social media such as Facebook and Twitter is available across all recharge levels. The recharge amounts start at $10 and increase to $100. At $10 you get $60 Credit and 60MB, plus 7 days to use it. In the middle you have $30 with $300 in Credit, 500MB and 28 days to use it. If you go to $50 you get $1000 Credit, 3GB of data and unlimited Optus mobile calls. Step up a little more to $60 and you get unlimited calls to any mobile as well as the $1000 in credit and 5GB data. Note that the old version of this plan had this offer at $40 not $60.
Optus New Turbo Cap Plus is also offering unlimited weekend calls if you sign up before the end of March 2012. This free weekend offer will apply for all of 2012 as long as you have a positive balance.
I have personally used this plan and had moved from a 12 month plan which offered very similar value. At the $30 level it is pretty competitive. Telstra for the $30 with the Encore gives you $250 in calls and 400MB (was 500MB up until a few weeks ago). Boost for $40 gives you the Unlimited offer. Vodafone $30 Cap gives you $450 in calls, unlimited Txt and 500MB of data. Therefore Optus is still up there but not leading the way.
The Optus Dollar Days offers was very unique when launched and paved the way for unlimited. It has over 2011 become a $2 offer, with unlimited fixed, mobile and internet access. It is still competitive, however I figure given the questions I receive from many people says they fail to understand its value. It is easier to understand $40 per month for unlimited calls, than it is $2 for each day you use your phone.
The Long Expiry Plan is useful but it has a maximum of 186 days, it doesn’t quite compete with the likes of Savvytel and Red Bull Mobile, although the credit value offered is better than what Savvytel has.
Finally, we end with Connect 4 Less. This plan has very competitive rates. Domestic calls are 10c/min with a 23c/ flagfall, internationally you can see the rates above. I have already undertaken some comparisons on this page here. They are pretty good, but bare in mind that they do change from time to time.
Overall, I think Optus has a good range, competitive value in the plans and good value when it comes to data. The one thing they need to consider is data increments of less than 1 MB, otherwise the unlimited social media offer is a very good one.
