Finding the right phone plan for a grandparent is a common ordeal. You want to be able to stay in touch, and for them to have a lifeline in an emergency. At the same time it may be clear that your dearest Nona won’t be getting much daily use out of it, so you won’t want to waste money on an expensive plan.
There are plenty of cheap plans out there from smaller operators. You probably want to avoid prepaid, because if Nan accidentally burns through her cap then she’s going to be without service, which removes the lifeline part of things.
You could always go for an affordable SIM-only month-to-month plan, which acts like a regular plan, complete with fees for overuse, and can offer the same kind of savings but without removing the safety net.
There’s also a third option, and probably the best, is pay as you go (PAYG). PAYG plans charge you a minimum each month, then charge you per call, SMS, MMS and MB. As such they’re not usually popular with the general user, but for someone who’ll be mostly using their phone to receive calls it’s not a bad idea. Especially if said person has a feature phone that can’t access the internet.
PAYG Plans
Some PAYG plans are SIM-only, meaning you can't run out of credit. Others include a specific amount of credit with the initial purchase, usually a very small amount, and then charge PAYG rates once this is done.
All PAYG plans have an expiry period. It could be anything between 30 days and 365 days. Once this period is done you must recharge the PAYG plan or service will cease.
Amaysim
Amaysim provides its service over the Optus network. Mobile broadband is limited to 3G, but that’s not really a concern here. We’re focused on getting a plan that can receive calls and make the occasional out-going one.
| amaysim | PAYG |
|---|---|
| Starting cost | $5 |
| Expiry | 90 days |
| Calls | 12c/min |
| Flagfall | Free |
| Text | 12c/SMS |
| Calls to 13 numbers | 29c/min |
| Calls to 18 numbers | Free |
| Data | 5c/MB |
| Voicemail | 12c/min |
| Check out the plan | Go to site |
Vodafone
You can get a PAYG plan through Vodafone's prepaid packs. Vodafone prepaid PAYG offers inifinite standard calls to other Vodafone mobile numbers.
| Vodafone | PAYG |
|---|---|
| Starting cost | $10* |
| Expiry | 30 days |
| Calls | 10c/min |
| Flagfall | 10c |
| Text | 15c/SMS |
| Calls to 13 numbers | 10c/min |
| Calls to 18 numbers | 10c/min |
| Data | 2c/MB |
| Voicemail | 10c/min |
| Check out the plan | Go to site |
*There are also $20, $30 and $50 recharge options.
ALDImobile
Amaysim provides its service over the Optus network. Mobile broadband is limited to 3G, but that’s not really a concern here. We’re focused on getting a plan that can receive calls and make the occasional out-going one.
| ALDImobile | PAYG |
|---|---|
| Starting cost | $5 |
| Expiry | 365 days |
| Calls | 12c/min |
| Flagfall | Free |
| Text | 12c/SMS |
| Calls to 13 numbers | 12c/min |
| Calls to 18 numbers | 12c/min |
| Data | 5c/MB |
| Voicemail | 12c/min |
| Check out the plan | Compare plans |
Don't forget SIM-only
Of course, there are always SIM-only plans. These operate just like a regular post-paid plan, except that they often do not include a long-term commitment. Most are month-to-month, so you can cancel them any time with a month's notice. Amaysim, mentioned above for its PAYG plan, has some affordable SIM-only options.
Telechoice is another great example of a SIM-only provider that operates over the Telstra network. That means Telstra coverage.
It has heaps of plans, the cheapest of which is a mere $17.50 per month.
| Telechoice | SIM-only |
|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $17.50 |
| Call Credit | $200 |
| SMS | Part of call credit |
| Data | 200MB |
| Over 12 months | $240 |
| Check out the plan | Go to site |
Original image credit: Flickr user
wck
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