A prepaid SIM with a 365-day recharge is a good solution for many tablet users, but for Telstra customers it’s about to become a more expensive one. From June 12, the price of a 365-day recharge (which includes 12GB of data) is going up from $150 to $180 on the iPad and Android tablets.
Picture by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
The changes were revealed in an email to existing iPad customers which popped up on the MacTalk forums. The letter doesn’t explain the reasoning behind the price change, but reminds customers that if they’re set up for automatic recharge, they’ll need to change their settings to continue doing so. (That said, I suspect not many people on a 365-day plan would want an automatic option anyway.)
The change is also affecting Telstra’s non-iPad prepaid mobile broadband customers. Currently they are charged $150 for a less generous 10GB of data; from next week, that option will disappear for new purchases and they’ll also be offered the $180 for 12GB option. According to Telstra, many customers use up their 10GB allowance in less than 365 days anyway.
A Telstra spokesperson told us that “this change will help us maintain investment in our network so customers can continue to enjoy the speeds and reliability they’ve come to expect”.
Prior to the change, Telstra was already at the high end of the prepaid iPad SIM market; Amaysim and Optus both have much cheaper deals. Vodafone charges the same rate ($150 for 12GB), but also offers more expensive plans with a higher data volume. For non-iPad customers, the new rate is marginally cheaper on a per-MB basis than its predecessor (1.46 cents versus 1.47 cents), but requires a bigger up-front investment.
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