In the latest announcement regarding Virgin Mobile, Optus has promised specially tailored plans for Virgin customers who switch over to Optus. Here's what some of these plans are and how they compare to what Optus customers are getting.

Last week, Optus announced that over the next two years, they would slowly be phasing out their Virgin Mobile brand and be shutting 36 stores across Australia. We know have a more accurate picture of when the stores will be closing and what Virgin's million-plus customer base will have access to, come closing time. Here's what you need to know if you're a Virgin Mobile customer and some potential alternative providers for you to take a look at.

Virgin Mobile is not long for this world. Over the next two years, parent company Optus will be phasing out the brand and is likely to move all customers to its own network. So why stick around?

Here are the best equivalent plans from Virgin Mobile's rivals - many of which boast better data allowances and pricing. Make the switch now.

Most people have a pretty strong opinion about their telco. Some love their provider and wouldn't consider switching to a competitor, others hate certain telcos and will never do business with them again.

The problem with being rusted-on to a provider based on reputation is that you may never give thought to plan switching. You definitely should.

Taking your hard-earned dollars away from one carrier and giving them to another instead is not a decision to be made lightly, no matter how much you've grown to loathe your current provider of cellular services. If you're thinking about switching carriers to take advantage of big deals for cool new phones, than here are some key checks and preparations to make before you commit to switching your allegiances.

We joke about Economy being cattle class for a reason. There’s not a lot of room to move. Airlines squeeze as much human mass into the confines of an aircraft as possible, so you want to maximise every centimetre of space you can. I’m pretty small and compact, so I can fit in most seats with ease, but if you’re looking for a little extra room, we’ve done the leg work for you.

Arriving at the airport much earlier than your actual flight time is good advice in general, but thanks to recently introduced "security measures" from the government, the major airlines are now recommending international passengers arrive up to three hours before their scheduled departure times and two hours for domestic trips.

Someone with more than 400 companies under their belt, billions of dollars and a knighthood is bound to have made some good decisions in their time. Luckily for the rest of us, entrepreneur Richard Branson has shared his tips for making business decisions, to help out anyone who's trying to get where he's at now.

Hot on the heels of the FAA's decision in the US to ban Samsung's ignition-happy Galaxy Note7 on all flights, local carriers Qantas and Virgin yesterday announced a similar stance, effective immediately.

Are you looking to acquire a shiny new iPhone 7 or 7 Plus from Virgin? Here is every Virgin plan for both handsets so you can compare prices and data allowances to make the best choice.

Virgin has revealed its pricing plans for the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge -- and they're good 'uns. All pre-orders will score a free Galaxy Gear VR virtual-reality headset, while customers who switch from another provider to the $85 plan will receive a massive 14GB of data per month. Here are the details.

Billionaire businessman and founder of Virgin Group, Sir Richard Branson, is constantly on the move. With companies operating all around the world that require his attention, it's surprising that he has any free time to have a life outside of work at all. But Branson has his ways of maintaining a good work-life balance. Here is one of his tips.

Global roaming rates are a rort. That's news to nobody. But if you were desperate to keep hold of your Australian phone number while travelling overseas, what's the best way to cap your costs?

Back in February, consumer regulator the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said it was preparing to take action on businesses that used "drip pricing" -- advertising a headline price but then aggressively pursuing add-on pricing. That strategy is now bearing fruit: the ACCC is taking Jetstar and Virgin to court over alleged drip pricing violations.

Now here's something you don't see every day: Virgin Mobile has announced a premium mobile phone plan that includes a "free" return international flight to a popular holiday destination with Virgin Australia. Locations include New Zealand, Fiji and Vanuatu.

Australia's strict bike helmet laws made headlines around the world this week when Adelaide police stopped Virgin CEO Sir Richard Branson from riding his bicycle without a helmet. Despite being caught red-handed, the billionaire business magnate was let off with a warning. This got us to wondering: do police have a separate law for celebrities, or are all UK tourists given more leeway when it comes to bike laws?

If you use the ATM machine in a Coles Express fuel outlet, you can score yourself a 15 per cent off voucher for an iTunes card or a prepaid mobile recharge. That's a potentially handy saving, but you need to plan carefully to make the most of the discount.

Were you planning to catch a flight today? You could face significant delays as Tiger, Virgin, Jetstar and Rex battle technical issues with their computerised check-in systems. Qantas appears unaffected, but for the other airlines, they've been forced to process would-be flyers manually.