About Telstra Plus
You spend a lot of money on your phone plan, so why not get rewarded for it? Telstra will do just that with Telstra Plus – their loyalty reward program which gives eligible customers points for staying on a range of plans that the telco offers. Those points can then be redeemed for brand new gadgets – basically whatever is sold by Telstra, from smartphones to Telstra TV, and more.
Loyalty programs aren’t new to telcos. In fact, Telstra Plus replaced the Thanks Rewards Sceme in 2019, which was the loyalty scheme at the time. And other telcos have their as well – the TPG Telecom/Vodafone loyalty scheme and the Optus loyalty scheme.
For Telstra Plus, you have to actually opt in for the program in order to participate – Telstra won’t automatically sign you up for Telstra Plus when you purchase an eligible plan. You can opt in through the My Telstra app or the Telstra website, and you’ll need your Telstra ID to do so.
And to get rewarded, you have to be an active Telstra customer on one or more of the following plans:
- Postpaid mobile plan
- Prepaid mobile plan
- Mobile broadband plan
- Fixed line Internet plan
Telstra Plus membership also has a tier system. Basically, the more you spend, the higher your membership tier, and the more rewards you get. Here’s a look at the Telstra Plus tiers and what you need to spend to get them:
- All members – Average monthly expenditure of $0-$124.99, and average yearly expenditure of $0-$1,499.99
- Silver members – Average monthly expenditure of $125-249.99, and average yearly expenditure of $1,500-2,999.99
- Gold members – Average monthly expenditure of $250+, and average yearly expenditure of $3000+
The good part is that your tier isn’t based on what you spend after you opt in for Telstra Plus. Instead, your tier is based on what you’ve already spent within the last 12 months, so you can actually become a Gold member even if you just opted in to the program. And once you’ve unlocked a higher tier, Telstra will keep you on that tier for at least a year.
How to use Telstra plus points?
To use Telstra Plus, you can either be an existing customer or a new customer. Also, you have to be at least 18 years old and have a Telstra ID in order to log in to Telstra Plus. If you don’t currently have a Telstra ID or know what it is, you can sign up for one on the Telstra website.
After that, you have to log in to your My Telstra app on your Android or IoS device, or on the Telstra website, all using your Telstra ID. There, you will be able to review your Telstra Plus account after opting in to the program.
To accumulate points, you have to make purchases. The point system rewards you 10 points for every $1 you spend with Telstra. This can be money spent on your phone plan, a device from Telstra, and so on.
And when you’re ready to use your points, go to the Telstra rewards store to make purchases. If you have enough points, then you can use them for your purchase. And if you don’t, you can pay the balance with your points and cash combined.
Keep in mind, though, that the vast majority of purchases that can be made with points have to be outright purchases – that is, no installment payments.
Advantage of using Telstra plus
Telstra plus is all about the rewards. You can redeem your points on brand new gadgets, either purchasing them completely with your points or adding some cash for a massive discount.
You’ll find pretty much every gadget that Telstra sells is available for purchase with Telstra Plus points. Everything from the latest iPhone to the latest Galaxy, as well as smaller gadgets like AirPods.
And it’s not only about gadgets – Telstra Plus also includes other rewards like discounts on movie tickets and concert tickets, as well as some VIP treatment when you contact customer care, depending on the tier you belong to.
Other rewards from Telstra Plus based on membership tiers. src
Final words
Like Telstra Air, Telstra Plus is a nice to have service component which really shouldn’t influence your decision to go with Telstra. We can be easily led by big companies with their ‘points’ (think Quantas Frequent Flyer Points – which is now one of the most valuable parts of the Quantas business).
As you’d expect from us (we’re a comparison site), we would recommend you take these points to the degree that they’re free, get the benefits that come with them without letting the points or those benefits influence your behaviour, and compare the plan and coverage that’s best for you every 6 months or so to make sure you’re not paying more than you need.