Cost-effective ways to stay connected during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, most Australians have been subjected to working from home or just distancing themselves from others to avoid the spread of the coronavirus. As a result, mobile connectivity has become the primary means for staying productive and keeping in touch with others.
The surge in mobile network traffic around the globe in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. img src
That also implies that now more than ever, many Australians need to take more time to understand and adopt connectivity plans. That’s because data consumption has become far more essential than it ever was, and people are going to spend a whole lot more on their data consumption than ever before.
Thankfully, Aussie telcos aren’t turning a blind eye to the major disruptions caused by the pandemic, and they’re coming out to help mitigate the shock of the crisis for Australians. And since you now have more time on your hands, you can use it to implement cost-saving ideas for data consumption. We’ll give you some tips to get started.
New data bonuses from Optus Telstra, and Vodafone
Australia’s major telcos – Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone – have taken the lead in helping customers meet their connectivity needs in these challenging times. The telco giants will be offering data bonuses and free talk time to customers, at least until the end of April.
Here’s a breakdown of the offers from each of them:
Optus
Optus is now offering:
- A one-off free 25GB data allowance that lasts for 30 days for eligible post-paid customers (requirements for eligibility to be announced soon).
- A 10GB data bonus for all prepaid customers who recharge with at least $40 in April.
Telstra
A day after Optus announced their new data bonuses, Telstra also stepped up to announce their own offers:
- Unlimited data for home broadband customers (ADSL, NBN, Cable) from Thursday March 19 till 30th
- 25GB of extra data for remote work available for postpaid mobile customers who apply for it through the Telstra 24×7 and My Telstra App.
- 10GB extra data valid for 28-30 days available for prepaid mobile customers who recharge with $40. Eligible customers can apply through the Telstra 24×7 and My Telstra App.
- Unlimited local, national, and 13/1300 calls for eligible pensioners who use a Telstra home phone plan beginning March 19th until April 30.
Vodafone
Vodafone has offered the extension of their free unlimited browsing offer to more customers. The offer was initially available through Vodafone’s unlimited data plans which allow for free browsing at a limited speed of 1.5Mbps after the inclusive data allowance is exceeded. Now the plan is available in the form of:
- A 5GB data bonus for all postpaid customers valid throughout April.
- 3GB data bonus for prepaid customers valid throughout April.
- Free unlimited standard national calls and data-free access to the state health department website for all prepaid and post-paid customers.
As with the free browsing in the unlimited data plan, the bonus data will be activated automatically for eligible customers.
Tips for cost-effective data consumption during the Covid-19 lockdown
In addition to taking advantage of these generous data bonuses from the top telcos, there are also many things that you can do on your part to use data more cost-effectively during this crisis, such as:
- 1. Determining your exact data needs
Take out time to identify your most pressing data consumption needs and how best to budget for those needs, and then also consider which of the various data offers from various telcos is the best fit for you. Also, you should keep close tabs on your data consumption using data monitoring and control apps to ensure you stick to your data consumption plan. - 2. Avoiding optional extras
Most extras offered by various telcos might look enticing on face value, but they’re ultimately not cost-effective, since you may likely pay for them but not use them in the end. But thankfully, since they’re optional, you have the choice to ignore them if you’re not sure you’ll need them any time soon.
Final words
Most of us have to stay indoor in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. This leads to increased phone usage, and mostly data consumption. We depend on data to keep in touch with friends and family while practicing social distancing, as well as to work from home. This increase can result in more money being spent on data purchases, but you can avoid that with the tips we’ve provided.