I simply want my data cut off if I reach the limit rather than be billed for excess charges, I've looked and no one seemes to do it anymore. My RedBull contract finishes this week sadly.
Any unlimited talk/SMS/+data packages that simply cut you off after data limit is reached?
COR80 on 11/06/2014 - 23:55
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Going by other's advice, there seems to be too many discrepancies between data usage figures supplied by the phone vs figures supplied by the carrier. But presuming there are no positive responses I have bookmarked that page you linked to, cheers.
The Android data-usage meter is accurate, but can't account for session-rounding. That, and as a result, people not leaving a decent compensatory buffer when setting a preset cut-off point, gets some people into strife.
Your RedBull 5GB a month plan (I was on it too - I take it that you got your 365 day recharge just before their trip to the abattoir last year…) had 250KB rounding. Most prepaids have 1MB.
I'm going to assume that you are still looking to go prepaid.Amaysim 'Unlimited' ($39/month, Optus network) switches to PAYG rates (5c/MB = $50/GB) after the 4GB pack expires, but if you don't select 'auto-renew' in the payment settings and time your replenishing of funds to your account balance to be only at the tail-end of your monthly cycle, you can prevent losing funds to PAYG rates.
You do get (reasonably timely) pack-usage updates from Amaysim, but by the time you get the '100% of pack used' one, you can use a few dollars worth of data at PAYG rates. It happened on a couple of occasions to me, back when I was with them.If you've been happy on the VF network, Hellomobile has an almost exact match plan to the Amaysim one above. I don't know how the payment or other mechanics work for them. Someone else may chime in with that info, or you can get in touch with HM yourself and find out, if you're otherwise keen.
Great info, thanks for taking the time.
That's fine. Forgot to mention - given that your worried about keeping track of data use. Like all telco resellers, updates can be quite delayed, but be reassured that the data-usage display on the Amaysim website (they have an app now as well - don't know about that), is MUCH more reliable than RedBull+VF ever seemed to manage, now that I remember the crapulence of that particular experience for me.
Otherwise good, but the data-use meter froze completely for me toward the end of my time in hyper-cattle country.
Possibly Jeenee Mobile
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/147804"Critical info summary says that they cut you off at 100% data usage"
But then someone refutes that claim …
Worth investigating though.Thanks for that, will check it out.
BOOST
Thanks- do they actually cut you off if you hit your data limit?
Yes, Boost definitely do, and I scanned through Lycamobile's T's & C's and saw no mention of excess in their relation to their new plan arrangement, but - either way, read my reply at the bottom of the page.
Thanks heaps Tas
Thanks- do they actually cut you off if you hit your data limit?
OP, as per other suggestions, if you're willing to go postpaid, give up on one or both of the 'unlimited calls/text' thing, or - either way - sacrifice so much on the data-allowance side relative to the 5GB that you have been accustomed to (1.5GB/2GB are obviously big steps down), you certainly do have plenty of options…
Putting aside your data-use-tracking concerns, I'll just leave it here by saying that if you still actually want proper unlimited calls/text, aren't fussed by the absence of a 4G option (there is one particularly good reason to not be), and are happy with just 2GB of data, the best deal (sadly) in the marketplace at the moment - that will also save you $10 a month relative to Boost - is the recently announced Lycamobile 'Super Saver' plan.
Like Aldi, they're now on the wholesaled Telstra 3G network - not the full NextG like Boost (supposed 98% v 99.3 population cov) - but you may notice no practical difference. Telstra are also uncapping their wholesale network speeds, so there will be no practical loss there.
$29.90/month; unlimited text and calls (excluding 6-digit numbers); 2GB data.Thanks for taking the time with the info I appreciate it Tas. I'm not really that fussed about losing a couple of gig as I only need it for a few nightshifts a month, and I probably only make 5 phone calls a day on average, so there are a couple of options there, however I'd probably go with whichever carrier simply cut me off after the 2 gig or whatever; it would be worth it for my peace of mind just knowing that the x amount of dollars I need for mobile access per month never changes during the life of the contract.
Factoring in what I said in my very first comment - go to 'data usage' in your 'mobile network' settings and tick the 'set mobile data limit' box. Set as big a buffer as you like relative to your actual allowance. Lop several hundred MB's off if you want.
At the point where your Phone actually cuts you off, and it reliably will, go to your plan provider's website and see what remaining data you actually still have on offer. Re-adjust the data-limit in your settings so that you can continue to use your remaining data - again leaving a bit of a buffer to account for session-rounding. It really is neither difficult, nor horribly involved.
Letting your data-usage-control fears solely determine your plan-choice is a good way to end up choosing a more expensive deal than you need, particularly factoring in your modest '5 calls day a pattern'.
RedBull never sent out % pack-usage updates (that I can recall, anyway), which may have led to your disquiet over data-use…
Even if you get an email/sms pack-usage update (all providers now send them - by law, I believe) that's delayed a few days, and even if you're with a postpaid provider, or a prepaid one like Amaysim that switches to excess PAYG rates at end-of-pack, as long as their excess data-usage rates are in the 3, 4, 5 cents per MB range - as most are - and not the truly appalling range (e.g. Telechoice- 25c/MB, but there are worse out there) AND especially if you apply the extra precautions I described above, you really have very little to fear.
Do fear the ridiculous length of my sentences. Yes, I'm even shit-scared about that…
Thanks again Tas, I have considered what you said carefully, and appreciate you taking the time. Will steer clear of Amaysim then, and go with Boost or Lycamobile. As I said I barely used the Red Bull allowances for calls and data, the most important thing for me was 15 months without having to think for a second about mobile contracts and data, worrying about excess charges etc…….but them's the breaks. Thanks heaps.
I only have 1.5Gb and similarly don't worry cause I know the Android Data meter has me covered.
You've gotta be trying to use any more than 1Gb I reckon.. eg Streaming video/audio.Other than specific issues with either the Optus or Vodafone network (for you, VF is 'the devil you know') there isn't any major reason to avoid the Amaysim, or the very similar, 'unlimited' calls/text plan on Hellomobile. They work well enough for many.
With the new Lyca plan, at the 2GB data level, you are - compared to similar spec plans - barely paying any premium to be on the Telstra network. Hence the recommendation.
Get in touch with them and confirm their data-pack cut-off, if you wish, for your peace of mind. As I said in a comment higher up the thread, I can see no reference in anything I've read that relates to excess data charges.Just to conclude: If you have a pretty defined monthly pattern of call numbers, total call length, and data-use - with the info in your phone's settings helping you to keep of all of that - you might fall happily under one of the capped plans on the likes of Vaya (Optus).
You'll need to do your sums, but it does potentially allow you to save more money per month - or get a little bit of extra data - depending on your needs.
Aaah, if only that were true for some of us…
I suppose it did involve some trying, but I have on occasion used in excess of 2GB per month on my phone with no video or audio streaming involved.Edit: That was an intended reply to you, scubacoles. It slipped my mind that it wouldn't appear directly under your comment…
What consumed all the data then?
General browsing + almost all of my feeds now viewed on my phone.
Phablet-size makes it feasible + time-management issues making it necessary…Clicks from feeds to lots of graphic-rich pages, and I have figured out over time which browsers work best with which sites, so lots of switching - several different browsers a day, often.
I use browser-based data-saving where I'm happy with it, but all up just lots of browsing on the phone, with much of it not on wi-fi.Edit: Should've added - the over 2GB w/o video and audio is going back aways. Still no audio streaming, but I do now watch a good deal of Youtube on mobile. Just gotta keep up with the bloody sub feed somehow…
(THAT, generally, seriously, is getting beyond a joke!)
lebara national unlimited $29.90 per month. Its prepaid, so you dont have to worry about going over.
Thanks I will look into Lebara also.
Can't you do this yourself by using a bandwidth monitor app on your smartphone?
http://lifehacker.com/how-can-i-avoid-using-too-much-smartph…