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Virgin Mobile and Broadband: Existing Members May Be Able to Get 1GB Data Free for 3 Months

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Virgin is offering some of it's members 1GB free for 3 months, if you are with them on certain plans.

You can log into the lounge to check out the offers. I've included links where I can.

Prepaid mobile
Your Cap recharges - get 1GB free (per recharge?) … 5GB limit

Postpaid mobile
phones on a 12 or 24 month plan - sign up and get the 1st 3 months free, but remember to tell them before it's up, if you want to stay on the plan or not ($15 a month afterwards for 1GB data)

Broadband
12 or 24 month plan
Get a bonus of 1GB automatically added for each of the next 3 months.
You don't have to do anything, apart from know about the bonus so you can use your extra download (if you wish)


That's about it.

Also, some OzB members report customer service is good. Others say it's not good.

Follow the terms and conditions, maybe keep a copy. Hopefully it'll all go right. But otherwise, contact customer service and if that doesn't go well, you might want to contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, as discussed in here.


UPDATE 12 May 2010

There may be a similar looking deal on offer that is not the previous one.

I'm getting charged a data subscription under the old plan but I'm also being given a credit each month (that's in the terms and conditions when I signed up).

One person reports that they aren't getting the monthly credit at the moment and were told that the credits only come at the end of 3 months. We will see if that really is true.

Related Stores

memberslounge.com.au
memberslounge.com.au

closed Comments

  • Potential uses include:
    - browsing for the web, weather, Facebook, etc.
    - trying out the Assisted GPS for the mobile customers with traffic updates (GPS with A-GPS navigation turned on in settings will access the internet to try and speed things up or make things more precise. Traffic updates will also access the internet for information)
    - messenger when out and about

    • I'm going to try VoIPing with it..
      If my phone lasts past my contract expiry, which this deal will take me right up to, I plan to go VoIP until it dies and I have t upgrade my handset..

  • We hope you're sitting comfortably because we have some great news.

    To thank you for being one of our favourite Virgin Mobile Members, we're giving you a surprise gig of free data each month for the next three months on your Post-Paid Mobile Broadband service*!

    With 1GB you could stream video for 120 minutes. (That's a lot of keyboard cats)

    That's just one of the benefits of being a Virgin Mobile Member and you can find plenty more at Members' Lounge including exclusive events, offers and downloads.

    The free 1GB is automatically applied to your account for the next three months starting in April on the date your data allowance refreshes. If you would like to check when your data cycle refreshes or how much data you have available, you can do so by logging onto mybroadbandusage.virginbroadband.com.au.

    • Did you get an email about it? I don't seem to be getting Virgin email updates for some reason :S

      • It's in the Members Lounge and on the website.. I haven't had any email about it either.

        • I just checked and my postpaid is still sitting on 5MB per month. I think I (and probably others) have to ring up to get this activated

          • +2

            @SomeGuyOnOzB: I applied last night, it got credited this morning (said it would take up to 72 hours).. You can apply online from the Members lounge

  • Yet another thing I've seen, done and didn't even think twice to add here.. Man I'm a bad OzBargainer!!!

  • +1

    Just in case the offer disappears later, I've copied the text from the popup

    with us. Go off online.

    ^Pre-Paid Mobile

    Due to system limitations only 5GB may be accumulated at any one time.

    Special Offer applies to Your Cap recharges activated from 1/3/10 to 30/6/10. You must have min 1 cent balance to access bonus credit and mobile internet. All credits & internet expire 28 days from recharge, or earlier if you recharge with a non-Your Cap voucher.

    +Post-Paid Mobile

    1GB data plan costs $15 a month. For each of the three months you'll receive a $15 credit on your account. Before the offer ends, you'll be given the option to remove the data plan at no cost to you. If you don't remove the data plan you'll start getting charged $15 a month. Offer available 1/4/10 to 30/6/10.

    Post-Paid Mobile Broadband

    Only available to customers on a 12 or 24 month Post-Paid Mobile Broadband plan. You will receive 1GB of data in addition to your plan allowance. Existing customers: Data will be applied when the data allowance is refreshed. New Customers: 1GB of bonus data will be applied in addition to your plan allowance within 7 days of activation. Months 2 and 3 free data will be applied within 5 days of the first day of the applicable data usage period. Normal plan allowance will apply afterwards. Bonus data does not rollover. Offer available 1/4/10 to 30/6/10

  • positived, although I'm not a virgin mobile customer..

  • +3

    Just rememebr to cancel it later, or you'll be charged $15 a month after the initial 3 months offer.

    • +2

      That's going to be the hard thing to remember.. Might set a calendar reminder…

      • Then go through the phone, getting it to prompt you before internet connections, turn off A-GPS and turn off traffic updates etc too

        That note is more for myself

        • yeah that will limit ur data usage but that doesnt stop virgin from charging u for 1gb of data a month

  • Stream video for 120 minutes? Good luck getting it to reliably stream at all over the Optus 3G network while you're mobile.

    Can't complain about the free data though. The offer has been available since mid-March on the prepaid caps, so I switched from my usual Bean Counter plus monthly $5/$10 data plan to the $29 Cap until the end of June.

  • when it works the speed is fine

    but if you're even mildy out of their coverage zone… good luck…

    and GOOD LUCK getting the full 4Gb out of them in a month… the speeds aren't there unless you are smack dab in the CBD or something

    • I used my phone as my primary Internet access (tethered to my PC) for 3 months this time last year, 1Gb/month plan.. I didn't even try to use 1Gb and did so quite easily what with Windows updates and the like.
      Speed fluctuated according to busy periods, but the majority of the time speed was acceptable or even surprisingly slick…

      Having said that, I can't imagine using 1Gb solely from my phone browser.

  • This works on prepaid too - just top up with a Your Cap and you automatically get the 1 gig on top of the Your Cap data allowance

    Tip for Prepaid customers - top up a day before credit expiry and you can extend the life of your existing credits/data!!

  • I don't think it's fair to complain about speeds or reliability. I don't have a phone line at home so i use Virgin Mobile Broadband as my sole connection. I get at most, 3-4 10 minute downtimes a week, and speeds are better than my friend on adsl2+ who is 2km from the exchange.
    http://www.speedtest.net/result/780549872.png

    • somethign is very wrong here, when a mobile connection beats a landline. u sure u didnt mix megabits which is what ur results are shown in and megabytes, in which ur friend might be quoting his speeds in?

      and wow look at that ping, that is just horrible

      • +1

        I'm not an idiot, 8 bits to a byte. He's with iinet and gets an 3.2mbps adsl2+ connection, downloads cap out at about 430kps. I cap out at about 520kps.
        Ping isn't great, but unless you're gaming you're not going to notice a lick of difference.

        • Cool. Thanks for the heads up on the speeds your getting.

          3.2mbps is below average for ADSL2+. So most users can expect to do better.

  • +1

    Great find. Cheers mate :)

  • +2

    a warning about the postpaid data

    I've got a suspicion it's not capped, so you might need to watch how fast you are getting you through data every now and again, especially as you get closer to your monthly limit

    • +1

      That would be correct. Still for someone like me who won't go through much more excess than I currently use (kind of using this as a buffer), it'll be a breezy three months.

    • +1

      I'm on post-paid, there is no excess data usage fees, as you cannot use excess data.

    • +1

      Generally yeah, but Virgin are very good in this regard (which is why I went with them)…

      Post paid virgin broadband shapes to 128k(iirc) for the first 250Mb over your allowance, then cuts off after that. You are allowed to buy 3 additional topups per month if you need to. Topup prices are currently around $20/GB.

  • good finding!

  • I got an email with this deal more than 1 month ago. Still a good deal though

    • Finally realized what happened. I saw it earlier and it said 1 GB free per month for 3 months.

      I read the letter and saw the next sentence say "if you sign up with us for 24 months" so I stopped reading and missed the bit that said I could cancel for free if I want :)

  • After hitting the "apply" button (post-paid customer) the little loading animation seems to go on and on…

    Tried on both Chrome and IE8. Anyone else had this issue?

    EDIT: I am on an iPhone plan so maybe this doesn't count?

    • I'm on an iPhone plan and got through to the screen where they mention it'll take up 72 hours to get back to me. This was on Firefox.

  • Talked to a service rep, for those on iPhone plans this will give you an EXTRA 1gb for three months free and the extra $15 can be cancelled after that.

  • To me, there's absolutely no need for an extra gig for phone internet. Right now I'm on the $49 cap with 50 mb of data included, and I must say it's more than necessary in daily life. I only use the GPS and Facebook on the train. That at most takes 20 mb a month.

  • +1

    I've just set mine up for the free 1Gb…

    I currently have a 300Mb plan and struggle to use over 100Mb in a month… How am I going to use 1.3 Gb ????

    • +1

      I use about half of my gig each month mainly while studying on my laptop.

      Tethering = win!

  • +1

    This is awesome!

    I recently signed up for a 24mo plan 6GB for $39/mo with 6mo half price (effectively $35p/m over 24), this is my only Internet connection @ home and SIP phone only too, and I use it for work too so use at least 5GB/mo anyway.

    So now I just signed in for the fee Gig too. That is lucky I got in when I did, because they have changed the offer a few weeks later to 3 months free + free 1GB for 3 months. Now I get the best of both worlds, thanks for posting this.

  • -2

    NOT A TRUE FREEBIE!

    • As advertised, it's for people who already are on certain plans.

      For postpaid, so long as you disconnect in time, it is free.
      For broadband, it's been added on top of what you've paid for already.

      For prepaid, it's probably not technically a freebie. If you have to recharge, then as long as you know about it, it is a freebie bonus but probably grey area.

      shrug

  • Got my SMS today to say I've gotten the deal :)

  • Signed up for this and just got my bill and was charged for subscription. Called to ask why and what they failed to mention is that you pay for this then after 3 months get $45 back as a credit ($15 per month). I was not on a data plan.

    • That sounds different to mine.

      I'm being charged a subscription now but I'm also receiving a 1 Gig free credit of $15 now as well.

      Check that it's in your terms and conditions, that it's $45 back after 3 months. If it's instead, what I'm getting ($15 credit each month) then contact the TIO immediately, 'cos you are getting the run around.

      But if it is in the terms and conditions, can you still let us know, and I can warn others that there is a new deal that is not the old deal.

      Thanks


      Also, is everyone else getting their $15 credit each month?

  • Same T & C as above, signed up on the members lounge. Will call them back now I know someone else is getting the credit back. Dont know if it made any difference but I was only charged for part month ie $10 (or so they said) as I signed up half way through my billing period.
    Edit:
    ok after 30 mins on phone was advised I have been charged $10 for part month. This will apply as credit on next month, with new charge for $15. $15 credit back month following. Not to sure I trust what they say after the first response but will wait for next months bill.

  • I rang up today to find out when I have to cancel by.

    They told me, it's to do with a person's billing cycle and I have to cancel by midnight tomorrow.

    So I cancelled today and they said I'll still get credited $15 on the next statement but won't continue on the 1GB after.


    My own usage is about 15MB and that's only because I've been pushing it. Most of my internet usage is when I'm at home anyways.

    As I'm on a $19 roll over cap, options I have considered, though, are
    - $5 more per month can buy an internet add on of 50MB
    - $6 more per month can get me onto a $25 rollover plus plan, which has 300MB

    But for the time being, I'm gonna reset my Internet apps to use the home wireless server, while I consider the options.

  • So after getting not one, but two SMS's saying I was accepted for this deal, I got a charge for a 1GB Data Browsing Subscription today. Virgin's gonna get an annoyed call from me, that's for sure.

    • ? :(

      Sorry to hear that.

      Good luck with it.

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