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New Virgin "Big Cap 29" Includes $300 Credit + 200 MB + Rollover + Unlimited V to V Call/Text

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New Virgin "Big Cap 29" Includes $300 Credit + 200 MB + Rollover + Unlimited V to V Call/Text
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ronnknee on 11/10/2010 - 23:20 virginmobile.com.au (1250 clicks)
Last edited 12/10/2010 - 02:32

Pretty awesome new plan that's not heavily promoted. It's essentially the same as Easy Cap 39 plus rollover minus 100 MB so I reckon it's pretty good! Just changed today from Easy Cap 29 to Big Cap 29.

If you are on a contract that is less than or equal value to $29 then you can get this, and you finish the rest of your current contract.

If you are a new member and have your own phone, you can get the BYO version of this ie. essentially 20% more credit ($60). Otherwise if you want a phone then you don't get the extra 20% and you're locked on a 24 month contract instead.

Apparently it's a limited time offer and ends January 30th 2011.

From the website:

Now you can talk till the cows come home with new Big Cap 29. With our biggest included value ever on Big Cap 29 you’ll get $300 worth of talk and text each and every month. Now that's a good reason to start talking! Hurry, limited time only.

The best bits of Big Cap 29

  • $300 Cap Credit for talk and text3
  • 200MB data4
  • Rollover your unused Cap Credit to the next month5
  • Unlimited mobile talk & text to other Members
  • Free Voicemail in Oz

The Fine Print: Credit approved customers only. 1) 24 month connection required. Leave anytime, just pay the outstanding balance of your phone (if any), & all outstanding charges (billed & unbilled) plus $250 if you leave within the first 6 months. 2) Special numbers, excess mobile data, Globetrotting & content charges are excluded from your included cap credit and data. Standard charges apply for excluded use & if cap exceeded. Note: 1st bill is pro-rated (min monthly spend and included cap credit and data) from date you connect to start of your next month?s bill. All rates apply in Oz.

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closed Comments

  • windsurfer-sp on 11/10/2010 - 23:33

    The rollover is the big advantage compared to a similar TPG plan.

    Does it rollover always? Eg. If I didn't use my phone for 3 months.

    • illumination on 11/10/2010 - 23:34
      +2

      I think it's only for 1 extra month.

      eg. first month, you only use $270 so you have $30 of the $300 remaining
      Next month you'll have $330 credit to use up, but even if you only use $50 (and leave $280), you lose it at the end of that month.

      It should be like that if it's the same as the other rollover plan.

      • chadiwrx on 12/10/2010 - 00:51
        +2

        You don't lose the whole $280 you only lose the $30 from the previous month. So the next month you have $300 + the $250 from the rollover that makes it $550 for that month.

        • illumination on 12/10/2010 - 01:13

          Oh right ok thanks for clearing that up. I haven't actually used it before but I was under the impression that was how it worked.

  • venu on 11/10/2010 - 23:36

    yeah saw this. I couldnt find the extra credit information for the BYO anywhere on the site (not under 'i have a phone' post-paid plans). Anyone know where Big Cap 29 BYO details are?

    • ronnknee on 12/10/2010 - 00:24
      +1

      There isn't a webpage for it but when I called up and asked, they said yes there's a BYO version for it with a 20% increase in credit.

      • venu on 12/10/2010 - 00:34

        ah thanks. :)

      • ssp on 12/10/2010 - 21:55

        called csc today and advised cap is $300 not $360 for BYO

  • vwh on 11/10/2010 - 23:54
    +6

    Watch the rates tho. Most big telco's charge 90c/min. Telstra charge 40c/30secs (?). But this one charge 99c.

    Do not get excited about the so called "included credit". Telco's use this increasingly 'unethically', I think, as a marketing tools to 'trap' unwary customers. Sooner or later they will say for $29, you will have $600 included credits, but with $1.98/min call rates, which is essentially the same as this.

    In short, what's more important is the actual rate and your own usage patterns.

    As for the deal itself, it's an ok deal.

    • ronnknee on 12/10/2010 - 00:24
      +1

      As such, I compared it to its previous plan to show a significant increase in value, eliminating the factor of jacked up call rates.. Essentially you have a maximum of 303 minutes.

      • chadiwrx on 12/10/2010 - 00:53
        +2

        Don't forget they charge you by 1 minute blocks too. Not per 30sec blocks.

        • xor on 12/10/2010 - 09:47
          +2

          It's a shame. Back when I bought a Virgin prepaid mobile in 2003 they were charging by the second. Anyone who charges by the minute shouldn't be able to have flagfall charges

    • illumination on 12/10/2010 - 01:19

      Think about it as a whole deal rather than just the call rates. What you've said makes perfect sense and you are not wrong, but which other company offers free unlimited text + calls to Virgin? To only consider the call rates is only one factor (but certainly a big one)

      As ronnknee has replied (above), compare it to the currently existing plans, and it becomes a huge bargain. The call rates have not increased. All that's changed is, +$110 credit, +100MB data. Call rates are still 99c/min and 40c flagfall. Texts are still 28c.

      Compare it to the $39/month Easy cap. The only difference is, effectively, you'd be paying the extra $10/month for a larger selection of phones + 100MB data per month.

      • vwh on 12/10/2010 - 01:44
        +2

        Agree completely. Like I said, what's more important is the actual rate and your own usage patterns. By rate, I mean the whole rate (i.e. call, video call, sms, mms, etc.).

        And like ronnknee said, if you are currently on Virgin anyway, then yes, this is a good bargain. But for other Telco's users, this may not be as good.

        Just providing another vantage point and letting others aware of the facts (that's usually hidden from the promotional materials).

      • Momotsuki on 12/10/2010 - 13:39

        Many phones on the 39/month easy cap offer 3 months free so essentially you're only paying $5 month extra

  • djones145 on 12/10/2010 - 08:48

    seems like an ok deal
    but TPG currently has a 18.99 plan with 300 non tpg 300 tpg customers, and 500 mbs data

    so even if you dont use the cerdits for on month, the most u ever get from a virgin plan is 600 dollars worth of calls and 400mb in a month, thats less than what tpg gives normally
    and is 10 bucks cheaper

    only good thing is the free virgin to virgin
    but most of my friends are optus (which tpg uses) and they get yes time (which i can take part in)

    will depend on ur own situation
    good deal if most of ur friends are on virgin
    if on optus, get TPG

  • me on 12/10/2010 - 09:23
    +1

    …keep in mind free voicemail too! I'm on a virgin plan and find this to be one of their best features! When I was with Optis, I was being charged abt $3.50 every time someone got through to my voicemail, regardless of whether or not they left a msg (this was in addition to retrieval costs).

    That being said I probably won't switch to this plan, simply bc I'm on one of their older plans which has a lower call rate, SMS cost and bills per 30 secs for calls. I think it's absolutely criminal to be charged over $1 to just be connected to someone…or their answering machine etc. But I guess that's the way all mobile providers are going now: marketing themselves as having a high "included value", and just increasing call costs. Pretty soon well have something ridiculous like cas with a million dollars of call credits billed at $100 per sec.

    I still think relatively speaking though it's a good deal so +1 from me!

    • WaywardOne on 12/10/2010 - 11:14

      Yeh and the only time you actually experience those call rates is when you go over your "cap".

  • catmao on 12/10/2010 - 09:32
    +1

    no good phones on this plan!

    • jv on 12/10/2010 - 10:27

      it's a plan, not a phone…

      • Momotsuki on 12/10/2010 - 13:42

        The only reason you'd go on a plan is for a phone, otherwise TPG beats this plan by 500 miles and 500 more.

  • juzz on 12/10/2010 - 10:15

    This is a terrific BYO plan. Lucky for me my iPhone is just coming out of contract.

  • jwh on 12/10/2010 - 17:58

    I'll give them a call tonight and move on to this from the Easy Cap.

    On another note, I will say that customer service is pathetic so I do not suggest anyone move to them if you're not already Virgin. I havn't been able to send SMS for almost 3 weeks, and they initially told me 10-15 days to sort it out. They didn't even call back, but when I called back they said there was no issue found. Tried changing the message centre number, tried three different handsets, no luck. I'm going to take it into a Virgin store when I have time. I find the CSO's to be unhelpful and hard to understand at the best of times, so for anyone thinking of moving to Virgin consider how much you value customer support first.

    • ssp on 12/10/2010 - 21:54

      strange….I have the same issue….can receive sms but cannot send…..was told 48 hour response on Sunday…..still waiting

      • jwh on 14/10/2010 - 00:21

        That's the exact issue I have, can receive SMS but not send. Calls and Internet work fine.

        I was given a case number and told 48 hours response too. They even asked what time should they call me, and I said any time between 9am-5pm, a very reasonable time frame I thought.

        When I called back a week later after no response, the systems were down so they could not bring up my account. So I call back again a couple of days later and the CSO said 'we did try to call you at 8:15am last week but your phone was off, and we have found no issue here'. Well of course it was off at that time. Mod: Foul Language you very much for not fixing the issue and offering no resolution.

        DO NOT JOIN VIRGIN!!!!

        If anybody wants a decent month to month plan just go with TPG. For half the price you get more calls, more data, and it uses the same Optus network anyway. I did not have one single issue with TPG after a year and a half with them, whilst Virgin has been nothing but headaches.

  • kojack on 13/10/2010 - 07:36
    +1

    I phoned in order to change over, but instead, ended up on this plan which seems ideal for me: http://www.virginmobile.com.au/Shop/Rate-Plan-Details/6724/S…

    Only $50 worth of calls, but with 1Gig of data and unlimited SMS it's perfect for my circumstances.

    (So positive for this deal, even though I didn't take it up - it notified me that I could change between $29 plans without extending my contract! Kudos!)

    • eyao70 on 13/10/2010 - 10:06

      spot on, I am on Smart Cap 29 as well, worked well for me.

    • andy19363 on 13/10/2010 - 10:54

      anyone got an opinion on which is the best of the 'free' phones with this plan?

  • bengee138 on 13/10/2010 - 09:51
    -1

    Guys dont do it. Ive been with virgin for nearly 2 years now (not by choice) and its been painful. Significant amounts of people are reporting terrible intermittent service but they just say its the nature of the industry and they will be upgraded when possible. I live a few kms from Brisbane CBD i shouldnt have issues, I didnt a year ago…. THEY ARE OVER CAPACITY!

    • ronnknee on 13/10/2010 - 14:23

      So in other words you're saying that your experience with Virgin's service is crap and your negging this deal for that reason, but that does not mean the deal itself is not good?

      • jwh on 14/10/2010 - 00:26

        Despite the fact that I agree with those bengee138's comments, I would neg the deal based on the fact there are better deals out there.

        But since I am still in contract, it is useful for me to switch to this plan (thus no neg or positive for me, I'm neutral)

      • Blugok on 16/10/2010 - 15:07

        ronnknee,
        How did you manage to upgrade from Easy Cap 29 to Big Cap 29?
        I tried to ring the customer service, they said that I can't upgrade coz the mobile phone from my contract plan is not one of those 4 mobile phones for Big Cap 29
        thanks

        • ronnknee on 18/10/2010 - 19:44

          You just can, the plan does not have to be a new contract nor does it require it to be one of the four phones. If the representative sucks, just try again.

        • jwh on 23/10/2010 - 14:18

          I was told I couldn't change either, that it's only for Internet sign ups, and I can only move between Smart and Easy Caps. Spoke to two different reps.

          They did say I can pay out my handset installments instead, then join the Big Cap $29. If I do choose to pay out my handset installments, I think I'll just leave Virgin for something better.

        • hdieu on 26/10/2010 - 01:33

          Me neither. Couldnt switch from Smart Cap 29 to Big Cap 29. The representative confirmed it 3 times, so I'm sure.

  • whiznet on 16/10/2010 - 17:44
    -2

    $30 gets you alot more under TPG (Optus Mobile):
    http://www.tpg.com.au/mobile/plans.html

    • illumination on 16/10/2010 - 17:59

      TPG doesn't give you free calls to Virgin or any free SMS.
      TPG also doesn't give a free phone (although the selection with this Virgin one is limited).

      And in case you're wondering, I'm not hating on TPG. I'm with them myself, but these two plans are not quite comparable in that sense.

    • ronnknee on 18/10/2010 - 19:50

      It does offer more minutes (in terms of included credit divided by call rates), however you shouldn't just compare the plans from those features alone.

      As I had already said, this plan would be attractive to existing customers or those would like a new phone. There are people who might enjoy unlimited calls and texts to the same network, or like the idea of a rollover to accustom variable call usage.

      It's naive to leave these features in hindsight when negging.

    • pauly on 18/10/2010 - 21:43

      whiznet, like illumination and ronnknee have said, the plans are different and some may actually find this as a good bargain.

      While your opinion is valid (and I personally find the TPG plans worthwhile in my circumstances), it doesn't really warrant a negative vote. You're comparing two different products with different advantages/disadvantages, so that's your personal preference.

      I'm revoking your vote. Please read the voting guidelines for further details.

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