MOD: This thread is for discussing / tracking the offer if you managed to get the Telstra's iPhone deal (for their employees or family/friends of employees). Please do not link to Telstra's internal offer, which they have requested us to remove.
Just drop a comment if you got this deal today and (hopefully) receive your iPhone.
grats :) enjoy! (and don't forget to get a new mobile in 24mths, like I forgot to!)
at the end of 24 months do you just call and ask for what mobiles are currently available, on the F&F plan?
Go instore, imho.
Hi All, just wondering if you can use this Telstra sim card in an ipad to use the 1gb data, and not use the calls? (Ie pay $10 a month for the 1gb data)
Thanks
Yes you can.
Don't forget you still need to pay the monthly handset repayment though as well.
But you can sell the handset for $500 + easy
HI Lukian or any experience OZB's in this thread, thanks for the wealth of info!
I bought one and wanted to buy the 2nd one using the same link, but the email address that I used will not be accepted anymore as with a new one as well. (By the way I do have a distant relative working for Telstra but I'd rather not ring and bother him). Is it possible for me to get a second fone for my wife if I call them or do I need to get my relative's staff ID no. or email first before I call telstra as I do not want to complicate existing order which seems to be on its way.
Many thanks.
Use a second email address. If you see a cancellation email or sms, call them :)
Thanks Mate, any idea iof they are unlocked?
I placed two orders, one for me and one for my wife, second order was cancelled, when I called them they sorted it out, they said it was because they were both placed on the same email and assumed it was a duplicate.
How did you place 2 orders under the same email address? I'm getting an error saying sorry I've already purchased this offer when trying to buy a second.
For those who ported, did you have to go through an activation process before the old SIM got disconnected?
In the instructions it says to go to some activation part on telstra's website, which then directs you to call them. The call took about 15 minutes and port went through 30 minutes later
Guys, if I am not wrong, then the minimum cost for the plan for an iPhone 5 32gb would be
$10 for min usuage on the plan
$15 for the MRO for an iPhone 5 32gb
-$15 for the MRO bonus discount
so $240 all up for an iPhone 5 32gb??
No, the repayment for the iPhone is $30 per month, making it $720 over two years. The MRO bonus brings the phone repayment to $15 a month, making it a $25 month min spend
Thanks for your info. Btw, where did you get the $30 figure from?
An educated guess. There's no official price for this, as iPhones usually aren't offered on this plan. (but that's how it effectively works)
Hey guys, quick question. I saw on the Telstra website that the iPhone 5 is unlocked for international use. Would this include it being unlocked for local carriers aswell? (Optus, TPG, Vodafone etc) Can any body with with this plan comment? Cheers
This is most likely correct. Telstra generally doesn't lock any of the phones they sell.
Hello, I am a newbie to Ozbargain. Just signed up for a 32GB iphone. When completed, the order summary information says:
Order Summary
Friends of Telstra Cap Plan
Apple iPhone 5 32GB White
$54per month
$1296 min. cost over 24 months.
WHile I understand from previous postings that the minimum cost disclosed has something to do with some ACCC rules, I worried that I may be stuck with a $54 per month bill as I intend to be on the minimum of $10 to use the 1 GB data. Do I need to call Telstra up to let them know and will it just happen. Any advice will be very much appreciated.
I can confirm it's $10 min spend plus $15 per month handset. Says it under my account
Is this only for austalian citizens and PR?
Not for 457 holders?
Online form asks for australian passport or aus driving license both of which I dont have :(
U don't need pr to get license here…
Thanks Pandabargain. Will check my account when it is set up ;-)
2G or 3G…
Do we get 4G on these plans?
I only have a nexus 4, but someone confirmed over on whirlpool that they get 4g on their iPhone 5
This seems pretty average its an old phone (iphone 5 from what I can see)
Not a great deal.
Iphone 5 = iphone 5c. Difference is iphone 5 casing is more protective, but iphone 5c has bigger battery. It is an old iphone but very much still current in the iphone range
On this plan, an iPhone 5 64GB is $480 all up ($20x24). An iPhone 5S 64GB is $1129 and offers a slightly faster 64-bit processor, a slightly better camera and a fingerprint sensor. So, a $649 saving there.
Then there's the plan, which is on Telstra and has a $10 minimum spend and $39 cap. Unlike most caps, data can come out of the $400 funny money, and the call rates are excellent too (60c/60sec). I will save $27 a month compared to buying a 5S on Telstra. I'm happy, even if the tech isn't the absolute latest and greatest…
But you can't compare directly the phones because the 5 and 5c are different phones (but similar in specs). 5 is discontinued for example. Pretty much Telstra is dumping dead stock they can't sell on the employees. 5s is a much better phone (feature wise) so you can't compare that to your current deal at all.
The $39 cap is not much better than their prepaid cap.
$40 on the encore plan gets you $550 worth of calls + 600 meg of data (plus 1 gig purchased with the plus pack from the $40)
so you get $550 worth of calls + 1.6 Gig of data for the same price. With the added plus that you can't be burned by runaway data.
call costs are a bit cheaper on the employee plan but you get an extra 150 dollars on the prepaid plan that more than makes up for it.
So from what I can see you are getting a discontinued phone (granted pretty similar to the 5c) for a good price but the phone plan deal is nothing special.
That depends if you choose to use $10 per month and then use voip for calls and send 5c text through data
If you consider a slightly faster 64-bit processor, a slightly better camera and a fingerprint sensor to be "much better", the 5S is "much better" (for I was comparing Apples with erm… apples - 5 v 5S, not 5C). I think it's a marginal improvement myself, and certainly not worth $649 (maybe $150, if that)…
Now, lets look at the caps:
The $40 includes free nighttime SMS and $550 'worth' of calls. BUT calls are charged at astronomical rates (89c/60sec + 29c flagfall meaning a 2 minute call costs $2.07). Compared to this, the Staff Cap gives $400 'worth' of calls (60c/60 and 27c flagfall, meaning $1.47 for a two minute call).
This means that you get 37.5% more credit on pre-paid, but calls cost about 41% more, and the credit only lasts 30 days, not a month.
Then there's the data. Sure, you get 1GB extra if you buy a Plus Pack at $39, but this results in a commensurate reduction in call value. One of the beauties of the staff cap is that the excess data costs also come out of funny money at 10c/MB (so up to another ~3.75GB). Bolt on a forthcoming 250MB data pack with a 3c/MB rate and that shoots up to 14.6GB, nine times as much (obviously, calls are reduced).
Also, for light users, you only pay what is used over $10 up to $39, versus at least $30 on pre-paid, and there's the hassle of recharging every 30 days versus getting a bill every month and paying it at leisure.
So, in short, the phone's excellent buying and the Staff Cap is a lot more flexible…
$10 month
Thats a good point.
Then there's the data. Sure, you get 1GB extra if you buy a Plus Pack at $39, but this results in a commensurate reduction in call value.
You still get the $550 calls there is no reduction in value.
One of the beauties of the staff cap is that the excess data costs also come out of funny money at 10c/MB (so up to another ~3.75GB).
Actually I have to admit that is a pretty good feature.
This means that you get 37.5% more credit on pre-paid, but calls cost about 41% more, and the credit only lasts 30 days, not a month.
Thats pretty damn close
You made some good points but I don't think its hugely different apart from the funny money data and $10 (which I can do on prepaid as well) which is nice.
Ive been nearly burned (I got out of the charges by changing my postpaid plan before the change over) quite badly on runaway data on a phone so I think that prepaid is much better for smart phones because it acts like a security blanket. So I see the post paid feature as a significant negative to the deal.
Actually, if you read closely, the $550 is comprised of the original $40 recharge plus $510 bonus…**
So, buying the $39 Plus Pack using recharge credit reduces call credit…
And with up to 14.6GB of data on tap, the likelihood of bill shock is remote for all but the heaviest user…
**Reference: http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile-phones/prepaid-mobiles/offe…
"And with up to 14.6GB of data on tap, the likelihood of bill shock is remote for all but the heaviest user…"
Has that been confirmed, that we can get 14.6GB from the Cap value?
Thats pretty insane value if so!
The new data packs are quite available yet, so no, there will be no solid confirmation until April when people are actually billed for usage (on a new data pack acquired at the start of march).
But, that's how the billing works. So yes, it should be possible, or at least disputable.
For those already received their iphones, are they unlocked or do you have to ring Telstra to unlcoked them??
could you kindly confirm please, much appreciated, thanks!.
They're unlocked…
I was told today that it is locked as it was part of a plan. Please reconfirm.
Never mine. It is unlocked. Checked on telstra's website.
https://unlock.telstra.com/iphoneunlock/main?execution=e1s1
$10/$15 a month for a iPhone 5 16gb/32gb is not bad. Basically Telstra is selling you a cheap iphone. $240 for 16gb and $360 for 32gb.
The way I see it, I sell my iphone 32gb for roughly $660. Hence I make $300 dollars, divide that over 24 and hence it reduces my bill by $12.50 a month.
I get a service that allows me to use minimal calls + up to 1gb data a month - for $10. And for the months where I use heavy data - I can use up many GB's without paying any more than $39 given the funny money can be used for data. Keep in mind that I'm already up $300 from the sale of a new iphone, which is earning interest in my bank!
Thats not bad.
And I'm coming from telstra prepaid encore which I thought was already godly in terms of value.
Someone over on whirlpool posted confirmation the data comes outo f your cap
T&C are subject to change. But this has been the case since ~2011. So it's unlikely it will be changed.
I signed up for two plans on Feb 21 and received the phones and sims on 24-25th of Feb and have just received a bill for $10.00 for one of them and $11.61 for the other, the billing period is 23 Feb – 24 Feb, they charged me $10 for 1 day, and considering they were still in the mail, no service was provided.
I spoke to Telstra and received a credit for both bills via the Online Chat https://livechat.telstra.com/TCOM:Facebook:Business
Yes it is quite weird as you pointed it out.
On mine, the billing period is 24/2 to 23/3, yet the data is 24/2 to 2/3, it doesn't match up with the date and wonder how the bill will be worked out if one over use the data?
perhaps it's 1gb per week not month :)
Oh man if only. >_>
So I have to be an employee or have a family or friend who is? What if I signed up anyway?
From what has been going on, looks like you get it anyway.
Wow I wish I had jumped in when the 16GBs were available.
Sigh.
Anyone still have an iPhone from this deal that they want to sell? PM me :)
My htc one xl contract with F&F offer is finished. Now I can't decide between the HTC M8 and Samsung S5.
btw, which phones would you recemmend that are available with $0 handset repayments?
oops, just realised this thread is only for the iphone deal.sorry.
I reckon the htc one m8 would be the better purchase. It has a very user friendly user interface, excellent screen, amazing speakers and reasonable cameras. It's made out of titanium and is built to last. The s5 is a laggy smartphone which feels cheap and has a very annoying interface.
unfortunately I tried calling multiple times to telstra but they are refused to upgrade on the same F&F offer as before :(
Got my phone, activated and ported fine.
iPhone is gonna take some getting use to