Telstra Pre-Paid Data-Only Plan for No Extra Cost with Telstra Pre-Paid Phone Using Credit Me2u

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Macca87 on 20/05/2014 - 10:03 telstra.com.au (197 clicks)
Last edited 22/05/2014 - 11:13 by 1 other user

If you have a Telstra Pre-Paid Mobile phone and have some other mobile broadband-enabled device (such as a 3G or 4G tablet, or a mobile broadband dongle), then you can get data on that device for effectively no additional cost once you're set up.

Telstra Pre-Paid services have a little-known feature that allows you "recycle" your recharge credit. For example, when you recharge $40 on the Telstra Pre-Paid Cap Encore, you get 600MB data, $510 of "Cap Credit" and $40 "recharge credit". The 600MB data can only be used from your phone - it can't be transferred. The $510 "Cap Credit" is for all of you standard calls and text (for most people, this will be all your calls and text). The last $40 "recharge credit" is what can be used for everything else - this is what can be "recycled". Here's how:

1. Get a Telstra Pre-Paid Mobile Broadband Sim

Buy a Telstra Pre-Paid Mobile Broadband Sim from your favourite retailer.

2. Do an Initial Recharge

Recharge it with whatever denomination you like but choose carefully as whatever denomination you last recharge your Pre-Paid Mobile Broadband service with last is the one that applies in the next step.

3. Credit Me2U

Once the credit from the previous step has been used up, you now need to recharge your service. But don't pull out your hard earned cash! Instead, do a Credit Me2U transfer from your Telstra Pre-Paid Mobile phone service to your Telstra Pre-Paid Mobile broadband service. A few points to note:
* The data rate that will be applied depends on the latest top-up amount on your Pre-Paid Mobile Broadband service
* Your credit will last for 14 days on your Pre-Paid Mobile Broadband service, regardless of when your credit was going to expire on your Pre-Paid Mobile Phone service
* An additional $0.25 will be deducted from your balance as a fee for using Credit Me2U

Bonus: Save your unused Pre-Paid Broadband Credit

Credit about to expire on your Pre-Paid Mobile Broadband service? Do a Credit Me2U transfer to that service and the unused credit will be rolled in to the newly transferred credit with a 14 day expiry!

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• 

  Blugok on 20/05/2014 - 10:11

  Tl;dr
  What is the actual deal?

  • 

    Macca87 on 20/05/2014 - 10:21

    Not a specific deal but is more of a hack that I think few people would know about

    • 

      wildstone on 20/05/2014 - 10:43

      +2

      There is an extra cost: 25c for each Credit Me 2 U.

      • 

        scrypton on 20/05/2014 - 11:02

        +1

        And you can only transfer $10 per day.

      • 

        Macca87 on 20/05/2014 - 11:02

        Thanks, forgot about that - I've added this to the deal.

      • 

        GregFiona on 20/05/2014 - 11:30

        +4

        actually you can transfer more than $10 a day, you can ring Telstra support or you can transfer $10 using the telstra app(for iphone) and another $10 using the *#100# menu ;)
        Have been doing this for years, you can also save the tablet's contact number to your favorite contacts like this #100 * 7 * number * recharge amount# (no spaces)to speed up the process
        P.s OP you should fix the title as the deal is (well) known i first thought they waived the 25 cents fee

      • 

        Usemame on 20/05/2014 - 14:56

        In telstra app, it was possible to spam the send button to get double transfer at once. so $20 at .50 cost

        not sure if this 'feature' is avaiable but give it a go : D

• 

  Tangenyahu on 20/05/2014 - 10:14

  +1

  I've been doing this for ages, but rather than getting a Telstra Mobile Broadband sim get one of their Ipad data sims, as you get a lot more data for your money than their standard mobile broadband prepaid plans. The Ipad sim works fine in my 4g wifi modem.

  • 

    Macca87 on 20/05/2014 - 10:18

    I do this as well, but I don't think you can get new iPad-only sims any more as I tried to find them on Telstra's website but found no trace.

    • 

      Thrymr on 20/05/2014 - 10:22

      You still can.

      http://www.telstra.com.au/tablets/tablet-devices/ipad/#tab-t…

  • 

    busterau on 20/05/2014 - 10:23

    From what I have read if Telstra detect you are using a Ipad plan in another device they can change your plan to a standard mobile broadband plan.

    How long have you been using your Ipad sim in your 4G wifi modem?

    • 

      Tangenyahu on 20/05/2014 - 10:30

      +1

      I've been doing this for close to a year now. I read some people on whirlpool who had supposedly had their devices detected by Telstra, but from what I understand the majority of people like myself have never had an issue.

      • 

        uccoffee on 20/05/2014 - 11:23

        apple must be paying telstra for each ipad pack they sell, so, i dont think telstra care about which device you use it on.

      • 

        RockyRaccoon on 20/05/2014 - 15:40

        uccoffee. Drink some more, you need the caffiene to wake up. Frankly you have no idea what you are talking about. Viz

        apple must be paying telstra for each ipad pack they sell

• 

  tatasauce on 20/05/2014 - 10:34

  +4

  Or you could purchase a $30 starter pack when it's on sale at $10, activate it as an Encore, transfer the $30 credit ($29 actually) via creditme2u to your main pre-paid SIM.

  You can then use the starter pack SIM for calls and SMSes (tell your friend you've got a temporary number), tether the 400mb of data it includes.

  For the main phone, recharge $30 as Long Life so credits last for 6 months (or $70 for 12 months), then change plan to Simplicity for 12cents text and 15cents calls. Don't enable data, just use tethered 400mb data from your starter pack SIM.

  Your main SIM will keep accruing the credits transferred from the starter packs as credits will keep rolling over as long as you recharge every 6 or 12 months. When you run out of starter packs, you can then start using the credits to activate Encore.

  This is not for everyone though. It's great if you don't mind carrying 2 phones around and if it fits your amount of usage. But you are paying around $200 a year and still have huge amounts of unused credits available on your main SIM.

  • 

    Saturday on 20/05/2014 - 11:08

    Good summary!

    "When you run out of starter packs, you can then start using the credits to activate Encore."— Just wondering how do you do that.

    • 

      tatasauce on 20/05/2014 - 11:38

      When you run out of starter packs and there's no $10 sale anymore, you can then start using the accrued credits on your main SIM, which

      So instead of using Simplicity on the main SIM, you now change the plan to Encore and use your accrued credits for Encore. I haven't been able to get to that stage yet though, I still have starter packs!

  • 

    bargaino on 20/05/2014 - 11:36

    Thats awfully convoluted.
    Why not just use voip over 3/4G if you want cheap? You can even set outgoing caller-ID to be you main mobile number.

• 

  Tangenyahu on 20/05/2014 - 10:40

  +1

  The Encore option you describe is what I do when I need a lot of mobile data, rather than just my normal usage from transferring credit from my phone. It works out to be $10 for 3.3gb of Telstra 4g data to use over 6 weeks, which is pretty damn good.

  • 

    turbodude on 20/05/2014 - 10:48

    I don't understand how you get 3.3GB for $10. Can you please explain?

  • 

    tatasauce on 20/05/2014 - 11:05

    Ooo. I'm keen to know too. How do you get the 3.3GB for $10?

    • 

      Tangenyahu on 20/05/2014 - 11:39

      The 3.3gb is based on the assumption that you already have a prepaid Ipad sim (which you can get on sale for $10 on a semi regular basis), and also on the assumption you get the Telstra prepaid starter sims on special for $10 (I stock up when they go on sale for $10). So it's not something you can get straightaway, but once you have the Ipad sim you can use the encore method that Tatasauce describes, which is by activating a prepaid starter sim and using the included $30 recharge credit to do 3 creditme2u transfers to your Ipad sim (2 x $10 transfers & 1 x $9 transfer), which will get you 2.9gb ($1 recharge credit = 100mb), and then use the starter sim in your broadband device to get the 400mb of data included in the Encore plan. When you do a creditme2u it uses the rate of your last recharge, or if you haven’t done a recharge it uses the rate of the ipad sim once activated which is $30 for 3gb.

      • 

        turbodude on 20/05/2014 - 16:47

        OK, so this works for either a 3G/4G modem or a phone where you don't want to make or receive calls/sms's. So I guess you would need to carry a seperate phone.

• 

  csozb on 20/05/2014 - 11:15

  So when I recharge $180 to the Data sim I will get the best rate and when I do creditme2u the rate will remain as my last recharge at $180 and it will not changed to $10 rate?

  When I did a live chat with Telstra rep last time they said it will revert to $10 rate if I do creditme2u.

  • 

    uccoffee on 20/05/2014 - 11:21

    i think it will revert if the 180 run out , if you recharge before , then it wont.

  • 

    Jad on 20/05/2014 - 13:22

    Actually, the $180 recharge is no longer the best rate (1.46c/MB), but this recharge will give you long expiry (365 days). Then you can recharge with an amount that gives a better data rate (i.e. $30, $60, $80 or $100, see http://www.telstra.com.au/tablets/tablet-devices/ipad/#tab-t… for rates) but retain the long expiry of the original recharge.

    From my experience, creditMe2U extends the expiry date by 14 days (if already less than 14) but does not change the data rate. This stays at the same rate as the previous 'proper' recharge, as the OP has explained.

• 

  uccoffee on 20/05/2014 - 11:20

  +1

  telstra complicated its prepaid plan to trick us to use it. so rich people dont care about money use their postpaid, and people who cares about money but want premium service use their prepaid, I think they are just smart.

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  gryphn on 20/05/2014 - 11:37

  Ive been doing this for the past year :)

  Recharge encore and me2u $5 to ipad , 14 days later throw on another $5.
  My ipad is always floating about the 3gb mark of data.

  I alternate between the 30 and 50 dollar recharge depending on how busy the month is. Average $40/m for two devices with superior coverage and free calls after 6pm. Cant go wrong

• 

  bargaino on 20/05/2014 - 11:39

  What a lot of trouble. Why not just use your phone as a mobile hotspot? Use the main credit to buy data packs.

  edit: the iPad-sim option looks good if you need lots of mobile data, 3GB/month compared to 1GB with data pack on phone.

  • 

    GregFiona on 20/05/2014 - 12:11

    actually it's a lot worse:
    $10 on your phone can buy 200MB of browse data
    $20 buy 700MB
    $39 buy 1024MB WTF Telstra math FAIL!!!
    whereas $10 transferred to your ipad will give you 1GB for 15 days(+ 25 cent fee per transfer)

• 

  quarrymaster on 20/05/2014 - 13:11

  All this bloody prepaid gymnastics because Telstra couldn't just give us a better deal to begin with.

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  INFIDEL on 20/05/2014 - 13:39

  +2

  Not a deal, it a forum post.

  Already discussed under Telstra in Forums e.g. https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/141035

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  INFIDEL on 20/05/2014 - 13:43

  Up to 14 day extensions with credit4u has been discussed before in Telstra deals or Forums, including by me.

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  trams on 20/05/2014 - 17:11

  +1

  Not really a deal. More like a discussion there fore this post should be in forum. I appreciate your effort though.

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  ricochet on 21/05/2014 - 23:05

  Well I had never come across this before and it works very nicely - thanks for posting!