Flip Connect Completely Nuking Their $4 0.5GB Plan, Including Grandfathered Customers

scalebearer on 28/02/2025 - 23:34
Last edited 28/02/2025 - 23:35

The $4 0.5GB plan was delisted a few months ago, but existing customers were grandfathered and allowed to keep using it.

Now they are kicking those customers out completely and putting them onto a completely different plan from April.

The new plan has 4 times the data (2GB), but 2.5 times the cost ($9.90).

The outgoing plan was useful for people with dual SIM phones, with the primary number on the $4 0.5GB plan and disposable secondary numbers with big data in the 2nd slot.

The 100 SMS limit could be worked around with OTT messaging, including RCS in Google Messages. The 0.5GB was also useful as backup data in case of an extended gap in deals for mobile SIM plans with big data.

If you have a similar dual SIM arrangement as mentioned above, you should check your email and make alternative plans as soon as possible, ideally well before the 1st of April.

The closest alternative I can think of is a PAYG with Lebara or Amaysim for the primary number and Boost or Lyca Mobile as secondary big data SIMs. This doesn't allow for calling or SMS from the primary number though, since it will draw from the $10 prepaid balance.

Full email:

Dear Customer,

Our Mobile Network Carrier has announced price changes for mobile services and associated costs, which directly impact Flip's pricing. Effective from April 1, 2025, the following changes will apply:

  • The standard price for the (20GB) plan will be $22.90 per month ($17.90 when bundled with an nbn service).
  • The standard price for the (3GB) plan will be $14.90 per month.
  • The standard price for the (500MB) plan will be $9.90 per month.

To provide added value, Flip will include extra data with the new pricing from April 1, 2025:

  • The 20GB plan will now be upgraded to 25GB of data.
  • The 3GB plan will now be upgraded to 5GB of data.
  • The 500MB plan will now be upgraded to 2GB of data.

We understand that this increase may be challenging so we are offering some service bundling discounts to help mitigate the impact. Sign Up to our Standard NBN Services today to receive a $5.00/month discount on our 20GB SIM plan. For existing NBN Customers, you will continue to receive your $5.00 monthly discount.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

Need more help?

You can email us at [email protected] or call us on 1300 354 788.

Sincerely,

The Flip Team!

Mobile Mobile Broadband Plan

Related Stores

Flip
Flip

Comments

  • CurlCurl on 01/03/2025 - 10:02
    +2

    No one is twisting you forcing you to use them.

    Move.

  • Russ on 03/03/2025 - 12:41

    I have the $4/month plan, but I have low usage. I've never exceeded the plan's cap on calls, messages or data (most of the time I'm within wifi coverage of home or work or local shopping centre's free wifi, so I use those).

    So now I'm looking at the next-cheapest option, and I can't find anything less than $9.90/month. Yes there are annual plans for $109 for the first year (only), that's a saving of $9.80, which for me isn't worth the trouble of having to port out and in annually.

    I also looked at using Amaysim's $60/year "talk and text" plan with no data, and using my mobile's 2nd SIM slot for a long-expiry data plan with 3-5GB of data annually, which would suit the amount of mobile data that I use. But I can't find any 365-day data plans for $60 or less.

    My third option is to use the second SIM slot for a PAYG plan, but data on those seems expensive, the cheapest I have found so far is 3c/MB on Lebara's PAYG plan. As I use about 250MB/month on average, that comes to $7.50/month for the data, which makes the combined cost (including $5/month for Amaysim) come to $12.50, so that's also more expensive than a $10/month plan with data included.

    Fourth option is a Woolworths Mobile plan, using the "10% off a shop" to offset the plan. But their current cheapest plan is $25/30 days, so I'd have to spend more than $150 in one shop to offset the cost, and that's way more than I would normally spend with them in a month! (Coles+ALDI is more convenient for me, and in my area Woolworths is more expensive for most items).

    So now I'm looking through external-to-Australia roaming providers like FlexiSIM, but so far they look even more expensive again. Not holding out great hopes for this option.

    I also looked at using a PAYG plan purely for receiving calls and SMS, and using a VOIP plan through mobile data (or WiFi) when I want to make a call. Still not cheaper than $9.90/month for my usage.

    Looks like I'll be taking up the Flip $9.90/month plan, it looks like the cheapest option for me that doesn't involve "SIM slutting".

    Anyone know of any monthly or 365-day plans for less than $9.90/month ongoing cost, that includes calls, SMS and data?

    • deeevan on 03/03/2025 - 13:22
      +1

      With esim, I was able to port my mum's number remotely so I don't think the process is that much of a hassle once a year. I don't port out and in, I port to the current discount offer.

      But amaysim, Coles and I'm sure others offer discounts as the one year mark looms to retain you, so you could just pay the convenience fee.

      • Russ on 03/03/2025 - 18:48

        With esim

        Sadly not an option for me. I believe eSim-capable phones start around the $400 mark, and that's way more than I'm willing to pay for a mobile. My $128 "OzBargain Special" mobile doesn't have the option.

        Thanks anyway!

        • deeevan on 05/03/2025 - 20:43
          +1

          Ozbargain's favourite phone with esim support
          https://www.ozbargain.com.au/product/motorola-moto-g54

          • Russ on 05/03/2025 - 21:42

            @deeevan: I stand corrected, eSim-capable phones have been cheaper than I thought.

            I bought my current mobile in November 2023, Moto G14:
            https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/812412

            Looking through the deals for the G54 before that time, the G54 was twice the price, so I wouldn't have chosen it anyway. eSim is nice, but not worth an extra ~$120 to me.

            • scalebearer on 06/03/2025 - 09:18
              +1

              @Russ: It's also worth noting that the G54 will become harder and harder to find on sale, if they still exist.

              Its successor, the G55 is worse in most ways. Only the 4GB RAM variant is available in Australia whereas the G54 only had its 8GB RAM variant available in Australia.

    • scalebearer on 03/03/2025 - 13:30
      +1

      C Mobile is an option, but it's still ~twice as expensive as Flip's original $4 plan.

      $99 per year ($8.25 per month), 2GB per month.

      https://www.cmobile.com.au/plans/c-red-payg-plan/

      $7.90 for 0.5GB per month.

      https://www.cmobile.com.au/plans/c-red-7-90-mobile-sim-plan/

      The main downside apart from the increased cost is that there is a $4.90 entry fee (presumably to cover porting costs and to dissuade short term porters), so you have to stay with them for a longer period of time to make that fee worth it. You're essentially half locked in because of that and lose some flexibility.

      These plans are obviously poor value for higher data users compared to something like the 140GB Kogan plan (regular price $150, regularly discounted to $120).

      I've also thought about having a PAYG SIM purely for receiving phone calls and disposable secondary numbers for everything else, but it's a bit risky.
      The older relatives I get these plans for have a habit of screwing with settings they don't understand and they may end up accidentally depleting all of the prepaid balance in only a few weeks.

      Also, Flip uses Optus while C Mobile uses Vodafone.
      In regional areas, they are effectively the same as of this year because of the mobile tower sharing, but if you live in some parts of big cities with poor coverage for one of them but not the other, that's worth bearing in mind.

      • Russ on 03/03/2025 - 19:24

        C Mobile is an option

        OMG, I used to be with them on the "Red" PAYG plan, and totally forgot to check them. Cmobile doesn't show up on most price-comparison sites, I suspect that's because most price-comparison sites only list plans they get a kick-back from.

        True $7.90 is nearly twice the price, but it has unlimited calls and SMS/MMS, so at least I won't get the "you have used 50% of your allowance" messages anymore, except maybe for data. Excess data at 1c/MB is cheaper than everyone else, too.

        I commented in January 2024 about "$9.90/month with CMobile on their smallest "Red" plan", so this $7.90 plan must be new. I hope it doesn't disappear like several of their other cheapest plans. Anyone know if they grandfather old plans?

        Thanks!

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join