Quick Summary
| Product | Call rate1 | Flagfall | Txt | Expiry2 | MMS | Internet | Call Cap/Credit | Voice mail1 | Extras | 2 Min Call3 | More |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topless $19 | Unlimited | Free | Unlimited | 7 | Unlimited | 1GB then 0.2c/KB | $19 Intnl Credit | Free in OZ | Credit/data rolls over | Unlimited | Buy Virgin |
| Topless $29 | 14 | $29 Intnl Credit | |||||||||
| Topless $49 | 30 | $100 Intnl Credit | |||||||||
| Topless $79 | 45 | $150 Intnl Credit | |||||||||
| Topless $99 | 60 | $250 Intnl Credit | |||||||||
| Bean Counter – $25 | 5c | 25c | 10c (Int 20c) | 45 | 60c | 0.2c/KB | $25 Credit | Free in OZ | $5 Starter | 45c/55 calls | Buy Virgin |
| Textalot – $10 | 39c | 40c | Unlimited | 14 | 60c | 200MB then 0.2c/KB | $10 Credit | Free in Oz | $10 Starter | $1.96/5 calls | Buy Virgin |
| Simple – $19 | 7.5c^ | Free | 15c | 90 | 60c | 100MB then 0.2c/KB | $19 Credit | Free in OZ | Data packs availableCredit/data rolls over | 30c/63 calls | Buy Virgin |
| Simple – $29 | $29 Credit | 30c/96 calls | |||||||||
| Simple – $49 | $49 Credit | 30c/163 calls | |||||||||
| Simple – $79 | $79 Credit | 30c/263 calls | |||||||||
| Simple – $99 | $99 Credit | 30c/330 calls | |||||||||
| Long Expiry $15 | 39c^, Virgin to Virgin is 2.5c |
40c | 28c, Virgin to Virgin free | 180 | 60c, Virgin to Virgin 25c | 0.2c/KB | $15 Credit | Free in OZ | Credit/data rolls over | $1.96/7 calls | Buy Virgin |
| Long Expiry $19 | 180 | $19 Credit | $1.96/9 calls | ||||||||
| Long Expiry $29 | 180 | $29 Credit | $1.96/14 calls | ||||||||
| Long Expiry $49 | 365 | $49 Credit | $1.96/25 calls | ||||||||
| Long Expiry $79 | 365 | $79 Credit | $1.96/40 calls | ||||||||
| Long Expiry $99 | 365 | $99 Credit | $1.96/50 calls | ||||||||
| Your Caps $19 | 45c^, Free to Virgin |
40c | 25c | 28 | 25c to Virgin Others 60c | 1GB then 0.2c/KB | $50 Credit |
Free in OZ | $2.20/22 calls | Buy Virgin |
|
| Your Caps $29 | $300 Credit | Recharge $29 for $1200 in bonus credit over 6 rechargesCredit/data rolls over | $2.20/136 calls | ||||||||
| Your Caps $49 | $800 Credit | $2.20/363 calls | |||||||||
| Your Caps $79 | $1300 Credit | $2.20/590 calls | |||||||||
| Your Caps $99 | $1500 Credit | $2.20/681 calls | |||||||||
| Home Made $19 | 5c^ to selected countries & 10c^ in Oz | 0c o/seas & 20c Oz | Free to Virgin/15c | 28 | 60c | 0.2c/KB | $19 Credit | Free in OZ | Free calls to Virgin Data Pack $5/mth – 50MB or $10mth – 100MB |
60c/31 calls | Buy Virgin |
| Home Made $29 | $29 Credit | 60c/48 calls | |||||||||
| Home Made $49 | $49 Credit | 60c/81 calls | |||||||||
| Home Made $79 | $79 Credit | 60c/131 calls | |||||||||
| Home Made $99 | $99 Credit | 60c/165 calls |
| Prepaid Mobile Review – Virgin Mobile (April 2012) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The last review I did of the Virgin Prepaid Mobile range, I was a little critical. Over the previous 12 months it had fallen behind quite a bit. In fact they were once considered a leader in the prepaid mobile market range. That review was June 2011.Virgin today have 7 different plans. We begin with their “Unlimited Offer”. Topless gives you unlimited calls to anyone plus Txt for between 7 – 60 days depending on how much you recharge. Eg $19 gives you 7 days, $29 recharge gives you 14 days. These plans all come with 1GB of data. To get to a whole month of credit you need to recharge atleast $49, this to me is about $9 too much when you consider what Boost offers for $40. What I am saying here is that there are better unlimited offers available today and you can compare all unlimited prepaid plans here.Bean Counter has been around longer than this website, its staying power proves its popularity. It is low cost, but not the lowest. 10c/min with a 25c flagfall and 45 days expiry. Compare it to Savvylite at 10c/min and no flagfall. It once was the cheapest out there, today it is just cheap.Textalot is a re-hash of the Message Monster. With a $10 recharge, you get unlimited text to anyone for 14 days, $10 credit for calls and 200MB data. Virgin haven’t really made a song and dance about this plan. Maybe they aren’t sure of it themselves. It is cheap and probably the closest to them is Crazy Johns Flat Chat with 100, 1c Txt. Time will tell.
Simple is also new. 15c calls, no flagfall and 15c Txt, 90 days expiry and 100MB data. There are a few different recharge levels for this range but they don’t get you anything other than a credit amount equal to your recharge level. Again this plan is competitive but it isn’t the cheapest out there. Telstra has Simplicity at 15c/min, 12c Txt and 10c/MB data. Only slightly cheaper. Also compare it to gotalk Anytime, 9c/min, 12c Txt and 2c/MB data. It needs more in data to really have something to show. Virgin also has Long Expiry and thankfully they do have an offer which gives you 365 days coverage. Recharge between $15 – $29 and get 180 days, anything over this and get 365 days. Long Expiry has calls costs at 39c/min and a 40c flagfall. This is on the high side. Two minute call is $1.96. Savvytel gives you 365 days of credit with 24c/min calls and a 25c flagfall. Both use the Optus network. The Savvytel offer is better. The Virgin Caps are competitive, particularly at the $29 mark. You receive $300 in call credit and 1GB data. Woolworths gives you $500 ($250 to Optus) and 5GB of data. The data allowance at 1GB is a bit of a let down (although it is charged by the KB), particularly given the data allowance doesn’t increase the higher Cap option you select. Compare the $49 Cap which offers $800 in Credit and 1G data. Telstra Encore Cap offers $1000 in calls and 2GB. At the moment the caps are actually offering $1200 in bonus credit when you sign up before the 31/5/12. $200 bonus each month over 6 months. The one thing to note about Virgin’s data allowances is that data is counted by the KB not the MB, so you do get more data for your dollar so to speak. This applies across all of the Virgin Prepaid Mobile plans. Home Made is the final set of plans in the Virgin prepaid mobile range. Call rates are 20c/min with a 20c flagfall. Virgin’s Home Made gives you 5c/min to selected countries eg US, India, Canada and China. Others like Indonesia are 8c and UK is 10c. You can best compare Virgin’s international rates here. Overall, Virgin’s prepaid mobile plans are getting better, but they aren’t the best. From what I have heard the whole “Simple” campaign has really worked well for them. It might be a sign that 2012 will bring more value by way of data and call rates. |
Notes: 1 – rate per 30 seconds. ^ Charged in 1 minute blocks.
2 – expiry period in days.
3 – cost of a 2 minute call. Number of 2 minute calls made using credit provided to any network (excludes calls within network).
Where no minimum credit is indicated, $20 is used.
More details
| Product | Topless | Bean Counter | Long Expiry | Your Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | Your chance to access unlimited calls to any network without having to break the bank with a $40 30 day recharge. | Beancounter is Virgin Mobile’s secret weapon. It’s so good we can only do it online! 10c/min calls and 10c texts to anyone in Oz*. Flat rate, 24/7, no hidden catches, no limitations on when or who you call. Perfect if you want a great prepaid deal for calling stacks of different people. | Take your time, your credit lasts from six months up to a year! FREE text & 5¢/min calls Virgin to Virgin seal the deal. | We thought you might like this one. Recharge your Virgin Mobile with Pre-Paid Your CAP credit and get everything you need. Huge included value, Unlimited FREE Calls & Text 24/7 Virgin to Virgin4, FREE Voicemail PLUS a mobile internet data allowance. |
| Internet | Mobile data browsing 0.2 ¢ p/KB. Data charged in 60 KB increments. Purchase prepaid data for $5 – 50MB or $10 – 300MB. Both have 30 day expiry. | |||
| Video Calls1 | Unlimited | 60c/min | 78c/min | 90c/min |
| Calls within network | Unlimited calls to anyone | To Virgin Mobile 5c per 30 sec | Top Virgin Mobile 2.5c per 30 sec | Free talk & txt to Virgin numbers 24/7 excl video calls |
| Recharge locations | Phone, mobile, online & retail | |||
| 1300 & 1800 calls | Unlimited | 60c/min | 78c/min | 90c/min |
| Website | www.virginmobile.com.au | |||
| Phone | 13 63 69 | |||
Notes:
1 – rate per 30 seconds
2 – expiry period in days
3 – cost of a 2 minute call. Number of 2 minute calls made using credit provided to any network (excludes calls within network).
Where no minimum credit is indicated, $20 is used.
What is V2V? – To Virgin Mobile numbers only. Fair Use Policy applies. Fees/Cancellation may apply for excessive use (over 2500 minutes and/or 3000 text per month).
