Get smart: save on your smartphone
I have a confession to make. Even though I work here at FiftyUp Club HQ, the money-saving central for Australia’s over-50s, I’m not immune to Bill Shock. 
I broke into hot sweats and prolonged analysis paralysis when my latest mobile bill came in the mail from my dear (mind the pun) Telco provider.
For months now (more than I’d care to admit) my $70 Auto per month plan has clocked in around double that figure. And then last month the kicker: $183.66.
That one hurt.
So much so that it motivated me to do something about it. I even called my Telco and waited on hold for 40 long minutes to speak to a consultant to explain my current bill and subsequently extend my data.
Like most post paid plans, my contract includes unlimited standard calls and texts. However, that’s not the issue. In fact, I hardly ever talk into my phone anymore. It’s the data usage that’s proving my Achilles heel.
Damn you social media!
You see, every time I eclipsed my data level, my provider was kindly, automatically, adding a further 1GB along with a $10 fee. Looking through my bill history now, there are dates I used up that extra data several times within a single day. October 19 is a date that will stick in my mind for all the wrong reasons for a while yet.
Whilst I’d like to lay blame fairly and squarely on my provider for not informing me of the increase in advance, I’m not an innocent party in this transaction.
You see, as a result of my busy lifestyle and complacent attitude, I’ve contributed to my own bill shock. (After all, who really wants to spend their down time shopping around online for a better mobile offer, when you could be using your smartphone for more pressing things like streaming “stupid cat tricks, right?)
Well, it seems I’m not alone.
A recent story published on news.com.au recently revealed that a staggering 46% of phone users could be paying hundreds of dollars too much because they have never changed their phone plan!
Yes – almost HALF THE PHONE-OWNING POPULATION!
According to Whistleout data, some of the best 5GB plans released 18 months ago that included 5GB of data cost around $40 per month
Today, they can cost just $25 per month — a difference of $360 over a two-year contract.
So if you’re a creature of habit like me (a kind phrase for “lazy”), we’re probably costing ourselves hundreds of dollars every year.
Meanwhile, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) revealed during the week that the price of broadband and mobile phone services had fallen by 2.8 per cent over the past year but more still needed to be done by the major Telcos to ease prices.
The competition watchdog also warned providers about questionable termination fees on mobile and broadband contracts. It says the complexity of such contract clauses are hard for consumers to understand and calculate, making it more difficult to switch providers and seek better deals.
FiftyUp Club members can now take advantage of our exclusive offer with Vaya.
But HURRY as this offer ends next week!
