Upcoming Changes to our Old Rewards Program

[J_PM]

Hey Community,

We have an important announcement to share with our subscribers who are currently enrolled in our old Rewards program.

We’re making changes to our rewards program and are sharing how these changes impact some of our subscribers. Starting in May, we’ll be retiring our old Rewards program and moving all subscribers to our Public Points™ program. 

We launched the Public Points™ program in January 2022 to provide our subscribers with more ways to earn and spend rewards, with greater flexibility. As part of our commitment to continuously evolve our products and services, it's time to retire our old Rewards program and shift our focus on enhancing our Points program.

To show our appreciation for your continued loyalty, subscribers on our old Rewards program will receive a special thank you. We'll send you a text message when it has been added to your account by March 31st. 

We’re excited to continue providing you, our valued subscribers, more opportunities to earn and spend rewards with Public Points™ moving forward.

To learn more about your move to Public Points, check out our FAQ here.

The Public Mobile Team

[HALIMACS]

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@JimRockford_PI wrote:

I wonder if this is going to affect my Telus share prices. Concerned. 

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I doubt it @JimRockford_PI 

Just remember to buy low, and sell high.

[Michael6666]

I just realized that freedom now accepts Quebec based customers. Without the 7$ off of the 15$ plan, there's nothing stopping my third account from paying 119$ for unlimited talk and text + 15gb yearly instead.

This is not looking good for Telus. I have to admit, I'm laughing a little inside now,the frustration is dissipating, go PKP 🤣🤣🤣

[JimRockford_PI]

I wonder if this is going to affect my Telus share prices. Concerned. 

[JimRockford_PI]

I am in the same shoes as you are. What about the 150 annual plan with Freedom mobile? 

[Bottomshelf]

I'm not at LIBERTY to disclose phone carriers promotions but if  you're an INDEPENDENT thinker you are FREE to make an informed choice .  I worked out the number for 2 lines based on this carrier's prepaid plan.
My spouse is paying $23.52 monthly on a $25 plan and I am paying $7.84 on a $15 plan.  I crunched the numbers and between the 2 lines I will have a net savings of $76.16 based on an annual prepayment plan at $119 and $149.   The data with each plan is an annual allocation of  15gb and 30 gb respectively.

I had difficulty in using the 250 mb on my plan let alone (1.25 gb per month offered in this new plan).

The caveat is, my analysis doesn't account for any activation and sim card costs.

Cheer up, things could be worse.  Sure enough I cheered up at and things got worse!

Let's keep it civil out there! 

[bcsuazon]

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@PMInfo1 wrote:

It is not up to subscribers to "figure out" or go to "help forum" to understand how the changes affect individual accounts.

PM has the obligation to inform (legacy) users to the specifics (per account) how these changes affect EACH account.  Saying "we're making changes to serve you better" is ridiculous and it is not my responsibility to read countless scenarios on a community forum.

The reality is PM/Telus needs ARPU up from lower billed subscribers to compensate for higher tier rates coming down.  It's called the "accordian effect".

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This...the two biggest issues I have with the way they have handled this is:

1. The 1.5 month notice...this is a big hit for many customers - especially the ones with multiple lines.  They should have given at the minimum a 3 month notice for this I think.
2. They did not make it very clear as to exactly what people would be losing with the switch.  Usually when companies switch these types of programs they outline what they will be losing and then what they would be gaining.  The fact that they can't even show how the new system would be a positive in any way just tells you everything you need to know...

[Bottomshelf]

https://www.planhub.ca/

[zaku]

Can't believe my first post is about this. I doubt they would reverse this so what other options are out there other than FM? Thanks. 

[flong]

Well this is short-sighted. Just opened my email and came here to see if it's just an early April Fools joke.

With everything in the world around us falling apart, Public Mobile has been the one thing I felt I could rely on. Suddenly I feel like a rat on a sinking ship like the old times of mobile service in Canada.

Looking forward to porting my number somewhere else the second this change happens, and explaining to my 5 referrals why they do the same if they haven't done it already.

[LeoV]

Well I am so furious about this that at this point I don't really care anymore. I use about 2GB a month and pay for the 10gb 4G plan. I went out to Freedom and signed up for their prepaid plan of $150 a year. Unlimited calls and text plus wifi calling and 30GB per year. I'm trying it out and if it works well I will be transfering my number and say goodbye to PM and Telus. This might be my last post fellas. Good luck to all here.

[Bottomshelf]

Here's a novel(?) idea that will never happen - transfer the legacy reward dollars to equivalent points.  If the purpose is to have a uniform reward system my idea fits the bill but I suspect (actions speaking louder than words) it's to increase the bottom line.

In my particular case, I'm on the $15 plan (100 talk minutes, 250 mg data) paying $7.  As I've said before, it doesn't make $ sense for me to switch as there no comparable(?) $15 plans.

For my spouse who's on the $25 1 gb plan, there are more options to switch to a different carrier at a lower price point.  If PM were to open the "new activation" plans for new subscribers to their existing customer base, some customer might decide to say.
I will wait until May to make a final decision.

Have a great day everyone!

[PMInfo1]

It is not up to subscribers to "figure out" or go to "help forum" to understand how the changes affect individual accounts.

PM has the obligation to inform (legacy) users to the specifics (per account) how these changes affect EACH account.  Saying "we're making changes to serve you better" is ridiculous and it is not my responsibility to read countless scenarios on a community forum.

The reality is PM/Telus needs ARPU up from lower billed subscribers to compensate for higher tier rates coming down.  It's called the "accordian effect".

[Public_Cust_17]

Thanks for the update!  🙂

[Public_Cust_17]

Same and I'm thinking there are many, many more of us in that situation.

[Jens2]

Not impressed! I've stayed loyal because of the no frills loyalty discount. The new rewards program is very complicated. Love my $15 plan for $10 with just enough data due to auto-pay. I've toyed an upgrade to the Public Mobile 5G plan but the prices are not competitive. This might well be my impetus to switch carriers.

[Dre64]

I guarantee you this decision came from the top at Telus since they own both Koodoo and Public Mobile. If your planning on leaving Public Mobile, make sure NOT to switch to Telus or Koodoo. No use giving this company any of your hard earned money!

[public_999]

Yes, lots of changes over the years.  Yes, nationwide means you're roaming on the big three.  All of your plan features are included on both Freedom and Nationwide....no extra charge.

[Bottomshelf]

I've been with PM for over 4 years on the $15 plan (100 minutes, 250 mb data).  I received an email yesterday (March 11) stating I will have 5 gb to use up within 150 days.

[PublicPointsuck]

Bye Public Rewards I stayed loyal You did not, Hello Freedom

[Public_Cust_17]

Public_999, thanks for the clarification. It was a couple of years ago since this happened so maybe it's changed? I did take a quick look at their coverage map https://www.freedommobile.ca/en-CA/network-coverage and it shows a lot of southern Ontario that is "Nationwide - When you travel outside of the Freedom network, you’ll be automatically connected to a partner’s network. Your phone will display ‘Nationwide’ when in this area and may also indicate that it’s roaming."  When you say free of charge does that mean for phone calls and data? Just curious because they may be a viable option.  Thanks   🙂

[ily]

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@hTideGnow wrote:

HI @J_PM 

I am surprised and I am not surprised.

Surprised that it finally comes, but not surprise that we know it will come one day

But the only good news is that we can still have 5% back with points, still better than other without rewards. 

And to all those who are going to loss many points from that, come to the Community and help, get the most out of Community!!

(we need to look on the bright side of everything 🙂 )

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It looks a hell of a lot brighter on the competitors' side. Let me tell ya that much.

[Bottomshelf]

I was on the $15 plan and received an email on March 11 stating that I will be getting 5 gb for 150 days.

[Timlorde]

This is terrible choice unless they revamp the points program or add extra points to grandfathered accounts.

[ily]

See, with a gun to my head I would be willing to look past all the fine print and the "we reserve the right to change our mind" cries and all. But not sending out proper notice is outright irresponsible, borderline malicious. Is this even legal? I'm no lawyer but there must be at least some regulation around proper communication, right? We're not that bad around here, I hope...

[Bottomshelf]

Yes, pay $15 plus taxes upfront.

I'm also on the $15 plan paying $7.84 per month ($.84 taxes).  My  net "loss" is over $85 on an annual basis.

$8.96 x 12 = $107.52 - $21.00 = $85.52,  21 referral points = $21 based on 5% x $15 + 10 pts (anniversary) + 2 pts for referrals.

I can't see myself moving because there are no comparable plans at that $15 price point.  I will make up my mind on D-Day.  Subscribers with the higher data plan have more options to move to other carriers.

[public_999]

All of their plans include roaming in Canada, free of charge, however the majority of your usage should be in their native coverage zone.  If you use wifi calling/texting, that usage will be considered in the home zone regardless of where you are physically located in the world.  You must reside within their native zone in order to set up service

[Public_Cust_17]

Just a head up.. check out Freedom Mobiles coverage maps and make sure it'll work for you. My son-in-law was with them for a couple of years and their coverage was insufficient in some areas which caused him to be on roaming data in those areas.

[Jormungandr]

Talked to my friend with multiple PM lines for the family, they will initially move all but 1 line out once the new point system comes in.  The 1 line will also be moved to FM likely. 

Greed.

Dishonourable.

Unscrupulous.

[SSAnne]

Really disappointing. The rewards system is the reason I transferred to Public Mobile and I stayed because of the loyalty discount. Giving me a "special data" bonus "for my loyalty" is insulting. I have more than enough data and you are "rewarding our loyalty" by increasing our bills and making us utilize a time-consuming and inferior rewards plan that nobody asked for. There is no benefit to staying with Public Mobile now and I will be transferring my family's plans come May.

[ArchEngel0]

Came and finally registered an account to add another voice. I will definitely be leaving if this change doesn't get reverted (and maybe regardless after such a move). This is insulting to the legacy customers, and squeezing just a bit more put of the people with the cheapest (read: those that can afford the least) plans. 

I believe I may warn people away from Telus in general after a move like this.