Cheaper Data Add-ons with limited validity

[SriS]

Wish to have cheaper data add-ons with limited validity - valid only for the current cycle or certain number of days. The current data add-ons are way to costly compared to the regular plans. If we run over the plan data, it seems starting a new billing cycle is better than availing the current data add-ons. I understand it depends on individuals & specific usages.

However, wish to have some affordable mini bytes.

[dabr]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@dabr wrote:

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Totally agree about the 200 and 400 minutes, to me it's a no brainer to not buy these add ons, plus I think on the whole they're very reasonably priced as is and don't require a flash sale.  But I have to disagree about the data add on because, even if not expiring until used, it is quite expensive.  My reference to Koodo's practise of occasionally offering double their booster add ons (basically half price sale) for the same price would I think lock people in to PM for a longer period.  Maybe that isn't what PM is interested in, I can't say.  BTW Koodo's booster add ons also don't expire until used up.

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I think we're agreeing. 🙂

I'm aware of Koodo and really looked at it when I was going about switching my telecom needs. I even got a SIM. Never used it. Wanna buy a SIM 🙂 yeah yeah no soliciting.

But no other provider offers the 4 kinds of rewards like this place.

Sure we could go on all day about prices and values of add-ons and suggest the moon but we have what we have.

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Haha thanks but no thanks, joking aside I actually was with Koodo briefly before transferring to PM and would probably have stayed there, but PM introduced their $10 plan which I realised offered enough for my needs. I'd never heard of PM until about a year ago and wasn't too sure (not being very techie) if I'd stay, but have been pleasantly surprised outside of a porting issue when I first joined, there's been no major problems.  Also appreciate PM has added some really more cost effective plans recently, hopefully they'll become permanent rather than just special offers over time.

[Anonymous]

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@dabr wrote:

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Totally agree about the 200 and 400 minutes, to me it's a no brainer to not buy these add ons, plus I think on the whole they're very reasonably priced as is and don't require a flash sale.  But I have to disagree about the data add on because, even if not expiring until used, it is quite expensive.  My reference to Koodo's practise of occasionally offering double their booster add ons (basically half price sale) for the same price would I think lock people in to PM for a longer period.  Maybe that isn't what PM is interested in, I can't say.  BTW Koodo's booster add ons also don't expire until used up.

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I think we're agreeing. 🙂

I'm aware of Koodo and really looked at it when I was going about switching my telecom needs. I even got a SIM. Never used it. Wanna buy a SIM 🙂 yeah yeah no soliciting.

But no other provider offers the 4 kinds of rewards like this place.

Sure we could go on all day about prices and values of add-ons and suggest the moon but we have what we have.

[dabr]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@dabr wrote:

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Yes the add ons don't expire and are great to supplement plans that have small amounts of minutes or data...however, I was thinking it might be really nice if PM maybe had a flash sale for add on minutes or data similar to Koodo's doubling of booster add ons.  Even once a year flash sale would be really great especially for the data add on because that is still kind of expensive.

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Oh yes. There are several people that would stock up on add-ons if they ever put THEM on promo.

Even still...the 200 minute add-on adds calling to the states and Canada. This would be entirely useful for those that have unlimited province to be able to call the rest of Canada and also to call the states even for Canada-wide plans.

Same with the 400 minute one for *everyone* to be able to call select countries including the states and for those on provincial...the rest of Canada.

So it's not just about those with the limited plans.

The data is subjective. Depends on how much you use. But this idea of time limited packs of data is, I think, not seeing it right seeing as how the add-ons don't expire in time...just use.

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Totally agree about the 200 and 400 minutes, to me it's a no brainer to not buy these add ons, plus I think on the whole they're very reasonably priced as is and don't require a flash sale.  But I have to disagree about the data add on because, even if not expiring until used, it is quite expensive.  My reference to Koodo's practise of occasionally offering double their booster add ons (basically half price sale) for the same price would I think lock people in to PM for a longer period.  Maybe that isn't what PM is interested in, I can't say.  BTW Koodo's booster add ons also don't expire until used up.

[Anonymous]

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@dabr wrote:

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Yes the add ons don't expire and are great to supplement plans that have small amounts of minutes or data...however, I was thinking it might be really nice if PM maybe had a flash sale for add on minutes or data similar to Koodo's doubling of booster add ons.  Even once a year flash sale would be really great especially for the data add on because that is still kind of expensive.

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Oh yes. There are several people that would stock up on add-ons if they ever put THEM on promo.

Even still...the 200 minute add-on adds calling to the states and Canada. This would be entirely useful for those that have unlimited province to be able to call the rest of Canada and also to call the states even for Canada-wide plans.

Same with the 400 minute one for *everyone* to be able to call select countries including the states and for those on provincial...the rest of Canada.

So it's not just about those with the limited plans.

The data is subjective. Depends on how much you use. But this idea of time limited packs of data is, I think, not seeing it right seeing as how the add-ons don't expire in time...just use.

[dabr]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@SriS wrote:

Based on my usage, I am encountering occassional surge in my data consumption.
So looking for data packs with 1/3/7 days validity. That way rather changing my plans frequently, I can avail such packs only in need.

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But that's already how the add-ons work. You find yourself going over then the add-on kicks in to tie you over until renewal. The add-on stays there until the next time you go over. Then when you've used it all it disappears. Then buy it again.

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Yes the add ons don't expire and are great to supplement plans that have small amounts of minutes or data...however, I was thinking it might be really nice if PM maybe had a flash sale for add on minutes or data similar to Koodo's doubling of booster add ons.  Even once a year flash sale would be really great especially for the data add on because that is still kind of expensive.

[kav2001c]

@srlawren 

For occasional overages something longer term such as a 90 day data pool would suit most users needs

Public seems to have just given up on this point

(I also long ago disagreed with you and said 180 or even 365 day plans like our competitors offer would be sweet)

[srlawren]

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@SD08 wrote:

There used to be a special forum for ideas and suggestions called Public Lab, but PM closed that down a while ago.

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@SriS feel free to read between the lines of this last point from @SD08...  just sayin'.

[SD08]

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@SriS wrote:

@RobertQc
Thanks for the suggestion. I'm comparitively a new user; Do we  have a different channel or specific category to post these kind of proposal or suggestions to public mobile other than these forums ?

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@SriS 

Other than posting a topic in the forum, you could send the suggestion in a private message to either @Brooke_C or @Alan_K by clicking either of these links.

There used to be a special forum for ideas and suggestions called Public Lab, but PM closed that down a while ago.

[SriS]

@RobertQc
Thanks for the suggestion. I'm comparitively a new user; Do we  have a different channel or specific category to post these kind of proposal or suggestions to public mobile other than these forums ?

[SriS]

@Anonymous 
Right, No company will be interested to compromise their profit.
The p.s. note is pun intended. missed to call out explicitly.

[srlawren]

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@SriS wrote:

Wish to have cheaper data add-ons with limited validity - valid only for the current cycle or certain number of days. The current data add-ons are way to costly compared to the regular plans. If we run over the plan data, it seems starting a new billing cycle is better than availing the current data add-ons. I understand it depends on individuals & specific usages.

However, wish to have some affordable mini bytes.

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@SriS at PM, data add-ons are essentially akin to data overages at most other providers.  (Though I know @kav2001c has disagreed with me on this point in the past.)  Add-on or overage data is always going to be charged more than data included in the plan.  They do this to encourage you to overpay for your plan in hopes of avoiding overages/needing add-ons ever, and in some cases the gamble can be a good one.  

The more fair comparison on my mind (and again, @kav2001c will disagree with me) is comparing the cost of 1GB of "extra" data above and beyond plan data.  At PM, a single 1GB add-on is $30, or 5 x 200 MB add-on is $50, equivalent to $50/GB.  The overage rate on in-market plans at most of the 2nd and 3rd tier brands on post-paid plans is $7 - $10 per 100MB, equivalent to $70 - $100 per GB.  PM's "overage" rates (via add-ons) doesn't look too bad when you look at it in that light.

But then of course, as others have said, if you think you may go over a few months a year, have a look at the next plan up.  Let's say you're currently on the $40 plan with 6.5GB* of data.  If you were to go up to the $50 plan with 8.5GB* of data, the equivalent $10/30 days bump would buy you a single 1GB add-on every 90 days, vs. an extra 3 (30 day cycles) x 2GB (diff between the plans) = 6GB of data for the same cost.  Even if you don't alwasy go beyond your 6.5GB, this might still be cheaper to do this as an insurance policy** when you look over time. 

*including the 500MB autopay bonus

** in this case, the $50 plan also bumps your calling up from unlimited Canada-wide to unlimited Canada-wide and to the US talk, though this may or may not be of extra value to you personally; aslo, depending what plan you're on now, most don't include this type of upgrade by moving up one data size, so I left this out of the main value disucsson above.

[Anonymous]

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@SriS wrote:

@RobertQc 

I'm wishing for additional cheaper Add-ons. I brought in the time/validity factor from Public mobile perspective to be a proper trade off rather than requesting a cheaper add-on with unlimited validity.

p.s. If public mobile can offer such plan compromising their profit, I'm ready to avail. 

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That does seem to be your bottom line...as it is for everyone...cheaper data. I don't imagine any company is interested in compromising their profit either. (unless there's supposed to be a "not" in there 🙂 )

[RobertQc]

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@SriS wrote:

@RobertQc 

I'm wishing for additional cheaper Add-ons. I brought in the time/validity factor from Public mobile perspective to be a proper trade off rather than requesting a cheaper add-on with unlimited validity.

p.s. If public mobile can offer such plan compromising their profit, I'm ready to avail. 

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@SriS  Make a proposal, say 24 hour unlimited data for $80 or 1 hour unlimited data pass for $20, etc. Then message public mobile with the suggestion. You are talking to other customers here and none of us even if we agree can do anything for you.

[SriS]

@RobertQc 

I'm wishing for additional cheaper Add-ons. I brought in the time/validity factor from Public mobile perspective to be a proper trade off rather than requesting a cheaper add-on with unlimited validity.

p.s. If public mobile can offer such plan compromising their profit, I'm ready to avail. 

[ShawnC13]

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@SriS wrote:

I just want to make it clear; I'm not complaining about the existing regular plans. It is really better deal compared to other options. 

The existing data add-ons will work for anyone with minimal usage/overage.

Occasionally, I need few GB data only for a day or a week once in few months. 

That's the whole reason wishing for additional add-on options with limited validity.

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Not always possible but if you knew if you were travelling and are going to need more data that is the great thing about PM is you change to a plan that will suit your needs for that 30 day duration and then change back.  Like I said not always possible to know in advance but in some situations it is possible.

[RobertQc]

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@SriS wrote:

I just want to make it clear; I'm not complaining about the existing regular plans. It is really better deal compared to other options. 

The existing data add-ons will work for anyone with minimal usage/overage.

Occasionally, I need few GB data only for a day or a week once in few months. 

That's the whole reason wishing for additional add-on options with limited validity.

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@SriS  So you are looking for more add-on variety that includes time, not necessarily cheaper data ons. Your title may suggest otherwise.

[SriS]

I just want to make it clear; I'm not complaining about the existing regular plans. It is really better deal compared to other options. 

The existing data add-ons will work for anyone with minimal usage/overage.

Occasionally, I need few GB data only for a day or a week once in few months. 

That's the whole reason wishing for additional add-on options with limited validity.

[popping]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@SriS wrote:

Wish to have cheaper data add-ons with limited validity - valid only for the current cycle or certain number of days. The current data add-ons are way to costly compared to the regular plans. If we run over the plan data, it seems starting a new billing cycle is better than availing the current data add-ons. I understand it depends on individuals & specific usages.

However, wish to have some affordable mini bytes.

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Nice term coinage...mini bytes. 🙂 I've not heard that before.

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I like Cityfone data overage by 1 MB increment at 5 or 2 cents/MB data.  It is cheap if you are only over a few bytes.  Big-3 will change $8 - $10 even over a few bytes.  But it will cost $51/GB at 5 cents/MB. 

[ShawnC13]

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@SriS wrote:

Wish to have cheaper data add-ons with limited validity - valid only for the current cycle or certain number of days. The current data add-ons are way to costly compared to the regular plans. If we run over the plan data, it seems starting a new billing cycle is better than availing the current data add-ons. I understand it depends on individuals & specific usages.

However, wish to have some affordable mini bytes.

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The data addons are relatively cheap compared to data overages with other providers.  Seen rates of $7-$10 per 100mb!!

[Anonymous]

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@SriS wrote:

Based on my usage, I am encountering occassional surge in my data consumption.
So looking for data packs with 1/3/7 days validity. That way rather changing my plans frequently, I can avail such packs only in need.

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But that's already how the add-ons work. You find yourself going over then the add-on kicks in to tie you over until renewal. The add-on stays there until the next time you go over. Then when you've used it all it disappears. Then buy it again.

[SriS]

Based on my usage, I am encountering occassional surge in my data consumption.
So looking for data packs with 1/3/7 days validity. That way rather changing my plans frequently, I can avail such packs only in need.

[Anonymous]

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@SriS wrote:

Wish to have cheaper data add-ons with limited validity - valid only for the current cycle or certain number of days. The current data add-ons are way to costly compared to the regular plans. If we run over the plan data, it seems starting a new billing cycle is better than availing the current data add-ons. I understand it depends on individuals & specific usages.

However, wish to have some affordable mini bytes.

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Nice term coinage...mini bytes. 🙂 I've not heard that before.

[RobertQc]

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@SriS wrote:

Wish to have cheaper data add-ons with limited validity - valid only for the current cycle or certain number of days. The current data add-ons are way to costly compared to the regular plans. If we run over the plan data, it seems starting a new billing cycle is better than availing the current data add-ons. I understand it depends on individuals & specific usages.

However, wish to have some affordable mini bytes.

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@SriS  Agree on the basis for having cheaper addons. Although add-on data lasts forever (unless used) it is much more valuable than plan data. Apples and oranges. You don't want to use add-on data as your only data plan unless we are talking about the $10 plan and 1gb can last you over a year.

[SD08]

Yes, it can be cheaper to renew your plan early than to buy the add-on, depending on where you are in your cycle. However, if you are often finishing your data early, it may be a good idea to switch to a plan with a more appropriate data bucket for your needs.