Resource | Mobile phone plans

Check out this technology video from our Auslan Resource Library!

📱 Mobile Phone Plans: This video talks about the different mobile phone plans available to mobile phone users.

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Visual description of the thumbnail:
Title reads “Auslan Information Resource Hub: Mobile Phone Plans” and shows a person with long blonde hair tied in a ponytail. She is signing the Auslan sign for “plan” and has a calm expression on her face. It includes a note “Produced by Auslan Consultancy” and the background is a light, abstract pattern.

Transcript:
[Two people are sitting at a wooden table and having cups of tea together. It looks they are at a cafe. The person on the left, Person 1 or P1, is wearing a black top with her hair tied back into a ponytail. The person on the right, Person 2 or P2, is wearing a purple sweater, glasses and has curly light hair.] [P2] Is that a new phone?
[P1] Yep.
[P2] Wow.
[P1, nodding] Yeah, I just got it a couple of days ago.
[P2] Oh. Was it expensive?
[P1] No, actually, it’s on a plan. I pay it off monthly. I just got a new plan.
[P2] I saw a poster at a phone shop. Was it from there?
[P1] Yeah, it’s from that same shop with the poster out the front.
[P2] I saw two different shops with two different plans. Why is that?
[P1] Well, they’re just showing the different options of plans they have. One would be prepaid and the other would be postpaid.
[P2] Is prepaid when you buy a $20 credit from the supermarket?
[P1] Yeah, that’s right. That’s prepaid. Prepaid is when you buy a SIM card and you top it up with credit. You can do that at a supermarket, like you said, or you might go to the post office or even at petrol stations. You can also buy credit online and top up your phone with data depending on how much data you need. Once you run out of that data, you can buy more and you don’t have to wait for the next month.
[P2] Does data mean I can use internet on my phone?
[P1] Yes, that’s right. Data means you can use internet on your phone anywhere and you don’t have to rely on Wi-Fi access. You can still use the internet as long as you’ve got data.
[P2] Is your phone on prepaid?
[P1] No, I got mine on a postpaid plan. I get 20 gigabytes of data and I pay $40 a month.
[P2] Does it work out cheaper that way?
[P1] Yeah, it is cheaper, but it means you’re on a contract.
[P2] Contract means you pay a monthly bill, right?
[P1] Yeah, that’s right. It gets automatically direct debited from my bank every month. There’s actually two types of contracts you can choose from. The first option is called SIM only. You know what a SIM card is, right?
[P2] Yes, yeah, I do know what a SIM card is.
[P1] So SIM-only contracts mean you pay for the data and you can decide how much data you need. You’d pay for that monthly.
[P2] Does that option include a new phone?
[P1] No, it only comes with the SIM card and the data usage. So you’d either have to buy a new phone or use a phone that you already have, and just put the SIM card in that. If you do want a new phone, then there is a second contractual option that includes data and an additional cost on top for your new phone. For example, this new phone I pay $70 a month for. I also pay $40 a month for my data, so it’s a total of $110 a month for my phone and data.
[P2] And do all plans cost the same amount?
[P1] No, there are many different types of plans. Some depend on how long you want to commit and continue to pay off. For example, you might commit to a three-year plan, which makes the monthly repayments cheaper. If you only want to commit to a shorter contract, like a one-year contract, then the repayments will be much higher. But it does mean you only have to pay the phone off over one year, and then your contract will be complete. Paying less per month means paying over a longer period of time.
[P2] Are contracts better because the price is the same each month?
[P1] Yes, I suppose so. It does mean your monthly bills will be consistent, but it’s important to make sure you don’t go over your data allowance. If you do run out of data and use more data than your allowance, it will increase the cost of your monthly bill.
[P2] What happens if I don’t pay my bill?
[P1] If you don’t pay your bill, you’ll receive a warning first. You may also incur an additional late fee. If you still don’t pay your bill, your data allowance will be cut off, which means you won’t be able to access the internet on your phone.
[P2] And what happens if I change my mind and don’t want a contract anymore?
[P1] Well, let’s say you were on a two-year contract, so you’re committed to paying over two years. If you pass the two years, you can cancel with no troubles at all. However, if you want to cancel before the two-year contract period ends, you will have to pay an additional fee.
[P2] All right. Okay. And how do you know if you’ve used all of your data allowance? Is 20 gigabyte enough for you?
[P1] Well, I’ve tried to work out or calculate how much data I’ll need per month. At home, I have access to my Wi-Fi, so I don’t use any of my data when I’m at home. When I’m out at other places that Wi-Fi, like work, I also don’t use any of my data on my phone. So I worked out how often I’m in places where there isn’t Wi-Fi access and I need to use my data. It really depends on how much you use your phone and how much data you consume. Another trick I’ve learned is to turn off my data or internet if I know I’m about to run out of data. That way I don’t risk going over my allowance.
[P2] And how do I know when I’m about to run out of data?
[P1] Well, it depends on which phone company you’re with because they’re all slightly different. There’s usually a website or app you can download on your phone. Sometimes you’ll even get an automated SMS telling you that you’re almost at your data limits.
[P2] I’d really love that phone. I want a green one.
[P1] I can show you a website if you like. They’ve got some great plans at great prices.
[P2] Yes, please.
[P1] See here?
[P2] Yeah. Great.