Hi! Welcome to my blog. Just like most people in Singapore, I have witnessed the growth of the local telecommunications scene as it grew from 3 dominant players to 13 players, transforming from a contract model to a no-contract model.
However, with more choices in the market, it also means increased difficulty in finding that right plan for yourself, and thus, I decided to set up this blog to help people compare between options and make an informed decision.
For the first part of this Telco Face-off series, I will be comparing Grid Mobile and Giga’s $25 Base Plan. Let’s get into it!
Network
Grid Mobile uses SingTel’s network while Giga uses StarHub’s network.
Telco Construct Comparison
Price-wise, there is no significant difference, with Grid Mobile being 10 cents cheaper per month.
However, data-wise, there is a huge difference, with Grid Mobile offering 40GB vs Giga’s 25GB. Grid Mobile initially offered 20GB at launch, so this 40GB data bundle is doubled of that. This drives down price/GB significantly for Grid Mobile.
On Grid Mobile’s website, it states that this 40GB will continue until further notice, so there is no end date at sight for that at the moment.
For talktime and SMS, Giga offers 5 times the amount of that of Grid’s offering.
Therefore, if you are a data-heavy, talktime-light user, Grid Mobile is probably the better bet for you. If you are a data-moderate, talktime-heavy user, Giga may better suit your needs.
However, if both bundles are suitable for you, what sets these 2 plans apart?
USP
Grid Mobile offers 1GB free data roam to Malaysia monthly while Giga has a data rollover feature which allows you to bring any unused data to the next month (max 25GB and over 2 months).
While data rollover may seem like a novel concept, it is actually an adaptation from Prepaid mechanics. Applied on Postpaid and this concept becomes pretty redundant.
Firstly, if you are unable to finish the bundle of 25GB in one month, it is unlikely that you would be able to finish 25GB + any rollover data in the next month. Continue rolling over and you will find that with or without data rollover, it does not impact your usage.
Secondly, the reason why data rollover is useful for Prepaid is because users can always spend lesser to roll over unused data, e.g. for M1, if you purchase a 2GB, 30-day plan for $10, you can rollover any unused data with a combination of 10MB, 7-day plan for just $1. However, for Giga, regardless of how much data you roll over, you will still need to pay $25 next month for the new 25GB that comes in, so there is no cost savings here.
Grid Mobile’s free 1GB to Malaysia every month, on the other hand, can come in pretty handy. With Johor Bahru just an hour away, you could always find a use for this free 1GB. Furthermore, the cheapest data roam to Malaysia is $5 for 1GB, so that’s a $5 cost saving there.
Other points to note
Grid Mobile also gives users 50 points every month just for staying on its network. Accumulate that for 2 months and you get $1 off your bill, not to mention that there are also extra points for your birthday and for any referral you make.
Verdict
While Giga’s bundle may be more useful for talktime-heavy users, overall Grid Mobile offers more value for its bundle, and with the price almost identical for both plans, Grid Mobile may be a better choice for the majority.
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