On a tight budget? Prepaid is your friend

For most of us, we used prepaid SIM cards on our first cellphones, and probably even right now. Remember buying your SIM from a kiosk or a street vendor? With prepaid, you control how much you spend on load and you get to play around with many network promos. There’s a limit to everything, perfect for those who want to control their expenses.

But of course, these prepaid limits can be a huge con too. It sucks when you need to call someone but you don’t have enough load credits. Or (and this probably happened to many of us) when you turn on your data only to realize you haven’t subscribed to a promo and now your P100 load is all gone.

Postpaid plans are convenient

A direct opposite of prepaid, postpaid plans banishes all your fears of not having enough load for texting or data. The convenience of not having to reload your mobile phone all the time is a welcome change. You can always make that call or check your social media, depending on your subscription plan of course. Unlike prepaid phones where load credits expire, postpaid plans make sure you’ve got credits anytime.

There are many postpaid plans to choose from with different benefits

You don’t even have to shell out a ton of cash, postpaid subscription plans come in different price ranges. And they all have great benefits too. Take the new Smart Signature Plans+ for example. It’s the first and only postpaid line-up in the country that features Unli 5G access for subscribers. It gives subscribers four SIM-only plan options to choose from: Plan S+ (Php999/mo) with 20GB, Plan M+ (Php1,499/mo) with 40GB, Plan L+ (Php1,999/mo) with 60GB, and Plan XL+ (Php2,499/mo).

The first three plans give subscribers six months of 5G access while the largest plan gets unlimited 5G access throughout the contract. All of Smart Signature Plans+ gives subscribers unli all-net calls and texts, unli landline calls, and a 12-month subscription on Netflix. 

Postpaid plans can come with a smartphone

Telcos can help you hit two birds with one stone: you get your dream smartphone on top of a postpaid subscription plan. All you have to do is choose from a lineup of the latest smartphones offered by your telco, pay the cash-out, and pay the rest included on your monthly bill. Computed, the total price amounts to a little over the device’s original price without a postpaid plan.

Take Globe’s postpaid device offers for example (we’re doing a bit of computation here). The iPhone 12 Pro Max 128GB requires P42,000 cash out on a P1,799/mo plan. Do the math and that’s a total of P85,186 for a phone plus a 24-month subscription. The same unit retails for P65,990 on PowerMac. There’s almost a huge P20,000 difference but you get the phone. Pay for the same plan without the smartphone and you’ll be shelling out P43,176 for 24 months. It’s an obvious choice, right?

Postpaid plans have requirements

If you can’t handle commitments, especially in finances, you might want to stay away from a postpaid plan. Depending on which one you chose, you will be in a lock-in period from 12 to 24 months. You need to make sure you can pay your bills on time or else you’ll get a bad credit rep. Make no mistake, telcos can hunt you down. To apply for a subscription plan or a mobile installment plan, you’ll need to file papers and documents including proof of financial capability.

On the other hand, prepaid users are free from all restrictions. They can stop using a SIM card whenever they want and pick up a new one at a store at any time. No contract, no fees.

You can track your account via an app

Postpaid subscribers have the option to track their spending through an app. Globe’s GlobeOne App lets you manage your bills, monitor your data allowance, and add more data when you need to. The same goes for Smart’s GigaLife App which lets you monitor your subscription, data consumption, and get points/rewards.

Experience faster internet with 5G

One great benefit about having a postpaid subscription plan is you get access to a lot of benefits. Smart’s 5G network, for example. Simply put, a 5G mobile network means you get faster mobile internet plus more bandwidth so you can connect to more devices at once. That’s perfect for working and studying from home. You can download large files in seconds and stream virtual classes and meetings seamlessly. A 5G network also lets you play games lag-free and stream your favorite shows without buffering.

Smart is crowned as the “Most Reliable 5G Mobile Operator in the Philippines” according to Ookla, a global leader in internet testing and analysis. Their new Signature Plans+ all come with 5G access and can be paired with the latest 5G devices too. But is the Philippines equipped for 5G? Don’t worry, Smart has already fired up over 4,000 5G sites in more than 3,000 strategic locations across the nation. That’s a huge green light for 5G in the country.

How to switch from prepaid to postpaid (or vice versa)

#InTheKnow Have you heard of Republic Act 11202 or the Mobile Number Portability Act?

Under RA 11202, consumers will get to KEEP THEIR MOBILE NUMBER even if they switch service providers or change their subscription from postpaid to prepaid, and vice versa. pic.twitter.com/q857gX8op3

— Bureau of Communications Services PH (@bcs_gov) June 6, 2019

Good news: you won’t need a new number if you’re planning on switching from prepaid to a postpaid subscription. Thanks to the mobile network portability (MNP) act rolled out last Sept. 30, Filipinos can make the switch anytime, for free. MNP lets you change mobile network providers while still getting to keep your current number. You can do this from one network to another or from prepaid to postpaid and vice versa in your home network.

So if you decide you want to check out Globe’s GPLAN offers, sign up for Smart’s Signature Plans+, or go prepaid with Dito Telecommunity, you can go do that right away.

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