Phones & Utilities Archives | Page 14 of 18

Take Advantage Of Big Data Plans

With the advent of social media, people are increasingly sharing their personal lives on Facebook and Instagram. Listening to their favourite podcasts or streaming videos to watch on the go have also become common entertainment outlets. As a result, they find themselves consuming more and more mobile data.

In response, telecommunication service providers have developed big data plans that are more suited for the consumption patterns of today. For instance, M1 was the first to re-introduce unlimited data mobile plans 5 years after they were phased out! By jumping onto the bandwagon, savvy mobile users can reap plenty of benefits with big data mobile plans.

No More Fretting Over Additional Data Charges

Do you recall the hassle of having to look for free Wi-Fi hotspots or switching off your mobile data completely when you realise that you are about to exceed your monthly data bundle? With big data mobile plans, you need not monitor your data usage excessively and worry about incurring excess data charges. You simply choose a mobile plan that best suits your data needs. Taking M1 Big Data Plans as an example, if you use data mainly for social media browsing, you can get a 5GB SIM-only plan at just S$20/mth. If that is still not enough for you, good news – there is also an option of Unlimited Data plan at S$98/mth.

It might also be better to pay a slightly higher monthly subscription to enjoy better value in data, as compared to paying excess data charges. For instance, M1 offers 15GB data at S$40/mth. With just an additional S$10/mth, you can enjoy 30GB for S$50/mth. That’s twice the amount of data! This is clearly better value than paying S$10.70/GB for excess charges.

Essentially, heavy mobile data users get more value for their money by utilising big data mobile plans as compared to paying excess data charges!

More Freedom To Do What You Love

Not only do mobile users get more data for their buck, they also no longer have to worry about incurring any excess charges with M1’s all-unlimited mobile plan. At only S$98 per month, subscribers get to enjoy unlimited data, talktime and SMS/MMS. This not only provides certainty with regards to their mobile bills, it also gives them plenty of freedom in fulfilling their mobile entertainment needs; they are free to surf popular social networking sites or stream their favourite music while on the move.

Sharing Of Big Data Plan

It gets even better as a family unit can tap and consume data from a single big data plan. For instance, M1 offers sharing of main plan bundle with up to 2 supplementary plans at just $12 per month each. This means that up to a total of 3 lines can tap from a single mobile plan; leading to great savings across the household. For example, a family of 3 can share a 30GB SIM-only plan at a total subscription of S$74/mth, which works out to 10GB for each to use at just S$24.67/mth. This offers greater value for money as compared to all of them having to subscribe to an individual 5GB plan at S$20/mth each.

For those who have multiple devices, simply subscribe to M1’s Multi-SIM service at only S$10.70 per month (per additional SIM card) to share data from the same mobile plan. This also brings convenience and seamless connectivity without having to switch SIM card, as you tap on 1 mobile plan across a maximum of 3 devices.

Bring Your Big Data Plan Overseas

With the increased availability and affordability of travel options, going overseas is becoming extremely common. Ever wondered how convenient it would be if you could use your local data when you travel? With M1’s offering of its Data Passport services, this is now possible in 62 destinations across Asia, Europe and United States from only S$10 per month! Simply activate Data Passport on M1 Big Data Plans whereby data roaming usage on the preferred overseas network can be deducted from your monthly local data bundle. Most importantly, subscribing to M1 Data Passport means that your existing local mobile data will not go to waste and you can continue to roam like you are home. Besides cost savings, Data Passport also offers the convenience of instant data connection upon touchdown. This beats the hassle of finding and purchasing prepaid SIM cards overseas or searching for Wi-Fi in public areas.

Hurry and switch to M1 Big Data plans to reap the myriad of benefits today!

Zero X | The Only Mobile Plan You Will Ever Need

Make counting minutes, messages and megabytes a history with our Unlimited Everything Mobile Plan.

Sick of managing your mobile phone allowances? Tired of watching your back so you don’t get stung? Or have your already been a victim of bill shock for going over your monthly allowance?

Zero Mobile’s, Zero X Plan is the answer for you.

Zero X is a post-paid mobile service, connecting you on the best network in Singapore. It gives you Unlimited 4G Data on you mobile, Calls and SMS, to use within Singapore, for a promotional price of $65 per month only until 30^th March 2018 (U.P. $75 p/mo).

Compared to similar offerings from other providers that cost around $100 per month with 12 month contracts, Zero X offers unbeatable value with no lock-in contracts.

To celebrate the launch of Zero X, we are also inviting our customers to April Treasure Hunt where you can play and win various prizes. Prizes include smartphones such as iPhone X or Samsung Galaxy S9, return flights for 2 to Australia, 6 months free usage and Gold Class movie tickets. Just because we are a mobile service provider, we don’t need to be boring.

We also continue to offer Zero 40, our $40 month-to-month service which includes unlimited calls in Singapore and 6GB of data. Zero Plus Rewards members get a total of 9GB data with additional 3GB added automatically each month. Unlimited SMS is offered as a bolt-on for a low $5 per month, or 5c per SMS sent for casual users. Again, all with no lock-in contracts.

Not only can our service provide you with great savings, it also lets you share the love by helping your friends and family save money too! Our unique rewards program is designed to give you, your friends and your family unbeaten value not just once, but month after month.

Zero Plus Rewards currently allows you to earn a cash bonus by simply referring a friend. Both you and your friend receive $60 credits each when you refer someone, applied at $5 p/mo over 12 months. Furthermore, your friend also has their SIM Card fee of $20 waived. Talk about getting your mates a good deal!

You can refer as many friends as you like and reduce your bill to $0 each month.

Why should I join now?

Get Unlimited 4G Data on your mobile, Calls and SMS at $75 $65 p/mo, that’s $10 per month off;
SIM card fee of $20 is waived specially for you. That’s another $20 in your pocket;
Join rewards and get a total of $140 in cash value to share with your friends;
Join our April Treasure Hunt and win loads of prizes; and
Quick activation and free delivery of SIM card to your home, don’t waste your time queuing up anymore.

Promotion available to first 3,000 subscribers to sign up by 30^th March 2018. Head to www.zeromobile.com.sg to find out more and apply. It takes less than 1 minute, seriously.

Zero Mobile is a licensed mobile service provider focusing on new, innovative and affordable mobile technology in Singapore. As with all services in the market, Terms & Conditions and Fair Usage Policy applies. Read full details on our website.

If one of your resolutions in 2018 is to reduce your expenses, a good place to start would be your monthly mobile bill. Do not underestimate the few dollars saved each month as they can add up to a significant amount at the end of the year.

Here are some clever tips to save money on your mobile bills!

Monitor Your Usage

The first step to reducing your mobile bill is to monitor your mobile usage. How much data, talktime and messaging do you use each month? Track your usage easily with your telco’s mobile app. For instance, M1 customers can download and use My M1 App to track their local or roaming data, talktime and message usage anytime, anywhere. If you are always exceeding your data, perhaps you can consider data add-ons, or switch to a mobile plan with bigger data bundles to reap plenty of savings in the long run.

If constant monitoring is too much of a hassle for you, opt-in for SMS notifications to be alerted when you are about to exceed your data bundle. M1, for example, sends you SMSes when you have reached 75%, 90% and 100% of your monthly data bundle.

Consider SIM-Only Plans

If you do not require a new phone, it’s time to consider SIM-only plans. These plans, as compared to conventional smartphone plans, come with lower subscription and bigger data bundles. M1’s SIM-only entry plan only costs S$20 per month for 5GB data, as compared to an equivalent smartphone plan at S$40 per month. By going with a SIM-only plan, you get to save S$240 over a year!

If you are hungry for more data, go for M1’s Unlimited SIM-only plan, which comes with unlimited data, talktime and messaging at only S$98 per month.

Save As A Family

Telco operators allow customers to maximize their mobile plan usage by sharing data, talktime and messaging bundles with their loved ones. For example, subscribers of M1’s mySIM plans can add up to 2 supplementary plans at S$12/month each to co-share the main plan’s bundles. Such supplementary plans will suit family members with various data consumption behaviour. For instance, the millennial in the family may be a heavy user of social media and is therefore likely to use more data. Meanwhile, the stay-at-home mum may only require little amounts of data to stay connected via instant messaging platforms. By co-sharing the main plan’s bundle, this helps to consume pockets of data that would otherwise be left unutilized by the end of the month.

As such, if you have multiple devices in the family, this option of adding supplementary plans may work well for you too. When you share the big data bundles on mySIM plans between the devices, you’ll be able to gain access to all the entertainment you need!

Get Cash Rebate On Your Mobile Bills

Finally, the last step to saving on mobile bills is to get cash rebates on them! By using cashback credit cards to pay for your mobile bills, you can earn cashback or reward points that help to reduce your mobile bill. For instance, the Citi M1 Credit Card provides up to 10% Citi rebate if you set up recurring M1 bills via GIRO. Furthermore, charging your purchases at M1 stores earn 1% Citi Rebate.

Follow these handy tips to start saving money on your mobile bills in 2018!

Here’s how much you may get when you sell your old iPhone to pay for the iPhone X

Singaporeans looking to support their iPhone habit would do well to heed Apple’s release schedule

SINGAPORE, MONDAY 25 SEPTEMBER 2017 – Now that the iPhone X is straying perilously close to costing an actual kidney, trading in your old iPhone to help defray the cost of a new one is a more popular option than ever. But because the market has a tendency to push prices down when there are more people looking to sell their old iPhones (a well-observed economic principle – price goes down when supply goes up), you wouldn’t know if the trade-in price offered at your telco or handphone shop is a good deal or not.

To help you avoid rip-offs, we asked everyone’s favourite online marketplace Carousell what your soon-to-be-replaced iPhone is worth on the second-hand market. Here’s what we found out.

What Do the Numbers Mean?

We apologise for triggering all the traumatic flashbacks of Statistics class you’re probably suffering right now. We wanted to make sure we dealt in scientific data, and not simply hearsay from a lazy walkabout at Tanjong Pagar Plaza. Quick explanation: The median price represents the midway point of each model’s price range. So in the case of the iPhone 7, 50% of all handsets were sold for more than S$820, and 50%, less than that. How much higher or lower? For that, we look at the numbers in the next two columns to the right. These give us a good idea of what low and high prices look like for that particular model. They do not represent the absolute lowest nor highest prices for each model. So, putting it all together: If you get offered S$800 for your iPhone 7, that’s a bit on the low side. S$850 to S$950 would be an ok price, and you shouldn’t hesitate to take any offers coming in at S$1,000 or more.

The Value of Older iPhones Declines Exponentially

Eyeballing the figures from Carousell, you can see that the value of your old iPhone suffers a dramatic decline after one generation. As at September 2017, an iPhone 7 commands a respectable median price. You’ll also notice that the spread between prices is still relatively tight.

But when it comes to an iPhone 6, the median price plunges by more than half. And it gets worse as we go down the ladder to older iPhone models, but you were probably expecting it anyway.

Actual Selling Prices Differ According to Condition

The actual price you will get for selling your old device will depend on a number of factors. Chief of these is the condition your handset is in. “While little scratches and scuffs aren’t deal-breakers – many of our users are upfront about these details and still successful in their sales – people will generally prefer and will pay more for iPhones in the best possible condition,” says Lucas Ngoo, Co-founder and CTO of Carousell. As you’d expect, a perfectly working model with all its original parts intact will fetch a higher price than one that had undergone part replacements. (Think about how damaged the internal circuitry must be after going through at shocks serious enough to shatter the screen.) If you can provide the original box and accessories (such as charging cable and adapter, and never-been-worn headphones) you can probably command top prices. And, because this is Apple we’re talking about, you can expect to charge a little higher for devices with larger storage.

Is it Worth Selling Your Old iPhone?

At this point, you may be wondering if it is even worth selling your old iPhone. The answer is: yes, especially if it’s the latest model. As Carousell’s data show, the iPhone 7 is trading hands at prices near to those of a brand-new set direct from the Apple store. This is probably as good as it gets. But even if all you have is an iPhone 6 or earlier, you can still sell it off and use the money to pay for other things you need or want. For example, while the S$60 you’ll get for selling your iPhone 4 puts nary a dent in what you have to pay for the iPhone X, you could still get a decent pair of shoes for it, or a new computer game.

A Result of Planned Obsolescence?

In case you’re not familiar with the term, planned obsolescence is an actual thing that manufacturers are doing. Basically, the products we buy are designed to last only up to a certain period. Beyond that, they are expected to fail. This practice corrals consumers onto a schedule for replacing the things that we’ve come to rely on. And it’s not just consumer electronics, car or light bulbs either. When it comes to iPhones, the message seems to be: keep up with Apple’s schedule; it’s the most rewarding way to enjoy their products. Especially in light of the record-breaking price of the iPhone X.

This article first appeared on SingSaver.com.sg.

6 Practical Solutions For A Sustainable Home

These practical lifestyle changes can often save your money and energy.

LET LESS WATER FLOW

Score up to 60% less than your regular water usage by installing a low flow shower-head. Some modern shower-heads are adjustable, which means that you can change the settings to low flow. Imagine having a controlled water flow while lathering up and an active rush while rinsing!

Alternatively, you can buy a low flow shower-head for only S$14.74 at Monotaro. Installing one could mean huge savings on your water bill.

CREATE PROPER VENTILATION

There are two ways to freshen up your space naturally. You can either build a proper ventilation system or make use of shading. Install ventilation by switching to ceiling fans that can facilitate air flow throughout the room. On the other hand, shading is done by closing the blinds at certain times of the day.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

If you are undergoing the process of renovation, ask the architect to include passive cooling designs to put your air conditioner to rest.

PATRONIZE INTELLIGENT DESIGNS

Energy (and cash) is wasted when there is a mismatch between your appliances and your lifestyle. Instead, you must patronize energy efficient appliances that boost its intelligent designs. Pick the right appliances by understanding your family size, frequency of use, and capacity requirements.

You may also adjust the energy consumption of your appliances with the innate smart programming.

COOK WITH RESIDUAL HEAT

I can still recall the day when my uncle imparted a practical solution, which saved me a considerable amount of cash. He knew that I usually boil pasta on a regular basis due to my fondness for Italian cuisine. So, he taught me to cook with residual heat. Simply cover the pot and switch off the stove after the pasta has been boiling for 7 minutes. Let the pasta sit for 5 minutes more.

You may also apply the same technique when boiling noodles.

SWITCH TO A DIFFERENT BULB

If environmentalists were tasked to replace your bulbs, they would turn to the power of Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL). CFLs were introduced in the ’80s and were improved a decade later. These are perfectly suited for study rooms, home office, and other spaces that need extra brightness. You see, CFLs last longer than traditional bulbs and use up to 80% less energy.

Philips Singapore has a range of CFLs. The only catch is that the price of these bulbs are more expensive upfront. However, the steeper cost of your utility bill makes it worth your money.

HOST A RUMMAGE SALE

Embody the “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle” slogan by hosting a rummage sale in your community. Doing so allows you to save more space in your closet and to earn extra money on the side. There will be no resources or energy wasted on producing new stuff.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Furthermore, you may include your neighbors to attract more customers.

Source: Greatist

Make counting minutes, messages and megabytes a history with our Unlimited Everything Mobile Plan.

Singaporeans looking to support their iPhone habit would do well to heed Apple’s release schedule

Search the site