Yahoo Finance How To Choose the Best Mobile Plan for Your Kids, Ageing Parents, and Helper
Choosing a data plan for yourself is easy. Personally, I just go for the plan that offers the most data for the lowest price.
The tricky part is picking a plan for your kids, elderly parents, or helper. You see, they all have specific needs: You’ll have to think about data allowance, talk time, roaming needs (especially for helpers visiting home), SMS usage, and whether a prepaid or postpaid plan is better.
Let’s break down the factors you need to consider.
Factor #1: Prepaid or Postpaid?
How do you choose between a prepaid or postpaid plan? Both offer different levels of flexibility.
Prepaid plans require you to top up with credit before using any data, talk time, or SMS. This “pay-as-you-go” approach is ideal for our kids, ageing parents, and helpers because there’s no contract tying them down.
What’s more, their needs may evolve. For instance, your child may want more data as they get older, or your parents may decide a basic phone is all they need and that they don’t need so much data. With a prepaid plan, you can easily make adjustments or switch providers without penalty.
On the other hand, postpaid plans’ main benefit is that they let you offset the cost of an expensive phone, such as the latest iPhone or Samsung. But do your parents, kids, or helpers really need the latest phone model?
A good quality, affordable phone from Lazada or Shopee paired with a prepaid plan can provide all the necessary functionality for them.
And while your kid might beg for the latest smartphone to show off to their friends, if they lose it, it’s even more heart pain for you. Unless, of course, you want your kids to have the latest phone, then go right ahead!
Factor #2: How Much Data To Get?
Ever heard of the term less is more? Well, that doesn’t apply to mobile data. While getting a cheaper mobile plan with limited data may seem more economical, it’ll be worse if your kids, parents, or helper end up accidentally exceeding the data. That would result in huge bills.
Kids are bound to stream videos, elderly parents may just be watching lots of dramas or YouTube videos online, and many helpers often make video calls.
And as I mentioned, data doesn’t cost a bomb these days.
In fact, Singtel is now offering plans like the Ultimate Plan, which boasts unlimited 5G data and costs just S$35. With a plan like this, you can rest easy knowing that you won’t face surprise bills due to your family members unintentionally exceeding their data limits.
Factor #3: How About Talktime and SMS?
While many of us don’t call or use SMS functions much these days—messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram suit our needs for calling and texting—our elderly parents and helpers may need them.
Many data plans these days come with a huge amount of mobile data but limited talktime and SMS. The good thing is, if you get the Ultimate Plan from Singtel, you don’t have to worry about this.
There are 2 types of Ultimate Plans:
1) S$35 Ultimate Plan
This comes with: Unlimited 5G data*, 20GB roaming data to Malaysia, 1,000 minutes for local calls, 500 SMS, 1,000 minutes of international calls
2) S$40 Ultimate Plan
This comes with: Unlimited 5G data*, 40GB roaming data to Malaysia, unlimited local calls and SMS^, up to 2,000 minutes of international calls
Sounds good, right?
Factor #4: What if You Travel to Malaysia?
If you frequently travel across the causeway with your whole gang, you’ll definitely need roaming mobile data to communicate, get a Grab ride, navigate your way around, and, of course, upload all your IG stories. It can be costly to top up a 1x roaming pack for everyone each time you go.
Here’s a solution. If you bring the kids, elderly parents, or helper along—and if they own a Singtel Ultimate Plan—you don’t have to worry about overseas roaming costs.
The S$35 Singtel Unlimited Plan comes with 20GB of data roaming allowance in Malaysia, while the S$40 plan has 40GB. The best part is that the data roaming function will be automatically activated upon reaching Malaysia, so your kids, parents, and helper (or you) don’t have to fiddle with settings to activate it!
Factor #5: Convenience Is King
Getting a Singtel prepaid card is easy peasy. You can simply get one from the nearest 7-Eleven or just apply for it online.
Topping up is a cinch as well. Just download the hi!App and input your credit or debit card details—deductions will be made automatically each month. Plus, through the app, you get to control how much you want to top up for your kids, parents, or helper, so it’s easier to manage your budget.
Earn Rewards With Singtel Prepaid: 2 Free Spins For All
If you sign up for a Singtel prepaid Ultimate Plan now, you’ll stand to win some exciting rewards.
Simply download the hi!App and click Rewards to get 2 free spins. These spins will give you a chance to win S$600,000 worth of monthly rewards, including a 5G phone, NTUC FairPrice vouchers, Polar Puffs & Cakes, free data, and more.
If you’re new to Singtel prepaid, you can also get a new S$8/S$15 SIM at any Singtel Shop, 7-Eleven store or any participating prepaid retailer to get the 2 free spins.
So there you have it. Should you need to buy a mobile plan for your kids, parents, or helper, there’s something out there with sufficient data, talktime, and SMS to cover their needs—and it doesn’t have to cost you a bomb, either!
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This post was written in collaboration with Singtel. While we are financially compensated by them, we nonetheless strive to maintain our editorial integrity and review products with the same objective lens. We are committed to providing the best information in order for you to make personal financial decisions with confidence.
*Unlimited 5G data for $35/$40 Ultimate Plan refers to 300GB/600GB of 5G data respectively.
^Unlimited local calls/SMS refers to 3,000 local call minutes and 5,000 local SMS for 28 days.
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Original article: How To Choose the Best Mobile Plan for Your Kids, Ageing Parents, and Helper.
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