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After all the hype, should you sign up for Circles.Life?
By James Yeo
In case you haven’t heard, Singapore now has a fourth telecommunications company, named Circles.Life. Launched in May 2016, it is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) which offers post-paid mobile services to customers with the option of managing their mobile plans through a mobile app, CirclesCare.
Circles.Life taps on the data infrastructure of M1 but has the freedom to craft its own plans and services. The company has been coming on strong with its marketing during the past year, promoting some of their purported benefits such as no-contract service, lower prices for more data and the ability to build your own plan, etc.
Does Circles.Life really stand out from the other telcos? On a personal note, I am looking to it as a replacement after my current Singtel postpaid plan expires in a few months’ time. Thus, I went ahead and did a simple comparison and also look at the recent feedback. Judging from my current data usage of around 4GB per month, I went ahead and tabulated a comparison based on what I would be comfortable with.
Comparison between Telcos:
For me, first off the list is M1 because of its relatively higher costs and lower data. Furthermore, I had trouble understanding M1’s complicated data upsize plans.
That leaves us with three telcos with pretty similar packages when you merely compare the prices and the bundled mobile data.
It’s a close call between Singtel and Starhub, as their base plans are quite similar. But, in the event you require more than 6GB of data, Singtel emerges as the clear winner. This is because with Starhub, every incremental 1GB after 6GB costs $10, while Singtel offers 2GB (1-for-1) at only $5.35. The catch? You have to sign up for a 12-month contract to be eligible for the 1-for-1 deal.
How about the new maverick – Circles.Life?
Comparatively speaking, the $28 price for 4GB (6GB if you port over your existing line) isn’t that much cheaper, but if you take into account the included caller ID service, you are really only paying $23 every month, which is the lowest among the group.
Moreover, the “real meat” lays in the bonus data from referral and loyalty programs. As a recap, you stand to obtain additional bonus data of 200 MB/mo with each referral and 500 MB/mo every six months when you stay in the Circles.Life network. Referring three friends and staying two years in the network will enable you to get 2.6GB data extra!
The 20GB for $20 perk also wins hands down when you stack it up against the other telcos. The impending contender is Singtel which charges $53.50 for 10GB but works up to 20GB with the 1-for-1 deal. Starhub and M1 don’t even come close as their prices would be more than $100 for the extra 20GB.
Verdict
Looking at the overall picture, Circles.Life seems to be the winner when you are looking to get the most data for the money.
That said, I was taken aback by the numerous negative comments and questions when I visited the Circles Life’s Facebook page. Apparently, many users have faced issues like delivery problems, number porting, connectivity and customer service lapses. You can also refer to Mothership’s article for a more detailed post and examples of what others are experiencing.
For now, I would probably stick with Starhub, as I believe 6GB is enough for me to check emails and surf Facebook and even play my favourite games. I wouldn’t want to play the game halfway and lag out due to connectivity issues.
However, because of its oversized data package, I would definitely recommend Circles.Life to people who love to watch their favourite shows on the go – provided the issues mentioned above get resolved soon.
Opinions expressed are the author’s own. When shopping for a mobile phone plan, you should do your own research based on your unique needs and circumstances.
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