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- 02-05-2020
- News
One of the typical questions that a mobile phone user in the Philippines has to answer is whether to go for a postpaid plan or a prepaid account. The choice is particularly important, especially since Filipinos are well-known to be bargain hunters who are always on the lookout for ways to make the most of their hard-earned money. However, with the various offers and bundles from the telcos, the decision can definitely be a tough one.
Still, the millions of users alone can make a good case for prepaid. If you’re still deciding or if you’re planning on making the switch from postpaid, here are some of the advantages of prepaid plans that might convince you:
You Pay Only for What You Need
With a postpaid plan, you’re obligated to pay the amount on your contract whether or not you were able to use the inclusions. This means that you’re potentially wasting your money. For example, if you’re working from home and your phone is always connected to the Wi-Fi network anyway, then your postpaid consumables are just sitting there in your account.
With a prepaid phone plan, you don’t have to worry about paying for services that you’re not able to use. You only purchase the prepaid load or mobile data you need and that’s it. If you don’t need to text or call someone, or if you don’t currently need to access the web, then you don’t have to spend at all.
Better Control of Your Budget
During the early days of mobile phone usage, you had to buy prepaid cards to top up your account. Eventually, things became more accessible with the emergence of electronic loading for lower denominations. This, along with the above-mentioned benefit, made prepaid accounts even more appealing to budget-conscious customers.
Today, you can also purchase load and mobile data through banking apps and e-wallets, and one of the benefits of buying mobile load online is that it’s automatically discounted. This further gives subscribers more control over their budget, helping them save more money.
No Contracts or Lock-In Periods
One downside of postpaid plans is that if it’s your first time applying for one, it can prove to be a little tedious. Aside from filling out forms, you also need to provide a handful of documents. This is perfectly understandable, since the telcos need to make sure that you’re able to fulfill your end of the contract. Still, the application process can be a turn-off for consumers who just want to be able to use their phones to call, text, and surf.
With a prepaid number, there’s no need for any documents. All you need is to purchase a SIM card and load it up with credits to be able to use various services. You also don’t have a lock-in period, so you can easily get another number if you need a new one (e.g., you want a separate number for work and personal use).
Accessibility
When mobile phones first became popular in the Philippines, you needed to visit a telecoms store in order to buy a SIM card. What’s more, the cost of a SIM back then was much higher.
Today, prepaid SIM cards are more widely available. In fact, even small neighborhood general merchandise stores are now selling SIM cards (along with electronic load). What’s even better is that aside from the low cost of the SIM, new users also have exclusive offers like extra texts or additional data as a “welcome gift” from the telco.
Variety of Promos and Bundles
Being a prepaid plan user gives you access to a LOT of promos and bundles. You have the good old unli call and text subscriptions, along with surf-exclusive packages, gaming promos, and social media bundles among many others. You can even mix-and-match these promos depending on the services you need.
Of course, you can also avail of regular prepaid load, which is your “all-purpose” prepaid credit that is valid for one year upon purchase. It also comes with freebies, usually a set number of free texts to all networks. This means that you can reserve your regular load for other purposes.
If you have a postpaid plan, you have to pay extra fees on top of your monthly bill when you want to avail of their promos. In addition, postpaid promos are few and far between. They’re also less flexible than prepaid load offers.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that a postpaid plan doesn’t have its own advantages. In fact, one big benefit of being on a postpaid plan is never having to worry about running out of load (which is great for emergencies). A postpaid plan usually also comes with a free device. If you’re a gadget enthusiast, then this is definitely a huge factor.
Nevertheless, with proper management of your load and mobile data, a prepaid plan can be at par with postpaid when it comes to usage. With careful planning and a dash of commitment, you can maximize your load and data so that you can ultimately increase your savings.