Budgeting

How To Choose A Mobile Data Plan In Singapore

joannepoh
by Joanne Poh on 28 August 2014
How To Choose A Mobile Data Plan In Singapore

While some people might be eager to let you know how much their houses, cars or handbags cost, when it comes to mobile data plans, nobody wants to pay more than necessary.

Unfortunately, while there are only three mobile carriers in Singapore, decoding the various plans is a Nobel Prize-worthy feat.

Here’s a cheatsheet to help you choose the best mobile data plan in a quick, pain-free matter.

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Choose SingTel if… you hardly use your phone

While Singtel is generally regarded as the most expensive telco, it offers one great option for extremely disciplined cheapskates.

Singtel’s Combo 1, at $27.90 a month, gives you 100 minutes of talk time, 500 SMSes and a paltry 100 MB of data.

It is actually possible to survive on this plan, though you do have to be a bit of a scrooge. Here are some tips:

  • Use wifi at the office, at home or in public spaces whenever you can. Thankfully, it’s not hard to find somewhere with a hotspot.
  • In the absence of wifi, communicate with people by SMS, since nobody these days ever uses up the SMS allowance telcos give them.
  • Instead of calling people, send them a text asking them to call you (incoming calls are free).

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Choose M1 if… you are a light to medium user

M1’s prices come out tops for light to mid-range users.

The ValueSurf+ gives you 120 minutes of talk time, 600 SMSes and 2 GB of data for $39.

While you probably shouldn’t start downloading drama serials to watch on the MRT using your mobile phone plan, 2 GB is enough to run chat applications and do some Internet surfing.

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Choose Starhub if… you never, ever put down the phone

If you’re the kind of person who uploads photos of all your food to Facebook and then calls up your five best friends on your mobile phone to give them a blow-by-blow account of the meal, you’re going to need a heavy duty plan.

Starhub’s SmartSurf Premium, at $98 a month, offers 700 minutes of talk time, 1,000 SMSes and 6GB of data.

With this much data and talk time, you had better be a telemarketer or programming apps on your phone to get your money’s worth.

 

Which mobile phone plan are you using and why? Let us know in the comments.

Image credits:
Adrian Tritschler, Daniel Foster, Claire Sambrook