Virgin cuts excess data charge by nearly 75%

Virgin Mobile today announced a huge cut in the way it charges for excess data use on its network, slashing the rate from 20.5c per MB to just 5.2c.

This amounts to a $153 reduction in the cost of a gigabyte (GB) of extra data, with the new rate costing $52 per GB, billed in kilobyte (Kb) blocks.

This shift positions Virgin Mobile as third cheapest of the four major Aussie telcos, when comparing up to 1GB of excess data use. Optus’ excellent excess usage tiers are still best value, while Vodafone’s 10c per MB rate earns it the wooden spoon.

It is also another big step towards ending a lot of the fear that customers feel when signing up to new plans. The term "bill shock" is a phrase we are hearing (and using) far less frequently these days, and changes like this go a long way to stamping it out altogether.

Virgin is still running its popular Double Data promotion on post-paid plans, with the offer running until May 11, 2014.

Joseph Hanlon

Editorial Director | X | LinkedIn

Joe Hanlon has been immersed in mobile phones, plans and the internet for over a decade, having written for publications like CNET, Techradar, Gizmodo and Lifehacker. He steers the editorial ship and makes sure that we are always serving up the most useful guides and recommendations. If you ever bump into Joe on the street, don't be afraid to ask for a phone recommendation. It's embarrassing how much he enjoys talking about this stuff. He also loves listening to podcasts, so feel free to email Joe with recommendations.

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