Get a new phone every year with Telstra's new plans

Australia's biggest mobile network has decided to shake things up for consumers, by introducing new mobile plans for 2014 and giving customers the option to upgrade their phone on a yearly basis.

Telstra has released details of its upcoming Mobile Accelerate Plans, which will replace the current Everyday Connect post-paid plan options for new Telstra customers.

The telco is talking up the plan changes by stating they offer ‘greater cost certainty’, as Telstra is now introducing a new $130 ‘safety net’ for excess calls, texts and MMS.

What this means is that customers will pay a maximum of $130 for eligible calls, even if they exceed their plan allowance. However, the cap doesn’t apply to excess data charges, although Telstra has dropped its excess data rate from 10 cents per megabyte, down to 3 cents.

Plans with an included new handset start at $55 for lighter users, up to $130 for unlimited calls and text and a more generous data allowance. Telstra is also introducing new SIM-only options for customers who prefer to bring their own device.

New Mobile Accelerate Plans

The revamped Telstra plans are slightly cheaper than its current Every Day Connect options, but include a smaller voice call and MMS allowance, and, in the case of Telstra's cheapest $55 option, less data. The carrier's high-tier $130 per month plan will remain the same. For comparison, the old Every Day Connect plans include:

• S - $60 per month, $600 of calls and MMS, unlimited text, 1GB of data
• M - $80 per month, $800 of calls and MMS, unlimited text, 1.5GB data, free talk 7pm - 7am nights
• L - $100 per month, $900 of calls and MMS, unlimited text, free talk 7pm - 7am nights and all weekends
• XL - $130 per month, unlimited calls, MMS and text, 3GB of data

Telstra is also offering new BYO plans with the same inclusions, but slightly cheaper monthly charges.

New Mobile Accelerate BYO Plans

Both Mobile Accelerate and BYO Mobile Accelerate plans will enable customers to share their included data between additional devices, by adding up to five Data Share SIMs to their account. Current prices for extra SIMs are $10 per SIM, per month.

The new Mobile Accelerate plans will go live March 4.

Get a new phone sooner

Perhaps the most interesting feature of Telstra’s 'new and improved' plans is the option for customers to upgrade their handset after the first twelve months, instead of the usual wait of two years (and the expiry of their service contract).

Telstra is calling its upgrading program ‘Telstra New Phone Feeling’. For a $10 per month fee, customers can return their existing phone twelve months into their contract and exchange it for a new device. The customer will need to sign a new 24-month service plan for the smartphone, which will replace their contract for the old handset.

Phones must be undamaged and in good working order to be traded in. So far, the offer only appears to apply to Telstra users on a two-year service and handset plan.

Early upgrading is currently a big thing for US mobile phone providers, with all the big carriers offering their own deals for customers who’d prefer more flexibility when it comes to trading in their device.

Our US site has looked at how these plans work extensively, and while we’re not convinced that these kind of programs are a great move financially, we can see how people with a love for tech could be convinced that being able to access new phones more frequently is a great option.

We will have more information on Telstra's New Phone Feeling - and an analysis as to whether it's worth your hard-earned money - in the next week.

Image credit: TRIGA Systems at Flickr

Tara Donnelly

Read full bio