Telstra’s Freedom Plus prepaid goes unlimited, but there’s a catch
Unlimited calls, separate call quota for international calls and credit rollover have been added to Telstra’s Freedom Plus prepaid plan. Here’s what you need to know.
Telstra has rejigged its pre-paid Freedom Plus plans, changing the majority of the plans over to unlimited national calls. The $30 recharge still only assigns you a fixed amount of call credit, but does still offer unlimited calls to other Telstra mobiles.
The other large-scale change to the Freedom Plus plans relates to international calling. The previous plans gave you a call credit quantity that could be used for local or international calls, but the new plans instead offer a separate international call credit sum. The bigger the recharge, the more international call credit you get. Here’s how the new plans compare to the older plans.
| Recharge Amount | Old Freedom Plus Plans | New Freedom Plus Plans |
|---|---|---|
| $30 Recharge | $250 call credit for local/international calls | $700 call credit, $200 call credit for international calls/texts |
| $40 Recharge | $750 call credit for local/international calls | Unlimited national calls, $350 call credit for international calls/texts |
| $50 Recharge | $1,500 call credit for local/international calls | Unlimited national calls, $550 call credit for international calls/texts |
Unused call credit, whether it’s national or international will roll over into the next 28-day recharge period, but will only do that once before expiring.
What about data?
There’s no boost to the data offerings on Freedom Plus, which sit at 1.3GB, 3GB and 4GB respectively for the $30/$40/$50 credit tiers. At the moment, Telstra is running a night-time bonus data promotion that gives you additional data to use between 8pm and 8am AEDT.
Telstra’s also offering Freedom Plus customers a one-off bonus 5GB data pack if they recharge between 10 November and 31 December 2015. There’s no other stated change to the data quantities on offer, and unlike Telstra’s Beyond Talk packages, you can’t use parts of your "recharge credit" to purchase additional data packs.
Are the new Freedom Plus deals better?
More calling inclusions is usually a good thing, but this will depend on your existing usage patterns.
If the majority of calls you make are within Australia, then there’s obvious appeal in having unlimited calling abilities at your disposal. On the other hand, if you make a lot of international calls and you were previously using a lot of your credit for those kinds of calls, the new plans are a step down for you. For every Freedom Plus plan, the quantity of credit you can allocate to international calls has substantially dropped under the new plan rules.
If you want to compare your prepaid plan options, our comprehensive mobile plan chooser can help you decide which prepaid plan is right for your needs.
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Hi I’ve just got an iPad and want the best prepaid for it, data only, as I heaps of free calling on my Telstra sim in phone.
Hi Kim,
Thanks for your question and welcome to Finder!
You may want to check a list of mobile plans that could offer you 5GB plus data. Please open the page to start comparing your options.
Cheers,
Anndy
I want to change my offer to freedom plus
Hi Rosemary,
Thanks for your comment.
If you wish to apply for freedom plus plan with Telstra, please head over to their website to submit your application. Meantime, if you’d also like to check other prepaid plans aside from Telstra’s offer, please feel free to check a list of prepaid plans featured on our website.
Cheers,
May
Hi, I activated a sim card for use in my ipad on the broadband plan and have now placed that sim in another device. I want it on the freedom plus instead. I know it can be done as I helped a friend with the same issue and it was changed over for him.
Hello Kylie,
Thanks for your question,
In order for you to have your mobile plan changed you may need to contact your mobile service provider directly to have the plan changed for you. Please be advised that we are a financial comparison and general information provider and we do not have access to account specific related enquiries.
Cheers!
Chester
It’s pretty stupid that you use to be able to buy data using your credit but now their is no option for it. The only plus pack you can buy is for data overseas I use to love that feature about freedom plus that you were able to use your credit balance to buy normal data plus packs that you could use anywhere. Will this ever be a feature again?
Hi Lee,
Unfortunately at this stage it doesn’t appear that Telstra will offer that feature on the Freedom Plus prepaid packs. Telstra does allow you to buy data topups using your credit on the Beyond Talk plans, so those might be a better fit for your needs.
Regards,
Alex.
How do I go about making international phone calls using Freedom Plus from Telstra? When I try dialling an international number, and operator tells me that it is not valid.
Hi Johann,
Firstly, I would double check that the international calling code you’re using is correct. If you still can’t dial out, I would recommend calling Telstra’s customer support line. There could be a block on the backend of your account.
Thanks,
Brodie