Telstra, to non-Australians, which you have my sympathies, is our national carrier, or used to be before a good deal of it was sold off, but that's another thing.

So back to Telstra. My phone plan expired so I paid my local Telstra shop a visit to see what's on for me.

I managed to upgrade my phone to the next model Motorola RaZr V3xx at no additional cost on my original $30 per month plan.
Then she asks "Have you a business?"
"uh huh"
"Well then, see all these..."

So, I walk out with:

  • A new phone.
  • Free 10 minute mobile to mobile calls to SWMBO and the Princess and back again. This three way thing is going to save us heaps since SWMBO is always expecting me to call AND since The Princess is so disorganised we have to call her all the time.
  • SWMBO's call cost went to less than half her current rate without changing her plan.
  • The Princess's call cost went to a third her current rate without changing her plan either.
  • My Call cost went to about half my current rate still at $30 pm.
  • PLUS, as a "group bonus" The Princess gets 125 free txt per month.

Bingo. I walk out of there a richer man than when I walked in.

So I turned around and went back in.

I bought a pre-paid phone thingy for my old Razr V3 so The Earl of Hornsby can use it. Now the whole family is connected. The Earl pays a higher fee per call (about a $1 per minute) but once the $25 is used it it stops so costs are restricted. AND he gets 1c txts AND we can call him for only 22c per minute. Now that he might be walking home from his new school I feel a bit better if he has a phone with him.

Go figure.