Bank up your data

Dial into some savings now that unused data on your phone can be banked,

COST-conscious mobile phone customers who fail to chew through their allocated data each month can now move untapped amounts into a “data bank”.

Many telco providers are rolling out new offers allowing customers to draw on unused data when they need to, without being stung for extra charges.

Woolworths Mobile – which operates on the Telstra network – has just extended its data bank offer to postpaid mobile plans.

They already offer data banks on prepaid deals, allowing customers to squeeze more value out of their mobile phone provider.

Telco comparison website WhistleOut’s spokesman, Joseph Hanlon, said a data bank enables customers to keep any excess data in reserve – a relatively new concept in Australia.

“This can be a great way to save money if you’re happy to monitor your bill a little,’’ Mr Hanlon said. “Rather than paying extra for a data buffer on your plan, you can choose a lower value plan and save a bit of money every month.”

There’s no denying Australians are hooked on their mobile devices more than ever, and being able to use unused data at a later date allows savvy phone users to save money.

The amount of data that can be stored in the data bank at any time is up to 30GB.

Prepaid customers must recharge their plan before it expires to ensure their unused data is not lost.

Woolworths’ head of mobile, James McMurrough, said the option of having a data bank would give customers

much more “flexibility” on their usage.

“We do see data usage vary from month to month for many of our customers and feel it’s only fair that they get full value for the inclusions they are paying for,’’ he said.

“Customers can plan ahead and bank up data for the times they’ll need a little extra.”

Mr McMurrough said this was particularly handy for jetsetters who don’t always have access to free Wi-Fi while on holiday, or for those customers who don’t have Wi-Fi available at home or in the office.

Other telco providers that offer data bank facilities on some deals include Telstra, Belong, Boost Mobile and Aldi Mobile, on the Telstra network.

Optus also offers data rollover on some prepaid plans.