Churn Wars: Bonus data offered to people switching to Virgin
Following on from Telstra and Optus, Virgin is the latest Aussie telco to tempt customers into changing their phone provider.
While Optus and Telstra have focused on credit incentives -- a dollar amount design to defray the cost of breaking a contract and updgrading a phone -- Virgin has gone for something a little more elegant.
Any who joins Virgin from another network from September 12 to October 19 will receive a bonus 2GB of data per month for the length of their contract. To be eligible you have to sign up for a 24-month plan.
The bonus data will also be made available to existing Virgin customers who upgrade their plan, again if signing on for another 24 months. Based on what Virgin charges for extra data packs, this deal represents around AU$480 in value.
Down in the fine print however, Virgin notes that this is "available when you port your number across from a provider that does not use the Optus network". If you are intending to move from an MVNO, it might be worth checking who they rent their connectivity from.
So far, Vodafone remains aloof from the battlefield with no apparently intention to cry havoc and let slip the discount offers of war. A Vodafone spokesperson offered this comment to CNET:
Customers choose Vodafone because it consistently offers outstanding value-driven plans, enviable 4G metropolitan coverage, 300 free international minutes, AU$5 a day international roaming, generous data inclusions, and exceptional service from our expanding Australian-based call centre. Customers will save simply by staying with Vodafone.