Invest 101

The Best (And Cheapest) Mobile Plan In Singapore? Why I Think Switching To eight Makes Financial Sense

Posted on
by

This article was written in collaboration with eight. All views expressed in this article are the independent opinion of DollarsAndSense.sg based on our research. DollarsAndSense.sg is not liable for any financial losses that may arise from any transactions and readers are encouraged to do their own due diligence. You can view our editorial policy.

Singapore is a notoriously expensive country to live in, and inflation concerns over the past few years mean that prices of goods and services are constantly on the rise. Whether it is the cost of housing, transport, food or entertainment, nobody likes to pay more than they used to for the same product or service.

However, not everything in our lives is more expensive today than before.

Lower Costs In Telecommunications

Over the past two decades, the cost of telecommunication services has significantly decreased. Thanks to the rise of communication platforms like WhatsApp, Skype, and Zoom, staying in touch with family and friends is virtually free, with the only expense being our mobile data plans. Moreover, these data plans have become increasingly affordable.

When I began my career over a decade ago, spending nearly $100 a month on a mobile plan was typical to meet both personal and professional needs. However, the advent of SIM-only plans has drastically reduced these costs. Today, we can easily find a plan providing ample talk time and data for just $20 to $30 monthly.

A Mobile Data Plan For Just $8 A Month?

Even though most of us can comfortably afford to spend $20 to $30 on a mobile plan, why pay more if there are better deals available? The savings become even more substantial if we are covering the mobile plans for our entire family.

For instance, I currently pay for four SIM-only mobile plans: mine, my spouse’s, and my parents’. Together, these four plans cost me just over $100 a month. It’s not very expensive, but things can get worse.

Looking ahead, as my three kids grow older, they’ll each need their own mobile plans. Assuming each plan costs $30, with seven family members, I’ll be spending around $210 a month, which adds up to $2,520 a year.

By constantly looking for the best deals, we can keep these costs under control and save ourselves a significant amount of money.

Cut Our Monthly Mobile Bill With eight, Singapore’s Newest Mobile Service Provider

If we’re aiming to reduce our monthly mobile expenses, there’s a new player in town that’s worth checking out. eight, Singapore’s newest mobile service provider, offers some compelling financial incentives that make switching a no-brainer.

At just $8 a month, eight offers an unbeatable deal for their SIM-only plans.

188GB of local data: This is more than what we get for most other SIM-only telco plans that would typically charge us about $20 – $30 a month. For example, my current plan, which costs me about $30 a month, gives me 100GB of data.

8GB APAC roaming: Asia Pacific (APAC) roaming destinations cover Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, India and Taiwan. If we travel to these countries, we no longer need to activate and deactivate our roaming each time we travel there, which may incur a one-off activation fee.

1GB International roaming: We get 1GB of mobile data for the 58 countries that are mentioned in this list.

288 minutes local talk time: More than sufficient and in line with more expensive SIM-only plans that typically cost $20 – $30 a month.

288 minutes IDD talk time: We can use international direct dialing (IDD) to call our friends and family members overseas directly.

88 local SMS: In case we still use SMS.

Here’s a summary of what we get from mobile provider eight compared to other telcos in Singapore.

 
eight
Other Telcos

Local Data
188GB
50 – 200GB

Overseas data
8GB (APAC) + 1 GB (International)
N.A

Local talk time
288 minutes
150 – 500 minutes

IDD talk time
288 minutes
N.A

SMS
88
25 – 300 SMS

Cost
$8/month
$16 – $30/month

The source of the information is from this article: Best SIM-Only Plans In Singapore cheatsheet and we refer to it for a more comprehensive comparison.

Here are a few observations to highlight.

While most telcos offer contract-free plans, some may require us to sign a 12-month/24-month contract to enjoy additional benefits.
Local data and talk time do vary significantly between the various telcos. In general, we should expect around 50GB to 200GB of data and about 150 minutes to 500 minutes of talk time for a SIM-only plan that costs about $20-30 a month.
Most SIM-only plans do not provide free overseas data or IDD talk time. There will be additional charges if we need to use these services.
While most SIM-only plans provide incoming calls for free, call number display (about $5/month) could be an add-on cost.

The mobile plan offered by eight not only matches up well to other more expensive plans in terms of data and talk time, but also includes some other standout features.

Substantial overseas data and talk time
A budget-friendly price of just $8 a month
Free incoming calls and number display

For a family of four currently spending around $100 a month on mobile plans, switching to eight could save about $60 a month or $720 a year!

For those needing more data, eight offers a higher-tier plan at $18 a month. This premium option includes:

388GB local data
58GB Malaysia roaming
8GB APAC roaming (Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, India and Taiwan)
2GB international roaming
288 minutes local talk time
288 minutes IDD talk time
88 SMS
Free incoming calls and number display

Whether we prefer the $8/month or the higher-tier $18/month plan, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to find any existing SIM-only mobile plan that can rival the value that eight provides.

For anyone who is keen to sign up for a new line or thinking of switching to eight, why not consider a free trial first?

eight offers a free trial for the first 88,888 users, giving us the chance to enjoy these fantastic features completely free every month for the first 88 days:

88GB of local data
1GB of APAC roaming in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, India, and Taiwan
88 call minutes
88 SMS

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to experience incredible savings and top-notch service! Simply head down to any of the collection points with your physical original ID. Find out where to go at www.eight.com.sg/where-to-buy

Visit https://www.eight.com.sg for more information.

The post The Best (And Cheapest) Mobile Plan In Singapore? Why I Think Switching To eight Makes Financial Sense appeared first on DollarsAndSense.sg.