DiGi New Best Prepaid vs Old Best Prepaid (Hit RM1)

So it seems that there are a lot of people who don't know whether it is worth it to switch to the New Best Prepaid plan? In this post, we shall compare the call rates of each plan and find out which best suits you.

 

The specialty of the DiGi's new best prepaid is that you will be only charged 6cents for the first 10 seconds call. Yes, you've not read it wrongly, 6cents! It's cheaper than SMS! For the next minute you will be charged at RM0.20 per 120 second block, meaning your next minute will be counted as a 2 minutes call. In other words, even if you hung up your call in 1 minutes' time, your call will still be counted as a 2 minutes call due to the 120 secs per block charging rate. The subsequent minutes will be charged at 20cents per minute.

To make it easier to understand the new best prepaid plan, I've broke them down into per minute per call comparison:

First off comparison, the Old Best Prepaid is charged at RM0.18 per 30 seconds block. Meaning if your call is 10 seconds you will be charged RM0.18 versus the RM0.06 on the NEW BEST PREPAID.

For a 1 minute call:
New Best Prepaid: RM0.06 (10 seconds) + RM0.20 (120 seconds block) = RM0.26 per minute
Old Best Prepaid (Before hitting RM1): RM0.36 per minute

Old Best prepaid (After hitting RM1): RM0.12 per minute

For a 2 minutes call:
New Best Prepaid: RM.0.06 (10 seconds) + RM0.20 (120 seconds block) = RM0.26
Old Best Prepaid (Before hitting RM1): RM0.36 x 2=RM0.72

Old Best Prepaid (After hitting RM1): RM0.12 x 2= RM0.24

For a 3 minutes call:
New Best Prepaid: RM0.06 (10 seconds) + RM0.20 (120 seconds block) + RM0.20 (Subsequent minutes) = RM0.46
Old Best Prepaid (Before hitting RM1): RM0.36 x 3=RM1.08

Old Best Prepaid (After hitting RM1): RM0.12 x 3= RM0.36

So for the first 3 minutes, the New Best Prepaid is cheaper. RM1.08 - RM0.46 = RM0.62. You save RM0.62. But on per minute per call after you hitting RM1, the Old Best Prepaid is cheaper.

And here we compare the New Best Prepaid vs the Old Best Prepaid (After hitting RM1) minute by minute:

For 1 minute call:
New: RM0.06+0.20=RM0.26
Old: RM0.12

For 2 minutes call:
New: RM0.06+0.20=0.26
Old: RM0.12x2=0.24

For 3 minutes call:
New: RM0.06+0.20+0.20=RM0.46
Old: RM0.12x3=RM0.36

For 4 minutes call:
New: RM0.06+0.20+0.20+0.20=RM0.66
Old: RM0.12x4=RM0.48

For 5 minutes call:
New: RM0.06+0.20+0.20+0.20+0.20=RM0.86
Old: RM0.12x5=RM0.60

For 6 minutes call:
New: RM0.06+0.20+0.20+0.20+0.20+0.20=RM1.06
Old: RM0.12x6=0.72

For 7 minutes call:
New: RM0.06+0.20+0.20+0.20+0.20+0.20+0.20=RM1.26
Old: RM0.12x7=RM0.84

For minute per minute comparison, the Old Best Prepaid excels after you hit RM1.

How about if you add in the extra 10 seconds? Since the charging block is RM0.18 per 30 secs charging block (before hitting RM1) and 60 secs charging block (after you hit RM1) for the Old Best Prepaid?

For first 1 minute and 10 seconds call:
New Best Prepaid: RM0.06 (10 seconds) + RM0.20 (120 seconds block) = RM0.26
Old Best Prepaid (Before hitting RM1): RM0.36 per minute + RM0.36 (due to the per 30 seconds charging block) = RM0.72

Old Best prepaid (After hitting RM1): RM0.12 per minute + RM0.12 (due to the per 60 seconds charging block)=RM0.44

For first 2 minutes 10 seconds call:
New Best Prepaid: RM.0.06 (10 seconds) + RM0.20 (120 seconds block) = RM0.26
Old Best Prepaid (Before hitting RM1): RM0.36 x 3 (due to per 30 seconds charging block) =RM1.08

Old Best Prepaid (After hitting RM1): RM0.12 x 3 (due to per 60 seconds charging block) = RM0.36

For first 3 minutes call 10 seconds call:
New Best Prepaid: RM0.06 (10 seconds) + RM0.20 (120 seconds block) + RM0.20= RM0.46
Old Best Prepaid (Before hitting RM1): RM0.36 x 3 minutes + RM0.12 (After hitting RM1) =RM1.20
Old Best Prepaid (After hitting RM1): RM0.12 x 4 minutes (due to per 60 seconds charging block) = RM0.48

For first 4 minutes 10 seconds call:
New Best Prepaid: RM0.06 (10 seconds) + RM0.20 (120 seconds block) + RM0.20 + RM0.20=0.66
Old Best Prepaid (Before hitting RM1): RM0.36 x 3 minutes + RM0.12  (After hitting RM1) + RM0.12=RM1.32

Old Best Prepaid (After hitting RM1): RM0.12 x 5 (due to per 60 seconds charging block)= RM0.60

For first 5 minutes 10 seconds call:
New Best Prepaid: RM0.06 (10 seconds) + RM0.20 (120 seconds block) + RM0.20 + RM0.20+0.20=RM0.86
Old Best Prepaid (Before hitting RM1): RM0.36 x 3 minutes + RM0.12 + RM0.12 + RM0.12=RM1.44

Old Best Prepaid (After hitting RM1): RM0.12 x 6= RM0.72

For first 6 minutes 10 seconds call
New Best Prepaid: RM0.06+0.20+0.20+0.20+0.20+0.20 = RM1.06
Before hitting RM1 and then hitting 1 after 3 minutes call: RM0.36x3+0.12+0.12+0.12+0.12 = RM1.56

After hitting RM1 : RM0.12 x 7 = RM0.84

On FnF, you get 30 seconds for 6 cents, and RM0.12 for the next 2 minutes and RM0.12 on subsequent minutes.

1 minute FnF call:
New Best Prepaid: RM0.06+0.12=RM0.18
Old Best Prepaid: RM0.12 per minute

1 minute call 30 seconds FnF call:
New Best Prepaid: RM0.06+0.12=RM0.18
Old Best Prepaid: RM0.12 x 2 = RM0.24

2 minutes FnF call:
New Best prepaid: RM0.18 (RM0.06 + RM0.12)
Old Best Prepaid: RM0.24 (RM0.12 x 2)

2 minutes 30 seconds FnF call:
New Best Prepaid: RM0.18 (RM0.06 + RM0.12
Old Best Prepaid: RM0.36 (RM0.12 x 3)

3 minutes FnF call:
New Best Prepaid: RM0.30 (RM0.06+0.12+0.12)
Old Best Prepaid: RM0.36 (RM0.12 x 3)

3 minutes 30 seconds FnF call:
New Best Prepaid: RM0.30 (RM0.06+0.12+0.12)
Old Best Prepaid: RM0.36 (RM0.12 x 4) [Due to 60 seconds charging block]

4 minutes FnF call:
New Best Prepaid: RM0.42 (RM0.06+0.12+0.12+0.12)
Old Best Prepaid: RM0.48 (RM0.12 x 4)

4 minutes 30 seconds FnF call:
New Best Prepaid: RM0.42 (RM0.06+0.12+0.12+0.12)
Old Best Prepaid: RM0.60 (RM0.12 x 5)

5 minutes FnF call:
New Best Prepaid: RM0.54 (RM0.06+0.12+0.12+0.12)
Old Best Prepaid: RM0.60 (RM0.12 x 5)

5 minutes 30 seconds FnF call:
New Best Prepaid: RM0.54 (RM0.06+0.12+0.12+0.12+0.12)
Old Best Prepaid: RM0.72 (RM0.12 x 6)

The NEW BEST PREPAID offers better FnF rates.

The New Best Prepaid is cheaper for short calls under 3 minutes, and it offers cheaper FnF rates. For the Old Best Prepaid, calls are cheaper after you hit RM1. But for the first 3 minutes, the New Best Prepaid is cheaper. And you save RM0.62 for the first 3 minutes call.

You should choose depending on your call patterns, if you do a lot of short calls like me, the NEW BEST PREPAID is for you. Plus, the FnF rates are cheaper!  Why don't we hang up every 30 seconds you ask? Just for fun, let's do a comparison:

Assume we hang up every 30 secs to achieve a 3 minutes FnF call that would cost:
(RM0.06+0.06)+(0.06+0.06)+(0.06+0.06)=RM0.36 (3 minutes)
vs
RM0.06+0.12+0.12=RM0.30 (3 minutes 30 seconds)

Hangup every 30 seconds to achieve a 10 minutes FnF would cost:
(RM0.06+0.06)+(0.06+0.06)+(0.06+0.06)+(RM0.06+0.06)+(0.06+0.06)+(0.06+0.06)+(RM0.06+0.06)+(0.06+0.06)+(0.06+0.06)+(0.06+0.06)= RM1.20 (10 minutes)
vs
RM0.06+0.12+0.12+0.12+0.12+0.12+0.12+0.12+0.12+0.12=RM1.14 (10 minutes 30 seconds)


But if you hang up every 2 minutes 10 seconds to achieve a 10 minutes call:
RM0.26+RM0.26+0.26+0.26+0.26=RM1.30 (10 minutes 50 seconds)
vs
RM0.26 + RM0.20+0.20+0.20+0.20+0.20+0.20+0.20+0.20=RM1.86 (10 minutes 10 seconds)


So choose wisely according to your call patterns.

Oh not to forget SMS rates:
Old Best Prepaid: RM0.10 to all network, RM0.01 to FnF, RM0.10 to non-DiGi FnF
New Best Prepaid: RM0.08 to all network, RM0.01 to FnF, RM0.06 to non-DiGi FnF

It seems the New Best Prepaid encourages people to add more numbers to their FnF lists.

I haven't compare with rates after subsribing to Super 10 and etc. This is just a straightforwad comparison between the NEW Best Prepaid vs the OLD Best Prepaid.

I think this should give enough idea to some of the people out there on which to choose, but do note that you will be charged RM3 for this change. It also gave me a warning saying that my FnF would be gone. And if they are gone, you will be charged RM2 per FnF if you've add up 15 FnF before. Please take note of this.

The grace period has been reduced to 75 days vs the 90 days on the OLD best prepaid and according dgboy at LYN, the Super Long life is still available to subsribe. I haven't tried it myself though.

In my opinion, get the NEW one if you makes short calls more often or if you only call your FnF members. The FnF rates are better than the old one overall. And you should control your usage to save more. Let's say for FnF, try to finish the conversation withn 30 seconds before getting charged RM0.18. For normal calls, try to finish the conversation within 10 seconds.

Stay with the OLD if you make a lot of calls to other numbers. As per minute by minute comparison, the OLD one is cheaper after hitting RM1. But for the first 3 minutes, the NEW prepaid is cheaper and you save RM0.62 on the first 3 minutes call. RM0.46 on the NEW Best Prepaid vs RM1.08 on the OLD Best Prepaid.

Disclaimer: This is just my own comparison, if there's anything wrong with the comparison, please do not hesistate to comment below. Thank you for viewing. Copyrights reserved 2012.

Update: The NEW DiGi BEST PREPAID is pure Awesome! I have RM0.06 left only in my account and still able to make a miss call! HAHA! First time ever in my life I am able to make a call instead of spending the last few cents into a SMS.

iPhone 5 is here in Malaysia!

After all this wait, the iPhone 5 is finally here! And you can now Pre-order your iPhone 5 at Celcom & DiGi's website! Maxis' plan is out too, but the website doesn't seem to allow you to pre-order them just yet.

 

On the yellow corner DiGi, the iPhone 5 16GB on DiGi costs RM2,012. Did they purposely priced it at RM2,012.00 to celebrate the end of the world? Hmm.. The 32GB version costs RM2,322.00 while the 64GB version costs RM2,632.00 on all iDiGi plans. The plans are same as the ones you get on the iPhone 4 / iPhone 4S but there's no more rebates now. Let's hope they come up with an better offer.

 

Moving to the green side (Maxis), the iPhone 5 16GB is FREE when you signup for the iValue 4 24-months contract, which costs RM375 per month (excluding tax) or RM1,099 for a 12-months iValue 4 plan. You get 2500 FREE mins,  10GB Mobile Data, Maxis WiFi 4GB, 800 SMSes and 80 MMSes. You'll also get extra 1000 mins & 200 SMSes (Maxis to Maxis)

 

Check the full Maxis plan & rates chart here

 

On the Blue corner (Celcom) you can pre-order your iPhone 5 now, but you have to pay a booking fee of RM200 a piece, but no words on whether they will refunded or credited into your account.

 

It seems like the 64GB is the most popular variant being sold out on the very first day of selling. The 32GB Black version is sold out too. No further details on plan though. But I am guessing they should be about the same as the old iPhone 4S plan.