virginmobile.com.au/rates/bean_counter.html

It's only available via their website. For $25 with a 45 day expiry date and 10 cent/min and 10 cent SMS, it's cheaper than the $49 caps and the $79 caps (with 30 sec billing, higher connection fee added).

So for each 30 day period, that's just $16.67

Means that if you use just that bare minimum of $25 which is 200+ mins (with connection fees deducted), it's a very low ARPU for Virgin Mobile. I don't see why they'd bring out a prepaid product so cheap? (not that I'm complaining)

i dont think it is cheaper than their cap if you are close to using the $230 of calls.
it is hard to say.

Caps have the effect, of completely "capping" the customers bill - after having such a low rate for "upto$230" they avoid going over it as much as possible.

Seems very low call rates is where some carriers are headed, Telstra has done the same thing - but slightly cheaper in the call rates.

Of course, the 10c SMS still makes a cap better value,, as it's at least twice the prove you'd "pay" on a cap. - but it is a decent deal.

Did a bit of a comparison..

Virgin - Recharge with $50 and you get approx 500 minutes talk (not taking into consideration the connection fee)

Vodafone - Recharge with $49 ($230 credit) and you get approx 384 minutes talk (again not taking connection fee into consideration)

And of course the time in which you can use it is greater.

Some people will be better off with caps (ie for data), but these are really good value! Esp with the 10c sms as well :)

wow...thats cool.....

thanks for the info and link... i've never even considered Virgin before...

does anyone know how much it costs to send MMS's on this plan ??

You lose quite a bit going to Virgin though. I am with them and i am very much looking forward to porting out... Not having data access is the real killer for me.... but i guess if you are just after the basics, sms, mms and phone calls... they are pretty good value.

Ignition writes...

does anyone know how much it costs to send MMS's on this plan ??

My guess is it's their standard pricing... 25c to Virgin, 60c to others. But best to contact them :)

i took the plunge and signed up with virgin online today.
it could work out more expensive for me than a cap, could be more.
at least there is a chance either way.

anyone else?

I'm currently a virgin prepaid customer, was gona sign up to this but in stead I'm gona sign up to the Phone On US 30 plan with a D900.
Bean Counter seems like an extremely good deal to me since I only use about $30 a month.

najtaylor writes...

it could work out more expensive for me than a cap, could be more.

I think I'll go to the beach tomorrow or maybe go to the beach. It will be a good day either way ;P

Pяemier Лazaяbaўev writes...

I think I'll go to the beach tomorrow or maybe go to the beach. It will be a good day either way ;P

But if you goto the beach tomorrow, then you'd be at the beach?

who is virgins carrier??? vodafone or optus.

harryhongo writes...

who is virgins carrier??? vodafone or optus.

Optus, actually Optus owns Virgin now.

defrag writes...

Optus, actually Optus owns Virgin now.

Thanks.

can I ask about a optus prepaid question in here about loosing money if I don't recharge buy a certain date or should I start a new thread.

yeah is cheap cheap

Switching from Vodafone to Virgin now. Much more economically viable than the MaxiCap! :)

virgin $230 cap is $45 on month-to-month.
this gets you one call of 328 mins.

vodafone $230 cap is $49 on prepay.
this gets you one call of 383 mins.

optus $230 cap is $49 on month-to-month.
this gets you one call of 328 mins.

telstra $250 cap is $49 on prepay.
this gets you one call of 316 mins (provided it is a telstra number) otherwise 253 mins.

virgin 'bean counter' with $45 of credit on prepay.
gives you one call of 448 mins.

end of story.

dont you think?

Agreed if you look at in terms of making one extremely long call with your credit. But often people need data services (not available with Virgin), etc.

Bean counter is especially cheap since usually a plan with discounted calls won't have discounted messages too. 10c is a very reasonable price for a text message.

indeed, the regressive 25c flagfall on most of the aforementioned plans hurts bean counter as you calculate 'normal usage' - as does the txt charge since you get less credit to spend than a cap.

then again, given you get 45 days to use bean counter as opposed to 30 days for all the others, it kind of evens out.

I think bean counter is unbelievable value.

Many of my calls are 2-5 minutes, free voicemail and 45 day credit expiry for periods where I'm making less calls means it's unbeatable value.

Matt

very good marketing name also.
as is virgin as im moving to melbourne and will be flying back to see my family all the time.

note - virgin mobile gets you 5% off virgin flights

Can you port your number to this product?

ad5 writes...

Can you port your number to this product?

You certainly can :)

Matt P writes...

I think bean counter is unbelievable value.

Many of my calls are 2-5 minutes, free voicemail and 45 day credit expiry for periods where I'm making less calls means it's unbeatable value.


Yup it's probably the best "mid-low" prepaid plan around.

mid to low?
is that what a very comparable product to a $49 cap is?

Ace! writes...

Agreed if you look at in terms of making one extremely long call with your credit. But often people need data services (not available with Virgin), etc.

ive been with Virgin for about 4 years, never seen the need for data personally.

najtaylor writes...

note - virgin mobile gets you 5% off virgin flights

How do you claim this?

I have had virgin prepaid for 2 years and have been on virgin post paid for 6 months.

They are pretty good and the virgin to virgin rates are great between the family.

hows it compare to 3's 29 cap

optus gsm coverage is average as well

simo123 writes...

optus gsm coverage is average as well

Personally I find it pretty good. Not quite as good as Tel$tra, but better than Vodafone.

simo123 writes...

optus gsm coverage is average as well

Not sure where you live, but here in Melbourne I've been with Optus for many, many years, and their coverage has always been excellent.

I presume there's no "priority" system on the Optus network to de-prioritise Virgin calls, is there?

I'm sold on this "Bean Counter" thing, as the majority of my mobile use these days is text. One question for those in the know, though: I plan in the near future to move over to Three - but not immediately. If I port my number to Virgin now, is there a waiting period before I'm allowed to port again to Three?

why do optus (virgin) say they have 96% of aus covered gsm when telstra have the same but everyone says they have more coverage

dealerkim writes...

How do you claim this?I have had virgin prepaid for 2 years and have been on virgin post paid for 6 months.They are pretty good and the virgin to virgin rates are great between the family.

you sign in online to your account, and click perks or something.
you have to:

1. buy the ticket once you are logged into your virgin mobile account
2. include the virgin mobile number in the contact field.

5% off of virgin atlantic also.

simo123 writes...

why do optus (virgin) say they have 96% of aus covered gsm when telstra have the same but everyone says they have more coverage

Telstra have more landmass coverage than Optus.

najtaylor writes...

5% off of virgin atlantic also.

Nice! I never knew about this! I'll have to abuse it now :D

Thanks a lot.

the virgin cap also seams alright
(looks like bean counter prepaid is cheaper though - wonder how long it will last)

n73
$20 cap ($40value) + 20 phone repayment for first 6 months

= 240 after 6 mths ($120 paid off phone)

then pay the remainder of phone $360

so you get the n73 for $480 unlocked and then do what you want

anyone done somthing like this

defrag writes...

Optus, actually Optus owns Virgin now.

As Virgin use the Optus network, will a Virgin SIM card work in a handset locked to the Optus network? Anyone tried it?

ad5 writes...

As Virgin use the Optus network, will a Virgin SIM card work in a handset locked to the Optus network? Anyone tried it?

From what I have heard, yes.

ad5 writes...

As Virgin use the Optus network, will a Virgin SIM card work in a handset locked to the Optus network? Anyone tried it?

I heard that it depends on the phone, but when I bought an LG B2100 (from Optus prepaid, and apparently locked to their network) in the middle of last year, I used my Virgin prepaid SIM in there with no problems...

ad5 writes...

As Virgin use the Optus network, will a Virgin SIM card work in a handset locked to the Optus network? Anyone tried it?

Unless Optus puts a carrier lock on, it should work. However, Optus would be shooting itself in the foot if it did that (considering that SingTel Optus is the 100% owner of Virgin Mobile Australia).

najtaylor writes...

mid to low?
is that what a very comparable product to a $49 cap is?

Does it compare to a $49 cap?

Dunno, certainly not for my usage. Guess it depends on what services you use, for plain old voice calls its fine - but TXT and PXT would kill the Virgin Mobile product if you used those services alot.

$49 would be middle usage these days, I was comparing it to "$30" recharge options on most carriers :)

I see Optus have a new Turbo Recharge offer. Previously a $40 recharge gave $160 worth of credit, it now gives $200. this is an attractive alternative to the Virgin Bean Counter product, especially with free Optus to Optus features.

Ok, so I signed up for the Virgin "Bean Counter" pre-paid service. And my first impressions of Virgin Mobile are not at all good.

Here's the saga; I did email Virgin about this and wasn't going to post here until I got a reply, but since the two days they say they'll reply within has passed and there's still been no reply or even acknowledgement they got my email...

I ordered a "Bean Counter" SIM online on Monday, and it promptly arrived on Tuesday. And that's where the fun began.

Having just turned my computer off when I found the SIM had arrived in the mail, I figured it would be easier to just call the 1300 number listed in the supplied booklet to activate the service and to port my Optus number over to Virgin. I selected the option for people who are porting their number, and in due course (after listening to the obligatory recordings) was speaking to a CSR, who took my details (including the mobile number supplied with the phone and the mobile number I wanted to port) and set things in motion. Literally 15 minutes later, the port went through and my Virgin SIM was active and accepting calls and text messages. So far, so good. I also sent an SMS to check that all was working properly in that department. It went through fine.

Then later last night, I made a test call to my home number to check that my caller ID was being sent - and was greeted by a recording saying that my phone was not activated. I tried going to voicemail to set that up, and got a different recording, also saying I needed to get online to activate my service.

So I went to the web site and logged in using my ported (old Optus) number and my PIN. Logged in fine, but a check of my balance was a surprise - it had the single SMS I'd sent listed there and a total balance of -$0.25 - the $10 Bean Counter credit I was supposed to get with the SIM was not there. I tried to activate and was met with an error. So I tried logging in with the Virgin-supplied number. This failed.

At this stage it was nearly midnight, so I had to wait until this morning to call to find out what was going on. The CSR I spoke to was puzzled as to why this had happened, and eventually said he'd activated my service for me and my account was now $10 in credit. I asked if this credit was the "Bean Counter" credit, and he said no, he wasn't able to credit me with that type, and I had $10 of "normal" credit instead.

Now obviously, that's not what I signed up for; instead of calls at 20c per minute I'd be paying nearly four times as much, and SMS messages would be 25c instead of 10c each. I objected, and the CSR was kind enough to double my credit to $20; however, that still leaves me in a worse-off position than I should have been, and what was supposed to be a service where I wouldn't have to worry about high call costs was suddenly one where I don't want to make calls at all as they're just too costly per minute.

I then tried to set up voicemail again and was greeted by the same activation message. So I called back, and got the same CSR, who eventually did something to rectify it which involved de-activating and re-activating the service. It now works.

So all in all, I've spent over half an hour on the phone trying to get the service working, and ultimately ended up with the wrong type of credit and a lot of frustration. The call and text rate which was the reason I signed up in the first place is now not available to me until I pay more money.

thats a shame.
doesnt make sense though.
if you ordered a bean counter sim, and have proof via email, then why wouldnt they credit it?

i know you dont want to hear this, but mine went through fine.
except, porting from exetel was a joke. that company are a joke.

najtaylor writes...

if you ordered a bean counter sim, and have proof via email, then why wouldnt they credit it?

Exactly. Something obviously got screwed up by the woman I spoke to when I called to activate and port, and the guy I spent an eternity on the phone with trying to sort it out seemed unable to explain what happened. He insisted, though, that he was unable to apply Bean Counter credits over the phone (or, for that matter, any other special rates like "Motormouth").

The fact that they seem to have ignored my email doesn't make me feel any better, either. Somehow I don't think I'll be with Virgin very long; when Three gets the K800i down to free on the $49 cap I'll be outta there.

i know you dont want to hear this, but mine went through fine.

I'd kind of expect it to go through fine 100% of the time, and if it doesn't, they should be able to fix it without leaving me at a disadvantage. Guess not.

porting from exetel was a joke. that company are a joke.

I'd never sign up with Exetel after their Chinese call centre continually harrassed me over the course of weeks some time ago. I generally rate any company that needs to cold-call to find customers as rubbish not worth a second glance.

Topher1976 writes...

Virgin - Recharge with $50 and you get approx 500 minutes talk (not taking into consideration the connection fee)

Vodafone - Recharge with $49 ($230 credit) and you get approx 384 minutes talk (again not taking connection fee into consideration)

I would have to say this bean counter is not as a good of a product as a normal cap.
I initially thought on the same line. However it occur to me that if you actually work on different call times the cap is much better.

Here is some calculations to support my claim.
Bean counter
1 min call = $0.1 + $0.25 = $0.35
2 min call = $0.2 + $0.25 = $0.45
3 min call = $0.3 + $0.25 = $0.55 etc..

A new $49 cap with $0.35 for 30 sec
1 min call = $0.7 + $0.25 = $0.95
2 min call = $1.4 + $0.25 =$1.65
3 min call = $2.1 + $0.25 = $2.35 etc.

An old three $49 cap with $0.30 for 30 sec
1 min call = $0.6 + $0.25 = $0.85
2 min call = $1.2 + $0.25 = $1.45
3 min call = $1.8 + $0.25 = $2.05 etc

now applying each call rate to it's respective allowance.

for bean counter
assume:
all 1 min calls = $50 / $0.35 = 143 call rounded up
all 2 min calls = $50 / $0.45 = 112 call rounded up
all 3 min calls = $50 / $0.55 = 91 call rounded up
etc..

for new $49 cap with $0.35 for 30 sec
assume:
all 1 min calls = $300 / $0.95 = 316 call rounded up
all 2 min calls = $300 / $1.65 = 182 call rounded up
all 3 min calls = $300 / $2.35 = 128 call rounded up
etc..

for old three $49 cap with $0.30 for 30 sec
assume:
all 1 min calls = $230 / $0.85 = 271 call rounded up
all 2 min calls = $230 / $1.45 = 159 call rounded up
all 3 min calls = $230 / $2.05 = 113 call rounded up
etc..

As you could probably guess, the difference in amount of calls gets smaller and eventually bean counter will have more call value then the two caps I have used to compare with. I think it will take up to 7 or 8 mins for every call.

My point here is, if you are mostly calling 1 or 2 or 3 or even 4 mins, you would be better off to stay on a cap plan.

As a prepaid plan it sure looks like the best option out there though. but if you are on a cap and are looking to switch to this.. perhaps you should think again.

Windumat writes...

As a prepaid plan it sure looks like the best option out there though. but if you are on a cap and are looking to switch to this.. perhaps you should think again.

But Virgin Bean Counter has free voice mail (deposit and retrieval) and its credit lasts an extra 15 days (45 days).

exactly.

for me at the end of the day i am always going to spend around $40/50 a month, but:

prepaid promotes you to think about making unneccessary calls/sms etc.
monthly/contracts make you think about using what youve paid for.

najtaylor writes...

indeed, the regressive 25c flagfall on most of the aforementioned plans hurts bean counter as you calculate 'normal usage' - as does the txt charge since you get less credit to spend than a cap.

For me, as long as I make a call longer than 5 seconds, I'm better off under this "bean Counter" product

Bear in mind that billing is per 30 seconds with Bean Counter, as opposed to per second with the 15,30, 50, $100 lng-lasting recharges.

if I can let the $25 worth of calls last the full 45 days, it works out to be a minimum of $17 per month.

prepaid is bound to be more expensive for most usage.
but the point is: it promotes less usage rather than more.
for the caps are a psychological product - they promote excessive usage.
i used to even use mine instead of the home phone on hte off chance id not taken advantage of my cap...

Probably not the right thread for my question, but please excuse me as I am new to forums in general.

I have been considering the Virgin Post -Paid plan as they have a great deal on the 30 plan with the Samsung D900.

Does anyone know if Virgin lock their handsets when on the Post-Paid plans? I realise most carriers do on the Prepaid service.

Thanks

they dont lock handset

Just an update on the story I recounted above: I finally got an email reply from Virgin today.

They apologised for the hassles I had with activation and credit, and said they would apply $10 of "Bean Counter" credit to my phone immediately on top of the $20 regular credit I had already been given.

So well done, Virgin. Redeemed :)

yeah mate they are OK.
stick with them.

i want bean counter.. except for some reason buying it online never works.

pretty annoying. anyone else get that?

onecrowdedhour writes...

i want bean counter.. except for some reason buying it online never works.

pretty annoying. anyone else get that?

nope, ordered a sim OK with firefox 1.5.0.7 the other day.

What browser are you using? Are you trying to recharge, buy a SIM or buy a prepaid mobile with the SIM?

BL

jus trying to recharge. although, the phone is still in my mums account (i should really fix that) and i was using my credit card? I thought maybe that might be a problem because it doesnt ask for the name on the card?

idno..

its annoying

O, I tried with firefox and it wouldnt go past the "next" button. I also tried with IE and it would just say "there has been a problem with something if it continues please contact us" in big red lettering!

Just signed up for the Bean counter. I am currently on optus's $30 turbo charge. Am hoping that when I port, I will get more value for money. More importantly, I hope this prepaid offer sticks around for a while.

cjbs writes...

Just signed up for the Bean counter. I am currently on optus's $30 turbo charge. Am hoping that when I port, I will get more value for money.

Just remember one thing - activate first, THEN port. While nobody's ever explained what happened with my vanishing bundled credit, I suspect that the CSR not doing things in the above order was the problem.

Virgin did sort it out for me - but that took nearly two weeks, which is why my account now has two $10 "ad hoc" top-ups on 19th October followed by my "Initial Bean Counter Credit" on the 31st October :-)

Nicely conversational customer support emails, though :)

I haven't been able to buy online either.
I've been trying to buy the $10 sim for the last two nights.
To anyone whos been successful, what time of the day were you online?

any. worked fine for me.

I got mine yesterday at about miday (Qld time - so one pm if you're on daylight savings).

onecrowdedhour writes...

i want bean counter.. except for some reason buying it online never works.

pretty annoying. anyone else get that?

I've been able to buy bean counter credit, brougtht some last sunday on the WirginMobile Website after I logged in.

It's great to see that most of you think Bean Counter is a good deal. I'm not sure if you're aware that there's an even better Bean Counter offer at the moment.

Basically, as one of Virgin Mobile's agencies we have an exclusive Bean Counter offer available only through www.virginmobiledeal.com.au. With this offer you only pay $5 for the SIM with $10 Bean Counter credit.

Trying the Virgin "Bean Counter" service on an old Nokia 7110.

I have a farm east of Cooma NSW with awful CDMA (telstra) reception on a Nokia 6385.

Virgin (Optus) gets me full reception and excellent voice quality. Can't complain......and was very surprised by the reception.

Might have to ditch Telstra for Virgin. woohoo

Is getting a beancounter sim from www.virginmobiledeal.com.au safe?

I was filling in the forms and noticed that the webpage asking for credit card details wasn't secure. No https:/ and no padlock at the bottom of the window. Only a verisign logo to say that it was protected.

I'm actually not sure - going by WhoIs lookups - if Virgin even runs (or has anything to do with) that site...

JAG writes...

Is getting a beancounter sim from www.virginmobiledeal.com.au safe?

I was filling in the forms and noticed that the webpage asking for credit card details wasn't secure. No https:/ and no padlock at the bottom of the window. Only a verisign logo to say that it was protected.

I did it online. No probs. not sure about security though

Hmm - i've calculated not in minutes, but the equivalent call/txt/pxt rates - or the amount of calls (in minutes ignoring flagfall)/txt/pxt you can send with the included credits given. Imho i think it makes it better for comparison.

Bean counter is a given:
Call rate - $0.10
Sms rate - $0.10
Pxt rate - $0.60

Vodafone with its 49/79/149 caps with its $230/500/1000 included credit:
$49 cap
call rate - $0.13
sms rate - $0.05
pxt rate - $0.11
$79 cap
call rate - $0.09
sms rate - $0.04
pxt rate - $0.08
$149 cap
call rate - $0.09
sms rate - $0.04
pxt rate - $0.07

Optus with its 30/40/50 caps with $120/200/300 included credit:
$30 cap
call rate - $0.20
sms rate - $0.06
pxt rate - $0.13
$40 cap
call rate - $0.16
sms rate - $0.05
pxt rate - $0.10
$50 cap
call rate - $0.13
sms rate - $0.04
pxt rate - $0.08

I think the bean product is good if you only focus on calls and sms and dont intend to spend a lot per month. The problem with virgin is the flagfall and the picture messaging (I prefer to send picture messages rather than long sms).

The reason why i prefer the caps is that the real flagfall cost is diluted by the included credit.

Do any of you people above, who have tried out the virgin bean counter prepaid offer, know if you are able to send international sms with that.
There is no mention of it in any of the Virgin info.
If so, what is the cost of an international text.
I suspect that it will only include oz texts.
Thanks. Hope this thread isn't too old to get a reply!

Yes you can sms internationally and it costs the same - 10cents.

Thanks for that netboi.
It all seems too good to be true!
I'll give it a try. Thanks again.

then how bout charges on international calls?!

Arkadia writes...

It all seems too good to be true!

Considering that an SMS costs the carrier a fraction of even that 10 cent charge, I'd say it's more about damn time someone priced them as they should be.

Virgin's customer service is stunning, too.

iFinale writes...

then how bout charges on international calls?!

www.virginmobile.com.au/...tionalcalls.html

BL

Ivana writes...

Basically, as one of Virgin Mobile's agencies we have an exclusive Bean Counter offer available only through www.virginmobiledeal.com.au. With this offer you only pay $5 for the SIM with $10 Bean Counter credit.

This is a great deal, ordered mine a few weeks ago, arrived in the mail about 3 days later. Had no problem activating it online and porting my number across from vodafone. My only whinge is that $25 hardly lasts me a month let alone 45 days, so it looks as though I'm gonna port out again to a better alternative - probably a $29 cap from three/voda or continue with my useless Bonus 33 plan from Three (did i mention that it was utterly useless?).

If only virgin allowed customised top-ups, for example, $30 instead of a fixed $25. Guess thats their way of making money..oh well.

Noobsta writes...

If only virgin allowed customised top-ups, for example, $30 instead of a fixed $25. Guess thats their way of making money..oh well.

you can just add another $25 when your credit runs out and then you also have 45 days from that time to use it.

netboi writes...

Yes you can sms internationally and it costs the same - 10cents.

Just to clarify. I rang Virgin today to confirm, and they said the international sms is available with Bean Counter, but the cost is 25 cents, not 10.
Still a lot better than Tel$tra though.

Arkadia writes...

cost is 25 cents

Interesting..as I'm only being billed 10c per international sms on bean counter! *SHHH*

Perhaps the rep on the phone was confused with the other plans?

FlabberPoo writes...

Perhaps the rep on the phone was confused with the other plans?

He must have been. Good news!
Thanks. I'll never mention it again.

I signed up tonight. I read somewhere, the 45 days starts from your first outbound call since the recharge. Thats good for me, I mostly receive calls.

read the freebies section - you can get one of these for nothing at the moment
forum-replies.cfm?t=614008&p=40

Some questions:

1. Bean counter vs motor mouth:
a. Bean counter lasts 45 days, whilst motor mouth last 30 days after a recharge.
b. Bean counter 10c V2V text, motor mouth FREE V2V text.
Will you say that motor mouth is better tha bean counter for a single household with 2 adults both on Virgin who text each other frequently, and other people not so frequently?

2. Can you now get data on bean counter or motor mouth i.e. email and web browsing?

mohammedm I would say the $29 V2V prepaid voucher is your best bet. Free text AND calls to other Virgin mobile customers, with decent rates to other networks.

Only my wife and I will be on Virgin. Other family members (in Brisbane, and I am in Sydney) are on THREE.

I will need to make calls to business landlines as well and data is very important.

mohammedm writes...

..

Only my wife and I will be on Virgin. Other family members (in Brisbane, and I am in Sydney) are on THREE.

I will need to make calls to business landlines as well and data is very important.

In that case prepaid isn't the solution your after. No data!

Bean Counter would be the best otherwise.

I was thinking of prepaid for one month while I tried to get my contract with THREE approved. I am migrating to Australia and credit checks and credit card applications may take a few days.

I have my own phone - Nokia E90 - is there no prepaid data in Australia with any of the major networks/service providers?

The great deal I've found with Bean counter is the free voicemail. I was on a good prepaid plan with Savvytel but the calls to retrieve Voicemail were killing me.

Virgin Bean Counter is much, much cheaper.

I'm with Virgin and I must say its the best thing I've ever done. Most of my friends/family and my girlfriend are with them so I get cheap calls and FREE texts to them, its awesome.

I was about to apply for this, but I noticed a very interesting aspect in the fine print - you will LOSE your number if you cancel your service, you CANNOT port your number from Virgin Mobile. It's a deal breaker, for me anyway.

If you cancel your service you will lose your number, yes. But you are certainly able to port that number out of Virgin. So when you want to move on, just port the number on to your next carrier. This is the same for any carrier. Don't cancel, port out.

whatgift writes...

I was about to apply for this, but I noticed a very interesting aspect in the fine print - you will LOSE your number if you cancel your service, you CANNOT port your number from Virgin Mobile. It's a deal breaker, for me anyway.

Yeah I think Arkadia is right. You can definately port out still.

On the actual product I couldn't be happier. Moved from Telstra to Virgin and its been great. Service has been outstanding too for the 1 or 2 issues I've run into.

Re the 5% discount on Virgin Flights - I think you get 5% of your flight cost credited to your mobile phone account - not a 5% discount on the flight cost. Or am I missing something?

That's correct.

That’s it! When you book and pay for your Virgin Blue flight online you’ll get 5% of the ticketed internet fare credited back to your Virgin Mobile account.

from Virgin website:

https://www.virginmobile.../virginblue.html

Does anyone know whether a virgin post paid member can phone a Bean Counter for free?

I'm not with Virgin anymore but i'm sure the V to V rates apply with a post pay plan.
ie V to V free and that would include Bean Counter.
It's only the BC rates that are not free to other Virgins.

https://www.virginmobile...tml#monthlyplans

SmileyGuy writes...

Does anyone know whether a virgin post paid member can phone a Bean Counter for free?

Yes

SO you have to register the creditcard over the phone to use bean counter? i've been on hold for atleast 15minutes but hoorah for getting sidetracked and other people needing to use the phone =/
I'll be using my brothers credit card so it should be okay as long as i have his permission right?
Also anyone having any issues not being able to receive calls from vodafone from their virgin number? i hate this issue i have ;<

cherryz writes...

SO you have to register the creditcard over the phone to use bean counter? i've been on hold for atleast 15minutes but hoorah for getting sidetracked and other people needing to use the phone =/

I remembered you could just sign up online for it and only when you receive your SIM card, you call to get it activated

Do you have to recharge with a credit card for bean counter credit? Or are there other ways of re-charging online for bean counter credit? I was looking at this deal but I don't own a credit/visa debit card (and don't plan too right now).

I just signed up to this for my sister, what's the minimum recharge on the Bean Counter? I can't find it anywhere on Virgin's site!

I think you can only recharge with a credit card.
This is from the Virgin website:

Q Can I buy Bean Counter by phoning the sales team, or from a store?

A No. You can only buy Bean Counter online using your credit card. (Note that credit-card top-ups are only available to customers who are aged 18 or over).

thebookfreak58 writes...

what's the minimum recharge on the Bean Counter?

You can only recharge $25 with your credit card.

Arkadia writes...

You can only recharge $25 with your credit card.

Bugger....I knew about the CC, but it' didn'tsay anywhere about it being $25.00

thebookfreak58 writes...

Bugger....I knew about the CC, but it' didn'tsay anywhere about it being $25.00

It's in the red table under 'recharge value'
www.virginmobile.com.au/beancounter

Thanks for the replies. Damn... the deal is so good though : /

-Giles- writes...

It's in the red table under 'recharge value'
www.virginmobile.com.au/beancounter

Gah can't believe I missed it. Oh well, can always port out.

thebookfreak58 writes...

Oh well, can always port out.

I don't think you will find a better deal than Bean Counter.

Arkadia writes...

I don't think you will find a better deal than Bean Counter.

Of course, but this is for my sister, who will only use max $10/month. The credit expires after 45 days, so if we recharged $25/45 days, thats more than we need, and the credit will expire...

If you use Virgin Long Expiry, you can recharge at $15 and it lasts for 6 months.
The call rate is no better than anyone else though, unless you call another Virgin.
It is then 5c minute and free text.

https://www.virginmobile...tes/prepaid.html

rates are certainly good - as one who has been trying to get 2 of these BC plans set up for the last two days - I can say it has been a total nightmare.

-one SIM card won't activate
-both ported numbers have been disconnected at the old carrier but don't work on virgin - so we are uncontactable

many calls and lengthy delays to largely unhelpful overseas call centres

I'm exploring the forums for similar options elsewhere

m239 writes...

I'm exploring the forums for similar options elsewhere

Have a look at iSim www.isim.com.au. Prepaid, no flagfall, .39cents a minute BILLED BY THE SECOND and .15cent SMS's. Recharge minimum of $10 and credit lasts 6 months - number stays active for another 6 months if no recharge so its effectively $10 a year. Internet only buying, activating and recharging. NO PHONE SUPPORT but they have a live chat facility which I've found excellent anyway.

They are a fully owned Optus subsidiary like Virgin so it's the same network. If you are a low volume user who makes a lot of predominantly short calls (i.e get milk & bread on the way home dear) then iSim are a cheaper alternative as a 15 second call will cost you 9 cents - the same call on Virgin BC will cost you .35 cents. Longer calls over a minute and BC wins by a fair margin though. Also. other people on Optus with Yes Time can use that to call you.

Cheers

JC

Thanks JC - after all the agro of the last change - I'm not sure I have the energy to do it all again :-(

That does sound like a good deal though.