Woolies just keeps expanding like the Borg. The group now includes supermarkets, Big W, Dick Smith, and Caltex/Woolworths petrol stations — and it’s at these locations that they’ll be selling a $2 prepaid 3G SIM pack and Android phones. Powered by Optus, ‘Woolworths Mobile’ will have $29 and $49 prepaid caps, but make sure you read the fine print.
Two models will be on shelves: The Huawei Sonic ($188) and LG Optimus ME ($138). The news certainly confirms Giz reader sightings over the last couple of weeks.
On the caps front, that 5GB is no misprint, but there are major caveats. You’re not allowed to tether, data is counted is 1MB increments, and you don’t appear to get any of the free social network traffic that other carriers provide. Lifehacker says the call costs aren’t great either: 89 cents per minute for calls, with a 30 cent flag fall.
I’ve included this chart from Whistleout below as it’s a decent recap of the mobile plans that are out there. However, it doesn’t really show important areas you should always look for and take into account: extras like free social networking and free calls — or easy to miss catches, like no tethering in Woolies’ case. [Woolworths Mobile]