Kogan Mobile came back from the dead yesterday, complete with super-weird Lion King references. But after what happened last time, should you go with the revived carrier?
Kogan Mobile blasted back onto the market with its new partner, Vodafone Australia. Kogan had been saddled to a wholesale provider called ISPone, which resold the Telstra 3G network. However, after the wholesaler went bust, Kogan Mobile folded up.
Vodafone announced its pleasure at being the new partner for Kogan, but after all the handshaking and waving for TV cameras is done, is it actually a good deal?
The offering is broken down into two plans: the 3XL and the 5XL.
3XL
The 3XL plans start at just $29.95. That gets you unlimited standard calls, text and MMS within Australia, as well as 3GB of data to use over 30 days.
Kogan Mobile is also offering longer expiry times for those who don’t use their phone as often. Of course, that bumps up the price by a fair whack when you consider you have to buy it upfront.
Upping to a 90-day expiry time costs $79.95 (costing $26.65 per 30 days), while a 365-day expiry will cost you $299.95 (costing $24.66 per 30 days). Both of these still include unlimited talk, text and MMS, as well as that 3GB of data.
5XL
The 5XL plans start from $36.95 per month. That includes unlimited talk, text and MMS, as well as 5GB of data.
Upping to a 90-day expiry time costs $99.95 (costing $33.32 per 30 days), while a 365-day expiry will cost you $369.95 (costing $30.41 per 30 days). Both of these still include unlimited talk, text and MMS, as well as that 5GB of data.
The Network
Kogan is now saddled to Vodafone’s network, but not the Vodafone network you might think.
Vodafone is currently giving Kogan Mobile customers access to its rejigged 3G network, as opposed to the fast 4G network customers are currently enjoying.
Vodafone has indicated it will bring 4G to Kogan customers in early-2016, but we’re not yet sure if the extra speed will cost extra money.
Nor are we sure if the 4G bump brings with it 4G benefits like VoLTE and free visual voicemail for iPhone customers.
For those wanting coverage in rural areas on a cheap pre-paid offering, Kogan Mobile might be a bit risky. Try Boost or Telstra instead.
Should You Buy It?
There are two types of customers that will be well served by Kogan Mobile 2.0: people who use their phone a fair bit, and people who don’t use their phones at all.
What’s interesting for customers who barely use their phones at all is that Kogan Mobile is one of the only carriers to offer a 365-day expiry option. Sure, you have to pay an absolute mint for it up front, but it works out to an absolute maximum price of $30.41 per month if you buy the 5XL option for $369.95. Not a bad deal
For users who need a fair bit of data every month are also going to benefit from Kogan Mobile.
3GB of data per month for just $29.95 is actually a bit of a steal. Take a look at the competition to give you an idea:
• Boost: $40 = Unlimited talk/text, 3GB of data (+1GB to use on Sundays)
• Vodafone: $40 = Infinite national calls/text, 3GB of data
• Amaysim: $29.90 = Unlimited talk/text, 2GB of data OR $44.90 = Unlimited talk/text, 5GB of data
• Vaya: $27 = $650 of calls, unlimited text, 2.5GB of data
It works out to be better value if you take the 5XL plan, which nets you 2GB of extra data (bringing it up to a total of 5GB per month) for just $7. If 5GB is all you use, Kogan Mobile is your new discount friend! The above offers from competitors are all good, but if you want to go dollar for dollar on your data, Kogan Mobile has the competitors beat on price.
It all comes down to whether or not you can trust the new-look Kogan Mobile to stay afloat.