Does Telstra still allow data share SIMs?

[SavageCarrot]

My Wife and I have two mobile plans on the same account (approximately one year old) and we have 20GB each, which equals a total data share size of 40GB.

I have recently purchased an iPad (outright) and wish to put a Telstra SIM card in there and utilise the data on my account.  I know Telstra used to do a $5 / month data share SIM.

Upon calling them the other day, they said I need to contact a SIM team on a different number, which I did, but they said it's not possible, and all I can do is get a separate tablet plan at a cost of $49 or something around that.

I don't want this, I simply want to spend the $5 and use my mobile data as I have excess left over at the end of each month.

Can I do this, or don't Telstra do data share SIMs anymore?

[DrQ · Accepted solution]

The new plans no longer offer data sharing as they have the peace of mind option so on the new plans there isn’t any options to share the data, but the $5 sim is still in the current CIS so if you are still on compatible plans for now it should still be able to be setup following their normal way of doing things but if you upgrade to any of the newer plans with the ‘peace of mind’ data option it wouldn’t apply anymore.

[btu00]

You can on a small business plan. Just need an ABN I believe. But on a personal plan it looks like they have removed this option. The cheapest tablet sim only plan is something like $19 for 2GB. Completely inadequate and expensive.

I am sure with enough public outcry they will have to revisit this.

[will935]

Hi there @SavageCarrot

Currently, our consumer mobile plans do not offer sharable data, that is correct, an alternative to this may be to look into a pre-paid option for your tablet: https://www.telstra.com.au/broadband/mobile-broadband/prepaid

Or as @btu00 has mentioned, data sharing is still available on business plans.

- Will

[S99]

The removal of family sharing is extremely disappointing, Telstra sales have been programmed to say that this has been replaced with "peace of mind data" but they are really very different products. The ability to share my 60gb phone data on a tablet for $5 month was exactly what I need for versatility and family use and now if I re-contract on a personal plan to, for example, buy a new phone, I lose that ability. As a customer of over 30 years and shareholder this change is a deal breaker for me. Telstra appear to want to punish their loyal customers.

[bj48]

Totally agree, I am also long term loyal customer and now am seriously considering jumping ship !

Telstra you need to re look at this or your customer base will dive.

[ElBarto007]

Yep. 2GB is nothing, at the moment I have a $59 plan with 20GB, my iPad uses this data.

Called about the new $49 plan, $39 after credit. 20GB, but no data share to my iPad. Arghh.


Will keep what I have or swap to another carrier.

[bwoolno]

@S99
Agree it is disappointing . Luckily i renewed in February and got the shared data . All about money i'm afraid . Not loyalty

[Just_Stephen]

This is a pity because I use a pre-paid 365 day account for my iPad Pro which gives me 15G, but now that I have 30G in my phone I thought that it would be good to be able to share that data allowance with my iPad but this post tells me that it is a thing of the past.

Oh well, I will not renew my Telstra SIM and just set up a local network off my iPhone & use my 30G instead.

[Rhinogiggs1]

I was just reviewing our mobile contracts and according to the data section, we actually own the allocated data on the chosen account.
This means we should be allowed to do whatever we choose with it including sharing it as we see fit.
I actually think there is the potential for some legal consequences to Telstra but forcing customers to start special accounts to use data they already own.
I have 2 mobiles and want my combined “owned” data shared between them

[bj48]

My wife and I have solved the shared sim problem, she has  jumped ship to optus !  new deal on special currently till 19th Dec. 80gig data sim only for phone, $41.25 /month (25 % discount)  separate sim for modem $15 /month with 3gig data.

Total cost $56.25/month for 83gig all shared data 12 month plan. saved her $30 month from telstra on their Go mobile 25gig plan which had shared sim + $5, + Apple watch $5.

And the best bit was dealing with an Australian person, not some half trained non english speaking call center monkey that telstra seem now to love to use. And it's easy to contact Optus here in Oz anytime unlike Telstra.

Sorry but they will lose my loyalty too when my contract expires.

[S99]

Hi bj48, your solution to leave Telstra is not unexpected; Telstra continue to deny personal plan users access to data share plans when recontracting, it is such a bad policy, but I guess they have just not had enough complaints for them to change their mind. And like I said previously as soon as my phone plan is finished I will go to Optus as well, notwithstanding my 30 year association.

[Sideroxylon]

Irritated that I have to run the phone as a hotspot when the ultrabook has a sim slot so I have to have the phone nearby always - yeah I'm weird that I don't want to have my phone within reach 24/7.

[Carl_Clements]

It's not an alternative if people have to start spending a lot more money. That is simply revenue grabbing and very greedy, selfish and treats your customer with contempt.
I see you are retired, so not your fault, but an awful retrograde step from Telstra.

[Carl_Clements]

They sure do.
I spend $400/month with Telstra for my communication needs. Sharing data between devices was critical, but not critical enough for Telstra to say, send an email saying your active service has ended when you upgraded your phone, not honest enough to state in on their website, no it is 1 non-descript line on the CIS.
This is purely a revenue grab and has nothing to do with the useless, very throttled "peace of mind" data service. Telstra lost over $1bn off their bottom line last year and need to replace it before investors desert them. They give 160GB of data on my phone knowing I won't use it, by my mobile router is now useless.

[Carl_Clements]

It already is. >$1bn wiped of their bottom line last year, declining subscriber numbers. Telstra is on its way out of business.

[Carl_Clements]

And that is what Telstra are relying on, that you will be happy to be overcharged and stuck with your old devices just to keep data sharing.
If, as they say, it is about network congestion, they would have ended the service all together on a given day. No pure revenue grab after lost >$1bn off their bottom line last year, Subscriber numbers are declining. I bet someone at Telstra is wondering why?

[Carl_Clements]

Not quite. I have been consulting company lawyers on this for a few days.
Yes you own the data, and you can still share it, using hotspotting from your mobile device, thus depleting its battery quite fast, but does get around any legal issues.
The issue they have got is that the non-descript line in the CIS which doesn't even mention the name of the service is not a positive notification of ending an active service. I would say that any small claims process will see this as an underhand, dishonest move by Telstra.

[Carl_Clements]

I'll be following you to Optus as soon as possible.

[Carl_Clements]

Hi S99.
I can see you are as frustrated as me.
Telstra are unlikely to reverse this decision because they need a revenue injection. They lost of >$1bn from their bottom line 2017-2018, subscriber numbers are declining so Telstra have to keep up their profits from somewhere. As usual that cost goes to their customers in the way of higher cost plans and decreased benefits.

[Rhinogiggs1]

I successfully got my data sharing issue resolve through the ombudsman.
It came down to the fact that you pay in advance and therefore own the service and data from that point. Doesn’t apply to corporate though.

[Carl_Clements]

Not weird, I am the same. Also hotspotting rinses the phone battery.
I have a nighthawk mobile router, sold to me by Telstra latter half of last year, as a solution to my issues. Worked well for 5 months until I used the lease assurance option to get a new S10+. Nighthawk now useless as only has 2GB. 160GB on my phone is way too much, unless I hotspot to it constantly.
Pure revenue grab by Telstra.

[Carl_Clements]

Interesting. Off to the Ombudsmen I go. Thanks.

[Carl_Clements]

Logged with the Ombudsman.