As reported by the Espresso consumer watchdog program from SRF, Swisscom is phasing out outdated mobile plans which are only held by existing customers and have not been available to new customers for many years. This change directly affects existing customers and particularly those who rarely or never use the Internet.
Affected customers are being automatically transferred to the current inOne plan. In many cases, this automatic transfer results in a massive price increase for customers. According to Swisscom, the switch actually works out cheaper for holders of some outdated plans.
Swisscom’s justifies automatically moving customers to new plans with the reasoning that plans which are more than ten years old are no longer up to date. Swisscom customers who will have to pay more for the new plan have the right to terminate their contract with Swisscom if they do not want to accept the new contract.
Tips for affected Swisscom customers from telecom expert Ralf Beyeler
That Swisscom would eventually phase out old plans is not unusual or surprising. “But giving customers very short notice about the upcoming change is not ideal,” criticizes Ralf Beyeler of independent online comparison service moneyland.ch. Here, moneyland.ch lists the most affordable alternative to each of the phased-out Swisscom plans.
Natel Budget (Minutes)
The Natel Budget plan launched by Swisscom in 2001 included 15 minutes of phone calls to any Swiss network. It had a monthly base fee of 15 Swiss francs. This plan appealed to consumers who rarely made phone calls or sent SMS messages, and primarily received calls or text messages.
The most affordable current solution for this type of consumer is the Aldi Suisse Mobile prepaid offer. The cost of this service for this type of user is around 44 francs during the first year – around 4 francs per month.
If you prefer a mobile plan over a prepaid offer, the À La Carte plan from Talktalk is the most affordable option, with a base fee of 1.95 francs per month. Based on usage of 15 call minutes and 10 SMS messages per month, the cost of using this plan comes to 113.20 francs in the first year. If you want to receive your phone bills by postal mail, you pay an additional fee of 3 francs per bill. Fees levied by the post office for bills paid using postal deposit slips are also charged to you as the customer. Talktalk runs on the Sunrise telecom network.
Swisscom customers who prefer to stick with Swisscom products can make use of the Mobile Plus prepaid offer from M-Budget or the SimplyMobile prepaid offer. By adding the Mycountry option from M-Budget or the minute bundle from SimplyMobile, you will pay around 60 francs in the first year.
The most affordable Swisscom mobile plan is the M-Budget Mobile Mini, which costs 19 francs per month or a total of 268 francs for the first year. While Swisscom markets products under the M-Budget and SimplyMobile brands, Swisscom is the contract partner and these offers run on the Swisscom network.
Natel Swiss Liberty
The Natel Swiss Liberty plan revolutionized the telecom market when it was launched by Swisscom in 2005. For a base fee of 25 francs per month, users could make calls to Swiss landlines and to Swisscom mobile numbers for just 50 centimes per full hour used, and make calls to other networks for 50 centimes per minute. The Natel Swiss Liberty plan appealed to consumers who made many phone calls and long phone calls.
The most affordable current offer for this type of consumer is the Wingo Fair Flat mobile plan. The plan costs 25 francs per month and lets you make unlimited calls to Swiss networks. This plan works out substantially cheaper than the phased-out Natel Swiss Liberty plan because the flat fee includes unlimited calls to Swiss networks without additional per-minute or per-hour fees.
Natel Basic Liberty
The Natel Basic Liberty was launched by Swisscom in 2005. It had a base fee of 12 francs per month. Calls up to one hour long to landlines and to Swisscom mobile phone numbers cost 70 centimes. Calls to other Swiss networks cost 60 centimes per minute.
This plan appealed to consumers who only occasionally used their phones and preferred a plan with a lower base fee.
Currently, prepaid offers are normally the most affordable option for this type of user. For consumers in this category who prefer a mobile plan, the À La Carte plan from Talktalk is – in many cases – the most affordable option. It has a base fee of 1.95 francs per month. You pay an additional fee of 3 francs per bill when you choose to receive your phone bills by mail. You also pay resulting fees and charges when you pay by postal deposit slip.
The most affordable alternative plan for users in this category is the M-Budget Mobile Mini plan, A Swisscom plan marketed under the M-Budget brand. Although it the plan is marketed under the M-Budget brand, Swisscom provides the contract and the network.
Natel Liberty Primo
The Natel Liberty Primo was launched by Swisscom in 2011. The plan had a base fee of 29 francs per month and included 250 megabytes of data. Users could make calls up to one hour long to Swisscom landlines and mobile numbers for 70 centimes, and calls up to one hour long to all other networks for 90 centimes.
In many cases, the Prepaid Budget 10 offer from Sunrise is the most affordable current alternative for this type of telecom user. For 10 francs per month, this prepaid offer includes 30 phone calls, 30 SMS messages and 200 megabytes of data. Prepaid offers from SimplyMobile, M-Budget and Yallo may also be interesting to this type of user.
The most affordable plan from Swisscom for users in this category is the M-Budget Mobile Mini plan. Based on this user profile, the cost of this plan in the first year is 268 francs.
Compare offers based on your individual needs
There are many factors which determine which offer works out cheapest for you. Performing a comparison based on your specific needs is key. You can easily compare offers using the free and unbiased mobile plan and prepaid offer comparison on moneyland.ch.
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