5 Ways Maxis Protects you from Bill Shocks

This post is brought to you by Maxis – Experience the Difference.

Having a postpaid plan gives you the ultimate freedom to use. There’s no credits to top up and you would only need to pay at the end of your monthly bill cycle. However that also opens up a possibility of bill shocks for something which you thought you never use. By now you’ve probably heard stories of people raking up bills of thousands of ringgit due to accidental data usage or simply for roaming on the wrong network.

Operator Maxis wants to change the way people look at Postpaid especially where there’s a stigma that the operators are all out to get you. Recently they made some drastic changes from the way they charge for calls and data as well as making internet usage overseas cheaper and worry free.

Is it just lip service or have they actually made a difference? Read on to find out.

#1 No More Expensive Pay As You Go Data

For those using the old classic postpaid plans, most customers would have switched to a brand new smart phone but still hasn’t gotten a dedicated data plan. Usually by default, Mobile Data is switched on and telcos would usually charge a rather expensive Pay As You Go rate of 10 sen per 10KB. That’s RM10 per MB and can you imagine how much would it cost if you watched a couple of YouTube videos?

Since last year, they have gotten rid of its old Pay As You Go Rates with a more simplified mechanism. For every 50MB you use, Maxis charges just RM10 for each block. So if you use 80MB, you’re charged only RM20 (2 x 50MB blocks). The best part is that Maxis caps your usage to 250MB at RM50/month so you won’t be charged beyond that. Of course, your speeds would be throttled down but you can always subscribe to a data plan to regain your speed.

Also if you accidentally enabled Mobile Data, Maxis will not charge if you don’t use beyond 250KB in a single month. This is just another safety net for those who just want to stick to WiFi for their smart phone internet needs.

#2 Constant Reminders on your Data Usage

When using mobile data on Maxis, they will constantly remind you especially if you don’t have a plan. If you’re using a data-less plan like Maxis TalkMore, you’ll receive a message that you’re on their Mobile Internet Plan of RM10 per 50MB.

Once you’ve started using, they will keep reminding you each time you utilised a block of 50MB along with a quick update of your usage. In our test, we got a total of 7 SMS from start until hitting 250MB, so you definitely can’t miss it. Each SMS also comes with a tip that you would save more if you subscribe to a data plan by dialling *100#. You can top up from as little as RM2/day for 100MB to RM48/month for 1GB.

#3 Check and Manage Data Quota in Real Time

Want to know how much you’ve used before your bill arrives? With the newly revamped MyMaxis App, you can always check your unbilled amount and remaining data quota in real time. If need to use a lot of data at one go especially when you use your smart phone as a WiFi hotspot, you can always top up RM2 for 100MB or RM5 for 500MB from the app. Alternatively you can do this by dialing *100#.

#4 Use Internet Overseas with No Worries

When making a trip overseas, staying in touch has never been easier. Upon arrival at a new country, you are likely to be bombarded with SMS, telling you the best network operator to roam. Switching networks manually can be a hassle and there are cases where your smart phone would jump to a different network, which could result a very expensive roaming bill. Fortunately Maxis has gotten rid of such complications and they would guarantee that you will always be connected to the right network.

For a worry free travel, Maxis offers Unlimited Data Roam (Fair Usage Applies) for only RM38/day at over 106 countries. If you want something more affordable for basic Instant Messaging, there’s a cheaper DataRoam Saver at 15 countries for only RM10/day. While DataRoam saver comes with just 50MB high speed quota per day, there’s no extra charge once you’ve exceeded. To activate, just dial *100# upon arrival before enabling Data Roaming on your smart phone.

Another good reason to roam on Maxis is that you can overcome the Great Firewall in China. So instead of getting a local SIM where you’re unlikely to access Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, you still can share your moments without restrictions on Maxis. This is possible since it reroutes your internet traffic through Malaysia.

Oh by the way, for MaxisOne Plan customers (MaxisOne Plan/One Plan Lite/Business One Plan/Business One Plan Lite), Maxis is giving free calls while roaming at selected countries. This is applicable from now until 30th April.

#5 All you can call and SMS for one flat free

For the ultimate Worry Free experience, why not give MaxisOne Plan a try? For a flat RM128/month, the MaxisOne Plan offers unlimited domestic calls and SMS and 2GB of mobile internet. If you exceed your internet quota, there’s no extra charge and this means there’s no way for you to exceed RM128/month. The only way to incur more charges is if you make the following:

Video Calls
Top Up Data Quota
IDD/Premium Number Calls
Premium SMS
Data Roaming
Voice Mail
Roaming Calls/SMS
1MOCC Calls

For a more affordable alternatives, there’s also MaxisOne Plan Lite at RM78/month and MaxisOne Plan Start at RM58/month. Both offers unlimited calls and SMS but only within the Maxis/Hotlink network. For internet, they come with 1GB and 100MB respectively each month.

Can you really get Zero Bill Shocks?

The 5 claims mentioned here are part of Maxis 0 bill shock promise. Like most products in the market, you probably wonder if there’s any catch or hidden conditions. The word “unlimited” has been overused and there’s always a tingling sensation that there’s a hidden charge somewhere.

For the next few days, we will be rigorously testing out its Mobile Data worry free promise and we’ll find out if their MaxisOne Plan truly offers bottomless calls and SMS. Stay tuned for our findings.