[Malaysians in Singapore] redONE – Best Low Data Mobile Plan – Oct 2019

[Malaysians in Singapore] redONE Telco Review – Best Low Data Mobile Plan – Oct 2019

Note: I can only write this review quantitatvely and not qualitatively. That is to say, I have not personally used their services before, so I a unable to comment on the quality of their reception.

Are you a heavy data user? Check out my Grid Mobile review.

In May, redONE launched some mobile plans in Singapore. For a Malaysian living in Singapore who frequently shuttles between Malaysia and Singapore, whether that be shuttling across the Tuas/Woodlands border or frequently catching flights between the likes of KL/Penang and Singapore, this might actually be a pretty ideal phone plan for you.

In my opinion, the key selling points are as follows:

  • The included data can be used both in Malaysia and Singapore with no “roaming surcharge”
  • The included phone calls and SMS can be used for calls to Malaysia or Singapore, but calls must originate in Singapore
  • There is no “penalty” for exceeding your data allowance, although it is throttled beyond the included “LTE speed” data
  • Incoming calls not charged

The plans, at the time of writing, come in 3 flavours:

  • $8/mth, 3GB LTE data, 100 mins calls, 10 SMS
  • $18/mth, 6GB LTE data, 200 mins calls, 20 SMS
  • $28/mth, 10GB LTE data, 300 mins calls, 30 SMS

Their pricing scheme is pretty straightforward. In my opinion, the highlight is the $8/mth, because I think the $18/mth and $28/mth plans have reasonable competition in the form of the likes of GOMO, GIGA, and Circles.Life.

The $8/mth is a highlight because at this price point, you have a few other alternatives:

  • Circles.Life $5/mth – however, for an additional $3/mth with redone, you get an extra 1GB of LTE data (+ unlimited at slowed speeds) useable in Malaysia and Singapore, 50 mins of calls, free incoming calls, and access to roaming (which can be important for receiving SMS)
  • Zero1 $9.90/mth – however, Zero1 include 1GB less data but included 200 mins of calls and 200 SMS. I presume Zero1 also do not include roaming. Zero1 could be better if you ake more phone calls, but I presume the reason this article may be of relevance to you is because you’re a Malaysian in Singapore, in which case there is literally no other Singaporean telco that offers a similar alternative plan.

In my opinion, redONE are a clearer winner compared to these two alternatives.

Other potential alternatives to consider are:

  • [Malaysia] Yoodo – as a very cheap way to maintain a Malaysian number (as cheap as ~RM1/mth), and have a pretty, customisable cheap plan that can be modified every month [Referral: nwrac3579 – RM20 for me, and RM20 for you]. However, this does not cover your Singapore mobile service requirements
  • [Malaysia] Unifi – as a cheap way to maintain a no-expiry Malaysian SIM with reasonably priced data/calls. However, reception is not up to scratch to be a ones primary service/number as blackspots are aplenty. However, this does not cover your Singapore mobile service requirements
  • [Malaysia] Digi Postpaid 80 and above, as a way to have a more permanent Malaysian number with a high data allowance which also includes a reasonably generous data portion for overseas usage in selected countries including Singapore.
  • [Singapore] TPG – free for 12 months, which provides free roaming and free unlimited data in Malaysia and Indonesia, albeit at capped speeds of 1mbps – however, this service is still very much in “beta” mode as you have no reception underground (in Singapore), phone calls only work a select number of handsets, and in my experiencing using it in Malaysia, reception is not quite reliable enough to expect to have data everywhere.

These alternatives are imperfect for reasons which I have tried to summarise above, and which probably deserve their own article for a more elaborate explanation on their pros and cons.

In summary, I would say redONE is good for:

  • Malaysians who live in Singapore, but also go back to Malaysia often, who are able to live with just data and making calls via the likes of WhatsApp in Malaysia
  • Singaporeans who just want a cheap data plan that gives them the option of roaming in Malaysia for their weekend JB adventures

This plan is not suitable for:

  • Heavy data users, as I would imagine even at $28/mth for the 10GB plan, you’d be better off going with GIGA/GOMO/Circles.Life/M1 for a cheaper monthly price, and then covering your Malaysian data needs with a separate Malaysian SIM
  • Those who need a Malaysian phone number (maybe for OTPs/banking, or other reasons), or need to make regular phone calls often originating in Malaysia

As far as I know, registering for this SIM needs to be done in-person at selected stores with which redONE have partnered

Have you used redONE before? How has your experience been?

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