Celcom Xpax goes truly unlimited

The battle for “unlimited” supremacy inches up a couple of notches today. Following Hotlink’s new unlimited proposition, Celcom Xpax is introducing its Truly Unlimited Prepaid, with weekly passes from as low as MYR12.

I cringe when I see the term “unlimited” being thrown about again, this time with the adverb “truly” thrown in for good measure. Forgive my reservations; consumers continue to fall for marketing speak and promises from local telcos, hidden behind 5-pt-sized footnotes and T&Cs which customers tend to not read. I’m starting to sound like a broken record here.

Two questions you need to ask: How is it unlimited? Where is the catch?

Let’s start from the top. As with all prepaid starter packs, the Xpax Starter Pack costs MYR10 and this will give you 10GB of data for Facebook, Instagram, and Games Walla (Games Streaming). This data quota will be given free on a monthly basis. It will also give you free 1GB of basic internet (64Kbps) every month, MYR6 of preloaded credit, calls at 30sen/min, SMS at 15sen/SMS and special perks including free unlimited WhatsApp, unlimited access to Microsoft 365 apps and thanks to the government’s Economic Recovery Plan, you’ll get extra free 1GB of Internet data (8AM-6PM daily) until 31 December 2020.

From then on, it gets interesting. Here’s where we tread into “unlimited” waters.

Start here

From the humble beginnings of the starter pack, you can decide to buy hop-up upgrades—daily, weekly, or monthly. They offer varying degrees of perks aside from data alone. This isn’t new, with existing packages costing MYR3 for 2GB (daily) up to MYR30 for 5GB (monthly) bundles with free unlimited access to YouTube (1AM-7AM).

Hop-up

What’s new though, are the two unlimited internet weekly and monthly passes. The weekly unlimited pass goes for MYR12, bundled with 1GB of hotspot data and unlimited calls.

Meanwhile, the monthly unlimited pass is priced at MYR35, bundled with 3GB of hotspot data and unlimited calls.

You can purchase additional hotspot add-ons for MRY1 (1GB/day) and MYR3 (5GB for three days).

The Truly Unlimited weekly and monthly internet passes come with an auto-renew feature, where the plan is automatically renewed at the end of the seventh day for weekly passes, or the 30^th day for monthly passes.

If you ever need a temporary boost of data at uncapped speeds, you can purchase the existing Ultra Hour Pass which gives you up to 24 hours of unlimited data. They start from MYR1 per hour, all the way up to MYR8 for 24 hours.

To purchase internet passes, simply log on to your Celcom Life App and select “Buy More” then select any Hourly Unlimited Internet deals. You can also dial *118*2# to access options via USSD code.

So, where’s the catch?

Excellent question and the right one to ask. Just like existing Xpax Prepaid internet passes, speeds are capped at a pedestrian 3Mbps. Let’s be real, 3Mbps is likely sufficient for most of our daily tasks including browsing the web, social media, streaming at SD quality, instant messaging, and so forth. However, it will make a difference when you’re downloading apps or transferring/syncing big files over the web.

Verdict

Still, if unlimited data quota is important to you, then Celcom Xpax’s Truly Unlimited Prepaid is worth considering. It’s inexpensive and flexible. Simply add-on hotspot data or hourly unlimited internet deals as needed.

It’s competitive against the likes of the new Hotlink Prepaid Unlimited and U Mobile’s Giler Unlimited offerings (look out of showdown post) and you can stay connected with Celcom’s “widest 4G network.”

One last thing

Read the FAQ and T&C. Also, use of services are bound by a FUP (Fair Usage Policy). But you knew that already.

For more information, visit Celcom.

Latest news

Subscribe to Vernonchan.com: Never miss a story, read stories on Feedly and Medium

Disclosure: Keep in mind that VERNONCHAN.COM may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. Clicking on these links cost you nothing and it helps to cover some of the costs for the upkeep of the site. While we may receive commissions, this does not impact our reviews, views and opinions which remain independent, fair, and balanced. Thank you for your support.