Mobile phone data costs

[tasadam]

I was just in a Telstra dealer this afternoon chatting to them about a mobile phone that does data. Discussed the various data plans etc. I had heard that the excess data fees on these phones that do internet stuff were expensive, but I'm glad I was sitting down!
Take for example a $59 plan that they are offering at the moment, which gives you 1.5Gb of data. If you go over your 1.5Gb, you get charged excess data fees, of, so I was told this afternoon, $2 per megabyte.
I quickly worked out in my head that this meant $2000 per gigabyte, but thought that can't be right, so I worked it out again. I must have had a glazed look on my face because the lady told me yes that is $2000 per gigabyte...
So I thought I would share this discovery in case anyone else out there was thinking of getting a phone that does data and wasn't going to keep a very close eye on their data use.
First 1.5Gb costs $59 (and includes a stack of calls and SMS)
Second 1.5Gb costs you a little over fifty times as much.

Oh, and it currently isn't possible to automatically stop the data usage when you hit your monthly limit, nor can you have it shaped. I have heard from another source that you can get it to SMS you with warnings when you are getting close, but have no further info.
So be careful out there you mobile surfers...

[doogs]

I have a Blackberry smart phone on a plan with Crazy Johns which costs me $29 per month for all the texts, calls I need and unlimited internet access. Crazy Johns piggy back on the Vodafone network so I don't get as good coverage as I would with a telstra phone. So this is why I have 2 phones, a good one for daily life and a *&%$#! old one for bushwalking. I reckon if anyone goes through their junk at home they will find an old redundant phone. You can get this unlocked from the previous provider for under $10 usually. Then you buy sa Telstra prepaid sim card for around $3, select the best plan when setting up et voila a bushwalking mobile that cost peanuts The beauty of this is set up is you really don't care if you lose the bushwalking phone and only close friends and family would have the number, leaving your other phone to ring till its hearts content at home
Having 2 phones like this costs me about $40 per month and that is a lot cheaper than any similar plans would cost with Telstra. Take it from a Scotsman, 2 phones are better than 1

[Maelgwn]

I get an SMS at 85% and 100%, so I can either turn data off or buy a data pack. Data packs only work for that billing month but you can change which one you are on as much as you like and there is no cost for changing.