Guidesify Navigation Logo Transparent Final

Circles.Life Review: Consider This Before You Switch Your Telco

Circles.Life Logo
Read time: 4 min.

Table of Contents

With the sudden hype on Circles.Life due to their new promotion (20GB for S$20) going on, it is normal for any Singaporean to have the urge to switch their service provider. We too had some sleepless nights thinking whether hopping on the hype train is a good idea (Maybe a little exaggerated). Here’s a short list of factors to consider that may help you make a better decision now or in future.

Disclaimer: This is a very old non-technical article/review written way back in 2017. Do let us know what’s changed with Circles.Life to keep this guide updated.


Step 1: The Brief About Circles.Life

Is the new telco using their own infrastructure? For the case of Circles.Life, it is technically not a new telco as Circles.Life is borrowing or leasing the infrastructure from M1.

Hence, if your primary reason for switching is due to the regular breakdowns in your telco or poor network coverage in certain areas, do note that these problems may not go away with the switch. 

Related: Google, How Much Data Do You Handle?

Step 2: The Price

Phone with USD

Question: Are you a heavy data user? Or tend to exceed your data limits on a monthly basis?

If your answer is yes, go for the plan and don’t look back (Read why in Step 3). You can even get more free data from referrals.

If you are trying to convince yourself that you need this much data but won’t in actual fact use so much of it consistently every month, it may not be a wise decision to switch from the mainstream telcos.

On the flip side, you can cancel the contract with no questions asked so there is almost no harm taking up a Circles.Life plan.

Watch out for the Fineprints!

On closer look, the ad stated 20GB for S$20. But they also said that this promotion (Fineprint) is an add-on to the basic plan. 

As the mandatory basic plan already costs S$28, and you would need to spend a minimum of S$48 a month to have all that promised data (Still an attractive deal though). Do note that there is also a registration fee of S$18 upon online checkout (considered very cheap).

Quick Info on the Basic Plan: Includes up to 6GB data if you port-in, 100 minutes of incoming and outgoing call time, unlimited Whatsapp excluding video calls and 4G. Outgoing SMS will be similar to a prepaid SIM card, S$0.05 per text but you ain’t gonna use that anyway.

Related: Going to Japan: Improving Your Navigation and Convenience

Depending on your situation, you might or might not save…

You could easily overshoot S$48/month if you were to add $2/month for free incoming calls. And do be aware that this price is just a plan. Eg. Adding iPhone 7 Plus at S$59.08/Month and your total monthly bill would be S$107.08, not a lovely number to watch if you don’t even use even 4GB of data every month.

To sum up step 2, Circles.Life seems pretty viable if you are the kind who doesn’t like to switch phones every two years. However, it would be unsound if you are intentionally wasting mobile data when you have Wi-Fi available all the time.

It’s like fooling and tricking your mind into thinking that this scheme is a value for money one when you could have easily save up all that additional bills living life as it used to be.

Step 3: The Possibilities

Time for some logical thinking. If a new telco enters the market to threaten the existence of other big players, what would happen?

Retaliation. That’s guaranteed.

It is good to take note that Big Telcos like M1 have already begun to offer lower prices for their mobile plans while SingTel is advertising quite a lot of their SIM-only plans too (S$20 for 3GB with many affordable upsize options). You shouldn’t be surprised if you were to find out your old telco came up with a better, more affordable plan. Our suggestion: Wait if you are patient.

We are new. Like Us On Facebook!


Step 4: The Trap

Tsunami

A lot of us are reluctant to switch over to a new Telco. One of the Main Reasons is because we are bound to some sort of family bundle plan.

Family Bundles offer lots of perks to your whole family concerning discounted rates on mobile, cable and home internet broadband, free data on certain days and more.

Most of the times, many Singaporeans are better off sticking to their old Telcos due to this reason. Switching to another Telco is tough. It may cost you more in the scenario where you are still subscribed to the old Telco for other services. 

Not to mention, it’s going to be a rough ride convincing your entire family to switch over to Circles.Life with you.

Related: 3 Suprisingly Simple and Sustainable Ways to Save Money Effortlessly

Step 5: The Execution

After considering Steps 1-4, consider whether it is worth the hassle to execute the switch. It doesn’t hurt to try out the new Telco and compare it yourself whether it is a better solution. 

Every Telco in Singapore has its different problems and limitations, Circles.Life isn’t exempted either. Especially when it is still new to the market. Imagine a Telco with no physical store for you to go to…

We have recently released a full breakdown on how Circle.Life hacked its hype. Do you think it’s a coincidence? Read our analysis and think again! 


Here’s an Infographic to Sum Up Our Circles.Life Review

The 5 Steps

Like what you are reading? You have no idea how much a like on Facebook would Help!

Plot Twist: We joined Circles.Life anyway.

Related to Circles.Life Review:

Battle Of The SIM-Only Plans: Singtel vs StarHub vs M1 vs Others

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors

Explore GUIDESIFY