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The Ultimate iPhone 5 Postpaid Shopping Guide

There’s ben a lot of debate regarding the iPhone 5 offerings between Smart and Globe. While we made our initial analysis earlier, we dug a little deeper to give you a bigger and more comprehensive picture of what you’re getting from both telcos.

What we’ll try to help you decide with is which of the numerous postpaid plans will give you the better deal based on your needs and consumption pattern.

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We dissected each of the postpaid offerings and analyzed them from the monthly service fee (MSF) so you don’t get too confused with the plan names and cash-outs.

We’ve already established that Smart has a wide edge over Globe when it comes to the prepaid kit prices of the iPhone 5.

Here’s the table on all the variants of the iPhone 5 with their respective MSF. The numbers represent the base plan price per month and the handset amortization price divided into 24 months (both telcos offer 24-month zero-interest rates on the cash out price).

We then summarized them into one total MSF so you will see how much you are expected to pay on a monthly basis for the next 24 months (that is assuming you don’t go over your plan’s quota).

Note that in the summary table below, we sorted the MSF based on the price for the 64GB model. This will show you that, sometimes, one postpaid plan can be more expensive than a higher plan. A good example is Smart’s Plan 999 being more expensive than All-In Plan 1200 for the 64GB iPhone 5 (while it’s the reverse for the 16GB and 32GB).

Here are the more significant observations we got from this table:

Cost of Upgrade.

The median price difference between models is just Php200. So upgrading from 16GB to 32GB will cost you Php200 per month. The same Php200 will be added if you upgrade from 32GB to 64GB. Doesn’t seem that expensive, right?

Total Cost of Ownership.

The lowest total cost of ownership (TCO) for an iPhone 5 is with Smart’s All-In Plan 500 at Php1,492/month for the 16GB (Php35,808); for the 32GB, it’s Globe’s Plan 299 at Php1,688/month (Php40,512) and for the 64GB it’s still Globe’s Plan 299 at Php1,888/month (Php45,312).

Prepaid vs. Postpaid.

We noticed that Globe’s postpaid plan (Plan 299) is less expensive than getting a prepaid kit for the 32GB & 64GB models. The TCO for a 32GB iPhone 5 under Plan 299 is Php40,512 while the prepaid price is Php40,800. The 64GB model at Plan 299 is also less expensive than the prepaid price — Php45,312 vs. Php46,300.

So, if you’re planning to get the prepaid kit, we suggest apply for the Plan 299 instead, pay it at zero-interest for 24 months and get some freebies at a slightly lower TCO price.

What Comes Free Under the Plan.

In both the postpaid plans of Globe and Smart, the 16GB iPhone comes free with Plan 2499 while Smart offered the 32GB for the same Plan 2499.

However, if we base it on an MSF of Php2,499, you can actually get the 64GB iPhone 5 from Globe Plan 1799 for only Php2,428/month. Of course, you have to weigh in between an Php800 consumable amount vs. the 300 free minutes and 300 free SMS.

The Inferior but More Expensive Plans

Smart’s Unli Data Plan 3000 is inferior to Smart’s Plan 2499 for the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models. You’ll be paying more (Php322 to Php501) per month for exactly same freebies and services (300 minutes, 300 SMS, unlimited internet).

We suggest staying away from the Unli Data 3000 plan (note that the free minutes & SMS are for all networks). We think you’re better off with a Galaxy S3 or Galaxy Note 2 free on Unli Data Plan 2000.

Consumable vs. Free Minutes.

Smart offers generous free minutes and free SMS for a number of their plans where the total value is often times higher than the MSF itself. This helps you maximize your use of their network.

On the other hand, Globe offers consumable amounts as a percentage of the MSF. They also offer some freebies depending on the plan (more attractive as the plan goes up).

If you already know your average monthly consumption with call minutes and SMS, Smart’s plan will give you more mileage.

If you are unsure about your usage pattern, Globe’s consumable gives you that flexibility to reallocate credits to other services (I often use it offset my IDD calls and roaming charges since I tend to travel a lot).

Our Recommended Plans.

Our recommendations will hinge on the idea that you should get unlimited internet at the very least.

Smart All-In Plan 1800. You get unlimited internet, unlimited calls to Smart/Red/TNT, 3,500 free text to Globe/TM. That’s already a huge value you are getting there, assuming most of your friends are on the same or on sister networks. Total MSF is Php2,363 with free 16GB iPhone 5.

Globe Unli Surf Plan 1799. You get unlimited internet, Php800 consumable amount, unlimited call & text to 1 Globe/TM number (your significant other), 10 free minutes & 200 SMS to all other Globe/TM numbers, 5 minutes call and 25 SMS to Smart/Sun/TNT. Total MSF is Php1,999 with free 16GB iPhone 5 (or go Php2,428/month for the 64GB).

Plus, you also get the additional Gadget Care, G-Cash Amex Card and 50% discount on accessories if you subscribe.

To pick the right postpaid plan for you, start with a budget (say, Php2,500/month). Then, pick your desired iPhone 5 capacity (16GB, 32Gb or 64GB). Then, go over our MSF Table above and look for the plan that fits your budget and storage needs. Choosing from that shortlist should be easier.

We hope this gives you a clearer picture on the postpaid offerings of Smart and Globe. Do hit the comments which postpaid plans you intend to get.

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Avatar for Abe Olandres

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

60 Responses

  1. Avatar for rodelyn rodelyn says:

    Good for how many months is the 3799 (globe) ???

  2. Avatar for Adrian0 Adrian0 says:

    thanks yugatech!
    Now that I know that I can maximize the iPhones capacity to 64gb! because of resulted computation of adding Php200 to the MSF!
    yes, doesn’t seem expensive at all

  3. Avatar for JIMBOYSKIE JIMBOYSKIE says:

    GOSTO KO NG IPHONE

  4. Avatar for Sunshine Sunshine says:

    Question Lang po kung ngkakaproblem b kyo sa billing ng globe postpaid? Pwede b lumaki ang bill nio ng Hindi nio namamalayan? Bka may hidden charges? Gusto ko kase kumuha ng plan 1799 ng globe iPhone 5 pls response

  5. Avatar for Sunshine Sunshine says:

    Question Lang po kung ngkakaproblem b kyo sa billing ng globe postpaid? Pwede b lumaki ang bill nio ng Hindi nio namamalayan? Bka may hidden charges? Gusto ko kase kumuha ng plan 1799 ng globe iPhone 5

  6. Avatar for Charles Charles says:

    What is the difference between the Iphone 5 you can buy from Globe / Smart vs Iphone 5 Hongkong Version 1429

  7. Avatar for Sheila Sheila says:

    Plan 1799 is ideal, but am now having doubts as to unlisurf vs all consumable coz I don’t have the time to surf, and browsing is done on laptop and pc at home. A staff said, they only accept an upgrade for a change.

    I suggest, if you have broadband at home, choose 1799 as all consumbles for your phone, instead of 800 consumables and unlisurf. Incase you change your mind, then upgrade it to unlisurf and 800 conumable.

    • Avatar for sherwin sherwin says:

      yep. i dont like the unlisurf cos we have wifi at home. sorry for my noob question if i choose th plan 1799 is it unli call and text only? is it fixed price?

  8. Avatar for sherwin sherwin says:

    Sir. can you give me advices on what plan should i get in globe? i want kasi ung wala ng cashout. ang ung unli call and text lang kahit wala na unlisurf. plsss reply po. thanks :))

  9. Avatar for Thirstynickel Thirstynickel says:

    Hi, please pardon my noob question.

    I’m planning to get a Globe iPhone 5 16GB at Plan 499 with total MSF of P1,549 (1,050 cashout). My question is, do I still need my credit card in applying?

  10. Avatar for emignatius emignatius says:

    I paid one month advanced MSF saka yung cash out. Hindi nga sila nagoffer ng 0% interest kaso nagtaka ako bakit 2500 lang ang siningil sa cash out ko for the Unli 2000 plan pero nakalagay naman sa website nila eh 3400 ang cash out. Hindi kaya dahil last week pa ako nagapply? Hmmm.

  11. Avatar for wiiz wiiz says:

    There is no such thing as 0% interest from SMART. So unfortunately, you have to pay the cash-out in full upon approval. Sayang, talaga. I guess the 0% installment offer is only good for pre-orders.

  12. Avatar for Sean Sean says:

    JUST GOT A REPLY FROM CC TEAM.

    Dear Josean,

    Handset cash out should be paid in full together with the Monthly
    Service Fee (MSF) upon approval of the application. You may use your
    credti card and make arrangements with your bank to pay it through
    installments.

    We hope this clarifies. Thank you.

    Sincerely,

    Brent/vem
    Customer Care

  13. Avatar for carmhy_08 carmhy_08 says:

    Do you know how long it will take to get the approval of the line application? Its been a week since I submitted my requirements. Do you guys have any idea if anyone has already been approved (as new iphone globe subscriber)?

  14. Avatar for Sean Sean says:

    Yuga, do we need to pay that cashout as soon as application for plan is approved? example, Smart’s unli data plan 1500 has 15000 cashout. are we going to pay 15000 + 1500 the moment na kumuha ka? or pwede lang 1500+625 bill mo monthly?

  15. Avatar for AXS AXS says:

    Does that mean we will never see an LTE iPhone 5 on any network in the Philippines?

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