# Mobile Postpaid Plans



## miky348 (Sep 23, 2010)

Hi,

I am interested to sign up for personal postpaid plans:

Postpaid Plans | du

https://www.etisalat.ae/en/consumer/mobile/mobile-plans/postpaid-plans/smart_plans.jsp

Used to get marketing calls from both Du & Etisalat offering better plans than their online advertised (i.e. no activation fees + more mins & data + sometimes lesser monthly fees). Yes, most of them were genuine since signing-up would entail visiting the Du/Etisalat store for documentation/etc. and zero up front payment.

Any tips on how to avail those offers.

Thanks
Miky


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## Chocoholic (Oct 29, 2012)

Don't do it. Contracts are insanely hard to get out of. Just get a pre-paid sim.


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## miky348 (Sep 23, 2010)

Chocoholic said:


> Don't do it. Contracts are insanely hard to get out of. Just get a pre-paid sim.


I agree, but my monthly spend exceeds contract fees + get more data on contracts.


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

miky348 said:


> my monthly spend exceeds contract fees + get more data on contracts.


Can you explain further ? There's absolutely nothing to stop you topping up a pre-paid to insane levels if you really need it and you can get Gb per day for a few Dirhams if you use the regular offers.


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## miky348 (Sep 23, 2010)

twowheelsgood said:


> Can you explain further ? There's absolutely nothing to stop you topping up a pre-paid to insane levels if you really need it and you can get Gb per day for a few Dirhams if you use the regular offers.


Yes, top-up is unlimited. Example, to get what a 12 month contract gives for aed 250/- (600 flexible mins + 300 mins to a single UAE# + 12GB) on a pre-paid SIM would be more, unless I am wrong.

If I could get contract offerings for less/same on a pre-paid then great, else better to get on 12 month contract. If contract is cheaper than pre-paid then how to get a better/more on the contract? [original question]

BTW, how much does GB cost per day? Is it Du/Etisalat?


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## UKMS (Jan 9, 2017)

Chocoholic said:


> Don't do it. Contracts are insanely hard to get out of. Just get a pre-paid sim.


That’s a bit sweeping, aren’t everyone’s needs different ? 

If you take a 12 month contract are you saying you can’t get out of it at the end or just that you can’t get out early ? 

I did the sums when I arrived and for my use it was far cheaper to take a contract than continue on prepay. Taking into account making international calls from Dubai, roaming calls, local and roaming data.


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

You don't get out of contracts without paying the vast majority of it off. So if you got for a cheap 2 year contract and want out after 12 months, you'll pay most of the remaining 1 2months off in exit fees.

And then there's the admin which is a PITA particularly if you're into your contract less than a year.


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## UKMS (Jan 9, 2017)

twowheelsgood said:


> You don't get out of contracts without paying the vast majority of it off. So if you got for a cheap 2 year contract and want out after 12 months, you'll pay most of the remaining 1 2months off in exit fees.
> 
> And then there's the admin which is a PITA particularly if you're into your contract less than a year.


Completely agree but as mentioned everyone’s needs are different, if someone knows they are settled here and will be here for 12 months why do they need to worry about the cost of wriggling out of a 12 month contract ? No different to renting a property for 12 months. If someone is not settled it’s a different consideration.


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## miky348 (Sep 23, 2010)

UKMS said:


> Completely agree but as mentioned everyone’s needs are different, if someone knows they are settled here and will be here for 12 months why do they need to worry about the cost of wriggling out of a 12 month contract ? No different to renting a property for 12 months. If someone is not settled it’s a different consideration.


Now that its settled that everyone's needs are different and both sides have valid points. 

Would appreciate assistance on the original question on how to get more/better offerings on personal-postpaid-contract than what is advertised on the carrier's website (Du/Etisalat)?

http://www.du.ae/personal/mobile/postpaid-plans

https://www.etisalat.ae/en/consumer/mobile/mobile-plans/postpaid-plans/smart_plans.jsp

Do you guys have any preference between Du/Etisalat, why?

Thanks.


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## UKMS (Jan 9, 2017)

miky348 said:


> Now that its settled that everyone's needs are different and both sides have valid points.
> 
> Would appreciate assistance on the original question on how to get more/better offerings on personal-postpaid-contract than what is advertised on the carrier's website (Du/Etisalat)?
> 
> ...


I have Etisalat and find the coverage excellent, no experience of du, my daughter is based in AD and had du up until 3 weeks ago and changed to etisalat because she found the coverage patchy for her use. She’s taken a new contract with etisalat. I don’t know the finer details but she got a marginally better deal by walking into an etisalat shop, telling them she wanted to leave du asking what could they offer and she was happy with the deal. 

In March I will be changing plans to one that etisalat offer in bulk to employees of my company it offers a little more flexi minutes than my current plan. 

My overall impression here is that you don’t get the great variety of deals that you perhaps do in other countries but could be wrong.


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## Winks13 (Oct 8, 2012)

I've been on both Du and Etisalat for a couple of years at a time and not really noticed any difference between the two as far as coverage is concerned. You may have some areas where you get a bit of a drop on one network over the other but I'd advise just concerning yourself with the areas you spend most of your time (home/work) and ensuring that coverage is okay there. 

I'd advise going into a store for one network and just asking if they can do you a deal, say you will go to the other network if not. Asking the person politely to check with their manager sometimes helps. In saying that, I believe that the current price of 250 (for the package you mention in one of your posts above) that both networks are offering is a short term deal for a limited period. Hence why it's called 'Smart 300' on Etisalat - the '300' denotes the regular price for the package.


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## Chocoholic (Oct 29, 2012)

UKMS said:


> That’s a bit sweeping, aren’t everyone’s needs different ?
> 
> If you take a 12 month contract are you saying you can’t get out of it at the end or just that you can’t get out early ?
> 
> I did the sums when I arrived and for my use it was far cheaper to take a contract than continue on prepay. Taking into account making international calls from Dubai, roaming calls, local and roaming data.


Contracts can be pretty hard to cancel and we had an awful experience where we cancelled the contract THREE times! And still they didn't do it. Then when we finally thought they had, two years later, we get calls and knocks on the door from a debt collection agency, telling us we owe them money, because one of the staff 'forgot' to turn the data part off, so it accrued over two years.

The fight we had to not pay anything, prove it was their fault, drama and stress was unbelievable. 

I've had a pre-paid SIM for 14 years. I'll never go contract here.


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## UKMS (Jan 9, 2017)

Chocoholic said:


> Contracts can be pretty hard to cancel and we had an awful experience where we cancelled the contract THREE times! And still they didn't do it. Then when we finally thought they had, two years later, we get calls and knocks on the door from a debt collection agency, telling us we owe them money, because one of the staff 'forgot' to turn the data part off, so it accrued over two years.
> 
> The fight we had to not pay anything, prove it was their fault, drama and stress was unbelievable.


In the UAE ?..... sounds a nightmare .... surprising considering how hot they are at emailing bills each month. That said isn’t that simply a billing dispute ? If you have a 12 month contract and reach month 13 .... the commitment to the contract has effectively ended .... you are then just in a rolling cycle of monthly bills.


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

UKMS said:


> In the UAE ?..... sounds a nightmare .... surprising considering how hot they are at emailing bills each month. That said isn’t that simply a billing dispute ? If you have a 12 month contract and reach month 13 .... the commitment to the contract has effectively ended .... you are then just in a rolling cycle of monthly bills.


if only Etisalat and Du were "logical" .....


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