Telstra gives away more free data as coronavirus lingers

A Telstra store. (Source: Getty)

Telco giant Telstra has extended its free data offer to its customers as the coronavirus crisis continues.

All three of Australia’s major telcos Telstra, Optus and Vodafone announced last month it was providing bonus data free of charge to its customers.

Telstra has now taken it a step further by extending its free data offer until the end of June, instead of the end of April as first announced.

Here’s what Telstra customers will get:

• Unlimited data at no additional charge for all consumer and small business broadband customers (ADSL, NBN and Cable);

• An extra 25GB of data to use in Australia within 30 days for consumer and small business post-paid mobile customers (both handheld and mobile broadband);

• Unlimited local, national and 13/1300 calls, and calls to Australian mobiles, for eligible pensioners with a Telstra home phone plan; and

• Waiver of late payment fees.

“We all have a continued responsibility to do what we can to help people through this period and our next step is to extend our customer support measures for another few months,” said Telstra group executive, consumer and small business.

Telstra has also announced a bill assistance hub to offer relief for those struggling with their finances amid the coronavirus crisis.

Customers can enter a payment plan with Telstra, arrange to pay at a later date, suspend services for up to 90 days and reconnect free of charge at the end of that, or downsize their plans through the online hub.

Recipients of JobSeeker payments will also be offered discounts, and those with a valid Healthcare card are eligible for a new $30 per month mobile offer.

Neither Optus or Vodafone are extending their bonus data offers, although the telcos have waived phone bills for healthcare workers for three months, and Vodafone has introduced a temporary $10 per month plan for certain customers experiencing financial hardship.

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