Author: Ristrettz

I grew up focusing many aspects of my life revolving around money. As a result of this persistence and being unable to achieve my goals in time, pessimism started settling in and as a result, I fell into a rat race. Fortunately or unfortunately as one would say it, an unforgettable experience changed my life. As the saying goes, life is unpredictable and things happen for a reason. While one door closes, another opens. That is the positivity that we all need to see in our lives. Personally, I enjoy the process of financial literacy but am really just an amateur in these after reading so many blog gurus. There are so many tools and information out there today and I'm still learning every day. The saying that there is no end to learning is absolutely real. It is not easy to pick up and be good at something. Passion and persistence bring resilience out of a person. Talk is cheap and procrastination is not really an excuse. The time value of being young will pass one day and do not leave regrets behind. That said, money is still important but the journey of life is equally important. My philosophy of life is the balance between money and how you want to lead your life. Some kinds of stuff are more important than money. Be it your hobbies, interests, family, kids, religion, friends, etc...It is important to not be a slave to money. After all, it is a tool to allow you to do more and live comfortably. You can't bring what you have for eternity so always remember the quality of life is equally important.

Ways to make some money & Reviews

On By RistrettzIn Alternative Income, New IdeasLeave a comment

This is not a click bait. I have always been interested to find out what is there in the market when I see such headlines but eventually it is usually click baits. One of the many ways to make some money online if you have time is actually through doing online surveys. The best part of it is that you can take your own time to do it.

Though you may miss out on some high value surveys but eventually it is suited to your own timing. I will review some of those, past and present and I have personally used them. Only if the time is worth your effort, you can proceed go sign up or use my referral link. It is totally up to every individual as it may not be worth the effort for some. However, if you have some time on hand – The answer is Why Not?

Make Some Money

I will run by the ones that i find the easiest to use and easy to cashout. Most importantly, you should sign up for a PayPal account if you do not have any. It is really easy to sign up, just visit https://www.paypal.com and there is no referral fee for this. Just for easy survey credits

Milieu Survey (Singapore)

Milieu Survey has a Singapore presence. Once you have chalked up enough points, you can either donate them away or Otherwise, you can choose to cash out via PayPal or PayNow. 

$10 can be redeemed with 9500 point and $20 can be redeemed with 18000 point.

Once you complete 7 surveys, both parties get 500 points each.

Key in the referral Code: DbKjxMP 

Google PlayStore – https://goo.gl/eTHTya

Apple Store – https://apple.co/2MmnprL

YouGov SG

YouGov is based in London but they also have a Singapore presence. Surveys doesn’t come as frequent as Milieu but once you accumulated enough. 5000 points redeem a S$25. There are also alternative but to me cash is always King. There are no referral benefits so click the link to sign up.

https://sg.yougov.com/en-sg/account/login/

Google Opinions

This is rather tricky as it is not for Apple/IOS users. Android Users will be able to download and setup their account. Surveys come at random and you can also set a notification. Once you reply, it varies from S$0.10 – s$1.50 or so. You can’t cash out these but you can use these credits to supplement subscriptions or pay for some paid apps that you wish to buy off. It’s just easy to use, answer and keep. Practically no upkeep. There are no referral benefits so click the link to sign up.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.paidtasks&hl=en_SG

Valued Opinions SG

This requires a little more effort but as for the rewards, I personally find it rewarding with Zalora or Cold Storage vouchers (via Edenred voucher redemption). However, with the recent covid – They seem to be less productive or less efficient. Vouchers redemption seems slower and also seem to be out of stock faster. There are no referral benefits so click the link to sign up.

https://www.valuedopinions.sg/

Rakuten Insight

Rakuten re-branded a few times in the past. Their surveys take longer than most but once your accumulate 150 Epoints or more, you can redeem $10 via PayPal. Redemption starts from 75 Epoints for $5.

https://sg.m.aipsurveys.com/

Disclaimer: These are just solely opinions of mine. You should try them out first to review if they are suitable for you. These works for me as I have tried out more than 20 of these during my free time.

If you like what I am sharing or if it resonates with you, do use my referral codes for other services at https://atomic-temporary-178675883.wpcomstaging.com/contact/

The pictures were taken from the respective websites for this article.

New Changes to MoneyOwl Fees

On By RistrettzIn Alternative Income, New Ideas, Robo AdvisorsLeave a comment

MoneyOwl is an initative from NTUC Social Enterprise. They are sort of a Robo-advisor coupled with a suite of wealth planning tools such as will writing and insurance solutions. What really attracted me is their rather simple way of investing and using Dimension Funds as part of their portfolio construction.

As a retail investor, you will most likely not be able to access such funds. When the market tanked sometime in Feb 2020, I picked a few Robo-advisor to invest into and look into performance a few months later. Almost six months has passed now and I will most likely show some of the performance in my later posts but I must say, by doing nothing much, all advisors reported positive returns as compared to my own stock picking.

Changes to MoneyOwl

Recently, MoneyOwl announced that they have lowered their investment advisory fees as well as absorbing the platform fees.

a. For Asset under management S$10,000 and below, there will not be any fees through 31 December 2021. This fee will be rebated back to the portfolio. So take note that only Cash investments are eligible for this rebate. The cash management accounts do not have these in place and your total portfolio value has to be above S$50.

b. There is an introduction fee of S$99 which is worth about S$535 for a comprehensive Financial Planning. Money Owl’s advisors will sit down with you to review your portfolio with detailed report and recommended next course of action. (~2 hours)

c. Additionally, they are introducing free financial resilience workshops to focus on cash flow management and debt management. Likely through Webinars and anyone can join in.

It is nice to see that as a partner to our national social enterprise, they are making moves to help Singaporeans. The reduced fees on investments which is one of the key points in long term investments. The more fees you pay, the more it affects your own portfolio performance.

However, they should really look into improving the interface. (for e.g. making it into an app) They also introduced a referral fee scheme or some promotional fee scheme for new sign ups. Not much complains other than that.

Follow us visit my blog if you like what you read at https://atomic-temporary-178675883.wpcomstaging.com

Disclaimer

This is not a sponsored post. This is purely my own opinion after using their service and/or products. If you like what you are seeing, do remember to check they out and do your diligence. There is no one size fits all investment strategy. 

If you like what I am sharing or if it resonates with you, do use my referral codes for other services at https://atomic-temporary-178675883.wpcomstaging.com/contact/

The pictures were taken from Money Owl’s website for this article.

When is it time to invest?

On By RistrettzIn Macroeconomic, New Ideas, Personal Finance Series, Robo AdvisorsLeave a comment

We hear a lot of this all the time. Our parents, our friends, our colleagues and everyone. There isn’t any in my opinion. Some may beg to differ but there really isn’t any the way the see it. There is an actual science to this because it really depends on what kind of person you are. No one will manage your money better than yourself. There are three dimensions to this how I see it.

Your Life Cycle

Life-Cycle – Depending on which part of the cycle one is in, you will change the way you invest and how you want to invest. Different stages in life provides you with different perspective and capability to do certain aspects of financial tweaks. Some get a head start while other don’t but that is not the end goal. It is your objective that is key – No one should just carbon copy a portfolio or process. This is customised and should be based on your own circumstances.

How much you have to invest?

How much you have – This is really a sticky question because the real fact is that no one knows. I am of the mind that your own networth and liquidity is for your own to know and manage. Unless you own the millions that you can’t manage because time is what you need, this would apply to at least 90% of the folks out that. How much can you afford to save or take out that does not affect you paying off your bills on time depends on your financial situation. I remember when I first started out, the salary I have is for my own takings. The very first thing I did was to spend almost all of it. It isn’t smart but we all learn.

Paying yourself first

Paying yourself first is essential in building a bigger pool. The first $1k, $10k, $25k $50k, $100k will be exponentially easier with every milestone. However if you don’t start, then the milestone will not be met. Regular saving plans/investment does help in this process. Using the envelop technique is also recommended for guys who are really starting out.

Time – This is a large and essential part of everything else.

First, you need to find time and give time to learn and experience. No one grew up knowing everything, all of these lies with exposure and experience. Some gets it faster than the rest while others manages this slower. Like an exercise buddy, the journey is long but if you persist and encourage one another, it will ride for a long time.

No excuses – Is Netflix and the next PlayStation more important every other day? Educating and understanding finance takes time and effort. Even if you hate it, try it in a smaller scale model and gradually increase it over time. I can certainly say that over a time period, it will become second nature.

Second, You do not have a warchest overnight. You need to build it. No one knows when is the next drop, what is the next promising industry to go into. No one knows who is the next unicorn or donkey but through time, you will eventually find out about your own strength and sense of investing.

My four points on a good time to invest

These four points in my opinion sets the basis of what is a good time to invest. TLDR:

a. Anytime is a good time to invest as long as you have a plan and you know what you are doing

b.Do not invest more than what you require to pay your bills.

c. Start early, start young, the later you start – the tougher it is. It is never too late but the results will be less than one would expect.

d. Learn as much as you can so that you are well-equipped. Today, there are too many tools around to learn and see.

I also do understand that by saying “When is a good time to invest?” It will attract criticism as to “timing of investment”

Timing the Market?

I would also want to address this issue of timing. It does no one any good if you time the market. No one has the crystal ball.

a. Start by splitting your warchest into different portions. Be disciplined and when market drops, buy some then don’t expect these to turn unto profits overnight.

b. Keep an eye on what you are investing especially if you are buying into a company. Investing into index funds leave you to a more passive investor. We shall not talk about Core and Tactical management of investing this round.

c. Regular investing also helps. Find mutual funds or portfolios who have in-lined principles to what you belief and stick by it.

d. Remember to always review. Things change and so do us as humans during different life cycle.

Small Note

P.s. As you can see, my beliefs is as such that all things work in an ecosystem (Before it gets disrupted). Smaller efforts gives greater confidence and these translate into positive energy, mindset and clear mind. Then, this brings you to another aspect. When this Eco-system is in place, many of the things we have discussed earlier will be a second nature and you would know how to react accordingly.

My Take on Robo-Advisor

Personally I like to use some form of Robo, systematic investing such as Endowus. It also cancels out my liking of timing my Buy-in timing.

  • Most importantly, the cash related funds uses a big institution related fund manage such as Dimension Fund which is not readily accessible to retail investor.
  • They have shown that they return the rebates they receive from the fund houses instead of absorbing it to pay fees to Banks/Financial Institutions as recurring revenues
  • All funds invested are held on behalf by UOB Kay Hian and held in my own name so funds are safe I say.
  • My only grip is really about the buy time which I have no control over. By the time the markets drop, I’m not sure when my funds are invested but on the bright side, it means it is consistent and disciplined trading.
  • Relatively lower management fees which means more compounding interests for all. That is good news.
  • I also like that they only debit the management fees at the end of the quarter instead of taking money at the start. Tells a lot about how they want to be different. Say no to upfront fees.
  • The first Robo-advisor to be able to invest using CPFIS. I think they were also the first to be able to use SRS to do so as well. That makes one more level up as CPFIS only approves certain funds that you can invest in. This makes it flexible to invest using Cash, SRS and CPFIS.
  • If you use my referral code to sign up and invest minimum S$10k, we both get $20 each which can be used to offset the management fees to keep their lights running: https://endowus.com/invite?code=EDZ8M

Disclaimer

Money is not everything – They say (Who? I don’t know). Without Money, there are lot of things we cannot do. With proper money management, these will slowly go away and your mind’s will be clearer. With a clear mind, things unravel. An end is always where new things start. Be positive and do not be bound by just money.

This is also not a sponsored posts. I used it and I like what I am seeing.

If you like what I am sharing or if it resonates with you, do use my referral codes for other services at https://atomic-temporary-178675883.wpcomstaging.com/contact/

The pictures were taken from a few websites for this article.

Crypto.com (MCO swap to CRO)

On By RistrettzIn Alternative Investments, Cryptocurrency, Interest RatesLeave a comment

Crypto.com (MCO) has been around for almost 4 years now. I have not seen any utility crypto company who has delivered what they want to deliver to consumers over the last 4 years. They are as similar if not the same as any other company with a physical product that works.

Crypto.com

My first serious foray into crypto was the MCO card introduced by a friend of my. The great deal initially was a referral fee of USD 50 for both referrer and referee. Then comes the Spotify, Netflix and free airport access (via Lounge key – Not so much now but still it is okay) all these comes in at 100% cash-backed to the card via the utility token (Used to be MCO but now it is swapped into the CRO)

For many users, especially the pioneers or even global users who have been approved in their countries to issued MCO Visa cards (Debit card), it is certainly not what was listed in the white paper but hey, it is a pretty good move in my opinion and while the Wirecard Fiasco is still ongoing, I think it is a win-win for all Crypto.com users. Some users think otherwise but I find that this is an option once more to think bigger profits which a 10x margin might be possible. Of course crypto comes with risks. It is a big risk but it should also return big as well.

The community has been negative for such changes. I guess there is no right and wrong answer to it. I still choose to believe that is moving in the right direction for customers as well as sustainability. So in all that, I will still hold and wait on for more good news on their end. The CRO staked amount has also been adjusted lower which means more good news and more CRO released for usage.

The Swap Value

There’s the alert and actionable items: Action is required before 2 Nov 2020 at 23:59 UTC, or you will lose the functionality currently associated with your MCO. We will not perform the MCO swap on your behalf and the swap will not happen automatically.

Crypto.com will use the following formula based on the volume weighted average price as expressed in United States dollars (“VWAP”)to determine the number of CRO allocated to you that reflects each swapped MCO:

1 MCO = (30-day VWAP of MCO / 30-day VWAP of CRO) x 1 CRO

(30 days between 4 Jul 2020 to 2 Aug 2020, both dates inclusive)

So it will be fixed at 1 MCO = 27.4639 CRO

Crypto.com will offer an Early Swap Bonus in CRO if the MCO swap is performed before 2 Sep 2020 23:59 UTC, based on the following formula and criteria: So Swap early for

1 MCO = 33.1726 CRO

The pros is now that the stake and interest has now increased as CRO terms are on better rates. Development of De-fi is on its way. More flexibility in terms of usage and managing the tokens. Benefits are better now for existing customers.

The cons would be the way they initially managed and wrote on the white paper. This definitely lost some points as well as how MCO was originally the golden boy which has turned obsolete now.

All Benefits remains the same and on the same tier. Not bad I supposed, just that the quantity of CRO is now much more than before. I don’t think that’s a big deal. The whole idea is adoption, more utility and more users. It spells 10x to me more. Just be patient.

Disclaimer

If you like what I am sharing or if it resonates with you, do use my referral codes for other services at https://atomic-temporary-178675883.wpcomstaging.com/contact/

The pictures were taken from Crypto.com website for this article.

NDP 2020 Promotion: 1 Year Free Membership from Gallery Insider

On By RistrettzIn DealsLeave a comment

There is an ongoing promotion for National Day 2020. That is a one-year complimentary membership for Gallery Insider. It is really good to see companies doing their part to make art and increase activities locally.

National Gallery Insider

From the Gallery Insider (link here: https://www.nationalgallery.sg/support/join/membership) –  This Gallery Insider is an annual membership programme. Insiders get unlimited access to their dynamic line-up of exhibitions, as well as privileges and discounts for selected programmes. You can also get unique museum merchandise and the Gallery’s culinary offerings at a discount. This sounds really good as it is a great time to explore such options now. Travelling is definitely not available in the near term. However it is not all doom and gloom. There are other things to do and appreciate in Singapore.

Click here at https://www.nationalgallery.sg/support/join/membership to get your FREE ONE Year Gallery Insider membership. This is worth up to $120 in value from unlimited and priority access to all exhibitions. There is a bonus perk of up to 15% discounts on dining and shopping. This is pretty decent.

Free Perk

This Free perk will end on 31 October 2020 so get it as soon as possible. Don’t forget you need to be there physically to activate your membership before October 2020.

However do note that this is for Singaporeans and Singapore PRs. Time to explore Singapore. It is not a sponsored post but I find this a great initiative and also a good way to find out more about Singapore.

Disclaimer

If you like what I am sharing or if it resonates with you, do use my referral codes for other services at https://atomic-temporary-178675883.wpcomstaging.com/contact/

The pictures were taken from National Gallery website for this article.

NDP 2020 Promotion: 1 Year Free Membership for Gallery Insider

On By RistrettzIn Deals, Interest, PromotionLeave a comment

There is an ongoing promotion for National Day 2020 – That is a 1-Year complimentary membership for Gallery Insider. It is really good to see companies doing their part to make art and increase activities locally.

Reading directly from the website at https://www.nationalgallery.sg/support/join/membership, it says that Gallery Insider is an annual membership programme. Insiders get unlimited access to their dynamic line-up of exhibitions, as well as privileges and discounts for selected programmes, unique museum merchandise and the Gallery’s culinary offerings. Sounds not too bad to explore such options now that travelling is pretty much out of the way for an extended period of time. It’s not all doom and gloom. There are other things to do and appreciate our own Country.

Click here at https://www.nationalgallery.sg/support/join/membership to get your FREE 1 Year Gallery Insider membership, which is claimed to be worth up to $120 in value from unlimited and priority access to all exhibitions. Also, there is a bonus perk of up to 15% discounts on dining and shopping. Not too bad I guess.

This Free perk will end on 31 October 2020 and I am guessing while stocks last? Sign up asap! Don’t forget you need to be there physically to activate your membership before October end.

However do note that this is for Singaporeans and Singapore PRs. Time to explore Singapore. It is not a sponsored post but I find this a great initiative and also a good way to find out more about Singapore.

(Image from National gallery website)

For more referral links, click here: https://lifejourney840443474.wordpress.com/contact/

New Referral Scheme from Singlife

On By RistrettzIn Alternative Income, Interest Rates, New Ideas, Personal Finance SeriesLeave a comment

This is really a great piece of marketing work from Singlife. Though late into the referral game, this is some good way to get and garner new acquisitions. It is well known that Singaporeans are pretty starved for yields. This insurtech firm is one that I have wrote about recently and it is a good product.

(Updates 1 Nov 2020): I received an email from Singlife communications – As a heads up, Singlife Paid Referral Programme will come to a close on 1 November 2020.

All referees (i.e. people who have been referred) who have successfully in-forced their Singlife Account by 1 Nov 2020 will have up to fifteen business days (i.e. 20 Nov 2020) to order and activate their Singlife Visa Debit Card for both you and your referee to still qualify for the S$10 referral bonus. 

You also probably received an email from them on 30 Oct 2020 notifying of the upcoming termination. 

As from their excerpt:

“Singlife’s Paid Referral Programme has enjoyed a successful run and will come to a close as of 1 November 2020. Thank you for all your support! Upon the Effective Date of Termination (1 Nov 2020), all referees who have successfully in-forced their Singlife Account(s), by the Effective Date of Termination, will have up to fifteen business days (i.e. by 20 Nov 2020) to order and activate their Singlife Visa Debit Card to qualify for the S$10 bonus.”

Still, the good and bad and them. It is still a decent alternative cash source.

The Good about Singlife

I’ll have one more strong and valid point to date with this referral scheme.

  • A referral fee of S$10 is deposited in your Singlife account for each friend you invite to Singlife and there are no cap for this. Each friend gets S$10 too so if you find this useful, do use my link to sign up here: https://app.singlife.com/S49MSfXlF8
  • SDIC covered
  • Relatively high interest rate for the first $10k
  • Simple and fuss-free – registration and login all done online
  • You can also spend normally like what a debit card does, having a functioning physical card.
  • Transfers are all ifast which is really impressive and same day receipt
  • Customer service is pretty responsive and quick to reply (Live chat and email)
  • Some form of insurance is complimentary including retrenchment insurance (It’s not a lot but it is a nice gesture)
  • No-contract, no terms no fees when you withdraw.

You can read my previous post about Singlife: https://atomic-temporary-178675883.wpcomstaging.com/2020/06/26/low-or-no-interest-where-to-park-your-funds/

Find out more here: https://singlife.com/

Disclaimer

If you like what I am sharing or if it resonates with you, do use my referral codes for other services at https://atomic-temporary-178675883.wpcomstaging.com/contact/

The pictures were taken from Singlife website for this article.

Get $5 when you sign up with Google Pay & make a transaction (Until 31 July 2020)

On By RistrettzIn Alternative Income, New Ideas, Personal Finance SeriesLeave a comment

This is really a quick kill for a good deal. It is the usual way of spending money to get more users. This is pretty straightforward and it is an easy one to get. All you need is just to sign up for google pay using this link here https://g.co/payinvite/t74cf8f

All the way through 31st July 2020, when you download Google Pay from this referral link, you will be able to receive a free $5 cash after performing an eligible transaction.

Referral Programme (until 31 July 2020)

a. You earn $5 once your friend makes his or her first payment using Google Pay. The transaction must be at least $10 to qualify. (or PayNow to your friend)

b. You can earn the reward only once for each friend whom you have successfully referred. There are no caps.

Once you have signed up using my link, you can then continue sharing your own referral link to as many friends as you would like. In return, you and your friend $5 cash each for each successful referral! 

How it works?

Send your invite link for everyone to download Google Pay.

For invitees who are on IOS devices, they must enter their mobile number on the Google Pay page that is prompted before installing the app. The login must be the same as Google Pay to qualify.

You can insert a referral code if you have downloaded the app however you must not make any transactions on Google Pay before.

You will then earn S$5 and your friend S$5 if they make their first payment of at least S$10 on Google Pay by 31 July 2020 23:59 Singapore time and payment is successfully process. Also, assuming that it is a first time user as well as a first transaction.

At the time of writing, you can do this by linking your PayNow account to OCBC account (Currently that is the only way to do so) and make a transfer from there. This is the easiest and fastest way to get the perks.

It’s quite easy and simple to do. Although it takes a bit of an effort but I think it is worthwhile while they still have marketing expense to spare. Have fun referring! Please do use my referral link if you think this is of value to you. Sharing is caring – Cheers!

Disclaimer

If you like what I am sharing or if it resonates with you, do use my referral codes for other services at https://atomic-temporary-178675883.wpcomstaging.com/contact/

The pictures were taken from Google Pay website for this article.

A SIM only telco – GIGA (Part 1)

On By RistrettzIn New Ideas, Personal Finance SeriesLeave a comment

In the past, there used to be only 3 players in the telco market – Singtel, Starhub and M1. They sort of formed into a monopoly where 5.2 million people on the island will choose either of the 3 companies. All things change when Circles.life came into the picture and to be honest, it was such a game changer that almost instantaneously switched to them at the earliest time possible once my contract was up. Notably, Singtel has the best coverage in Singapore and underground but they were keen on only making profits for themselves.

The comparison

After some time, all three incumbent were forced to break off from their current model into a SIM only plan. This has been really great for consumers in particular as more competition means more competitively prices plans and better customer service. Of course, the incumbent truly matched the competition and eventually I switch out to GIGA, a SIM only plan from Starhub.

Benefits

The real benefits of going with GIGA means that for a basic plan,

a. S$18 for 20GB of data, 200 mins of outgoing calls, 200 SMS, free caller ID and free incoming calls and incoming SMS.

b. For unused data, you can carry over to the next month (Capped at 2x the base data – 20 GB x 2 = 40GB

c. No contract means, flexibility and freedom to cancel the contract anytime.

d. Signup is digital only – meaning you can only sign up online. You can use the GIGA app to access your account as well as setup your payments. They accept most major credit cards.

e. There isn’t any IDD so for for overseas usage. You would need to buy either gigaRoam (Asia Pacific) or gigaRoam (Rest of the world)

f. There is a small registration fee. You also need to arrange for the SIM card to be delivered to you. However, you can use a referral code to supplement the discount. You will get a one time $20 gigabucks off the 25GB plan or a one time $42 gigabucks off the 50GB plan. Use my referral code – “LhS9Ng”. The referral credit is only valid for any plans except the basic $10 GIGA plans.

Others

The downside of using GIGA is that you can’t surf the internet while on a call. (E.g. checking for emails or stuffs while on a call. However, if you have your WiFi switched on, it works perfectly) You can still receive OTP (One time Pin) while still on the call so that’s not too much of a worry.

Generally, I like the interface, colours and customer service support on GIGA. They even have a live chat function but you need to clear your cache regularly as it seems like it is stuck on my app most of the time. It is fuss-free and simply to use. I’ll say that they are trying hard to evolve and re-invent themselves. I don’t have too much faith with Singtel and GOMO so this is my next best choice.

GIGA just launched a 40GB data, 300 SMS, 300 outgoing calls at $20 for 12 months. It is still a no contract plan but that it reverts back to $30 a month from the 13th month onward.

From time to time, they will launch limited time offers like the one above. You can visit their website to find out more: https://www.giga.com.sg/

Disclaimer

If you like what I am sharing or if it resonates with you, do use my referral codes for other services at https://atomic-temporary-178675883.wpcomstaging.com/contact/

The pictures were taken from GIGA website for this article.

A SIM only telco – GIGA

On By RistrettzIn New Ideas, Personal Finance SeriesLeave a comment

In the past, there used to be only 3 players in the telco market – Singtel, Starhub and M1. They sort of formed into a monopoly where 5.2 million people on the island will choose either of the 3 companies. All things change when Circles.life came into the picture and to be honest, it was such a game changer that almost instantaneously switched to them at the earliest time possible once my contract was up. Notably, Singtel has the best coverage in Singapore and underground but they were keen on only making profits for themselves.

After some time, all three incumbent were forced to break off from their current model into a SIM only plan. This has been really great for consumers in particular as more competition means more competitively prices plans and better customer service. Of course, the incumbent truly matched the competition and eventually I switch out to GIGA, a SIM only plan from Starhub.

The real benefits of going with GIGA means that for a basic plan,

a. S$18 for 20GB of data, 200 mins of outgoing calls, 200 SMS, free caller ID and free incoming calls and incoming SMS.

b. For unused data, you can carry over to the next month (Capped at 2x the base data – 20 GB x 2 = 40GB

c. No contract means, flexibility and freedom to cancel the contract anytime.

d. Signup is digital only – meaning you can only sign up online and use an app to access your account as well as setup your payments. They accept most major credit cards.

e. There isn’t any IDD so for for overseas usage, you would need to buy either gigaRoam (Asia Pacific) or gigaRoam (Rest of the world)

f. You would need to pay a small registration fee and arrange for the SIM card to be delivered to your preferred location. However, you can use a referral code to supplement the discount. You will get a one time $20 gigabucks off the 25GB plan or a one time $42 gigabucks off the 50GB plan if you use my code – “LhS9Ng”. The referral credit is only valid for any plans except the basic $10 GIGA plans.

The downside of using GIGA is that you can’t surf the internet while on a call (for e.g. checking for emails or stuffs while on a call however if you have your WiFi switched on, it works perfectly) but you can still receive OTP (One time Pin) while still on the call so that’s not too much of a worry.

Generally, I like the interface, colours and customer service support on GIGA. They even have a live chat function but you need to clear your cache regularly as it seems like it is stuck on my app most of the time. It is fuss-free and simply to use. I’ll say that they are trying hard to evolve and re-invent themselves. I don’t have too much faith with Singtel and GOMO so this is my next best choice.

GIGA just launched a 40GB data, 300 SMS, 300 outgoing calls at $20 for 12 months. It is still a no contract plan, just that it reverts back to $30 a month from the 13th month onward.

From time to time, they will launch limited time offers like the one above. You can visit their website to find out more: https://www.giga.com.sg/

Image from Giga website.