M1 Maxx — A confusing, but good fusion of Prepaid and Postpaid
In Singapore, we are used to short prepaid or monthly postpaid plans, where you pay for a month or shorter of service.
But what if you could pay in advance for longer and get it cheaper? Yes, 12-month or 24-month based contract exists. But no, those are still monthly payments, and still contracts that you have to break. I’m talking about paying 3 or 6 months in advance for service — Long Expiry Plans. This is common in other countries, but never tried before in Singapore. That is, till Maxx from M1.
M1 Maxx is a Postpaid plan that I can best describe as Postpaid plan with a sprinkle of Prepaid characteristics. Like prepaid, you can’t truly register for the plan online, you can only do so through authorized third-party retailers.
Like prepaid (in other countries that is):
- You can pay in advance for 1, 3, 6 months of service instead of a monthly subscription.
- If you don’t need to use your phone much (if at all), you can coast along without paying for anything.
However, it’s still considered a postpaid plan by IMDA.
It is a weird, confusing mesh of a plan, due to the scheme being new for Singapore, but once decoded, it can be the bargain for you.
Let’s talk about it.
The registration hassle
If you want the best that Maxx can provide, you have to register on-site at a third-party Maxx retailer. Oddly enough, official M1 shops do not qualify. To find such a retailer, you can look around the neighbourhood for small phone shops that advertise M1 Maxx (insert picture here), or try to use the spreadsheet provided by M1 on their website of all the Maxx retailers in Singapore. Unfortunately, this is not an interactive map, and the spreadsheet is listed in alphabetical order (!!!) so searching for something in your area is a hassle.
Like… why
Thankfully, once you reach a retailer, the registration process is simple. You give them your ID, tell the vendor the initial plan desired, and they’ll give you a new, activated SIM card after payment. You can also opt to port in, or later through the app.
Also hey, no registration costs! Alas, while it’s on the M1 network, there is no esim support.
The plan — Demystifying the plan, how it works, and the value.
Every Maxx account has a base plan. It is free (currently) and gives 200MB of data, 10 min of calls, 50 SMS, free incoming calls. As long as you use the plan at least once every 3 months, the plan will be free till M1 decides to change their mind. If you “forget” to use this plan, you’ll have to pay $5 to use it again and reactivate the plan (see T&C).
Yes. This in theory implies that this plan is “forever free” as long as you send a text, use a lil bit of data, till M1 decides to change their mind.
Obviously, the provided 200MB of data, 10 min of calls, free incoming, and 5 texts is too little for the majority of people.
Thus, you are expected to purchase ad-ons and customize the plan to your liking. Think of this part as the actual choosing of the plan. And this is where the value comes in.
For month to month add-ons (Meaning these benefits last for 30 days)
+------+------------+--------------+------------------------+----------------------+-----+
| Cost | Local Data | Roaming Data | Local Outgoing Minutes | IDD Outgoing Minutes | SMS |
+------+------------+--------------+------------------------+----------------------+-----+
| $12 | 50GB | 1GB | 500 | 150 | 50 |
+------+------------+--------------+------------------------+----------------------+-----+
| $15 | 100GB | 2GB | 500 | 150 | 50 |
+------+------------+--------------+------------------------+----------------------+-----+
50GB of local data
1GB of MY, ID, Bangladesh Data
500 Local Calls (free incoming is already a given)
150 min IDD calls
50 SMS
Throwing in an extra 3 dollars at $15 a month doubles the data.
That’s not bad, but the real pudding is when we extend it to 90 or 180 days.
+------+----------+-------------------+------------+--------------+------------------------+----------------------+-----+
| Cost | Validity | **Monthly Price** | Local Data | Roaming Data | Local Outgoing Minutes | IDD Outgoing Minutes | SMS |
+------+----------+-------------------+------------+--------------+------------------------+----------------------+-----+
| $12 | 30 days | $12 | 50GB | 1GB | 500 | 150 | 50 |
+------+----------+-------------------+------------+--------------+------------------------+----------------------+-----+
| $15 | 30 days | $15 | 100GB | 2GB | 500 | 150 | 50 |
+------+----------+-------------------+------------+--------------+------------------------+----------------------+-----+
| $36 | 90 days | $12 | 100GB | 1GB | 500 | 150 | 50 |
+------+----------+-------------------+------------+--------------+------------------------+----------------------+-----+
| $70 | 180 days | $11 | 100GB | 1GB | 500 | 150 | 50 |
+------+----------+-------------------+------------+--------------+------------------------+----------------------+-----+
For 90 days, you get the same as the same value as the $12 plan, but with doubled local data for $36 dollars (basically $12 a month for 100GB local data)
For 180 days, you get the same value as above, but for $70 dollars (basically $11.6 a month for 100GB local data)
And to clarify, the benefits renew every 30 days. It’s not 100GB spread across the whole period.
There are also some port-in plans which are not bad, just average value (basically $40 for 90 days validity with 60GB monthly ($13.3 a month) , but with a one-time 150GB extension that is spread out among those 90 days).
However, do note that for non-30 day plans, you need to manually activate it. You cannot activate a recurring charge for it as you can for the 30 day plans.
There are also Myanmar and Philippines specific plans that give extra IDD minutes to those countries.
All these add-ons can be added anytime, either via the app with payment via credit card, or by going down to a physical store and paying through cash or Paynow.
Not endorsing them, but makes sense that they can offer cheaper prices.
You can also save more money by buying add-ons from other vendors online.
Maxx competitive pricing makes it one of the cheapest plan for heavy data users. At its cheapest, it is competing with plans that offer 10–20GB of data. At its priciest competes against plans that have 50GB of data.
We’ll talk more about its competitors later.
Wait, what about the “Online Plan”?
If you don’t want to physically go down to a shop to register, you can opt for the “Online Plan”, which gives you the benefit of the $15 plan for $18 dollars.
If you have a Maxx Retailer, don’t go for it. If you don’t, you have a lot of other options that are similarly competitive (MyRepublic for example)
I’m not sure if you can change it later.
Wait… If the base plan is free…
Free?
Yes. You could in theory use this plan for free. However, you likely still need to at least purchase a new initial plan from a retailer as they are unlikely to give you a blank SIM card to make a new account or port in with.
Take it as a $12 registration charge.
Just remember to use it at least a tad, or risk the $5 charge to reactivate it down the line.
This is insanely useful if you only use your phone once in a while, such as for kids or an secondary line for a dumb phone. You can always use it as a pager with free incoming calls.
Reliability/Speed
A cheap plan is rather useless if we can’t use it well…So how well does Maxx do in that regard?
Fast
During non-congested periods and areas, I get fantastic speeds with my speed hovering over 150Mbps on download and 40Mbps on upload. Plenty fast for outside use.
However, during congested, peek periods such as in the train during rush hour, speeds tank.
Slow at first… then goes back to normal
Slower days
I’m talking like 1–4 Mbps. Interestingly enough, the behaviour is slightly odd. Sometimes, downloads will be initially slow and then dramatically speed up at the tail end. This is awful for rapidly loading images (such as when browsing a bunch of images at once), but is typically fine for streaming videos.
Maxx currently does not have 5G, however M1 claims that support is “coming soon”. If it does come, we can speculate that it’ll cost extra, but might help ease network congestion speeds.
In terms of overall network reliability, it is using M1’s network. As usual, your mileage will vary based on your location for M1’s network.
Support wise, there is a hotline with hours from 9am to 9pm! However, that is the extent of your support. There is no live chat.
App
The app is well designed, and works decently for checking current packages and adding new ones. Unfortunately, there is no live support in the app, nor is there a widget on Android to track your data usage.
Competitors
+---------------+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+------------------------------+-------------------+
| Name of Plan | Data Given | Calls Given | Roaming | International Data Provided? | Cost |
+===============+=========================================+=============+=============+==============================+===================+
| Maxx (15) | 100GB | 500 min | Yes | Yes (2GB) | $15 |
+---------------+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+------------------------------+-------------------+
| Maxx (12) | 50GB | 500 min | Yes | Yes (1GB) | $12 |
+---------------+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+------------------------------+-------------------+
| SIMBA | 100GB | 300 min | Yes | Yes (1GB) | $10 |
+---------------+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+------------------------------+-------------------+
| Heya | 100GB for 10 months, 50 GB | 300 min | None at all | - | $10 |
+---------------+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+------------------------------+-------------------+
| Changi Mobile | 25GB, "unlimited streaming speed" | Unlimited | Yes | No | $12 for 12 months |
+---------------+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+------------------------------+-------------------+
| Changi Mobile | 20GB | 300 min | Yes | No | $10 |
+---------------+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+------------------------------+-------------------+
| MyRepublic | 100GB (6 months, 50GB), unlimited later | 500 min | Yes | No | $15 |
+---------------+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+------------------------------+-------------------+
| ViviFi Binge | 80GB | 300 min | Yes | Yes (1GB) | $16 |
+---------------+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+------------------------------+-------------------+
There are only two true spec to spec competitors to Maxx — Heya and SIMBA.
But neither are slam dunks against Maxx.
Heya
Heya is right now offering $10 for 100GB without a contract. That’s cheaper than Maxx and being owned by Singtel gives it that Singtel coverage boost.
However, it’s not without faults. Firstly, you can only top up online via Lazada (which is new too! Previously, the only option to top up was at a store)
Secondly, it offers zero roaming. You have 0 service when you are outside singapore. SMS OTPs when you are abroad? Nope. In the digital age, this should be a deal-breaker unless one never travels or does not have any essential accounts tied to the number (maybe for a secondary phone number).
SIMBA/TPG
Ahh SIMBA. It’s cheaper with close to the same benefits.
But it’s downfalls are well known at this point:
The coverage, while ever growing, is still sub-par in areas.
It’s a 4G/5G only network, meaning your phone has to be 4G and VOLTE certified to properly use their network. If your phone supports 4G, but is not certified under their VOLTE scheme, you have to use a third-party app to make phone calls.
Official 5G support is also poor with only a few phones supporting their network.
And when comparing its speed… It’s about the same during congested hours.
Others
Now, if you don’t need that much data… You have a lot more alternatives.
Here’s a quick run down without getting into too much detail.
- Zero1 is $7 a month for 6GB of data. However, a registration cost applies and you have no free roaming data.
- Vivifi Plus is $9 a month for 9GB of data or $11 for 20GB of data. Same thing as above.
- Redone is $8 a month for 5GB of data that can be used in both Malaysia and Singapore
- Giga is $10 a month for 10GB of data. Everything can be done online, and while there is no free roaming data, it can be easily added to the plan. Giga also gives out a lot of freebies (free data etc)
Verdict
Maxx is a fantastic value plan for local, data heavy users (assuming you aren’t using it during congested hours) if you are willing to jump through the hoops to get it. It’s hard to beat at its price, and has just the right amount of goodies (IDD minutes, roaming data, easy add-ons) to make it a very usable plan.
The plan is good for:
- Kids ( on the free tier, don’t want to give them a lot of data, but they are always contactable with free incoming calls)
- A main line if fast data speed during peak hours is not a priority
- You need 50–100GB of data a month
- If you travel occasionally to Malaysia and can utilize the given data roaming.
Not good for:
- If you roam outside of ASEAN (no data roaming outside a selected few countries)
- Need fast speed in the train, congested areas
- If M1 is poor in your area
- You want the latest technologies (5G, eSIM)
- If you use more then 0.2GB but less than 20GB a month (Zero1, vivifi are cheaper alternatives, but they don’t have free roaming data)
- A set and forget plan. You can only set recurring plans for 30 day plans (not for 90 or 180 days). Additionally, who knows if the free plan will get discontinued?
Reporting data:
This “review” and impressions is after using the plan for 2 weeks as a secondary line on a Galaxy Z Flip 5G.