MTS carries the remainder. MTS: new “Smart” and “Unlimited”

A couple of days ago I wrote about the new MTS “Smart” and “Smart Unlimited” tariffs:

They are already available for connection and transition.

However, that's not all. From April 13, 2017, other tariff plans in this line will be updated. All of them are united by the following parameters:

The remaining minutes, SMS and Internet traffic are transferred to the next month (read about the transfer scheme at the link above)
Tariffs are valid in their unchanged form throughout Russia without roaming surcharges (and without additional subscription charges);
The presence of a “package of useful security services” (in fact, the package is not always useful to everyone and, if desired, can be assembled independently, read about this).

"Smart+"

Subscription fee - 250 rub./week (not changed)
350 minutes per week to all numbers in your home region and MTS Russia (here intercity was not included in the package)
350 SMS per week to all numbers in Russia
7 GB internet per week (was - unlimited for smartphone).

As we can see in comparison with the old version of “Nedelka”, which was released just last month, the changes here affected the mobile Internet - already traditional removed unlimited. Plus we added package transfer. However, here the packages are transferred not to the next month, but to the next week! Accordingly, this is an even bigger plus.

"Smart Top"

Subscription fee - 1600 rub./month (no changes... and how much higher?)
3000 minutes to all Russian networks
Unlimited calls to MTS Russia (over the package of minutes)
3000 -SMS- -to all numbers in your region
15 GB of Internet.

Here the tariff numbers have not changed at all, only the transfer of packages to the next month has been added.

"ULTRA"

Subscription fee - 2700 rub./month (no changes... it’s interesting to look at those who, of their own free will, pay that kind of money for communications these days)
5000 minutes to all Russian networks
Unlimited calls to MTS Russia (over the package of minutes)
5000 -SMS- -to all numbers in your region
20 GB Internet.

That is, in “Ultra” we also see a new function for transferring packages to the next month as changes.

About previous versions of “Smart Top” and “ULTRA” -.

Also, do not forget about doubling the package of minutes when making calls through the MTS Connect application.

conclusions

Without going into details, namely the size of the monthly fee, tariffs have become better due to the transfer of packages of minutes, SMS and Internet. The refusal of unlimited Internet only for a smartphone on “Smart+” does not look like a tragedy to me. But if you think about it, the summary of this line still remains as follows: expensive.

Also, as a PS, it is worth adding that from April 10, MTS will again update the “Smart mini” tariff. However, in connection with the latest know-how on the transfer of packages and the inclusion of intercity minutes in the package, the public would rather be interested in seeing another improvement in the hit MTS TP

Currently, only Tele2 provides this opportunity to subscribers.

The mobile operator MTS plans in the future to launch a service for transferring the balance of unused traffic, SMS or conversation minutes to the next month, the MTS press service told Vslukh.ru, without specifying the terms and conditions for the implementation of the project.

Currently, MTS has package tariffs of the Smart line, offering up to 1600 SMS and minutes, Internet traffic from 1 GB to unlimited access per month.

Representatives of other Big Three operators - Beeline and Megafon - told Vslukh.ru that they do not plan to launch the transfer of balances in their package tariffs, since their tariffs meet the needs of subscribers.

Thus, Beeline offers subscribers package tariffs “All in one” (mobile communications, home Internet, TV) and “Everything” (up to 12 GB of traffic, 2 thousand minutes and 2 thousand SMS). Megafon operates a line of “All inclusive” tariffs (up to 2.5 thousand minutes, 12 GB and 2.5 thousand SMS).

At the moment, the service for transferring the balance of unused minutes, Internet traffic and SMS is valid only with the Tele2 operator (“Transfer of balances”) for package tariffs of the “Black” line.

Thus, the remaining traffic, minutes and SMS that were not used in the previous month are transferred to the next month and are spent first. “For example, a subscriber in January has 50 minutes, 10 SMS and 1 GB left Internet traffic. They are postponed to February, first of all, calls, surfing the web and SMS will be deducted from the remainder of the “old” package. If at the end of February the subscriber’s January balances have not been completely used up, and, accordingly, the February package is preserved, then the January balances are burned out, and the unused February package is transferred to March.

The intensity of use of communication services by subscribers is not always uniform; this may be due to work, travel, or family circumstances. Transferring balances is convenient - unused minutes, SMS and gigabytes in one month will allow you to more actively use communications in the next month without additional costs,” explained the director of Tele2 in the Tyumen and Kurgan regions to Vslukh.ru Andrey Shmalev.

The service was officially launched on January 25th. “This is a revolutionary solution for the Russian market, since none of the telecom operators have done this before. According to our data, approximately 80% of clients do not use 80% of the minutes and SMS included in the packages. And almost all users of data packages do not use the volume of traffic that operators offer,” Deputy General Director for Product, Marketing and Federal Client Development told reporters in Moscow on January 25 Andrey Patoka.

The new version of the tariff has been completely redesigned and, in fact, is a worse version of Smart Nonstop. Which is also closed for connections and sent to the archive. Instead of unlimited Internet, they give a 10 GB traffic package and introduce the transfer of unused packages to the next month.

“Unlimited” was going to be slammed on the first of March, so nothing unexpected happened to you and me. Why was it postponed? It’s hard to say, but now it doesn’t matter, the job is done. Intrigued by the name. In fact, there is nothing unlimited left in the tariff, and the name is now misleading. Apparently, “Bezlimitishte” has become such a well-promoted brand that they risked leaving the name. How will they justify themselves if there are people who want to find fault? And there will be those who want it; OPI (“Public Consumer Initiative”) carefully monitors the wording. Perhaps MTS considered it legitimate to preserve the name by transferring the remaining packages to the next month.

Thus, the only public tariffs available for connection with Internet unlimited in MTS are Smart +, Smart Top and Transformishche. But “Transformishte” is a special case, it is only for new connections and is not sold in showrooms, only through ordering in the online store.

Anatomy of a tariff

As I already wrote, there is no point in comparing the new tariff with the previous “Unlimited”, this is an animal of a completely different breed. Much more similar to the archived Smart Nonstop. Main parameters of the new “Unlimited”:

Subscription fee 550 rub. per month. As far as I understand, they abandoned the daily write-off and switched to a monthly scheme. Also, when switching to the new “Unlimited” service, 550 rubles will be immediately written off. without any benefits for the first month.
The package includes 350 minutes, 350 SMS and 10 GB of traffic per month. Unlike Smart Nonstop, night unlimited is not provided.
Unused minutes, SMS and traffic are transferred to the next month; this can be considered the main feature of the new tariff. But Internet traffic is transferred in a tricky way; more on that below.
When traveling outside your home region and using the tariff, 15 rubles are deducted daily. This “on-network roaming tax” is not charged on Smart+ tariffs and above.
After the Internet package is exhausted, additional 1 GB packages are automatically connected for 150 rubles. every.
The SMS package only applies to messages within your home region. Within Russia and to other countries - for a fee.
When making calls from the MTS Connect application, the number of minutes in the package formally doubles, but also not without an interesting “feature”.

The tariff does not look too attractive, but do not forget about transferring packages to the next month. This is an important plus and noticeable savings with uneven consumption. We should probably say thank you to Tele2 for returning this long-abandoned scheme.

How transfer works

The contents of the packages are transferred only to one (next) month; you will not be able to save “products” for three or more months. The maximum that will be transferred is the full volume of one “grocery set”. But it's still a saving. Especially for those who consume minutes unevenly and periodically jump out of the package.

It would be surprising if MTS simply copied the Tele2 scheme, in which the minutes, SMS and traffic transferred from the previous month are consumed first. As far as I understand, the transferred minutes and SMS in the MTS tariff are really spent first or are simply added up with new packages. But in the scheme with the transfer of Internet traffic, MTS discovered a “little trick”. The transferred traffic is not consumed first, but only after the current package is completely used up. For example, if in March you have 4 GB of unused traffic left, then they will be transferred to April and 14 GB in April can be spent without additional payments. But if in April you spend 11 GB out of these 14, then nothing will be carried over to May; the remaining 3 GB is considered as if it were March. Accordingly, if 9 of these total 14 GB are spent in April, then 1 GB will be transferred to May. It’s a brilliant idea, if only the inventor of the scheme were paid a salary at MTS Bank according to the same principle!

“Doubling” the package of minutes when making calls from the MTS Connect application is also an interesting idea; I described this scheme in a review. The trick is that the main package of minutes is always consumed first. Including calls from the application. And only when the main package is over, we receive a second one, which can be spent exclusively on calls from the MTS Connect application. Regular calls (except calls to MTS) will be charged separately. Formally, this can be considered a “doubling” of the package of minutes, but in fact, you understand. But still, the MTS Connect application is a useful thing, especially in international roaming.

How and with what to compare

It is clear that it is useless to compare the new “Unlimited” with the old one; these are fundamentally different tariffs. I inherited the name, but this is marketing in its purest form, and Mobile-Review is not a “dissertation”; there is no need for us to compare letters. But the similarity with the archived Smart Nonstop is simply striking, and we can compare it with it. It would be nice to call the tariff “New Nonstop” to make it easier to understand...

	MTS Smart Unlimited old	MTS Smart Nonstop	MTS Smart Unlimited new
Subscription fee	578 (387)*	500	550
Minutes included in the package	200	400	350
Included in the SMS package	200	400	350
Internet traffic package	unlimited	10 GB + night unlimited	10 GB
Local minute over package	2.00	2.00	2.00**
Intercity minute to other networks	5.00	5.00	From the package (?)
SMS local over package	1.50	1.50	1.50**
Internet over package	-	For a fee	For a fee**
	For the first month * After spending carried over from the previous month

I have certain doubts about calls to all Russian numbers from the package in the new “Unlimited”. You will need to carefully study the pdf description when it appears on the MTS website. 5 rubles/min looks more logical.

Summary

The new “Unlimited” service is now suitable for those who do not have enough Internet traffic on the Smart tariff. Although I don’t yet know how Smart will be modified now, let’s not speculate. In any case, I would not recommend switching to the new “Unlimited” from the already archived Nonstop. From the old (now old) “Unlimited” - maybe. If 10 GB of traffic is enough, but minutes - on the contrary, 200 per month is not enough. And with uneven consumption, in order to enjoy the benefits of transferring packages to the next month.

The appearance of the tariff signifies two important news:

MTS’s refusal to use relatively inexpensive (if 500-600 rubles are considered inexpensive) tariffs with unlimited Internet, even only “reduced” nightly.
The appearance in the tariffs of a scheme for transferring the unused portion of packages to the next month. Let's hope for continuation in other tariffs.

UPDATE

Several important clarifications that appeared after the publication of the tariff description on the website.

Have you ever wondered how many minutes, megabytes and SMS messages you have left each month? Their value increases significantly if you understand what they could be spent on: for longer communication with family, downloading games and watching videos from video hosting sites, visiting social networks and sending SMS to your friends. Operator Tele2 has completely transformed all the rules!

At the end of January 2017, the Russian cellular company Tele2 launched a unique service called “Balance Transfer”. Everything paid for will be spent - from now on, the remaining minutes, SMS notifications and traffic unused by the subscriber during the month, provided under the terms of the tariff plan, will not expire, they will be transferred to the next month. This is an ideal example of a marketing policy based on special offers.

The terms of this service involve saving unused packages of minutes, SMS notifications and megabytes for Internet access and transferring them to the next month.

Example:

If a subscriber’s tariff includes 400 minutes, and in 30 days he has spent only 200 of them, then next month he will receive 200 (remaining) + 400 (updated package) = 600 minutes for free communication.

The transfer of unused SMS messages and remaining traffic is carried out in the same way. At the same time, at the beginning of the new month, those packages that were transferred from the previous period will be written off, and only then newly accrued ones.

It will not be possible to save on the mandatory subscription fee and stretch the existing set of packages for 2 months - the balances will be transferred only after paying the subscription fee for the coming month. So you still have to top up your balance.

Note! The transfer of remaining packages to Tele2 will not be unlimited - it only applies to the previous month, all earlier balances will expire.

Example:

When a subscriber has used only 100 of the 400 minutes provided, and in the next month (after transferring the balance) only 200, the remaining 100 minutes are no longer transferred to the third period.

Transferring unused packages makes it possible not to lose the paid packages, using your own cell phone more rationally. Having saved bonus minutes in one month, in another the consumer will be able to spend more time in pleasant conversations with family and friends - without making extra payments for this.

How the service is activated

Before connecting to a service called “Balance Transfer”, let’s remember what was said above - it is compatible exclusively with tariff plans from the “Black” family. On them, the service is already activated automatically - no USSD commands need to be entered into the phone. It will not be possible to activate it on other tariffs from the Tele2 mobile operator. In such a situation, there is only one way out - connect to one of the tariff packages of the “Black” line.

To view package balances, you need to dial the USSD command:

– * 155 * 0 # and then send a call.
– * 153 #, and then call.
How many SMS messages - * 155 * 2 #, and then make a call.

Activation of this service is not available on all tariff plans. The remaining minutes, SMS and Megabytes for accessing the network are subject to transfer.

Restrictions on the service

Transferring balances to Tele2 is intended exclusively for existing tariff packages. This service is not available for already archived versions.

This service operates in conjunction only with tariffs from the “Black” family. It is not available on all other tariff plans.

There are also restrictions by region of the country. In many cases the service simply does not function fully. But at the moment the list is quite extensive, so we will not consider it. You can view information about these regions on the website of the cellular company Tele2. But in terms of traffic, the list of areas is small.

The remaining traffic is not carried in the following areas:

Moscow and region;
Novosibirsk;
Volgogradskaya;
Voronezh;
Saratovskaya.

On September 21, 2018, the MTS operator unexpectedly announced that it had closed the connection to the “My Unlimited” tariff and released a new one called “My Smart” to replace it. Let’s break it down into pieces and decide whether it’s worth connecting to it or switching to it for those who use “My Unlimited”.

MTS tariff "My Smart"

Cool!Sucks!

“My Smart” is the same package offer or “constructor” as the closed “My Unlimited”, but with fewer options for choosing volumes of minutes/SMS and traffic and changed, not always for the better, conditions for using packages.

Current version. Rate information updated May 19, 2019.

MTS “My Smart” tariff: detailed description

Summary table of call volume options, SMS and Internet traffic and monthly prices on the MTS “My Smart” tariff for Moscow and the region

	10 GB.	15 GB.	20 GB.
200 minutes and 200 SMS	500 ₽	525 RUR	625 RUR
400 minutes and 400 SMS	525 RUR	550 ₽	650 ₽
600 minutes and 600 SMS	575 RUR	600 ₽	700 ₽

Summary table of options for call volume, SMS and Internet traffic and monthly prices on the MTS “My Smart” tariff for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region

Volume of minutes and SMS/Internet traffic	10 GB.	15 GB.	20 GB.
350 minutes and 350 SMS	400 ₽	450 ₽	550 ₽
500 minutes and 500 SMS	450 ₽	500 ₽	600 ₽
700 minutes and 700 SMS	500 ₽	550 ₽	650 ₽

For a monthly subscription fee, subscribers receive

200/400/600 minutes of outgoing calls to all mobile and city numbers in the home region and MTS in Russia (when roaming in the Russian Federation - to all mobile and city numbers in the host region);
Unlimited calls to MTS throughout Russia (calls consume the package!);
Incoming calls within Russia are free and unlimited.
200/400/600 SMS to any mobile numbers in your home region (when roaming in the Russian Federation - to all mobile numbers in your home region);
10/15/20 GB. Internet traffic (it is unclear whether it works throughout Russia or only in the home region);

Brief video review of the tariff

After the end of the packages

Calls to MTS numbers throughout Russia remain free and unlimited;
Calls to mobile and landline in your home region - 3.00 RUB/minute;
SMS to any mobile phone in your home region - RUB 3.00/message;
An additional 1 GB package is automatically connected. Internet for 150 ₽. Maximum 15 packages per month. To disable auto-connection of Internet packages, dial the USSD command from your phone *111*936# .

You can check the balance of packages of minutes, sms and traffic in your personal account, application or using the USSD command *100*1# .

Not included in packages and costs extra

Supplement for a “city” number - 304.80 ₽ per month (for Moscow and Moscow Region);
Calls to mobile numbers within Russia (except MTS) - 5.50 ₽/minute;
Outgoing to CIS countries - 35.00 ₽/minute;
Outgoing to European countries - 49.00 ₽/minute;
Outgoing to other countries - 70.00 ₽/minute;
SMS to mobile numbers within Russia - 3.00 ₽/message;
SMS to international mobile numbers - 8.00 RUR/sms;
MMS within Russia - 9.90 ₽/mms;

Pros and cons of the MTS “My Smart” tariff

pros

You can “distribute” the Internet from your smartphone!
Free calls to MTS subscribers throughout Russia.
You can change the package volumes at least daily (but take into account the nuances that I wrote in the information on connecting to the tariff just below).
Holders of MTS Smart Money cards receive a 100% discount on the subscription fee if one of the conditions is met: the amount of purchases on the card per month is more than 20,000 ₽ or the balance on the card is more than 70,000 ₽.

Minuses

Unlimited MTS calls within Russia are cool, of course, but these calls consume the package of minutes. A little mean.
The minutes of calls and SMS included in the package are valid only in your home region; all calls and SMS to other regions, except calls to MTS, are paid!
Unused minutes, SMS and traffic are not carried over to the next month.
When you connect/switch to a tariff, a “bunch” of additional options are activated, in particular: GoodOk, someone called you! etc. Be sure to disable services you don’t need through your personal account if you don’t want unnecessary “writing off” of money from your account.
If you insert a SIM card with the “My Smart” tariff into the modem, Internet access will be blocked.
The volume of minutes is equal to the volume of sms. If I call a lot and text a little and want to choose 600 minutes and 100 SMS? There is no such option and I have to pay for services I don’t need.

Eventually

Once again they are trying to force subscribers to pay more for fewer services. Eg:

The cheapest package “My Smart” is 200 minutes and SMS and 10 GB. Internet - 500 ₽ per month;
The cheapest package “My Unlimited” is 300 minutes and SMS and 4 GB. Internet - 480 ₽ per month;

Everything seems to be correct, they reduced the minutes, added internet and the price is almost the same, but on the “My Unlimited” tariff, 300 minutes are valid for calls throughout Russia, and on the “My Smart” tariff - only on calls at home. Do you feel the difference?