The most truthful review of tariffs of Russian mobile operators. Comparison of tariffs without a monthly fee from MTS, MegaFon, Beeline, Tele2, Yota, Tinkoff Mobile and Rostelecom

No modern person can imagine his life without a mobile phone. It allows you to make calls to subscribers around the world. To make calls you need a SIM card, which can be purchased from mobile operators. There are about 5 largest companies in Russia that offer favorable conditions to their subscribers. Among them there are so-called “unlimited” tariffs, which include a certain number of minutes per month and a fixed subscription fee. Other offers allow you to make calls with per-minute or per-second billing. Many operators even give extra. bonuses for its subscribers (SMS, Internet packages). Call tariffs are suitable for everyone who most often uses mobile communications. As a rule, such offers are relevant for work purposes or, for example, for people who do not need the Internet. To choose the most suitable tariff, you need to pay attention to its conditions:

1. Cost of minutes– the most important criterion. If a subscriber calls often, then cheap communication will undoubtedly be an advantage. For convenience, you can activate an unlimited offer with an already fixed package of minutes per month and a subscription fee.
2. Add. bonuses. In addition to calls, people often use SMS messages for communication. Some companies give their subscribers SMS packages or offer them on favorable terms. The same goes for the Internet.
3. Account management can happen in an outdated way using digital commands or with modern convenience - through a personal account in the application or on the operator’s website.
4. Connection quality– a point that you should first pay attention to before buying a SIM card. As a rule, the largest companies (MTS, Beeline, etc.) provide their subscribers with excellent communication quality.

• price for services;
• customer reviews;
• additional bonuses.

Favorable rates for calls with a subscription fee

3 Tele2 My conversation

The rest of the package rolls over to the next month, good price
Average price: 380 rub.
Rating (2018): 4.7

Another profitable tariff plan for calls without the Internet is offered by the operator Tele2. For just 380 rubles per month, a package of 500 minutes is provided. Moreover, the subscriber independently chooses the number of minutes on his tariff. The minimum quantity is 200, the maximum is 1000 minutes. At the same time, each subscriber receives free unlimited access to some Internet resources and instant messengers (Facebook, Viber, etc.). And if you wish, you can exchange the remaining minutes for gigabytes of traffic.

A special bonus from Tele2 - even after the end of the period, the minutes do not expire, but transfer to the next month. The package includes 50 SMS. Regardless of the chosen conditions, calls to Tele2 Russia are always unlimited and free. To select options on the tariff plan, just go to your personal account on the operator’s website. There you can pay for services and manage your account. Main advantages: balances do not expire, excellent price, customizable tariff settings, excellent reviews.

2 Yota

Best Features
Average price: 400 rub.
Rating (2018): 4.8

Mobile operator Yota offers its subscribers a unique opportunity to independently set the settings for their tariff plan. This allows each user to choose the most optimal options specifically for themselves. Those who prefer to make a lot of calls can set any number of minutes. For example, for a package of 500 minutes per month you will need to pay 400 rubles. At the same time, you cannot choose a tariff without Internet on Yota, so any of them will include 7 GB of traffic. And for only 50 rubles. You can connect an unlimited number of SMS messages per month.

An important point is that calls to Yota subscribers are not limited and are not consumed from the package. If the minutes run out, then their cost is 1.9 rubles. If desired, the subscriber can connect unlimited access to any popular Internet resource. When traveling around the country, the conditions of the tariff plan are fully preserved. Get tech. support (in chat mode) or change settings conveniently in a special operator application. Advantages: self-setup, favorable conditions, ability to change settings through a mobile application, prompt support from specialists, internet included in the package, cheap SMS messages.

1 Megaphone Turn on! Speak

The most favorable conditions
Average price: 500 rub.
Rating (2018): 4.9

One of the largest mobile operators in the country, MegaFon, offers the most favorable tariff for calls with a subscription fee. For 500 rub. you get a full 700 minutes for calls from any operator. At the same time, just in case, an Internet package with a capacity of 4 GB and unlimited use of popular instant messengers and resources is provided. Calls to MegaFon subscribers are made in unlimited quantities. If the package is used up, you can additionally purchase 30 minutes for 50 rubles. Switching to the tariff is absolutely free. The only thing is that there must be at least 260 rubles in the account.

According to the terms, calls to Europe cost 55 rubles per minute of conversation, and to the CIS countries - 35 rubles. It is very convenient to find out all the details of your tariff, connect any service or top up your account in the “Personal Account” section on the official website. You can order a SIM card online, and the operator provides a courier delivery service directly to your home. Main advantages: low price for the tariff, free connection, many minutes in the package, unlimited for some resources, excellent reviews.

Favorable rates for calls without monthly fees

5 MTS Per second

Convenient account management
Average price: 0.05 rub./sec
Rating (2018): 4.5

Another tariff with per-second payment is presented by the largest cellular operator MTS. Thousands of satisfied customers across the country recommend the communication services of this company. The tariff plan allows subscribers to pay exactly for the number of seconds they spent on a call. In this case, partial minutes are not rounded. The cost of a second is 0.05 rubles. The price for a full minute is 3 rubles. This offer is ideal for those who prefer to make short calls. There are no monthly fees, and switching to a tariff is free.

If you wish, you can buy an SMS and Internet package in your personal account on the MTS website. Prices for all services are quite affordable. For convenience, the operator even created its own smartphone application. The tariff allows you to make calls to anywhere in the world for 49 rubles/min. in Europe, 35 rubles to the CIS countries and 70 rubles. to other countries. Main advantages: per-second payment, convenient mobile application, simple account and service management, best customer reviews, ability to connect additional services. SMS and Internet packages.

4 MegaFon Per second

Unique bonus program, favorable conditions for trips around Russia
Average price: 2.9 rub./min
Rating (2018): 4.6

Among all the tariff plans for calls without the Internet, offers with per-second billing are in particular demand. MegaFon has developed a tariff for subscribers who prefer to make short calls. Here, the cost of calls is not rounded to the nearest minute, but is written off directly for the seconds spent on the call. The cost per minute here is 2.9 rubles. (1 second costs about 0.05 rubles). The price is fixed for calls to numbers of any operators. SMS messages in your home region cost 1.9 rubles. When traveling around Russia, tariff conditions change slightly. Calls to local numbers cost 2 rubles/min, and SMS – 3 rubles.

MegaFon offers its subscribers to independently connect and disconnect services, pay for additional options and monitor the status of their account, as well as replenish it through their personal account. All operator SIM card holders have a unique bonus program, where for every 30 rubles spent on communication. 1 point is awarded. Subsequently, they can be exchanged for services from the reward catalogue. Advantages: MegaFon-Bonus program, good conditions when traveling around the country, per-second payment.

3 Beeline Zero doubts

Clear, transparent conditions, free calls to Beeline
Average price: 2 rubles/min
Rating (2018): 4.7

Beeline makes several lucrative offers to its subscribers, including the “Zero Doubts” tariff. Its conditions are very simple - one minute of conversation within a home network costs 2 rubles. There is no monthly fee or additional paid options. With a one-time top-up of 100 rubles, the subscriber has access to unlimited free calls to all Beeline numbers in his home region for 14 days. The cost of SMS messages is 1.5 rubles.

When purchasing an operator SIM card connected to this tariff, you can use the “beautiful number” service for free. By the way, charging starts when a conversation lasts more than 3 seconds. When traveling around the country, all “Zero Doubts” conditions apply. Main advantages: favorable price, transparent conditions, calls lasting less than 3 seconds are not taken into account, free transition to a tariff plan.

2 Beeline Second

Favorable tariff with per second payment
Average price: 0.03 rub./sec
Rating (2018): 4.8

The largest mobile operator Beeline makes a unique offer to its subscribers. Its “Second” tariff comes without a subscription fee and allows you to make profitable calls of short duration. For calls of less than 60 seconds, the cost is not rounded up to the nearest minute. The price of a full minute is 1.8 rubles. The cost of one second is only 0.03 rubles. in the home region. Switching to the tariff is absolutely free.

But there are some drawbacks - roaming on the tariff is very expensive, as is access to the Internet. Calling subscribers in other regions is not very profitable - one minute costs 4.95 rubles. The price for 1 SMS message is 1.5 rubles. But “Second” is designed specifically for making calls on a home network, and they are quite cheap. All account transactions are available in your personal account on the official website. website. Main advantages: profitable calls, free connection, excellent call quality, positive reviews, convenient account management. Cons: expensive roaming.

1 MTS Red Energy

The best cost of communication services
Average price: 1.6 rub./min.
Rating (2018): 4.9

The MTS operator presents a tariff for calls without the Internet with incredibly favorable conditions. Red Energy sets a single fixed cost for calls to any operators in your home region - only 1.6 rubles per minute of conversation. Another advantage is the absence of a subscription fee. By using a SIM card with this tariff plan, you can significantly save on communications. You only pay for calls made. There are no hidden conditions or pitfalls here. The cost of SMS is also fixed – 1.9 rubles. for 1 piece.

A minute of conversation with MTS subscribers in other regions costs 5 rubles, and calls to other operators cost 8 rubles/min. All extras The subscriber activates the services independently. Do this conveniently and quickly in your personal account through the mobile application. On the tariff plan it is possible to make calls to other countries; international roaming is obtained separately from the main tariff. Main advantages: best price per minute of conversation, no monthly subscription fee, easy account management in the application, excellent reviews.

It is almost impossible to imagine your life without mobile communications. From anywhere in the country, you can always contact the person you need and discuss any issues, call a taxi, call for food delivery, etc.

Moreover, for some people, the phone is an important business tool, without which work is not at all effective. Next, we will find out which mobile tariff in Russia is the most affordable, how much monthly communication costs are, and compare with the prices of our main competitors.

Today the leaders in the mobile communications segment are:

• "MTS";
• Beeline;
• "Megaphone".

The range of services for all operators is different and has its own distinctive features. The more expensive your tariff, the more you can afford (this applies to calls, SMS, Internet, etc.). But the choice on the market today is so wide that you have the opportunity to choose a budget offer for yourself for minimal money. So, let's look at each specific company.

Current service packages from MTS

Numerous tariffs of this operator, as a rule, differ according to the following criteria:

• area of ​​use ( a specific region or all of Russia);
• Mobile Internet ( its availability and number of MB);
• calls to other operators;
• calls abroad.

In terms of covering costs, the most economical option is the Super MTS mobile tariff. As part of this offer, you can call for free while in Moscow and the region ( 100 minutes in the region and the same number of minutes throughout the country). For one sent SMS you will have to pay 2 rubles, and 9.9 for a megabyte of Internet. The cost of such a plan is only 90 rubles, and to switch from another tariff – 150.
A more profitable, but also inexpensive package is “Smart Mini”. For 200 rubles. Every month you will receive the following:

• 1,000 minutes for calls to network subscribers in Russia;
• unlimited calls within a specific area;
• 0.5 GB Internet;
• 50 free SMS.

At the same time, for calls to other operators and to MTS while roaming in Russia you need to pay 1.5 rubles/min. After the limit of free SMS is exhausted, each subsequent one will be equal to 1 rub. In general, the Smart Mini mobile package from MTS is designed for an ordinary subscriber with average needs.

Offers from Megafon

Tariff plans from this operator are the cheapest of the three. The following packages caught our attention today:

1. "All inclusive XS"
2. "Go to ZERO"

Let's start with the latter, since this tariff does not imply significant monthly costs. Moreover, if you call exclusively within the network and a specific region, you will not have to pay anything! A minute of conversation to numbers of other operators or home numbers will cost 2.5 rubles. Megafon determined the cost per SMS (in rubles):

• 2 per room within the area of ​​residence;
• 3 within Russia to network numbers;
• 3.55 for other Russian operators.

The company will ask 7 rubles for MMS, and 9.9 megabytes of mobile Internet. If you need a tariff plan for communication within the network, then “Switch to ZERO” is perfect for you.
Another offer from Megafon is “All Inclusive XS”, which costs 199 rubles. The tariff includes:

• 300 minutes for calls within Russia on the Megafon network ( over the limit – 6.5/min.);
• 2 rub. per minute to other operators or landline numbers in your home region;
• 12.5 rub./min. to other Russian operators or landline numbers;
• the volume of Internet traffic in the home region is 0.5 GB;
• SMS in the home region – 1.9;
• SMS in the Russian Federation – 3.9.

Advantageous mobile communication package from Beeline

The “All for 200” tariff plan from Beeline is the most economical option. It is perfect for people who need both calls and mobile Internet. For 200 rubles. Beeline offers 1 GB of traffic per month, which can be used anywhere in Moscow or the region. Calls within your home region will be free. But for each SMS you will have to pay 2 rubles, but given the availability of the Internet, their need disappears. Moreover, when the traffic limit is exhausted, every subsequent 150 MB from Beeline will cost only 20 rubles.

That's all, this is where we can end our review. Choose any tariff plan you like from MTS, Beeline or Megafon, taking into account your needs, but remember that free cheese is only in the mousetrap! Therefore, if you give your preference to the cheapest offer, then be prepared for restrictions in terms of calls or Internet use. Otherwise, you will have to pay extra, and the benefit from this is quite dubious and the overpayment in the end may be as much as the more profitable plan costs.

To make it easier to choose from new tariff plans, we tried to compare tariffs from MTS, MegaFon, Beeline, Tele2, Yota, Tinkoff Mobile and Rostelecom without a monthly fee.

Do you need tariffs without a subscription fee?

Yes, sure!No, they are not needed!

Comparison of tariffs without a monthly fee from MTS, MegaFon, Beeline, Tele2, Yota, Tinkoff Mobile and Rostelecom

Current version. Information updated on March 12, 2019. Added MegaFon TP “Turn on! Open”, MegaFon TP “Go to zero” is closed

Notes on the table

• * — For the “Super MTS” tariff, the cost of calls, SMS and Internet access are indicated without connecting the “All Super” option, which allows you to further reduce communication costs.
• ** — Payment for Internet traffic on the “Classic” tariff is debited in 10 MB increments, the first 10 MB. per day costs 15.00 ₽.
• *** — For TP “Turn on! Open” from MegaFon, all data is indicated without connecting the “Open Plus” option
• **** - Yota and Tinkoff Mobile have added packages without minutes and Internet access for comparison.
• Be careful, all prices and tariff conditions are indicated for the Moscow region. Check the cost and conditions for your regions on the operator’s website.

Approximate calculation of the cost of services

Considering that tariffs without a monthly fee are signed up by people who do not use communications very often, let’s try to calculate the monthly expenses for each of the TPs from the table above.

We take as a basis for calculations:

• The volume of conversations is 5 minutes per day within the network;
• 2 SMS messages per day;
• To save more money, we don’t make long-distance calls and don’t use mobile Internet at all.

In total we get expenses per month (30 calendar days):

1. MegaFon “Go to zero”: 180 + 120 = 300 ₽. - Winner! (The tariff is archived and is closed for connecting new subscribers).

1. MegaFon "Turn on! Open": 180 + 120 = 300 ₽. Despite the fact that the winning tariff “Go to Zero” was closed MegaFon, its replacement in the form of a TP “Turn on! Open” is absolutely adequate.
2. “Super MTS”: 225 + 120 = 345 ₽.
3. Beeline “Zero doubts”: 270 + 90 = 360 ₽.
4. Rostelecom “Basic”: 270 + 108 = 378 ₽.
5. Tele2 “Classic”: 300 + 90 = 390 ₽.
6. Yota: 375 + 150 = 525 ₽.
7. MegaFon “Per Second”: 450 + 117 = 567 ₽.
8. Beeline “Per Second”: 450 + 150 = 600 ₽.
9. Tinkoff Mobile: 435 + 174 = 609 ₽.

As a result: Even with such minimal parameters as 5 minutes of calls and 2 SMS per day, most TPs will be easier to replace with tariffs with a subscription fee, of which operators offer a great variety. Except that “Super MTS” shows very “pleasant” numbers (it was 120 ₽ before the changes of May 3, 2018). Now, “Get involved!” is emerging as a conditional “leader.” Open" from MegaFon.

Video: Comparison of tariffs without a monthly fee with unexpected conclusions

We found a mistake! Please write about it below in the comments and we will correct it immediately so as not to mislead other readers. Thank you!

Look, analyze, choose which services you use most often, how many minutes, SMS and Internet you spend per day and select the most suitable and most advantageous tariff without a subscription fee.

The question of choosing a mobile operator is purely individual due to the different requirements of each of us: some need the cheapest and fastest mobile Internet, others need many minutes, and others generally need the opportunity to make inexpensive calls abroad.

Below we will compare the Big Four operators on such parameters as the quality of communication and mobile Internet, 4G coverage map and tariff availability, and also analyze user reviews, according to which a rating of Russian cellular operators will be compiled.

The best mobile operators 2018-2019

The comparison involves the four largest domestic operators, namely:

• Megaphone
• Beeline
• Tele 2

We do not consider the fairly popular company Yota, since it is a subsidiary brand of Megafon. Iota does not have its own communication towers and uses the infrastructure of the parent organization to provide services, and therefore is completely dependent on it.

Voice quality

Statistical data on the percentage of unsuccessful voice connection attempts by subscribers from different operators will help us objectively assess the quality of communication. This information was obtained as a result of testing conducted by Roskomnadzor in 2017 in Moscow and the largest cities of Russia.

1. MegaFon - 0.7%
2. MTS - 0.8%
3. Tele2 - 1.2%
4. Beeline - 15.1%

An obvious outsider is Beeline, whose defect rate is more than 10 times higher than that of other operators. Also, the yellow ones were behind everyone else in terms of intelligibility of transmitted speech, problems were observed in 4.3% of cases. The leader here is Tele2, whose subscribers complained about the audibility of the interlocutor only in 0.1% of cases.

But when it comes to sending text messages, Beeline is ideal, it demonstrates an uncompromising 0% defect rate and delivers absolutely every message.

Percentage of SMS messages not received:

• Beeline - 0%
• Tele2 - 1.2%
• MegaFon - 1.7%
• MTS - 2.4%

But no matter how good the operator is in terms of SMS, can this be considered sufficient compensation for poor communication, taking into account the fact that text communication now takes place mainly in instant messengers and social networks?

Mobile Internet quality

The map of 4G coverage in Russia, provided by the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications, shows that in terms of LTE coverage area, the leaders by a significant margin are Megafon and MTS (in terms of the absolute number of 4G towers, MegaFon is the first).

But the outsider here is the relatively young Tele2, so if you want to purchase a Tele2 SIM card for the Internet, first carefully study the coverage map.

Regarding 3G coverage, things are similar.

In terms of average mobile Internet speed, Megafon is in the lead, and Beeline is again in last place.

Average Internet speed (Mbit/s):

1. MegaFon - 13.1
2. MTS - 10.1
3. Tele2 - 9.4
4. Beeline - 5

So that you can decide who has the best tariff offers, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with our large offer from MTS, Megafon, Beeline and MTS.

Which operator is more profitable?

It is difficult to compare the pricing policies of operators, since subscription fees for the same service can vary greatly depending on the region. However, here the results obtained by analysts from ComNews come to the rescue, according to which the most profitable operator when using the so-called “small basket” (without mobile Internet and additional services) turned out to be MTS, but at the same time, in terms of the average cost of connected services, MTS is the most expensive operator. This only indicates that the red ones offer tariffs that can satisfy both the most economical users and those who want to use their phone to the maximum.

1. Tele 2.
2. Beeline.
3. Megaphone.

And the positions here are quite logical: Tele2, which recently entered the market, is trying to provide the cheapest services possible in order to attract new subscribers to its ranks.

Reviews about mobile operators

At this point, we collected the general impression of users about operators, based on their publications on review aggregators, forums and social networks.

MTS

Users consider one of the main advantages of MTS to be the fact that it has good reception everywhere and allows you to call from almost anywhere in Russia. The signal does not disappear even outside of large cities, and directly on their territory it is consistently good everywhere. MTS is the most popular operator in the Russian Federation, with about 78 million users, according to whom it is the best telecom operator in the country.

MTS is often noticed to be cunning when announcing the terms of new tariffs, which have a large number of restrictions indicated in fine print. Users also complain about paid services being connected without the subscriber’s knowledge. However, the problem is not widespread and indignation is most often heard from subscribers who do not understand their tariffs.

More disadvantages that irritate users:

• It's hard to get through to Live Support.
• In salons, users who are far from technology are forced to use unnecessary services.

As for the rest, MTS fully justifies its leading position in the mobile communication services market. They have consistently high Internet speeds, good connections, and affordable tariffs.

Megaphone

MegaFon began installing 4G towers earlier than other competitors, which firmly secured its title as the operator with the fastest mobile Internet, and this is true. In addition, MegaFon’s personal account is a very convenient service that surpasses similar applications from other operators in functionality. However, the path to this miracle was thorny and long; MegaFon was previously famous for the anecdotal crookedness of its online services, and the work of USSD teams was far from ideal.

In terms of the frequency of imposing unnecessary services, MegaFon can be compared with MTS. However, inattentive subscribers who like to click anywhere and not read confirmation requests will suffer everywhere. Today, although MegaFon does not have the most favorable pricing policy, it provides consistently high quality communications and mobile Internet. It is noteworthy that the company is trying to retain customers who want to switch their numbers to other operators by offering them popular tariffs.

Tele2

Tele2 entered the Russian market later than other operators, and therefore throughout its existence it was forced to play the role of catching up, which, in turn, turned out to be beneficial for subscribers. Despite the relatively small number of cellular towers, Tele2 has normal coverage in most large cities and regions of the Russian Federation, and also provides the most favorable tariff conditions and is distinguished by the highest loyalty to users.

Beeline

Beeline, once one of the most popular mobile operators, has been losing its popularity for several years in a row. Low Internet speed, mediocre communication quality, and less favorable tariffs compared to competitors have an impact. For almost all points of comparison, Beeline was in last place; today there is absolutely nothing to attract new clients from this company and now it is one of the least interesting options for connecting.

This is where the comparison comes to an end; let everyone draw their own conclusions, taking into account the needs, quality of communication and pricing policy of operators in your region. What do you think is the best mobile operator?

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In order to choose the best and most profitable tariff from a mobile operator, most often, no need to change your usual phone number. It is enough to familiarize yourself with the tariff parameters of your telecom operator and simply switch to a new one... or stay with what you have. However, it also doesn’t hurt to “refresh” the prices of your current tariff plan, because while you were busy with more important things for yourself, your operator could have “corrected” them long ago, and you were unlikely to receive an SMS about the deplorable changes. First you must remember or find out “what is my tariff”:

How to find out your tariff:

• MTS: *111*59# [call]
• Beeline: *110*05# [call]
• Megaphone:
  *105*2*0# [call] (Central branch)
  *225# [call] (Ural branch, section “Your tariff”)
  *160# [call] (Volga region branch)
  *105*1*3# [call] (Siberian branch)
  *105*1*1# [call] (Caucasian branch)

Or call your carrier's customer service line.

Analysis of current expenses

So, we will assume that you have already looked at the prices of your own operator’s tariff plans and competitors’ offers, and also did not forget to carefully read the small, hard-to-read footnotes under them. What to do next? Next, you should familiarize yourself with your current expenses at least for the last three months. To do this, I recommend ordering monthly invoices and itemized expenses for a specified period of time to your e-mail. This is done using “personal accounts” available from each mobile operator:

• MTS: Internet Assistant (also available through “Personal Account”)
• Beeline: Service management system
• MegaFon: Service Guide
• Sky Link: Skypoint
• Matrix: MATRIX open

Having received the password to your operator’s “personal account” and ordered the necessary documents, we carefully and scrupulously study them. Perhaps this will already be enough for you to understand the reason for the extra spending. For example, in the details you may find some paid SMS subscriptions imposed on you or mysterious outgoing calls to short numbers (example). If so, knock by all available means to your operator’s contact center, demand to disable subscriptions (for MTS subscribers, subscriptions are disabled independently through the “My Subscriptions” service) and return all your money back. Sometimes it helps. If you have no problems with this, and your current tariff is really outdated and requires replacement, move on to the next step.

Calculation of the average cost per minute of conversation

This is the key point of our article. Many (if not most) subscribers simply do not know how to choose a tariff, guided by data from unfair advertising or information on the packaging of the tariff itself.

Remember! It is important to know and analyze not the cost of any one call, but the average cost per minute based on all calls for at least one, and preferably three months.

We take the monthly bill and add up the number of all outgoing minutes. Then we look at your expenses and subtract from it the costs of all non-voice services, with the exception of services that reduce the cost of calls. If your monthly fee also includes packages of non-voice services (SMS, Internet), approximately (by eye) subtract their cost from it, focusing on the average market price of such packages. Next, we divide the remaining costs for calls of a specific period by the number of outgoing minutes called and get cost per minute.

Example:

Your bill for the month was 200 rubles. Of these, 100 rubles. spent on calls, 30 rubles. - monthly fee for “favorite number” and 70 rubles. you spent on the Internet and messages. At the same time, we talked for 100 outgoing minutes. Total, 200 - 70 rubles. = 130 rub. / 100 minutes = 1.3 rubles/minute.

Thus, we get a rough picture of the cost per minute based on one or more months. And it doesn’t matter that a single call on such and such a date cost you 30-40 rubles, but you could save on a dozen others, and overall your tariff is very profitable. The main thing is what this cost per minute is and how satisfied you are with it. Based on current realities, I advise you to definitely look for a replacement tariff plan if the cost of one minute is relatively active communication it turns out over 1.5 rub. It is expensive.

If, after such calculations, you realized that your tariff is too wasteful, and waste has been exceeding reasonable limits for several months, you should figure out which of the tariffs available for switching is closest to your communication profile and then arm yourself with Excel. I’ll tell you how this is done using the example of MTS’s own “Long Conversations” tariff and I’ll try to calculate whether I should change it to the Red Energy TP.

Example:

So, I doubt the profitability of my Long Conversations tariff plan, and I want to understand whether the Red Energy tariff will be cheaper for me. Based on detailed analysis, I know that on average (most of the time) I make local outbound calls of 7 minutes, mostly to mobile phones. At the same time, I have an option enabled that reduces the cost of calls “Better Together,” which makes it possible to communicate within an MTS group at 7 kopecks per minute for a monthly fee of 45 rubles. per month. When switching to Red Energy, this option will remain, so I don’t take it into account. I am only comparing the cost of all other local calls to mobile numbers on two tariffs for the average duration of calls that happen to me most often. In the table below I have calculated total cost talk time for calls of 5, 10 and 15 minutes to cellular networks and compared it with our two tariffs. Please note that I deliberately did not compare the price of a 1-minute call, because... According to statistics, such calls happen quite rarely and it is logical that occasionally overpay the difference of 1.8 rubles. It will be much less expensive than often overpaying much more significant amounts during long conversations. Screenshot of calculations in Excel:

So, from the table we clearly see that the price of any of the three calls on Long Conversations will be more profitable for me than on Red Energy, even after MTS spoiled Long Conversations. In this case, Red Energy will not be saved by per-second billing from the 2nd minute of a call versus per minute for “Long Conversations”. The resulting cost of calls in the table above is highlighted in red. It's not hard to understand that cost per minute at “Long Conversations” there will be for me lower than at Red Energy. For example, with 5 minutes of communication it will be 1.66 rubles, and with a 10-minute conversation - only 88 kopecks. And together with “Better Together” I will get the cost per minute even lower. Plus, sometimes you can connect for 10 rubles. per day “Unlimited calls” within the network. Therefore, the price of the first minute of conversation is quite high - 3.7 rubles. in this case, I shouldn’t be put off.

Conclusion: We are not changing the tariff and will remain on “Long Conversations” for now.

Moral of the story

This is mine model for calculating the profitability of tariff proposals. Its key is the cost of the average minute of your communication. It is worth relying on. Of course, there are now many different tariffs, there are also a lot of communication profiles, and we shouldn’t forget about additional services. But, having understood the essence, I think you can calculate (of course, approximately) the profitability of almost any offer by comparing it with others.

If you actively use additional services, such as SMS, mobile Internet or long-distance communication, and in your monthly bill/details the costs for them exceed reasonable limits, I advise you to take a closer look at various tariffs with packages of the options you need already included in the subscription fee or mandatory monthly payment and preliminarily calculate future expenses for them according to a similar scheme, comparing them with current ones.

Operators also have many packages, unlimited options and bonus programs that will significantly reduce your total monthly bill, albeit for an additional subscription fee. Don't be afraid of the subscriber, sometimes it will only do you good!

With unlimited tariffs (or pseudo-unlimited ones with restrictions of 2-3 thousand minutes per month) it’s even easier. If you communicate a lot, it is enough to compare Will the monthly fee for such a tariff be lower than your current expenses or not?. Plus, don’t forget about additional options. And everything will fall into place.

Remember, no one can find you a good, profitable, cheap cellular tariff better than you yourself. And this is your money!

If you have any additional questions, need advice, or just want to speak out, leave your comments below or write on ours. We'll definitely discuss it!