Smart Unli Data 449 and 175 Promos, No Longer Available For Many Smart Prepaid Subscribers

Earlier this week, I received a flurry of messages from my fellow long-standing Smart subscribers. They informed me that as of this month, August 2023, their option to subscribe to Smart Unli Data 175 (formerly 99) and 449 (formerly 299) promos has been discontinued. Apparently, these promos, which offered unlimited data for 1 week and 1 month respectively, are no longer available for many Smart Prepaid subscribers.

I hold a Smart Prepaid number and just like many of you, I subscribe to Smart Unli Data 449 promo regularly due to its exceptional value for money. I've discussed its advantages in past TechPinas articles and even on YouTube. Despite the gradual price increase from PHP 299 to PHP 349 and eventually to PHP 449, I found it to be worth every peso for the evident benefits it brings.

To verify my friends' reports about the unavailability of these promos, I entered *123# on my smartphone that has my Smart Prepaid number. Previously, I would select Option #1 for "UNLI DATA," but upon seeing that this has vanished, a sense of disappointment set in. A genuine concern crept over me, and I'm certain that numerous other Filipinos who rely on these promos to maximize the value of their hard-earned money during these challenging times would share the same sentiment.

Apart from checking *123#, I've also tried looking for Smart UNLI DATA promos on the new Smart (formely GigaLife) mobile application but they're still nowhere to be found.

I even messaged Smart on Twitter and asked them to reactivate UNLI DATA for my Smart Prepaid number -- but here's what @LiveSmart told me:

"Hi! I acknowledge your disappointment regarding the inability to access the Unli Data offers. Please understand that the availability of this promotion is determined through a system-selection process. At this point, I recommend keeping an eye on its availability by regularly checking your Smart App account and dialing *123#. I hope this explanation provides clarity. Should you have any further inquiries or require assistance, please don't hesitate to let me know."

On Facebook, Smart told me, "Apologies but we cannot choose nor select the mobile numbers who can avail our limited promo offers. Hope this clarifies you. [...] The Unli Data promo is only available for limited time offer for selected Smart and TNT subscribers and we don't have a control who can avail the promo."

When I read these messages, I knew that no one could really help me in getting those promos back for my Smart Prepaid number so I simply accepted my fate and moved on. It's just sad because I know that Smart UNLI DATA 175 and 449 could really help many penny-pinching Pinoys stay connected for school and work in these financially challenging times. I wish that Smart would continue offering those to as many subscribers as possible but as they say, "Business is business," and pragmatism often shapes such decisions.

As an alternative, I've recently tried subscribing to Smart UNLI 5G DATA 599, which is good for 1 month and has 12GB of Non-5G (4G) Data. I've been using it for a few days now and frankly, I'm not really so fond of it. Not only is it a lot pricier than Smart Unli Data 449 but also, since I live in an area in Tondo, Metro Manila that doesn't consistently get 5G signal, I don't really enjoy complete peace of mind while using it. At the back of my mind, I know that I will completely use up that 12GB 4G Data Allocation and then, the promo would become almost useless for me. This is painful for me as a paying subscriber -- but I don't really have any choice but to accept it at this point.

I no longer hope that Smart's system would pick my number to be included in the list of subscribers who can avail of Smart Unli Data 449. I know that that ship has sailed. However, I do wish that Smart would have the heart to at least include Unlimited 4G Data Access to Smart UNLI 5G DATA 599 to be fair to Smart Prepaid subscribers who live in areas not covered by their 5G signal but who now have to choice but to subscribe to this promo because the one that they have always relied on is no longer available to them.

Times are hard. Many Filipinos are just trying to get by, day to day, using the internet as a gateway to possible opportunities. I hope Smart sees that.