Best Postpaid Plans in Malaysia (2021)

We look at the best offerings among Malaysian telco providers this year and recommend the perfect postpaid plan for your individual needs.

Table of Contents

• Best Overall: Celcom Mega Plan (RM80)
• Best Mid-Range Plan: Hotlink Postpaid 60 (RM60)
• Best Budget Plan: Yes Postpaid Kasi Up 49 (with 24-month contract) RM49
• Best MVNO Plan: YooDo 100Gb (RM78)
• Bonus: Interacting with Customer Service
• Overall Comparison of Mobile Postpaid Plans in Malaysia (2021)

Hunting for the best postpaid deal can be a real hassle, regardless of whether you’re a working adult or still in school. Everyone’s needs are different: perhaps you need call time for clients, or want a new phone to go with your new plan. We know the pain of endless comparing and cross-referencing, so we’ve done the research for you. 

Here’s an easy guide to the postpaid plan most suited for you, no matter your budget. We’ve even included a comparison table at the end for a complete overview of the offerings in 2021.

But first, a PSA

Before you read on, allow us to make one thing clear about all mobile plans: nothing matters if your network provider’s coverage is bad. Not the data speed, price, or call rates. Simply speaking, there’s no point getting the “best” plan if you can’t connect to it wherever you are. Connectivity, especially 4G, is more important than ever now that the Government has announced that 3G will be shutting down by end-2021.  

For this reason, the plans mentioned in this article were selected using these criteria (1 being most important): 

1. Network coverage
2. Price
3. Speed
4. Call time, SMS, tethering availability, add-ons.

The State of Malaysian Telecommunications

According to OpenSignal’s latest Malaysian Mobile Network Experience Report, Maxis and Celcom remain the operators to beat in terms of overall quality. The report analyses data from actual users in real-world conditions, so an accurate picture of the country’s telco environment can be obtained. 

Maxis emerged champion in three categories (Video, Games, and Download Speed), while Celcom reigned supreme for 4G Coverage and Experience. These two providers were also not far behind the winners of other categories, placing either second or third. Overall, Malaysian operators have been resilient during the pandemic, which saw a tremendous increase in mobile data consumption due to a majority working from home. Here’s a summary of the six categories:

Without further ado, let’s look at the best postpaid plans in Malaysia for 2021!

Best Overall: Celcom Mega Plan (RM80)

Why it’s our top choice in this category:

1. Sufficient data for heavy users, with options to upgrade to unlimited quota
2. Very reasonable price per gigabyte (RM2)
3. High-speed Internet up to 75Mbps 
4. Provider with (arguably) the widest and stablest coverage in Malaysia

This is best all-rounder out of all the postpaid plans we analysed. It’s likely to satisfy most mobile data users, and you can even switch to unlimited data via an add-on pass. Buying more data only when you need it is a definite win in our books. In this case, it’s even more value for money when the data is infinite (it does come with a speed cap of either 3Mbps or 6Mbps, though, but it’s still worth it.)

The price point of the Celcom Mega Plan (RM80) edges out its contemporary, the ever-popular Maxis Postpaid 98 (RM98). While both plans have comparable speeds and unlimited calls too, Celcom charges RM2 per Gb of data―Maxis’ rates are higher at RM2.50/Gb. 

Perhaps best of all, you’re more likely to reach higher download and streaming speeds no matter where you are due to the superiority of Celcom’s vast network. This makes the Celcom Mega Plan especially attractive to those who travel frequently.

Bottom line

Celcom’s offer is perfect for those who’d like ample data and coverage, and are comfortable with this price range. For those who need even more data and wouldn’t mind the latest flagship models tied to their contract, Maxis’ choice of postpaid plans (from RM98 to RM188) would be a better bet.

Best Mid-Range Plan: Hotlink Postpaid 60 (RM60)

Why it’s our top choice in this category: 

1. Good for video-heavy users (aka most Malaysians)
2. Reasonable price point and cost per Gb (RM2, similar to Celcom’s Mega Plan)
3. Uses Maxis’ network (fast and wide coverage)
4. Student promo: rebate of RM120 per year (RM10/month)

We recommend this plan for Malaysians who’d like to keep their monthly postpaid bill below RM60. As Hotlink uses Maxis’ line, you can expect strong and stable coverage. The cheap add-ons for apps notorious for consuming data (e.g. Spotify/Apple Music) are also plus points for this plan. If you frequently text family members back home, the Postpaid 60 has you covered with unlimited SMS as well. 

Against plans with similar pricing such as U Mobile’s GX58 (currently RM48 for a limited time), we’d still choose Hotlink due to their network’s reliability and performance across all 13 states. Even though GX58 offers unlimited data, many have complained that U Mobile is practically non-existent outside of the Klang Valley, which would be terrible whenever you balik kampung.

Bottom line

If you’re within the Klang Valley and looking to save on postpaid, get U Mobile, or even better,  YooDo’s new Unlimited plan (only RM43 for unlimited data and 100 mins of calls!) If you’re anywhere else in Malaysia? Hotlink Postpaid 60 will most likely satisfy your needs if you’re not too much of a data-hogger.

Best Budget Plan: Yes Postpaid Kasi Up 49 (with 24-month contract) RM49

Why it’s our top choice in this category:

1. Best value for money postpaid plan- only RM0.50 per Gb (lowest in Malaysia)
2. 6-month discount when you sign up for a 2-year contract (pay nothing for your first six billing cycles)

We know what you’re thinking: “I don’t need 100Gb of data, even if it’s only 50 sen per Gb”. Well, with this plan, Yes is telling Malaysians to not worry about whether they’ll use this data or not―it’s always there, just in case you need it. And with the current promo, you’ll only be paying bills for 18 months.

With the 6-month discount, you’ll be charged only RM36.75 monthly. It’s the third-cheapest postpaid plan in Malaysia after U Mobile’s U28 and Yes’ own Kasi Up 30. However, when looking at allocated data, the Kasi Up 49’s 100Gb is in a league of its own, with U Mobile’s paltry 3Gb offering looking pathetic in comparison. 

Bottom line

If you’re within the Klang Valley and need to tether frequently on a budget, this is the postpaid plan to go for. Otherwise, you’d have better luck with prepaid plans, of which many are within the RM20 – RM40 range.

Best MVNO Plan: YooDo 100Gb (RM78)

Why it’s our top choice in this category:

1. Really good value for money (RM0.71/Gb)
2. Completely customisable postpaid plan (Don’t use SMS? Don’t pay for it!)
3. Runs on Celcom’s network

You‘ve probably heard of YooDo, but don’t know much about it. Is it the new U Mobile? Here’s a short answer: it’s a Mobile Network Virtual Operator (MVNO). MVNOs are telco providers who don’t have their own cell towers but deliver connectivity through another carrier’s network. They’re virtual operators. 

There are three major MVNOs in Malaysia- Tune Talk, RedONE, and YooDo. All three utilise Celcom’s network, which makes coverage less of a concern for those who’ve not tried this option before. 

We recommend YooDo’s entirely customisable plans for those whose needs vary from month to month―they’re the perfect solution should you alternate between working from home and the office. The overall lower price point of each quota of data (regardless of whether it’s 2, 20, or 200Gb) also makes this option very attractive to those looking to cut back on data expenses during this time.

Bottom line

With their current amazing rates, unique plan system, and Celcom’s reach, YooDo could very well be giving the major telcos a major headache in the future. Since there’s free SIM delivery, give it a try and see if it works for you.

Bonus: Interacting with Customer Service 

When you’ve got a bill discrepancy or are experiencing connectivity issues, Customer Service (CS) is your first point of contact. Depending on how they respond and handle your issue, some operators have managed to retain many long-term customers, becoming known for their good service. 

Because CS directly impacts your experience with your postpaid plan, we set out to test Malaysian operators. Our areas of focus were speed and reliability. Our method was simple: ask questions about information not available on their official websites (e.g. tethering quota, promotional periods, SMS rates) via Facebook Messaging or live chat services (if available). Fast, accurate and friendly answers automatically scored higher because few people have the time to spend hours waiting on an urgent issue.

Overall, Malaysian operators performed well in terms of Customer Service, with most agents responding promptly and thoroughly to our enquiries while maintaining a cordial manner. However, Yes, Maxis and Hotlink could do with improving the response times and answering skills of their support agents.