It’s been 12 months since we launched the My Telstra app and we’ve spent that year adding new features and capabilities to put you in control of your Telstra experience.

Our latest security enhancements are an Aussie telco first and gives you an extra layer of protection from identity theft and scams. Multi-Factor authentication (MFA) leverages the security on your phone to secure your account and personal information. You can now set a Telstra PIN and use finger or face recognition to protect your account.

By updating your app security settings to include MFA – a 4-digit Telstra PIN or biometric touch & face ID – you can have peace of mind that your personal data is safe. This new ID platform is a global security standard, and we’re leading the way in this space because we know how important it is that your information is secure.

Currently, MFA is used when updating your details in the app, but over the coming months we’ll be extending its functionality to include to identity verification when speaking to one of our support agents – both in person or over the phone.

To set up your Telstra PIN, Face ID or manage your security settings, simply tap on Profile, and select Security setup to get started. It’s easy to enroll and provides peace of mind that your data and information is safe.

A big year

Today also marks exactly one year since we launched My Telstra, and since then we’ve been working tirelessly to make our self-service app a one stop shop by adding over 70 new features and enhancements in the past 12 months.

A few of the big changes and additions made to My Telstra in the past year:

• Device locator – no one wants to lose their phone, and device locator helps you make sure that doesn’t happen. Using your data connection and GPS, you can login to your account on another device and find exactly where that bus seat is that your phone fell out onto.
• The all new look Telstra Plus Digital Membership card – customers can access their membership benefits, check their points balance, and browse the Rewards store. Plus, silver and gold members get VIP service when they message us in the app.
• Customers can now secure their spot in a store queue ahead of their visit. They’ll also be able to track their progress as they move up the line so they can go about their day and get notified when they are ready to be served
• Enhanced service disruption capability proactively notifying outage updates to customers when there is planned maintenance or a network outage – customers can also keep track of reported faults.

All these updates have been based off your feedback, both directly and from App Store reviews, as we try our best to make My Telstra completely customer first, packed full of the features you’ve asked for.

We’ve even managed to boost our Apple App Store rating from an average of 1.8 stars when we first launched, to 4 stars currently.

So yes, it’s been quite the year with My Telstra, and the next 12 months are only going to be bigger. So please, if you haven’t already, download the My Telstra app on Android and iOS and let us know what you love, what you don’t and where you think anything can be improved. We’re all ears.

Value is important to us at Telstra Plus and with over 2.5 million people signed up to our rewards program, we think it’s pretty important to you too.

We’re always looking for more ways to give you value as a Telstra customer – that’s why we’re excited to launch two brand new ways to earn rewards through our first ever Telstra Plus partnerships – with Booking.com and Huddle.

These partnerships are an exciting milestone for Telstra and our more than 2.5 million customers signed up to the Telstra Plus rewards program. Part of our T22 strategy, it’s all about customers enjoying more benefits just by being a Telstra customer – either by booking and completing your next eligible stay or ensuring you’re looking after the things most important to you.

How does it work?

Get more from your stays with Booking.com

It’s been a tough year for the travel industry, but the silver lining is that it has reminded us all how great it is to holiday at home. Our awesome new partnership with Booking.com will get you a sweet deal while also supporting the local industry and having a great time – whether you’re up at the Great Barrier Reef or staying at a local winery.

With our new partnership, you can earn Telstra Plus points on every eligible stay you complete. Every dollar spent on those complete stays at Booking.com could earn you 10 Telstra Plus points (excluding some fees, taxes and credit card surcharges) – so a $1000 stay over a few nights could net you 10,000 points. That’s a good stack of points to redeem towards a nice little present to help counter those post-holiday blues!

Recent research from Booking.com’s Future of Travel report^* highlighted Covid-19 will inevitably see people demand more bang for their buck in the future. Over 60 percent of Australian travelers will be more price conscious when it comes to searching and planning a trip in the future, with more than half more likely to hunt down promotions and savings, behaviors that Booking.com predicts will last years. Beyond this, Australian travelers are keen to support the industry in its recovery (71%) and want their future bookings to help rebuild communities around Australia (68%).

As we head into 2021, it’s Booking.com’s mission to make it easier for everyone to experience travel, and will be there for customers offering the widest choice, great value and the easiest experience so travelers can enjoy all of the unforgettable experiences Australia has to offer. We couldn’t think of a better fit as our first travel partner.

Earn Telstra Points with insurance from Huddle

At Telstra Plus we like to offer members fantastic access to exclusive offers and benefits with other leaders in technology, and in the insurance space, Huddle certainly fits that bill.

Huddle uses the latest technology, such as Zap Claims, to bring you easy, convenient, flexible and time-saving insurance, backed by one of Australia’s largest general insurers. With our new partnership, you can earn up to 90,000 Telstra Plus points when you switch both your comprehensive car and home insurance to a new policy with Huddle. Points are awarded 30 days after the second policy start date, provided both policies are active.

To launch the partnership, see how Huddle compares to your current insurer – you can earn 500 bonus points on your first quote. Offer ends 30 April 2021.

Earn points with Huddle Car Insurance: You can earn 15,000 Telstra Plus points when you take out a Huddle Third Party Property Damage policy for your car before 30 April 2021 and stay insured for 30 days. Or increase your cover and take out a Huddle Comprehensive Car Insurance policy before 30 April 2021 and stay insured for 30 days to earn 30,000 points!

Earn points with Huddle Home Insurance: When you take out a Huddle Home insurance policy or Contents insurance policy before 30 April 2021 and stay insured for 30 days, you can earn 15,000 bonus Telstra Plus points. Or for a big 30,000 points, protect both with a Combined Home and Contents insurance policy from Huddle before 30 April 2021 and stay insured for 30 days.

Best of all, take out a Comprehensive Car insurance policy and a Combined Home and Contents insurance policy with Huddle before 30 April 2021 to earn a massive 90,000 Telstra Plus bonus points. Points are awarded 30 days after the second policy start date, provided both policies are still active. That means you’ve got a lot of points to put towards redeeming rewards for yourself like a new set of speakers, headphones or a new Nokia 2.3 smartphone from the Telstra Plus Rewards Store.

These two new partnerships are just the beginning, and we can’t wait to add more partners and ways for you to earn more Telstra Plus points in the future.

If you don’t yet know about all the Telstra Plus treasure trove and all the bonuses that come with it, you can find out more at the Telstra Plus website.

Things you need to know

_{From 19 March, delivery fees will apply for some purchases made by Silver Tier and below members in the Telstra Plus Rewards Store.}

_Booking.com

_{Users must sign into Telstra Plus account and follow links to booking.com website to make your booking.}

* _{Research commissioned by Booking.com and conducted among a sample of adults who have traveled for business or leisure in the past 12 months,and must be planning to travel in the next 12 months (if/once travel restrictions are lifted). In total 20,934 respondents across 28 countries were polled (including from 999 USA, 496 from Canada, 497 from Mexico, 997 from Colombia, 999 from Brazil, 499 from Argentina, 995 from Australia, 499 from New Zealand, 999 from Spain, 996 from Italy, 996 from France, 999 from UK, 996 from Germany, 498 from Netherlands, 499 from Denmark, 499 from Sweden, 498 from Croatia, 1001 from Russia, 498 from Israel, 997 from India, 994 from China, 499 from Hong Kong, 497 from Thailand, 496 from Singapore, 499 from Taiwan, 997 from South Korea, 500 from Vietnam and 995 from Japan). Respondents completed an online survey in July 2020.}

_{Huddle Insurance}

_{For new Huddle customers on new policies only. Offers subject to eligibility criteria and terms and conditions. Read the Telstra Financial Services Guide. Policies are subject to terms and conditions, exclusions and limits (and sub-limits) of the insurance policy. When making decisions about the product, you should always refer to the Product Disclosure Statement.}

_{Huddle Insurance bonus points}

_{Members must start their quote from the Telstra Plus website, logging in with their Telstra ID linked to their Telstra Plus membership.}

_{500 points offer for quote: Points will be allocation up to 14 days after receiving a quote.}

_{90,000 bonus points offer: 30,000 bonus points are bestowed 30 days after the first policy start date (as notified by Huddle). The remaining 60,000 bonus points are bestowed 30 days after the second policy start date (as notified by Huddle).}

_{Information about Telstra’s role in promoting Huddle insurance: Telstra Corporation Limited (ABN 33 051 775 556 AR No. 000386948) is an authorised representative of Open Insurance Pty Ltd (ABN 23 166 949 444 AFSL No. 451712). Read the Telstra Financial Services Guide. Any financial product advice provided by Telstra is general advice only and doesn’t take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before deciding to purchase the insurance, read the relevant Huddle PDS/FSG and consider the appropriateness of such advice having regard to your own objectives, financial situation and needs. Huddle policies are issued by Huddle Insurance, a business name of Open Insurance Pty Ltd (ABN 23 166 949 444 AFSL No. 451712) on behalf of the insurer, The Hollard Insurance Company Pty Ltd (ABN 78 090 584 473 AFSL No. 241436). Policies are subject to terms and conditions, including exclusions and limits (and sub-limits) of the insurance policy. If you have any questions regarding Huddle insurance products, you should contact Huddle at Huddle.com.au. Telstra is not responsible for the issue of policies, or any of the features, benefits or risks, or administration of policies (including claims handling).}

_{Benefits Telstra receives from Huddle: Telstra receives a commission from Huddle Insurance for each Huddle Insurance car insurance or home and contents insurance product Telstra arranges on Huddle Insurance’s behalf. Refer to the Telstra Financial Services Guide for more information on the commissions we receive. This commission varies depending on the type of product purchased. Read the Telstra Financial Services Guide.}

_{Complaints: Refer to Telstra’s Financial Services Guide for details of how to make a complaint about the financial services provided by Telstra. Refer to Huddle’s PDS/FSG for details of how to make a complaint about the financial services provided by Huddle, or policies issued by Huddle. Read the Telstra Financial Services Guide.}

Summer concert season looks a little different this year, but don’t worry: we’ve saved the best seat in the house for you. Thanks to Telstra Plus, you can skip the line and go VIP to our series of Front Room live shows with some of Australia’s biggest music acts.

Telstra Plus Front Room is the new home of exclusive livestream music sets from your favourite Australian artists, and we’re starting big!

In the lead-up to Christmas, we’ll be bringing you 40-minute intimate gigs from Ruel and Guy Sebastian. And it won’t just be a watch-along either. You’ll be able to interact with the gig from your couch, with the ability to send questions to your favourite stars.

And to make the Front Room concert even more rewarding, we’ll be kicking off a competition where members can win a group virtual meet and greet with their favourite artist and 1 million Telstra Plus points. Visit Telstra Plus for your chance to win.

If you’re not a member of Telstra Plus yet, don’t worry. It’s easy. Just head to Telstra.com to join*.

Telstra Plus is our rewards program that gives you exclusive benefits, just for paying your bill. We recently refreshed our reward tiers to give you even more for being a member.

Since launching Telstra Plus, we have hosted a range of benefits. Benefits like earning 10 points for every dollar when you make an eligible payment that can be redeemed on the latest technology and services, as well as discounted tickets to movies and sporting events and pre-sale access. This now also includes one-of-a-kind experiences like our Front Room shows. It’s all part of making being a Telstra customer that little more rewarding!

Check out who we’ve got in store, and when you can tune in.

Ruel

At the age of 18, Ruel’s resume reads like that of a seasoned global superstar and the Sydney-bred, London-born vocalist is quickly becoming one of this generation’s most influential artists. With half a billion streams, over 1.5 million followers on Instagram, three sold-out world tours and five Platinum plaques under his belt, Ruel is a trailblazer who’s far exceeded the omnipresent hype and overwhelming fan frenzy that surrounds him globally.

At the tail end of 2018, Ruel also won the Breakout Artist award at the ARIAs, becoming the youngest artist to do so. He quickly re-emerged in 2019 with single ‘Painkiller’, which went 2x Platinum. Ruel is the youngest artist to sell out the iconic Sydney Opera House (twice!).

Watch Ruel

Guy Sebastian

Singer Songwriter and Producer, Guy Sebastian is undoubtedly one of Australia’s most popular and successful male artists. Guy has achieved over 30 x Platinum singles sales in Australia and well over 7,000,000 combined units sold worldwide. Guy is the only Australian artist in ARIA chart history to boast six #1 singles and three #1 albums including his critically acclaimed new #1 ARIA Album T. R. U. T. H. His global hit ‘Battle Scars’ with Lupe Fiasco reached #1 on the US R&B/Hip Hop digital chart and peaked at #11 on the US iTunes Chart.

Guy is the winner of six ARIA Awards including: Song Of The Year (‘Choir’), Best Pop (Armageddon Album), Best Live Act (the Get Along Tour) Best Video (‘Choir’ ) and two Highest Selling Single awards (‘Angels Brought Me Here’ and ‘Who’s That Girl’). In June 2019, Sebastian was recognized as a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia for his outstanding community efforts to the Australia via his work with The Sebastian Foundation & Sony Foundation. His popularity across his recent smash hits has spawned multi-platinum awards for his hits ‘Before I Go’, ‘Choir’, ‘Standing With You’ and ‘Love On Display’ with these tracks & the album remaining at the top of the charts across radio, streaming and ARIA official charts. Guy recently announced his national T.R.U.T.H. tour for November/ December 2021 which is selling out fast!

Date: 17 December 2020

Time: From 7:00PM AEDT

Watch Guy Sebastian

Things you need to know

* Eligibility criteria apply

Telstra Plus has been rewarding our loyal customers for over a year now. In that time we’ve given billions of points and countless membership benefits to our customers, underscored by the performance of Australia’s best mobile network and Australia’s largest 5G network*. Now there are even more rewards available with a number of new benefits in our tiers for you to access.

Telstra Plus has rewards available to access beyond the connectivity and technology you pay for in your service. We know that there’s a lot of choice when it comes to telcos these days, and ensuring you get more bang for your buck is paramount.

The new Gold standard

Ahead of the giving season, Telstra Plus is rewarding your family with even more to enjoy. We’re introducing a range of new rewards, bonuses and special offers as part of your existing Telstra Plus membership, especially for our Gold tier customers.

We know that getting the best entertainment experience at home is important, and with the Gold tier, it’s more rewarding than ever when it comes to the number of benefits. Now as a Gold member, if you don’t have a Telstra TV, let us know and we’ll send you one, on us**, as well as 50% off when you rent or buy selected Telstra TV Box Office content using your points.

It’s all part of making sure your time on the couch is as rewarding as possible, just for being a Telstra customer. And to make sure you get the best seat in the house when you’re not at home, Gold members will now have priority access to pre-sales for selected events. That means you’ll get access to tickets up to three hours earlier. And you’ll get access to exclusive Gold-only promotions and experiences.

We’ll also be here to help if you have a query or an issue to sort out thanks to the new Gold VIP service benefits as part of your Telstra Plus membership. Gold members will get VIP service when you message us using My Telstra app. We can help with your services, home tech and getting the most out of your Gold benefits.

Most of these new benefits are inclusive of the existing member benefits Telstra Plus already nabs you. This includes – but is not limited to – discounted tickets to movies and sporting events and earlier access to selected concert pre-sales and offers.

Silver customers are also going to get a taste of Gold membership in the new update, with access to 30% off a new Telstra TV when you use your Telstra Plus points**, as well as 25% off when you rent or buy selected Telstra TV Box Office content when using your points.

We’re making these changes effective 10 November, so you can start enjoying the new rewards Telstra Plus has to offer, just for being a member.

Giving you more, more often

When we launched Telstra Plus, we offered a range of benefits that made being a customer feel a little more rewarding. Benefits like earn 10 points for every dollar when you make an eligible payment that can be redeemed on the latest technology and services.

In the 18 months we’ve been offering these benefits to Telstra Plus customers, we’ve had over two and a half million members sign up. Now it’s time to make the program even more rewarding with new benefits and rewards for your loyalty.

Joining Telstra Plus is free and simple. Just head to the Telstra Plus website to join^***.

Things you need to know

_{* 5G now rolling out in selected areas [and available with a compatible device]}

_{** Subject to stock availability}

_{*** Eligibility criteria apply}

“Good evening, and welcome to television”. Those were the first words uttered on Australian television airwaves in 1956. For 64 years, we’ve been laughing, crying and shouting at our televisions. The stories got bigger, as did the screens, and everyone has their own show. This is how we got here.

Before there was streaming; before TV had profiles, and before anyone knew what 4K even meant, there was the simple idea that good, entertaining and informative content could be beamed into people’s homes via the airwaves. As we celebrate the launch of BINGE – Australia’s unturnoffable streaming service and home of premium, award-winning content – we wanted to look back at just how we got to this place of incredible small-screen storytelling. Find out how you can get a year of BINGE on Telstra.

Welcome to television

Bruce Gyngell was his name.

The man who spoke those warm and welcoming words to Australians on September 16, 1956. At 7pm, he appeared for the very first time, even credited as the “First Host” on the screen.

He wore a suit and a bowtie, and viewers in Sydney and Melbourne were warmly ushered into a new age of modern information and entertainment.

Television was more than just a fly-by-night fad, however. Australians had been shown the possibilities of wireless images beamed into their homes at a number of demonstrations over the previous two decades.

Experimental transmissions were happening in Brisbane back in 1934, and others around the nation were able to see local demonstrations of television in town halls throughout the country in the 1940s.

Demonstrations aside, however, come September of 1956 not everyone was able to see Mr Gyngell welcome them into the future.

At the time, a television cost hundreds of pounds – back when Australia paid in pounds, of course. By the 1960s, you could still expect to pay the equivalent of $6000 for a 23-inch black and white set for your home. While some TVs still cost that today, you can expect to get a whole lot more for your money.

So, instead of watching from home, many gathered outside store windows to watch the future come to pass. Hundreds congregated under a sign outside the famous windows of Myer in Melbourne Emporium which heralded the arrival of television. That very set is now on display as part of an exhibition of Myer’s history.

The golden age

The next decade saw Australian television go through an incredible golden age. Australia’s TV legends were minted in this time, and many of them are still with us today.

Graham Kennedy, Bert Newton and more came to delight Aussies in their homes every night. Their class popularised television formats we still enjoy today, from quiz shows to talk shows and everything in-between.

Sport and sport analysis came to our screens thanks to World of Sport (later Wide World of Sport), and AFL games were televised for the very first time.

As the price of televisions slowly fell and more sets landed in homes, Aussies were enjoying the collective experience of content. Sports matches were enjoyed together set against the backdrop of the Aussie barbecue. Serialised shows were discussed over the water cooler. We came together to experience defining moments in our history.

The power of television was truly demonstrated in 1969 when man first set foot on the Moon. NASA struck a deal with Australia to help broadcast from the Moon, live, through Australian equipment, including the Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station just outside Canberra and the Parkes Radio Telescope in regional New South Wales, as well as the control facility in Sydney owned by the Overseas Telecommunications Commission – Telstra before Telstra.

After the lander had returned home, and several more missions had been broadcast for the world to see, television saw its next great shake-up in 1975 when colour burst onto screens for the first time. It was so revolutionary that it had even been announced by Prime Minister William McMahon three whole years earlier.

As Australia was late to the game on colour, many cashed-up households had already started buying colour televisions as early as 1969. But it wouldn’t be until mid-1975 when the Pakenham races were broadcast in colour that Australians first saw the new dimension of television.

After that, they were hooked. Television was everywhere, with Aussies buying colour TVs faster than just about anywhere in the world, thanks to the availability of content.

The internet, televised

The 1980s and 1990s saw Australians import a flood of television content from international audiences. Everything from Blind Date and Perfect Match through to Jeopardy! and international sport all got a run on the Aussie airwaves.

We also exported a good chunk of television, with the ever-popular exploits of Ramsay Street and Summer Bay (Neighbours and Home and Away, respectively) captivating audiences from the 1970s to this very day.

The 1990s brought with it an explosion of international news content, as the first Gulf War was televised day and night via channels like CNN. Aussies would be able to receive this programming for the first time as subscription television like Austar and Foxtel came to town, offering nearly 60 paid channels compared just a handful on free-to-air.

It wasn’t until after the turn of the new millennium that Australian TV would change forever all over again: the internet had come to change television as we knew it.

Late-2006 brought with it our incredible Next G network, that allowed for 3G broadcasts that put television in people’s pockets. With our long-time partner Foxtel, we helped launch Foxtel by Mobile: 33 channels of live news and entertainment, optimised for the small, small screen. The service exploded, and users were limited to just 200 minutes of viewing per month at the time.

This was one of the first instances of the internet coming to television. But it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

Free-to-air players would soon have their own platforms that would slowly evolve to bring more and more entertainment to audiences over the top of traditional broadcast television services, just as services like Netflix and Stan opened for customers.

By 2018, Netflix had over 10 million users in Australia, spurred on by a mix of original content and the ease of access from devices like the Telstra TV. With the Telstra TV, you can consolidate your streaming services into a single box, and unlike TVs in the 1960s, it wouldn’t cost you 5x your average weekly wage.

In fact, the advent of cheap and available services and devices has led to an explosion in content consumption. With hundreds of millions around the world now able to watch content, there has been a new golden age of content.

Creators like the minds behind Game of Thrones, Chernobyl, and Veep now have the latitude to produce movie-quality content for the small screen. This premium content can be consumed just about anywhere via just about any device.

The idea of “channels” no longer dictates viewing habits. Everyone has a favourite streaming service and everyone has their own show.

Australians are now untethered from their lounge rooms, with the ability to watch content on the bus; on the beach with our fast new 5G offering on selected plans with a compatible device in a 5G coverage area. Telstra is rolling out 5G in selected areas.

More content, less cash

With the launch of BINGE, this movie-quality TV content is available more readily than ever. With BINGE, you get more flexibility and access to entertainment both at home and on the go, without having to pay for the content you don’t watch.

BINGE and Telstra Plus go hand-in-hand to get you the best TV on offer. As part of our unmatched sport and entertainment product mix, we’re offering customers* three months access to BINGE Standard on us, while members of the Telstra Plus loyalty program will be eligible for between three and nine months additional complimentary access.

That means if you’re an eligible Telstra Plus customer, you could have up to a year of BINGE content just waiting for you to sign up.

BINGE has three different subscriptions to choose from and customers can change between them whenever they need, plus cancel any time.

To start, BINGE Basic is $10/month, streaming in standard quality with one stream at a time. Step up to BINGE Standard for $14/month and you’ll be able to stream in HD quality on two screens simultaneously, and BINGE Premium ($18/month) is for family households with HD streaming and four streams at once.

Wherever you are, welcome to television all over again.

_{*excl. prepaid and business customers}

Things you need to know

_{BINGE Offer: 3 months BINGE Standard subscription available to Telstra customers with a consumer post-paid mobile or home internet plan. Redeem by 18 Jan 2021 through http://hub.telstra.com.au/BINGE or on a Telstra TV.}

_{Telstra Plus bonus months: In addition to the BINGE Base Offer available to you, Telstra Plus Members are eligible for an additional 3 months. Silver Tier members are eligible for an additional 6 months and Gold Tier members are eligible for an additional 9 months. Redeem through http://hub.telstra.com.au/BINGE.}

_{BINGE Standard monthly fees (currently $14/mth) apply after offer period ends unless you change or cancel. Offer can be applied to: BINGE Premium (for $4/mth during offer period) or BINGE Basic (for $0/mth during offer period). After offer period, standard monthly prices apply (currently BINGE Premium $18/mth, BINGE Basic $10/mth), unless you change your pack or cancel before the end of your offer period.}

_{Billing: Not compatible with any other BINGE offers. Not compatible with some third party billing platforms. Telstra billing not available for existing BINGE subscribers on another payment method. One redemption per customer account. Requires internet & compatible device and sign up to BINGE Terms of Service. Data charges apply.}

_{Kayo Sports: Offer available to new & returning Kayo customers on a Telstra consumer post-paid plan. Eligible customers must sign up through http://hub.telstra.com.au/kayo or on Telstra TV. Standard monthly fees apply after offer period unless you cancel. One redemption per customer account. Not available in conjunction with any other Kayo offers. Redeem by 30 September 2020. Requires internet & compatible device. Data charges may apply. Event availability correct at time of publishing and subject to change.}

_{Telstra Plus: Must be 18+ with an active service. Excludes enterprise and corporate accounts. Points are earned on payment of Telstra bill or pre-paid recharge (excl. outright purchases, refunds, credits & late payment fees). Points expire 3 years from earning. Marketing opt-in required (preferences can be changed). Exit program anytime.}