Traffic Pack or Monthly Plan? Do the Math Before You Buy

Estimate Your Usage First, Then Compare the Two Billing Models

The two billing models differ in just three ways: how much data you get, how long it lasts, and what it costs. Put all three on the same scale — price per GB, validity period, and actual monthly spend — and the choice becomes simple arithmetic.

Start with a usage estimate. The method is simple: break your daily activity on cross-border routes into a few categories, assign each one a per-hour data figure, multiply by hours used, and add it all up. The table below gives typical magnitudes at common intensity levels, so you can see whether your monthly usage lands near 60GB, 250GB or 500GB.

Add up the rows that match your habits, then add 20% headroom — that is your target figure. For example: 1 hour of 1080p video a day (about 45GB) + web and office work (about 10GB) + a little music (about 5GB) comes to roughly 60GB — right at the edge of the smallest monthly plan, which is exactly the group that should compare both billing models carefully.

Monthly Plans vs Traffic Packs: Price Comparison

Put both sides in one table and the difference in unit price is obvious.

On unit price, monthly plans are clearly cheaper: from about ¥0.06 / GB, versus about ¥0.22 / GB for traffic packs. But that does not mean a monthly plan is always the better deal, because monthly data expires at the end of each month while a traffic pack balance stays there until you use it. The rule of thumb boils down to one line:

A handy comparison to do in your head: the ¥158 300GB traffic pack costs slightly more than 8 months of the 250GB monthly plan (¥18 × 8 = ¥144). So the key question is how much of that data you will reliably use over those 8 months. If you use less than 300GB, the pack balance keeps going; if you use it all, the monthly plan is cheaper.

Three Typical Scenarios and What to Pick

Here are conclusions for three common usage patterns — find the one that matches you.

Light browsing: occasional research and social media

Monthly usage usually lands between 5–15GB, far below the 60GB of the smallest monthly plan. For these users, paying for a monthly plan means most of the data simply expires. A better fit is a 300GB traffic pack: at 10GB / month it lasts a long time, there is no expiry pressure, and a business trip or a sudden large download will not be cut off because the month's quota ran out.

Regular streaming: a fixed number of hours of video every day

At 1–2 hours of 1080p a day, monthly usage is about 45–90GB; with 4K it goes straight past 100GB. These users are exactly who monthly plans are for: the 250GB tier works out at about ¥0.07 / GB, so ¥18 a month covers most viewing; heavier users can move up to the 500GB tier, where the unit price drops to about ¥0.06 / GB. Traffic packs do not save money here — the same volume at ¥0.22–¥0.36 / GB costs several times more.

Remote work: meetings, collaboration tools and code repositories

With video meetings estimated at 15 hours a week, monthly usage is about 20–50GB; add code repository sync, documents and cloud storage and the total is often 60–100GB. The defining trait here is steady usage that happens every month, which the 250GB monthly tier usually covers exactly, with room left for system updates. If a team only uses it intensively during a project and barely at all in other months, a traffic pack fits better — the balance does not reset during idle months.

Mixing Both: Stacking the Two Billing Models

The two are not mutually exclusive. A common approach is a monthly plan as your base plus a traffic pack as backup:

1. Estimate your typical monthly usage as above, then pick the monthly tier just above it, leaving 20% headroom.
2. When a large one-off download comes up (a big game, a system image, a batch of media files), switch to the traffic pack routes if the month's quota looks tight, so the monthly plan does not run out early.
3. Add the traffic pack as a separate subscription in your client, keep it alongside the monthly plan, and switch as needed.
4. Check your usage at the end of each month. If you have not used up your tier for two or three months running, drop down a tier and put the difference into a traffic pack.

The point of the combination: the monthly plan covers your steady everyday usage at the lowest unit price, while the traffic pack absorbs spikes and surprises, so one month of extra downloads never forces you to upgrade for the whole month.

Checklist Before You Buy

• ✅ You have estimated your monthly usage with the method above instead of picking a tier by feel.
• ✅ You know whether the tier you picked is a monthly plan (expires each month) or a traffic pack (never expires) — the balance rules are completely different.
• ✅ You know monthly plan data does not roll over, while a traffic pack balance stays until it is used.
• ✅ You have checked simultaneous devices: neither billing model limits how many devices can be online at once, and there is no extra charge for more devices.
• ✅ You have confirmed payment supports Alipay / WeChat / USDT, and that the 30-day no-questions-asked refund applies to your order.
• ✅ You understand that actual usage is measured by the client's statistics, and that system-level traffic and traffic from other proxy apps is not counted by this service.
• ❌ Do not rule out a traffic pack just because the unit price is higher — if your usage is low to begin with, a low unit price does you no good.
• ❌ Do not pick an oversized monthly tier you clearly will not use up just to get a lower unit price.
• ❌ Do not start a large download without checking how much of the month's data is left.

FAQ

What happens when a traffic pack runs out?

Once the balance is used up, that subscription stops providing routes until you top it up again. A monthly plan resets its quota at the start of each billing cycle, and unused data does not roll over. Both show current usage in the client, so it is worth turning on the client's usage alerts.

Does monthly plan data roll over to the next month?

No. A monthly plan's quota resets each cycle, which is exactly why its unit price is lower. If you want data to stay available long term, choose a traffic pack that never expires.

Can both be used at the same time?

Yes. The client supports importing multiple subscription links, so you can keep both a monthly plan and a traffic pack in your subscription list and switch as needed. Switching affects nothing except sessions that are already connected.

How can you check your actual data usage?

Go by the usage statistics in the client, which record the traffic that goes through this service's routes. System updates, other proxy apps and direct connections that do not use the routes are not counted. To check whether the exit is working, use the My IP page to see your current exit address; for route types and coverage, see the route list.