If you’re currently looking to save yourself some money, changing up your mobile plan to a cheaper one from a smaller provider could be the solution you’re looking for. While Telstra, Vodafone and Optus represent the big three telcos in Australia, they certainly aren’t the cheapest. We recently saw Optus up the price of its two cheapest postpaid plans, pushing the lower of the two to be above $50 per month.
According to the ACCC’s latest Internet Activity report, the average Australian uses 7.5GB of data with a prepaid mobile plan and 15.9GB on a postpaid one . So if you feel like you’re paying for more than you need with your current plan, swapping to a smaller provider with a SIM-only plan is the best way to save money on a mobile bill.
These smaller providers – also known as MVNOs – are powered by the Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone networks, but tend to offer much cheaper phone plans. This is because they have lower overheads, smaller advertising budgets, don’t always stock handsets, and tend to be a more barebones affair. You’re getting data, talk, and text with these plans, and not much more.
Here are some of the cheapest mobile phone plans available in Australia right now, broken down by price.
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Cheapest mobile phone plans under $10 per month in Australia
While there are a few mobile plans that won’t cost you more than $10 per month, most of these prices are due to introductory discounts. So while you’ll be paying $10 or less now, that price will increase after your first six months elapse. Your monthly data allowance is pretty limited for most mobile plans in this price bracket.
As far as the best value plan goes, Moose Mobile is offering a whopping 25GB of data for only $9.80 per month. There is a catch here – this price will only last for the first seven months of your plan before it reverts to the standard price of $24.80 per month. Moose is powered by the Optus 5G mobile network, which makes this plan the cheapest way to get 5G access.
TPG is running a half-price discount for new customers that lasts for the first six months of your plan. That means you can get a 12GB plan for $10 per month, and then pay $20 per month thereafter.
TPG’s sibling network, iiNet, has a similar half-off deal across all of its mobile plans too, although you’ll get less data for the same price. With iiNet, you’ll get a data allowance of 8GB and pay $10 per month for the first six months.
Both TPG and iiNet are powered by the Vodafone network.
If you don’t want to mess around with a plan that’ll increase in price after a discount period ends, Dodo is offering a 2GB plan with a flat rate of $10 per 30-day renewal. That’s not a huge amount of data, but for a plan that’ll always be under $10 per month, it’s the only offer available. Dodo is powered by Optus’ 4G Plus mobile network.
Cheapest mobile phone plans under $20 per month in Australia
As far as the cheapest plan in this price range goes, TPG is a great pick for those who want a little extra data each month. Its 25GB phone plan will set you back $12.50 per month for your first six months, and $25 per month thereafter. If you’re an existing TPG internet customer, the full rate drops to $20 per month, which is great news if you have a hard cap of $20.
TPG’s 45GB plan also has some great dollar-to-data value in this price bracket, although its full price exceeds the $20 cap. You’ll pay $15 per month for the first six months of this plan, and then $30 per month thereafter. However, all of TPG’s mobile plans are contract-free, so you can swap to a cheaper plan or jump to a different provider once the discount period is over.
SpinTel is also worth considering. A 25GB plan will set you back $14 per month for your first six months, and $22 per month thereafter. SpinTel is powered by the Optus 4G Plus mobile network.
Moose Mobile is offering a plan with some solid data-to-dollar value. You’ll get 40GB of data and pay $19.80 per month for the first eight months, and then $29.80 per month thereafter.
If you want to keep the cost of your phone bill under $20, even at full price, Moose also has a plan that comes with a 15GB data cap where you’ll pay $14.80 per month for the first eight months of your connection. After that discount period passes you’ll be paying $19.80 per month. Moose is powered by the Optus 5G Plus mobile network.
Cheapest mobile phone plans under $30 per month in Australia
As we move up the price scale, you start to get access to Telstra-powered providers, like Numobile and Tangerine. Both providers are offering 12GB plans for $22 per month, which makes them one of the cheaper options in this price range. However, as far as data allowances go, there are plans with better value. Spending $27 per month with Numobile or Tangerine will get you a data allowance of 25GB.
If you want a 5G plan with Telstra, your best bet is Belong. The provider is offering a 25GB plan for a flat rate of $29 per month.
Once again, TPG is one of the best value options available. You can currently sign up for its 45GB plan and only pay $15 per month for the first six months of your connection. Once that introductory period ends, you’ll be paying $30 per month.
If you want a bit more data, Felix Mobile has a 50GB plan that’s currently $15 per month for the first three months of your connection. Once this introductory period ends, the plan’s price will increase to $30 per month, which will still keep you nicely within this price range. You’ll need to use the promo code FELIX50. Felix is powered by the Vodafone 5G mobile network.
If you want a long-term deal, Circles.Life will give you an extra 20GB of data while knocking $5 off your phone bill for the first 12 months of your plan. That means you’ll be paying $25 per month for 50GB. Once that introductory period ends, the plan’s full price is $30 per month with a data cap of 30GB.
Everyday Mobile has a prepaid plan that includes 32GB at $30 per month. While that’s a fairly average data allowance in this price tier, what makes this plan stand out is that it includes a bonus offer where you can save 10 per cent on your grocery shop once per month at eligible Woolworths shops.
If you want a lot of data that’ll always be under $30, then take a look at Kogan Mobile, which has a 40GB plan for $25 per month. Kogan is powered by the Vodafone network.
There’s also Amaysim, which is powered by Optus’ 5G network and is currently offering a 32GB plan for $30 per renewal. As a bonus, you’ll only pay $10 for your first renewal, and receive an extra 32GB of data for the first three renewals (to a total of 64GB).
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