Struggling with phone bills during Australia's cost of living crisis? You're not alone! The good news is there are now many affordable mobile plans available from providers beyond the usual big names like Telstra, Optus and Vodafone.
While the big carriers give you loads of data and extras, they often come with a hefty price tag. But here's the trick: smaller providers, called MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators), actually use the major networks. This means they can offer phone and data services for way less, with pretty much the same coverage — though sometimes with capped speeds. If you're keen to cut down on phone costs, definitely check out smaller players like Boost Mobile, TPG, Kogan Mobile and Aldi Mobile, to name a few.
So, how cheap are we talking? You can snag SIM-only plans with unlimited national calls and texts, plus a decent amount of data, starting from as low as AU$12.50 a month! Just a heads-up: always read the fine print, as some of the super-cheap deals are promos, and the price might go up after an initial period, usually around six months.
Ultimately, the amount of value you receive will depend on whether you choose a prepaid or postpaid plan, and what your price limit is. Fortunately, there are plenty of 'no contract' options to choose from — some even offer larger-than-expected amounts of data. Here are the best cheap Australian mobile plans compared.
Best cheap plans (20GB minimum)
If value is what you're after, it's hard to overlook TPG's excellent 25GB Small Plan, which offers 25GB of monthly data at the half-off price of AU$12.50p/m for the first 6 months. While the price will go back to AU$25 per renewal after this period, it's still very affordable for what you're getting.
Best cheap big-data plan
Need stacks of data without paying a fortune? You're in luck, because TPG's 100GB Large Plan offers exceptional value — especially during your first 6 months, where the price is slashed in half. TPG is charging just AU$22 p/m during this initial period, after which the price will go back to AU$45 p/m, which is still great for that amount of data.
Cheap mobile plans: what to look for
Obviously, value for money is essential when considering a cheap mobile phone plan. Seeing as most phone plans these days offer unlimited national calls and text, you're going to want to find a good balance between price and data allowance. Thankfully, those who are willing to pay just a few dollars more can usually score a significant bump in their monthly data limit.
That said, price isn’t the only criteria you should keep an eye on. You'll also want to consider which mobile network your discount carrier runs on. As we touched upon earlier, none of the smaller telcos which offer the cheapest plans actually operate their own network.
Instead, each of these MVNOs have leased access to networks built by one of Australia's three major carriers: Telstra, Optus or Vodafone. That means the quality of coverage in your area will likely depend on the mobile network that discount telco runs on. Before selecting any plan, you should always find out which major carrier network it operates on, and check the service in your region.
Our best cheap mobile phone plan search takes into account the merits of prepaid vs postpaid phone service, while also examining whether MVNOs are worth the money.
How we pick the best cheap cell phone plans
We're constantly looking at what Australian telcos offer as part of our research into the best mobile phone plans. That includes examining what's available from the major carriers — Telstra, Optus and Vodafone — as well as from smaller telcos which run on these carriers' networks. We check prices monthly, comparing what different services have to offer.
For our best cheap mobile plans guide, we set a jumping off point of around AU$12.50 per month, along with a monthly data limit of at least 20GB. Price is of the utmost importance in our rankings, though we've made an effort to steer you away from some very cheap plans which we believe don't offer good value for money.
Our decisions take into account how much data each plan provides, and we've even calculated the average daily allowance and price per MB before coming to our conclusions, and we've also taken note of any perks to keep in mind. That can help distinguish two equally priced plans — or even highlight that a slightly more expensive plan offers better value overall.
