Optus mobile plan prices are increasing for new customers, so are they worth it?
Thankfully, there are some benefits
The latest in a spate of Australian pricing shake ups, Optus has quietly restructured its postpaid mobile plans for new customers this week, increasing the price of its two most affordable options and dropping one plan entirely.
Previously priced at AU$49p/m, the entry-level Optus Small Choice Plus Plan has increased to AU$52p/m, while the Optus Medium Choice Plus Plan has gone from AU$59p/m to AU$62p/m.
Thankfully, the price hikes do bring a fair amount of additional value to the table —both plans have received a significant increase in monthly data, with the former going from 30GB to 50GB, and the latter jumping from 100GB to 180GB.
And, in an effort to streamline its postpaid offering, Optus has scrapped its 220GB AU$69p/m plan, with its former XL plan taking its place as the new Optus Large Choice Plus Plan. The plan still comes with 360GB of monthly data, however it has actually seen its price drop from AU$89p/m to AU$82p/m.
Additionally, Optus is also offering a Promo Plan that comes with 500GB of monthly data and is priced at AU$69p/m for the first 12 months, after which the price will go up to AU$89p/m.
Are the updated plans still worth it?
If there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that price hikes suck. That said, we must commend Optus for doing right by its customers in this particular instance.
For starters, the price increase on both the Small and Medium plans is relatively minor at only AU$3 more per month. When you consider the massive increase in data that both plans have received, that's definitely what we'd describe as good value.
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Previously, the AU$49p/m Optus Small Choice Plus Plan offered 30GB of monthly data, working out to around AU$1.63 per GB. However, now that the the updated Small plan includes 50GB of monthly data, the cost per GB works out to AU$0.96.
The value is even stronger on the Medium plan, which previously offered 100GB of data at AU$59p/m, or AU$0.59 per GB. Although the plan has risen to AU$62p/m, the increase to 180GB of monthly data means the price per GB is now only AU$0.34.
And while it's most certainly a shame that Optus has dropped its AU$69p/m plan, the new Large plan works out to be excellent value thanks to the inclusion of one particular perk: customers on the Optus Large Choice Plus Plan will now get AU$20 of SubHub credit per month.
In other words, customers who subscribe to streaming services like Netflix or Binge through SubHub will get AU$20 off their monthly streaming bill, which seems like a pretty great incentive if you ask us.
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Stephen Lambrechts is the Managing Editor of Tom's Guide AU and has written professionally across the categories of tech, film, television and gaming for the last 15 years. Before Tom's Guide, he spent several years as a Senior Journalist at TechRadar, had a brief stint as Editor in Chief at Official Xbox Magazine Australia, and has written for such publications as APC, TechLife Australia, T3, FilmInk, AskMen, Daily Telegraph and IGN. He's an expert when it comes to smartphones, TVs, gaming and streaming. In his spare time, he enjoys watching obscure horror movies on physical media, keeping an eye on the latest retro sneaker releases and listening to vinyl. Occasionally, he also indulges in other non-hipster stuff, like hiking.