Are you looking to save on your phone bill? We’ve rounded up the cheapest SIM plans from a range of different carriers to help you find the best price. If you’re unsure about whether a SIM-only mobile plan is what you need, our quick guide to SIM only mobile plans will get you up to speed.
Generally speaking, if you don’t want a new phone or a lock-in contract, a SIM plan is the way to go. It’s easy to get what you need without paying for excess features. Unlimited phone calls and text messages usually come standard, with data and international roaming the main points of difference.
We update this article monthly, so bookmark this page to keep up to date with the cheapest SIM plans. Prices update in real-time, meaning you get the latest deals available in Australia right now. You can also use a custom search to choose a plan that suits your exact needs. All of the plans featured in this article include an expiry period of at least 28 days. You can purchase a SIM plan with a shorter recharge window, ideal for travellers who only need a bit of data while visiting Australia.
Want to save on your internet bill too? Check out the cheapest NBN plans to save even more money. You can also compare the best Telstra SIM-only plans, Vodafone SIM-only plans, Optus SIM-only plans, and offerings from Boost Mobile.
Contents
- Cheapest SIM plans
- Cheapest 5G SIM plans
- Cheapest 365-day SIM plans
- What you need to know: eSIM, prepaid, postpaid
- Phone number portability
Cheapest SIM plans
Postpaid
Both iiNet and Dodo have the current cheapest SIM plans at $10 a month. iiNet, a Vodafone MVNO, has a half-price discount on its 8GB plan for the first six months, bouncing back to $19.99 afterwards. Dodo, on the other hand, only includes 2GB of data but it stays at a flat $10, offering a cheap Optus connection for anyone who doesn’t use much mobile internet.
Arguably the best-value deal comes from Optus MVNO Circles Life, offering its 30GB plan for just $11 for the first six months. Afterwards, it jumps back to a standard $30 monthly rate, which is reasonable value given the included data.
Another Optus MVNO, Moose Mobile, follows closely behind, offering the cheapest 5G SIM plan at a tempting $11.80 per month. This discounted rate applies during the first eight months, including 25GB of data. Once the promo period finishes, the Moose Mobile plan costs $24.80 each month, which is still a decent price for a 5G plan.
As always, Kogan is another one of the cheapest postpaid SIM plan providers. For $15 a month, you get 10GB of data via the Vodafone network.
Postpaid SIM plans on the Telstra network start at $20 via Numobile with 10GB of data. It only uses parts of Telstra’s network, so check the coverage map to ensure you’re covered.
Prepaid
On the prepaid side, the current cheapest SIM plan remains consistent with last month. TPG’s (on the Vodafone 4G network) plans are half-price, with the normally $20 12GB plan just $10 for the first six months.
One perk to note here is that the TPG prepaid plans operate on a monthly cycle, not the 28-day or 30-day expiry of other prepaid products. You can also pay an extra $5 for unlimited international calls to 37 countries including New Zealand and the UK.
Yomojo (Optus), Lebara (Vodafone), and Lycamobile (Telstra) all sit around $15, although Lycamobile has a 28-day expiry compared to the others’ 30-day window.
Cheapest 5G SIM plans
As 5G rolls out to more parts of Australia, and compatible phones become cheaper, it’s easy to take advantage of higher download speeds. 5G SIM plans cost more, so are better suited to users who need the extra speed or perhaps don’t have reliable NBN connections.
Postpaid
As mentioned earlier, Moose Mobile claims the cheapest 5G SIM plan. There’s some good competition this month, with fellow Optus MVNO Southern Phone discounting its 20GB plan to $14 each month.
Keep in mind that download speeds with Moose are capped at 100Mbps, which is still fast enough for high-quality streaming and more. Its 200GB plan, currently $10 off per month, is the only uncapped speed plan Moose offers.
Want an affordable 5G SIM plan on the Telstra network? Your cheapest option is Belong’s 25GB tier at $29 per month. Download speeds are capped at 150Mbps, which is still pretty fast. You can also get AGL’s Optus network SIM plan for $25 per month if you bundle it with your gas and electricity service.
Cheap 5G plans on the Vodafone network are few and far between, unfortunately. Its cheapest 5G SIM plan comes directly from the telco, costing $49 and including 50GB. Both Telstra and Optus MVNOs offer more data at cheaper rates as far as postpaid SIM plans are concerned.
Prepaid
Most of the cheapest prepaid 5G SIM plans are starter packs that then cost full price after the first recharge. Optus currently leads the way with its Flex Plus plan $12, down from $35. For a limited time, it comes with 60GB of data. Subsequent recharges are full price, coming with 40GB for the first two recharges before reverting to 20GB.
At the time of writing, Boost Mobile, now offering eSIM plans, has a $15 starter pack, down from $35, that comes with 45GB of data. While most MVNOs only offer partial access to a provider’s network, Boost is the only one with full Telstra network access, meaning it provides more comprehensive coverage than others.
If data is more important than sheer network coverage, Aldi Mobile includes 25GB with each 30-day renewal at a decent price of $29. Aldi uses parts of Telstra’s network, so check that your location is included on the coverage map. Amaysim (Optus network) also provides good value, including 32GB for $30. Keep in mind that its recharge cycle is 28 days instead of 30.
For Vodafone, your current cheapest option is via MVNO Lebara. Its first recharge is $14, with future recharges priced at $29.90 per 30 days. 35GB of data comes included, plus an additional 35GB during the first 30 days.
Cheapest 365-day SIM plans
If you know what you need over a longer period and want to save money in the process, a 365-day SIM plan might do the trick. Simply pay once per year, and get a bank of data to use with unlimited calls and texts. It’s a cost-effective way of paying your phone bill for basic internet users who aren’t big downloaders.
Both Kogan (Vodafone 4G) and Catch Connect (Optus 4G) currently charge $120 for a long-expiry 365-day SIM plan. For the first year, Kogan includes 120GB of data, dropping back down to 80GB for future recharges. Meanwhile, the Catch plan only includes 60GB, which is mainly suited to infrequent use. Both work out to be an affordable $10 a month, keeping your phone costs down.
For the next week, you can get Vodafone’s $250 365-day SIM plan for just $149, which comes with 240GB of data during the first year. This comes courtesy of a 90GB activation bonus, elevating the plan’s standard 150GB allocation. Vodafone also offers an incentive to enable automatic recharges, offering an additional 50GB every cycle. So, future recharges would then give you 200GB.
Long-expiry Telstra SIM plans cost a fair bit more by comparison. Boost Mobile offers the cheapest 365-day Telstra network connection, priced at $230 for 170GB. It’s still much cheaper than Telstra’s own 365-day SIM plan, costing $320 for 230GB, which drops down to 165GB after the first renewal.
What you need to know about SIM only plans
It’s fairly easy to change your SIM plan provider. Even more so with the rise of embedded SIM (eSIM) technology, letting you change plans almost instantly with a compatible device. Instead of requiring a physical card, eSIM stores network information directly to your phone.
Irrespective of which service provider you go with, the actual network used will be either Optus, Telstra or Vodafone. Many of the cheapest SIM plan providers are mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs). This refers to carriers that use the network infrastructure of another company.
Boost Mobile is a popular MVNO that has full access to Telstra’s network, reaching 99.5% of Australians. Not every MVNO includes a network’s full coverage, so it’s worth checking a company’s website to ensure your area is serviced.
In terms of how much data you should choose, data from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) found that Australians generally pay for more than what they need. On average, Aussies use 10.2GB of phone data per month, so it’s likely you could get away with a smaller allowance that costs less.
It also depends on how much you stream and download content using your phone. If you mainly use home or office Wi-Fi and don’t stream much, stick with a cheaper plan.
Postpaid versus prepaid
There are a couple of slightly different SIM plan options to choose from. Postpaid refers to plans that operate on a monthly billing cycle, where you pay at the end of each cycle. Postpaid SIM plans generally don’t involve a lock-in contract, so you can freely swap if your needs change or a better deal comes along. If you hit your data cap for a month, your telco might limit speeds until the next cycle or charge extra costs, so check the fine print beforehand.
Prepaid, on the other hand, sees you pay at the start of each cycle for a fixed number of days. Most prepaid SIM plans have a 28-day expiry cycle instead of a full month. Shorter expiries are also available if you need a SIM while travelling, making it a flexible option. The upside is that if you go over your data limit, you won’t incur extra costs. A lot of prepaid plans don’t automatically recharge by default but you can set up auto-recharge manually, with some telcos offering discounts or bonuses if you do so.
Phone number portability
The SIM changeover process takes about 10 minutes of your time or even less if you choose an eSIM. You will receive instructions to visit a website, provide your details, prove your identity (online) and then insert your new SIM.
Note you will have a choice to migrate your existing mobile number or choose a new one. About 15 minutes later, you should be up and running. However, the documentation will indicate it may take up to 24 hours and be affected by working hours.
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