Got a phone but need a plan? You’re in good company. According to Telsyte, two-thirds of Aussies who switched phone plans last year moved to no contract plans, and you can be sure when they run these numbers again, the proportion of SIM Only plan purchases will increase again.
In short, it’s time to find the best SIM Only plan. Here are the best options for five different types of user.
We get it: There’s no such thing as one true, best phone plan. Any suggestion of a best plan needs to take into consideration an individual’s needs. Do you want lots of data or the cheapest price? 4G coverage or more inclusions? What about free international calls?
To address this, we’ll approach the topic from several angles. Hopefully we cover what you’re looking for!
Best plans with 10GB or more
With most SIM Only plans blending together with nearly identical features, what you find we’re shopping for these days is mobile data. If you’re on your phone a lot, these plans are for you.
Best for huge data inclusions (on a 3G network)
If you see a phone plan with a lot more data than expected, it is probably a 3G only service. Before you turn your nose up at this, remember that 3G technology downloads at a maximum of 42Mbps, so it’s no slouch. In an area with decent coverage you can expect speeds of about 20Mbps or so. You do take a bit of a hit in latency, but for most everyday tasks, you probably won’t tell the difference.
Best under $30 per month
You really don’t have to spend big money to find plans with a fair chunk of data included. Under $30 used to be where you’d find great plans for kids and teens (and it still is) but as the competition develops, we’re seeing more high value plans slipping below the $30 threshold.
Best on the Telstra network (look for prepaid)
You might have noticed, but most of the low-cost MVNOs operate on the Optus 4G Plus network, and while this is great, it is not always a suitable option. This article is designed to focus on no contract monthly plans, but when it comes to the Telstra network, the best deals are all prepaid.
Best plans including international calls
A majority of people living in Australia have friends or family living overseas. International calls are an important part of mobile plans, even low-cost no contract plans.
Amaysim currently has the best deal, with unlimited calls to 10 countries on all UNLIMITED plans, even the cheapest option. The coutries included are: China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, UK and USA.
Lebara Mobile is also worth looking at too. Especially the Mini Mega Plan and the Unlimited International Plan, where the latter includes unlimited calling minutes to 60 countries (though only calls to landlines in some cases).
So, there you have it. There’s loads of great options above to consider, and even still, we’re scrapping the tip of the iceberg in terms of the number of plans you could choose from. If you’ve got a better deal at the moment, shout it out in the comments.
Joe Hanlon is Publisher at WhistleOut, Australia’s phone and internet comparison website. He’s been writing about phones and plans for far too long.
Comments
One response to “The Best No Contract SIM-Only Plans In Australia”
How about some no-data plans?
Once again you forgot the Kogan deal – $249 for the year (up front) with unlimited calls and texts and 10 Gig data per month = approx $20 per month.
You left out OVO $ 29.95 a month for 13GB
I’m surprised Boost’s $30 Unlimited Plan didn’t get mentioned (LTE on Telstra network) – up to 7GB data – given that the difference between this plan and the $40 one is that it does not include international calling. For those of us happy to just call locally within Australia it is the perfect plan, and ideal for people living in the outback as I do. It’s a great plan!
Some of these prices (such as for amaysim) are for 28 day cycles, not monthly. These can be multiplied by ~1.09 to work out the real monthly price.