Lebara Mobile Review: Pros & Cons | Plans & Prices

Looking for a dirt-cheap mobile phone plan? Fancy making international calls without the high charges? Discover what Lebara Australia does to offer international mobile phone plans at such a low price. Read on as we break down their offers to find out if Lebara is a good choice for you or if you should stay away.

Lebara Australia & Its Network Coverage

Lebara Australia has been around since 2009 as an MVNO running on the Vodafone network. As a subsidiary of Vodafone, Lebara has the same mobile coverage as Vodafone users would.

Vodafone & Lebara's network currently covers approximately 96% of the population in Australia, but they're working to expand and improve coverage in major cities over the coming years.

Lebara's claim to fame is its cheap mobile phone plans with standard international calling included in all offers - But why is Lebara so cheap? It's because they operate in many countries around the globe allowing them to use their network access to offer such cheap rates to loads of international calling destinations.

Of course, like any company, Lebara has its advantages and disadvantages. Let's take a look.

Lebara Mobile Pros & Cons

PROS of Lebara Mobile :

• Great value & benefits for the money
• Full access to the Vodafone network
• No lock-in contracts as standard
• International calling comes standard
• Data banking comes standard
• Customisable plans with add-ons
• Available at most major retailers

CONS of Lebara Mobile:

• Vodafone network has patchy service
• Pricey international roaming charges
• Confusing app & Lebara recharge process
• Low-customer ratings
• Marginal customer service

What We Like about Lebara:

The thing we like most about Lebara is that international calling comes standard on all of their phone plans.

They also have the lowest rates that we have found for plans that offer unlimited national calling + international calling. What also sets Lebara apart is that their plans are quite customisable for being such a budget provider.

This means that you can tailor your plan to your exact needs through add-ons like unlimited international minutes to a specific country, or data boost packs to supplement your plan's current data offer.

Despite being on the Vodafone network, Lebara has full access, which is unique for providers like Lebara that don't run on their own network. Usually, with a company like Lebara, users would be relegated to slower data speeds and less coverage, but the fact that Lebara has full access is a major plus.

Vodafone has also been making investments in upgrading its mobile network over the past few years to be more in line with the coverage you would find at Optus or Telstra. So, overall, you can expect to have good service with Lebara especially if you're in a major city.

Who is Lebara Best Suited For?

Lebara is best suited for people who are looking for a bare-bones or budget phone provider but also don't want to skip out on fast data, unlimited calling and customisable plans.

Lebara is also particularly well suited for people who want to make international calls on a regular basis. Despite the advent of free WhatsApp calling and Facetime over WiFi, having the option to call internationally to a normal phone is useful if you are an ex-pat or if you have family overseas.

Since Lebara's plans are sim-only and pay-as-you-go, Lebara could also be a good option for keeping in touch with family and friends that go overseas for a study abroad experience or extended work trips as it's super easy to buy their cheap sim plans, and pop it in as needed.

What Do Customers Think of Lebara?

As we mentioned in the pros and cons list above, 2 of the major drawbacks we found about Lebara are that they have low customer reviews and poor customer service, the caveat is that these two go hand-in-hand.

Most of the poor reviews focus on issues with customer service. Customers mention sometimes running into difficulty topping up online and via their confusing mobile app. Then, when they have an issue, they almost all say that it's very tough to get help from customer service. Companies like Lebara often rely on user forums and support articles to fill the place of lacking customer service, and in Lebara's case, this seems to be an issue.

• Here is how Lebara Mobile is reviewed across the web:
• TrustPilot: 2.6 out of 5 stars
• ProductReview: 2.4 out of 5 stars

Here is an example of a Lebara review found on TrustPilot that sums up well what other customers mentioned:

I bought two sim cards, when I try to activated them, it said the sim cards are invalid. I took few hours on their website and apps. Useless, all shows the sim card is not found. Then I called them, I waited more than one hour, no one answered. I also live chat with them, no one online neither. Lebera is a just a one-off company with no service. After you buy the Lebara sim card, please be aware, your money get lost. It is better to buy food for dogs than buying a lebara sim card. - Mandy

According to mandy, their customer service channels exist, but it just appears that there is nobody there. This is something you'll want to keep in mind if you are looking for a long-term phone provider.

Here is another Lebara review we found on ProductReview that mentions similar info:

Don't recommend it to anyone if you go on trips or mine sites. No good coverage outside the main cities and VERY VERY BAD customer services. They don't care about the customers. I sent them a couple of emails to Transfer my number to another provider they even didn't respond. - Mosi (Perth, WA)

We can't leave you with only the negative Lebara mobile reviews, because there are also plenty of satisfied customers.

Here is a Lebara review we found on ProductReview:

Using it for 3 years+, have not experienced big issues. data bank is the best part. and the small package suits me well. They have little bit of everything. Network coverage is decent. Nothing to complain. Good for medium users. - Rex (Greater Melbourne)

As Rex mentions in their review, Lebara is well suited for medium users looking for variety at a low price.

After all of this though, one question still remains: How does Lebara compare to the competition?

How Does Lebara Compare to the Competition?

Lebara beats other mobile phone providers on international calling rates, and that's about where Lebara ends in terms of beating out the competition.

Lebara is still one of the cheapest mobile phone providers in Australia, but you will not find the customer service that you would expect from major phone providers like Telstra, Optus, etc.

Lebara does a good job at offering a bit of something for everyone but lacks a strong advantage across most categories. If you are looking for a cheap phone provider that does the basics and offers international calling, Lebara is a good choice.

However, other phone providers like Optus, Boost Mobile, and Amaysim all offer unlimited international calling plans starting at $30.

Lebara Plans: Prepaid, International Roaming, & Data Only

Lebara offers different prepaid phone plans both in Australia and overseas. Choose the type of mobile plan you want, the expiry, and the size, and your new Lebara SIM card will be delivered to your door, ready to be activated.

30-day Lebara Plans

If you’re looking for a monthly phone plan, Lebara offers 30-day prepaid phone plans with unlimited standard talk and text, along with international inclusions. Data size starts with Lebara’s Extra Small SIM-only plan for 8GB of data, up to 130GB of data with Lebara’s XXL mobile phone plan.

Long-expiry Lebara Plans

Long-term prepaid mobile phone plans are a great choice if you want to pay more upfront, for bigger savings down the road. Lebara prepaid plans with a long-term expiry period offer larger amounts of total data, broken up into 30-day blocks.

Lebara Plans for International Roaming

If you’re going abroad, Lebara has two international roaming plans available to over 50 selected destinations. With Lebara prepaid international roaming plans you can bring your own number and get service to the most popular destinations, all without a lock-in contract.

Lebara Data-only Plans

If you have a tablet, mobile hotspot, or wifi-enabled dongle, you may want to choose a data-only plan to ensure you can connect to the internet wherever you go. Lebara offers three different prepaid mobile broadband plans, with three different expiry periods, for any mobile broadband device you have.

How to Activate Lebara SIM Cards

You can purchase and activate your Lebara SIM card online. First, choose the Lebara mobile plans you want, or purchase just the SIM for $2 so you can pick your phone plan later. Then, enter your payment and delivery details so your new Lebara SIM card can be sent to your home.

Once your new SIM card arrives, you can activate it online at lebara.com.au/activate.

You will need the following details to activate your Lebara SIM card online:

• SIM card details including phone number, last 4 digits on the SIM card, and order number
• Personal details & address
• Valid ID
• To choose your plan
• Payment information

Lebara Recharge Process

Once you’ve had your new phone plan through its expiry period, you will need to top up with a Lebara recharge plan.

You can carry out a Labara recharge online through their recharge portal, via the Lebara app, or at one of the 10,000+ retailers across Australia that sell Lebara products.

You can also sign up for auto Lebara recharges, which will automatically debit a preselected amount from you via your bank or debit card. You can set up an automatic and recurring Lebara recharge by going to your MyLebara app and selecting the Auto Recharge option. You’ll need to supply a payment method, and choose an auto recharge plan.

Lebara Contact Number & Lebara Customer Care

You can contact Lebara customer care by phone or email. However, you can also contact Lebara online via their Facebook page and Live Chat.

Opening hours for Lebara customer care are: Weekdays from 8am - 8pm / Saturday - Sunday from 9am - 6pm. 

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