SIM-Only Mobile Phone Plans & BYO Phone Plans
SIM-only mobile phone plans (also known as BYO or bring your own phone plans) are a great way to keep connected on your phone, without needing to buy an entirely new handset. These days, almost all telco providers in Australia offer SIM-only mobile phone plans with no lock-in contracts, many with generous data inclusions and additional features such as international calling, unlimited text, and data rollover. If you have a phone you already like, and want a flexible mobile plan to suit your needs, keep reading below to compare SIM-only mobile plans in Australia.
What is a SIM-Only Mobile Phone Plan?
If you already have a phone you love, or would prefer to buy one outright and not worry about paying it back, a SIM-only phone plan is the plan for you. Instead of getting a new handset, you’ll have a SIM card delivered to your home, which can be inserted into any unlocked phone and easily activated online.
SIM-only mobile phone plans come with many different features and inclusions, so it’s important when comparing mobile plans to consider your phone habits.
- Prepaid or postpaid: These days, most prepaid and postpaid mobile phone plans are pretty similar, but if you want to be sure you’re not going to get hit with excess usage charges, a prepaid mobile phone plan might be a better choice.
- Data allowance: Knowing how much data you use monthly is important. You don’t want to worry about running out before the end of the month, but you also don’t want to be paying for more data than you need.
- Calls & text: Most plans these days have unlimited standard AU calls and text, but if you do a lot of international calling, there are a lot of plans with unlimited international calls to certain countries.
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Prepaid SIM-Only Mobile Phone Plans
Prepaid mobile phone plans are plans that you pay in advance for the service, which means you don’t need to worry about paying for excess data usage. You pay a certain amount every expiry period, and will need to recharge one that billing period expires or you use up all your data.
Prepaid plans (not to be confused with pay-as-you-go) can have different expiry periods. The typical plans usually have either a 7 or 10 day expiry period, a monthly expiry period of 28 to 35 days, or a long-expiry period which can be anywhere from 90 days to 365 days.
Below you can find some of the best prepaid mobile plans.
| Prepaid Mobile Phone Plan | Prepaid Mobile Phone Plan Features |
|---|---|
| Woolworths 30GB of data $30 / month | Unlimited standard national calls and text |
| Coles Mobile 15GB of data $10 first 30 days $20 / month after | Unlimited standard national calls and text Unlimited standard international calls and text to 15 countries Up to 50GB data rollover |
| Felix mobile Unlimited data $35 / month | Unlimited standard national calls and text Speeds up to 20Mbps |
| Amaysim 50GBof data $40 / 28 days | Unlimited standard national calls and text Unlimited standard international calls and text to 42 countries |
| Boost Mobile 20GB + 18GB on first three recharges $30 / 28 days $15 for new customers online | Unlimited standard national calls and text Unlimited standard international calls and text to 20 countries Data rollover Data-free streaming with Apple Music |
Month-to-Month Postpaid SIM-Only Mobile Phone Plans
Unlike prepaid mobile phone plans, where you pay for the service upfront, postpaid (or month-to-month) phone plans are paid at the end of your billing period, based on your usage. Here are some postpaid month-to-month SIM-only plans below.
| Postpaid Mobile Phone Plan | Postpaid Mobile Phone Plan Features |
|---|---|
| Moose Mobile 35GB of data $29.80 / month | Unlimited standard national calls and text Unlimited 13, 1300, and 1800 calls |
| Dodo 12GB of data $20 / month | Unlimited standard national calls and text Unlimited international text 100 international minutes to 35 select countries |
| Southern Phone 30GB of data $35 / month | Unlimited standard national calls and text $300 call credit to international numbers |
| Belong 10GB of data $25 / month | Unlimited standard national calls and text Data rollover Unlimited international calls and texts to 30 countries for +$5 / month |
| iiNet 8GB of data $19.99 / month $10 / month for the first 6 months | Unlimited standard national calls and text |
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Cheap SIM-Only Plans in Australia
SIM-only mobile phone plans can be expensive, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to find a cheap mobile plan to fit your budget. With plans under $20, you can generally get between 5GB and 12GB of data per month, usually with unlimited standard national calls and text.
| Mobile Phone Plan | Plan Features |
|---|---|
| Moose Mobile 6GB of data $12.80 / month first 12 months $15.80 / month after | Unlimited national calls Unlimited standard national text |
| Dodo 12GB of data $20 / month | Unlimited standard national calls & text Unlimited international text 100 international minutes to 35 countries |
| Circles.Life 8GB of data $14 / month first 12 months $18 / month after | Unlimited standard national calls & text |
| Boost Mobile 5GB of data $20 / month | Unlimited standard national calls & text |
| TPG 8GB of data $10 / month first 3 months $19.99 / month after | Unlimited standard national calls & text |
If you’re not someone who uses their phone often, particularly data, you might want to consider a SIM-only plan under $10. These mobile plans generally only come with 1GB of data but usually include unlimited standard national calls and text, but if you’re not a big mobile data user, why pay more for something you don’t use frequently?
| Mobile Phone Plan | Plan Features |
|---|---|
| Moose Mobile 1GB of data $8.80 / month | 300 standard national minutes Unlimited standard national text |
| Tangerine 1GB of data $9.90 / month | Unlimited standard national calls & text |
| SpinTel 1GB of data $9.95 / month | Unlimited standard national calls & text Data capping |
| Exetel 1GB of data $9.99 / month | 200 standard national minutes Unlimited standard national text |
| Yomojo 1GB of data $9.90 / month | Free Yomojo-to-Yomojo calls |
SIM-Only Mobile Phone Plans with Unlimited Data
Good news for those of us who use our phones for everything - Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone now offer unlimited data on their postpaid mobile phone plans. The basic idea of these unlimited data plans is that you buy your plan like normal, with a full-speed data allowance. If that data runs out, you can continue to use your phone at a reduced download speed.
| Vodafone Mobile Plan | Plan Features |
|---|---|
| 50GB of data $35 / month first 12 months $40 / month after | Unlimited standard national calls & text Infinite data at 2Mbps speeds |
| 60GB of data $40 / month first 12 months $45 / month after | Unlimited standard national calls & text 100 international minutes to selected countries Infinite data at 2Mbps speeds |
| 100GB of data $45 / month first 12 months $55 / month after | Unlimited standard national calls & text 1100 international minutes to selected countries Infinite data at 10Mbps speeds |
| 200GB of data $55 / month first 12 months $65 / month after | Unlimited standard national calls & text Unlimited international minutes to selected countries Infinite data at 10Mbps speeds |
| 500GB / month $60 / month first first 12 months $120 / month after | Unlimited standard national calls & text Unlimited international minutes to selected countries Infinite data at 25Mbps speeds |
| Telstra SIM-Only Plan | Plan Features |
|---|---|
| Small 40GB of data $55 / month | Unlimited standard national call & text 30 international standard minutes Unlimited international SMS Excess data at 1.5Mbps speeds |
| Medium 80Gb of data $65 / month | Unlimited standard national call & text 30 international standard minutes Unlimited international SMS Excess data at 1.5Mbps speeds 5G network access |
| Large 120GB of data $85 / month | Unlimited standard national call & text 30 international standard minutes Unlimited international SMS Excess data at 1.5Mbps speeds 5G network access |
| Extra Large 180GB of data $115 / month | Unlimited standard national call & text 30 international standard minutes Unlimited international SMS Excess data at 1.5Mbps speeds 5G network access |
| Optus SIM-Only Plans | Plan Features |
|---|---|
| Small 10GB of data $39 / month | Unlimited standard calls & text 5G network access Endless data at 1.5Mbps speeds |
| Medium 60GB of data $49 / month | Unlimited standard calls & text Unlimited standard international calls & text to select countries 5G network access Endless data at 1.5Mbps speeds |
| Large 100GB of data $59 / month | Unlimited standard calls & text Unlimited standard international calls & text to select countries 2GB roaming data in select countries 5G network access Endless data at 1.5Mbps speeds |
| Optus One 500GB of data $65 / month first 12 months $119 / month after | Unlimited standard calls & text Unlimited standard international calls & text to select countries 10GB roaming data in select countries 5G network access Endless data at 1.5Mbps speeds |
| Extra Large 120GB of data $79 / month | Unlimited standard calls & text Unlimited standard international calls & text to select countries 4GB roaming data in select countries 5G network access Endless data at 1.5Mbps speeds |
Only one MVNO currently offers unlimited data. Felix mobile is a newcomer on the Australian telco market, offering one single plan with unlimited data at a capped speed of 20Mbps. Felix Mobile’s plan includes unlimited standard calls and texts, for $35 per month on a 30-day expiry period.
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