How to buy a PS5, Xbox or Nintendo Switch through your telco

If you’ve been putting off purchasing a console from the latest generation of PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo, the big outlay of cash is probably one of the reasons why. While it might not cost quite as much as the latest iPhone, it’s still hard to justify nearly $800 for a new gaming console, when the console itself is just the beginning. With some games costing over $100 at launch, and additional controllers costing anywhere from $89 to $249 a pop, playing video games can be an expensive hobby these days.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Telstra and Vodafone both offer long-term payment plans for a wide selection of consoles and accessories that you can pay off over a period that suits you best.

Pre-orders for the PlayStation 5 (PS5) originally went live at 8am on the 17th of September 2020 and proceeded to sell out globally in record time. I remember this detail vividly because my partner and I had missed out on account of our daughter being born around eight hours before pre-orders went live. She'll never live that down. 

Years of scarcity followed, where people went above and beyond to reserve their very own PS5 (or to resell a PS5 at extortionate prices.)

That all feels like yesterday but now the PlayStation 5 is widely available. Not only that but the original hyper-popular model has been replaced by a slimmer version. It’s not so hard to find a PlayStation 5 these days but even if you do, there’s still the matter of laying out up to $800 of cash for the privilege.

That’s where your telco comes in. Telstra and Vodafone both currently offer payment plans for the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition.

Telstra will sell you the PlayStation 5 Slim or PlayStation 5 Slim Digital Edition on a 24 or 12-month payment arrangement or straight-up sell it to you outright whereas Vodafone will let you pay it off over 36 months or not at all. Vodafone also makes you call customer service to order a PlayStation 5. So archaic.

Here's how much both Telstra and Vodafone will sting you for a PlayStation 5 console. 

The Xbox Series X might have sniffed the same scarcity of the PlayStation 5 at some stage, but there was never any moment in time where it was impossible to find. Early on in the lifespan of Microsoft's current console generation, Telstra launched Xbox All Access, a payment program that let you pay off not only an Xbox console but also your Game Pass subscription at a discounted price. That discounted bundle offer was removed in December 2023 but Telstra still offers Xbox consoles, accessories and Game Pass subscriptions on a plan.

Here's how much Telstra will charge you for its range of Xbox hardware on 24 or 12-month payment plans:

The new Nintendo Switch might be on the horizon but it still hasn't been officially confirmed and rumours suggest it could still be a ways off releasing. In the meantime, Telstra has begun stocking the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite and Nintendo Switch OLED. As with the Xbox products sold through Telstra, you can pay off any of the Nintendo products on offer over 12 or 24 months or even purchase them outright.