The best iPhone plans in Australia this month

The iPhone 12 is finally here and you can safely expect to see a lot of it on this iPhone deals page. Its arrival also means there have been changes in almost every category, except for the most popular iPhone plan, which is still the $49 Optus Choice Plan.

Everything else is different, and not just because of the iPhone 12 (the iPhone 12 64GB is our new go-to handset for plan comparisons); Vodafone refreshed its plans not so long ago, so you’ll see that reflected on this page, too.

Best value iPhone plan this month

Vodafone $40 Lite Plan

Vodafone $40 Lite Plan at a glance:

• $91.20 per month (12 months)
• $96.20 per month (12 months)
• $35 ($40 normally) for plan; $56.20 for iPhone 12 64GB
• 30GB data (10GB + 20GB bonus)
• Capped 2Mbps speed after 30GB
• $60 credit over 12 months
• $70 trade-up credit
• Bundle discounts
• 5G network access
• No contract

If you’re keen to keep the monthly cost of repaying an iPhone 12 over 24 months below $100 but also want access to a great plan, the Vodafone $40 Lite Plan is well worth considering. It costs $91.20 for 30GB of data for the first year (then it’s $96.20 thereafter), which is particularly impressive because this is technically a 10GB plan. As long as you stick with this plan, though, the 20GB of bonus data is yours to use each month.

Speaking of data, part of Vodafone’s recent mobile plan refreshes means that the usual 1.5Mbps speed throttling after you breach your cap has been upped to 2Mbps for this plan, which means no excess data costs and a connection speed that can keep you happily online with basic connectivity. It’ll be easier to burn through data on this plan, too, because it includes 5G access. You can also save extra bucks by bundling this plan with one or more eligible plans and score up to $70 trade-up credit for swapping an eligible handset (expires 13 November).

If you fancy a wee bit more data, opt for the Vodafone $45 Lite+ Plan, which has 40GB instead of 30GB.

Best perks iPhone plan this month

Vodafone $65 Super+ Plan

Vodafone $65 Super+ Plan at a glance:

• $111.20 per month (12 months)
• $121.20 per month (12 months)
• $55 for plan; $56.20 for iPhone 12 64GB
• 200GB data (100GB + 100GB bonus)
• Capped 10Mbps speed after 200GB
• $120 credit over 12 months
• $70 trade-up credit
• Bundle discounts
• International calls
• 5G network access
• No contract

If you’re not put off by that $111.20-per-month asking fee, there are a stack of perks to be found in the Vodafone $65 Super+ Plan. While bundling this plan with an iPhone 12 64GB normally costs $121.20 a month, the first year has a $10 monthly credit, which brings it down to that $111.20 monthly price point. Bundle other eligible plans to save up to 20 percent, and you can take advantage of $70 trade-up credit when you trade an eligible device before 13 November.

This plan also comes with 5G access as standard, and given faster 5G speeds, you’ll want plenty of data to take advantage of it. While this plan normally comes with a generous 100GB, Vodafone will double the monthly data if you sign up before 12 November. Even if you burn through that 200GB of data, you have unlimited additional data to use, albeit capped at a very respectable 10Mbps. The final perk of this Vodafone plan is international calls and texts to 37 countries and 200 minutes of calls to a further 53 international dialling destinations.

Best budget iPhone plan this month

Vodafone $40 Lite Plan

Vodafone $40 Lite Plan at a glance:

• $63.29 per month (12 months)
• $68.29 per month (12 months)
• $35 ($40 normally) for plan; $28.29 for iPhone SE 64GB
• 30GB data (10GB + 20GB bonus)
• Capped 2Mbps speed after 30GB
• $60 credit over 12 months
• Bundle discounts
• No contract

Despite its relative newness, the Vodafone $40 Lite Plan is already proving to be a popular pick with iPhone pundits, and it’s easy to see why. Whether you want to check out one of the better-value iPhone deals (scroll up), most popular Vodafone iPhone plan (scroll down), or the best budget iPhone plan, you’re looking at the same one. Paired with an iPhone SE 64GB, this plan comes to $63.29 for the first 12 months, care of $5 monthly credit throughout the first year.

While you won’t get the $70 trade-up credit if you’re not upgrading to an iPhone 12, you can still get up to 20 percent off by bundling this with other Vodafone plans. The base plan comes with 10GB of data, but it’s effectively 30GB care of 20GB of bonus data, which is yours as long as you stay connected (just sign up before 12 November).

Best big-data iPhone plan this month

Vodafone $65 Super+ Plan

Vodafone $65 Super+ Plan at a glance:

• $111.20 per month (12 months)
• $121.20 per month (12 months)
• $55 for plan; $56.20 for iPhone 12 64GB
• 200GB data (100GB + 100GB bonus)
• Capped 10Mbps speed after 200GB
• $120 credit over 12 months
• $70 trade-up credit
• Bundle discounts
• International calls
• 5G network access
• No contract

Vodafone takes out another category with a repeat winner, this time with its $65 Super+ Plan, which also took out the top spot for best value iPhone plan. It’s easy to see why: if you want more data, you’re going to have to spend more. The Vodafone $65 Super+ Plan costs $111.20 per month for the first year, before reverting to its $121.20 asking price. Score more bucks off by trading in an eligible device and by bundling compatible plans under a single account.

What you’re really here to see, though, is the zeroes on the monthly data cap. While it’s normally a 100GB affair, Vodafone is chucking in double the data for the life of the plan. If you manage to burn through that 200GB of max-speed data, you’ll be capped at 10Mbps for the rest of the month, which is still a decent amount of bandwidth for internet goings-on.

If you prefer the Telstra network, you can alternatively opt for the Telstra $115 Extra Large Mobile Plan, which is reduced to $121.20 for the first 12 months and comes with 180GB of data.

Best iPhone 11 plan this month

Telstra $55 Small Mobile Plan

Telstra $55 Small Mobile Plan at a glance:

• $104.95 per month (24 months)
• $55 for plan; $49.95 for iPhone 11 64GB
• 40GB data
• 1.5Mbps data shaping after 40GB
• Three-month Binge Standard subscription
• No contract

Real talk: you really should opt for an iPhone 12 plan over an iPhone 11 one, which is likely why there are only a couple of handfuls of options available from telcos these days. The cheapest one is the $49 Optus Choice Plan, which adds up to $98.95 a month with 24-month repayment terms on an iPhone 11 64GB handset. Despite having 60GB of data and included international calls, you’ll be paying more per month than our best value iPhone plan category winner above.

Still, if you do want an iPhone 11 64GB handset, our top pick this month is the Telstra $55 Small Mobile Plan. It’s pricier than the Optus alternative at $104.95 per month but, despite not bundling international calls, you have 40GB of data to use, and no excess data charges if you break that cap (speeds are slowed to 1.5Mbps, though). The bigger bonus is a three-month Binge Standard subscription, which will help chew through some of that monthly data cap.

Most popular Telstra iPhone plan this month

Telstra $55 Small Mobile Plan

Telstra $55 Small Mobile Plan at a glance:

• $111.20 per month (24 months)
• $55 for plan; $49.95 for iPhone 11 64GB
• 40GB data
• 1.5Mbps data shaping after 40GB
• Three-month Binge Standard subscription
• No contract

It took out the top spot for best iPhone 11 plan, but the Telstra $55 Small Mobile Plan is also the most popular Telstra pick right now for anyone looking to bundle a Postpaid plan with an iPhone 12. And it’s pretty easy to see why. While discounts are seemingly the domain of Vodafone, what you see is what you get with this Telstra plan, which has a monthly cost of $111.20 on 24-month repayment terms.

That cost gets you 40GB of data, but you don’t have to worry about any data-related bill shock at the end of the month thanks to 1.5Mbps data shaping. The included three-month Binge Standard ($42 value) is a nice cherry on top, as is the data-free streaming for selected sports and Apple Music.

Most popular Optus iPhone plan this month

$49 Optus Choice Plan

$49 Optus Choice Plan at a glance:

• $105.19 per month (24 months)
• $49 for plan; $56.19 for iPhone 12 64GB
• 60GB data
• $10 for double data
• International calls
• Data sharing
• Optus Sport + Fitness
• No contract

The arrival of 5G means that eligible new and recontracting Optus customers can nab an iPhone 12 64GB handset and pay a bit more for double the data. While the $49 Optus Choice Plan cost $105.19 a month on 24-month repayment terms for an iPhone 12 64GB, add on another $10 a month for 120GB instead of 60GB. This is a helpful add-on for those who blow through 60GB of data in a month as Optus plans automatically charge $10 for 1GB of additional data (outside of this add-on).

This Optus plan also comes with international talk and text to 35 selected countries, as well as data sharing between eligible Optus plans (a great way to use up those extra gigabytes), and Optus Sport + Fitness.

Most popular Vodafone iPhone plan this month

Vodafone $40 Lite Plan

Vodafone $40 Lite Plan at a glance:

• $91.20 per month (12 months)
• $96.20 per month (12 months)
• $35 ($40 normally) for plan; $56.20 for iPhone 12 64GB
• 30GB data (10GB + 20GB bonus)
• Capped 2Mbps speed after 30GB
• $60 credit over 12 months
• $70 trade-up credit
• Bundle discounts
• 5G network access
• No contract

It may be new, but the Vodafone $40 Lite Plan is back for the third time in a row this month with one of the best value iPhone deals around. It may have “$40” in the plan name, but you can treat that as $35-per-month for the first year which, coupled with a $56.20 iPhone 12 64GB repayment fee, comes out to $91.20 for the first year and $96.20 thereafter. You can make that monthly cost lower, too, with $70 of trade-up credit for compatible devices, and bundle discounts that stretch up to 20 percent.

It may only be a 10GB plan at its core, but sign up before 12 November to score an extra 20GB, which means 30GB as long as you stay on this plan. Still, even 30GB can be easily chewed through with this 5G-capable plan, but the real beauty is you get 30GB of max-speed data, then it’s capped at a still-usable 2Mbps for the rest of the month.

In Australia, the iPhone 12 price ranges from $1,199 for an iPhone 12 Mini 64GB model and stretches up to $2,369 for the iPhone 12 Pro Max 512GB variant. If you bundle a new iPhone 12 with a plan that has repayment terms of 12, 24, or 36 months, that handset cost is spread out, but you can opt to buy an iPhone 12 outright.

Below is a complete list of pricing for the iPhone 12 in Australia. Please note that the list below doesn’t yet include best price options for all iPhone deals because iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone Pro Max handsets are not yet available for pre-order.