Best mobile phone plans in March 2023

We compare and choose the best phone plans every month, whether you’re after the cheapest phone plan, one with plenty of data or a great deal.

Best value
Vodaphone
Vodafone $65 Large SIM Only Plan
4 out of 5 stars
4
Starts at
$65
/mo
Data per month
300GB
🔥Deal
Bonus 300GB for Students
Typical monthly cost
$65
Best cheap
Moose Mobile
Moose Mobile 16.80 SIM Only Promo
4 out of 5 stars
4
Starts at
$16.80
/mo
Data per month
25GB
🔥Deal
$7 off for the first 12 months
Typical monthly cost
$23.80
Best mobile phone deal
Vodaphone
Vodafone $55 Medium Plan
4 out of 5 stars
4
Starts at
$55
/mo
Data per month
150GB
🔥Deal
Bonus 150GB for Students
Cost with iPhone 14
$107.04/mth
Best big data
Optus
Optus $89 Plus Promo Plan
4 out of 5 stars
4
Starts at
$69
/mth
Data per month
500GB
🔥 Deal
$20 off for the first 12 months
Typical monthly cost
$89/mth
Best cheap phone plan
Woolsworth Mobile
Woolworths $25 Mobile Phone Plan
4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5
Starts at
$25
/mo
Data per month
22GB
🔥Deal
10% off monthly Woolies shop
Cost with Oppo A54 5G
$37/mo
Show more picks
March 03, 2023
7 min read

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If you’re in the market for a new phone and the best mobile phone plans that can go with it, there are a couple of categories on this page that’ll be of interest, whether you’re after a shiny new iPhone 14—which you can easily sub out for a Google Pixel 7 or another phone—or a more affordable alternative with a great mobile plan.

Whatever you’re after, from cheap through to data-stuffed and the best Prepaid plans, scroll on for the best mobile plans available in Australia this month.

Best value mobile phone plan: SIM Only

Vodafone $65 Large SIM Only Plan

pro
Pros
pro Excellent dollar-to-data value
pro 300GB monthly data
pro Reduced monthly pricing
con
Cons
con Vodafone 5G network reach
con International calls aren’t unlimited
con Not much cheaper than unlimited data

Vodafone recently rejiggered its roster of plans, but there's still plenty to like about the $65 Large SIM Only Plan. To start with, it comes with 300GB of data that’s usable on the Vodafone 5G network.

If you chew through that massive data cap, speeds are slowed to a respectable 2Mbps for the rest of the month. This Vodafone plan also includes international call inclusions and a 30-day network satisfaction guarantee.

Compare phone plans below from a daily updating list of popular SIM Only Plans that have at least 70GB of data.

Photograph of a woman with pink hair using her SIM-only plan on her smartphone

The best SIM Only plans in Australia

Your one-stop shop for the best SIM Only plans in Australia.

Best cheap mobile phone plan: SIM Only

Moose Mobile $16.80 SIM Only Promo

pro
Pros
pro 12-month promo pricing
pro 25GB data
pro Great dollar-to-data value
con
Cons
con Typical pricing isn’t flash
con No real perks
con Potential excess data charges

The Moose Mobile $16.80 SIM Only Promo plan costs $16.80 a month for the first year. Afterwards, the price reverts to a $23.80 monthly fee. The typical pricing isn’t too flashy and there aren’t really any perks, but $16.80 a month is a good price to pay for 25GB of data on the Optus 4G network. If you're looking for the best mobile phone plans on a budget of about $20, this will fit the bill nicely.

Compare phone plans below from a daily updating list of popular SIM Only plans in Australia that don’t cost more than $20 a month (at least initially).

Best mobile phone deal

iPhone with Vodafone

For our best value Postpaid phone plan, we lead with the iPhone 14 128GB model as the handset for our comparisons and plans with 10GB or more on 24-month handset repayment terms. These Postpaid plans can also be paired with other telco-offered iPhone or Android handsets, though the combined monthly price will change.
pro
Pros
pro Great bundled pricing
pro 150GB data
pro No excess data costs
con
Cons
con Vodafone 5G network footprint
con Limited international inclusions
con 2Mbps post-cap speed

Vodafone is back again to continue its highly recommendable run when it comes to the best mobile phone plans that let you pay off an iPhone handset over 24 months. This month, we’re going with a cheaper iPhone plan to keep costs closer to $100.

Coupled with the Vodafone $55 Medium Plan, you're looking at a few bucks more than $100 a month with the iPhone 14 128GB. That price nets you 150GB of data on the Vodafone 5G network, capped to 2Mbps speeds if you burn through it all. You also get unlimited minutes of international calls to selected countries and a $150 off the price of the device if you stick with the plan for 24 months.

For comparison, check out the daily updating list of popular iPhone 14 128GB plans below that come with at least 10GB of data.

Our methodology
Light Bulb

When it comes to picking the best mobile phone plans, we only use mobile plans that can be paired with a handset. That narrows down the number of eligible telcos dramatically. We then weigh the included data, calls/text (standard national), international (roaming and international calling/texting) and perks (music streaming, Optus Sport + Fitness, etc.) against the monthly price to find the cheapest plans with the most inclusions.

We use a small selection of premium handsets to compare these plans with, which change as new flagship handsets are released, though we tend to lean towards the latest iPhone handset as they are the most popular (plus, they also tend to be great smartphones). You can read more about how we rate mobile service providers.

For our other categories, we opt for the best-fit plan that offers the best dollar-to-data value. There are times when we also weigh up factors such as network coverage, a telco’s mobile plans review score, or other included perks. Generally, we want to promote the best mobile phone plans that offer the best first-year value with a good mix of pricing and plenty of data.

Best mobile phone plans for big data: SIM Only

$89 Optus Promo Plus Plan

pro
Pros
pro Good data-per-dollar value
pro Great coverage and 5G
con
Cons
con Low customer satisfaction
con Limited bundling options

The Optus $89 Promo Plus Plan gets you way more data than you need, minus the speed limits that come with "infinite data" plans. You get 500GB a month to work with, plus unlimited calls, texts and international calls to 35 countries.

What's more, Optus are currently knocking $20 off the monthly cost of sticking with the plan for the first twelve months. After that point, you'll revert to the usual price.

For a sense of how this compares to some of the other big and unlimited data month-to-month phone plans, check out the widget below.

Best cheap mobile phone plan: Handset

Oppo A54 5G with Woolworths Mobile

For the best cheap Postpaid phone plan, we use the Oppo A16s for comparisons these days, as it’s available from multiple telcos and offers even greater value when bundled with an eligible phone plan. Postpaid plans are based on 24-month interest-free handset repayments.
pro
Pros
pro 10% off monthly Woolies shop
pro 22GB data
pro 500GB data bank
con
Cons
con No promo pricing
con Dollar-to-data value isn’t great
con Potential for excess data costs

If you want to pay off a new handset and have a decent Postpaid plan to pair it with, have a gander at the Woolworths Mobile $25 Mobile Phone Plan with a budget-friendly Oppo A54 5G handset. This no-contract plan costs $37 a month with 24-month handset repayment terms, plus it comes with 22GB of data, which is a good amount of data for everyday users.

There are some neat perks, too. For starters, this month-to-month plan operates on the wide-reaching Telstra wholesale network. Additionally, any unused data can be banked between months (500GB, up from 300GB) or it can be gifted to eligible Woolworths Mobile customers. You also get 10% off your Woolies shop once a month (up to $50 in savings).

Below is a daily updating list of popular Postpaid plans from a variety of telcos in our comparison engine that come with an Oppo A54 5G.

Best 5G phone plan

Belong 40GB Mobile Plan

pro
Pros
pro Great coverage on Telstra's wholesale network
pro Fantastic value for money
pro Unlimited data banking
con
Cons
con No prepaid plan options
con Have to pay extra for international calls

This postpaid option from Belong runs on the Telstra 5G network and comes with 40GB of data per month. You also get unlimited data banking and 5G speeds of up to 100Mbps.

If you're keen to take advantage of the biggest network available but don't like the idea of paying the steep price are asking then this is our pick of the lot when it comes to the best mobile phone plans with 5G. 

For comparison, check out the daily updating list of 5G phone plans below with at least 40GB of data.

Best budget mobile plan

Moose Mobile $8.80 SIM Only Promo

pro
Pros
pro Great discounted pricing
pro 6GB data for less than $10
pro 12-month promotion
con
Cons
con Average ongoing pricing
con No real perks
con Possible excess data costs

This month, the Moose Mobile $8.80 SIM Only plan is currently our pick for the best budget option. While it’s normally priced at $14.80 per month, new Moose customers pay $8.80 a month for the first year. If you're looking for the best mobile phone plans that don't break the bank, this one is a natural front runner.

Below is a daily updating list of popular SIM Only plans with at least 1GB of data that don’t cost more than $15 per month (at least initially).

Best Prepaid mobile plan

TPG 60GB Mobile Plan

pro
Pros
pro Great promo pricing
pro 60GB data
pro 5G trial available
con
Cons
con International calls cost extra
con Vodafone 5G network reach
con Regular pricing is only okay

The best value Prepaid plan you can buy comfortably under our $50 category cap is the TPG 60GB Mobile Plan.

The normal $40-per-month price is decent, but it’s even better for new customers in the first six months at just $20 a month. That’s a great price to pay for 60GB of data, even if there’s not much in the way of permanent perks. For a temporary perk, users in eligible Vodafone 5G areas with a 5G-compatible handset can take part in a 5G network trial until 1 June 2023.

If you're looking to compare phone plans, below is a daily updating list of popular Prepaid plans from our database with at least 30GB of data.

Most popular Telstra network phone plan

Belong 20GB Mobile Plan

Please note the plan above and the ones below may change daily based on the most popular mobile plans on the Telstra network.

This month, Belong is the provider behind the most popular plan choice on the Telstra network. This particular month-to-month plan comes with 20GB of data and unlimited data banking.

If you're not quite sold, then perhaps the updated list of popular month-to-month phone plans on the Telstra network below will give you a good opportunity to compare phone plans.

Most popular Optus network phone plan

Circles.Life 5GB Monthly Plan

Please note the plan and the ones below may change daily based on the most popular mobile plans on the Optus network.

Optus tends to take out the top spot on its network, but this month is the exception. The Circles.Life $10 Monthly Plan is currently available with double the data at no additional cost. That's $10 per month for 10GB of data, rather than the usual 5GB. That promo lasts until the 31st of March and kicks in if you use the code WO10FOR10 at checkout.

For a sense of how this plan compares to some of the other options available on the Optus network, check out the widget below.

Most popular Vodafone network phone plan

TPG 12GB Mobile Plan

Please note the plan above and the ones below may change daily based on the most popular mobile plans on the Vodafone network.

There aren’t as many Vodafone MVNOs on the scene as there are for Optus and Telstra, but Australia’s third-largest mobile network has plans with great value and plenty of data. As of this month, the TPG 12GB Mobile Plan has its nose in front of Vodafone's 40GB Mobile Plan. This TPG Prepaid plan comes with 12GB of data but has no data banking or international talk and text inclusions.

You can compare phone plans with this month's most popular plan on the Vodafone network using the widget below.

What to look for in mobile plan

How to pick best mobile phone plans

To compare phone plans, it’s worth understanding the three different types available to Australian consumers. All three should let you keep your number as you switch between telcos, but some are going to be a better fit for your needs than others.

Postpaid mobile plans range from cheap to expensive and bundle a monthly plan with a handset. This is a straightforward way to pay off a new smartphone without having to think about pairing a new handset with a SIM Only or Postpaid plan. Regardless of whether it has 5G or not, handsets tend to be offered as interest-free monthly repayment terms of either 24 months or 36 months.

SIM Only and Prepaid plans assume you already have a phone. Either you need an unlocked handset or you’ll have to stick with the carrier network that your phone is currently locked to. SIM Only plans are identical to Postpaid plans in terms of data, coverage and inclusions, minus the additional cost of handset repayments, which makes them cheaper overall.

Prepaid plans are paid in advance of a month, instead of afterwards like Postpaid and SIM Only plans (except for Telstra Upfront plans, which are paid ahead of usage). The duration of Prepaid plans varies from one day to a full year, but a month is typically broken down into 30 days, 28 days or, rarely, an actual month. Prepaid plans tend to have fewer bells and whistles than Postpaid and SIM Only plans but are a great way to stay in control of monthly costs.

FAQs about Australian mobile phone plans

These are some of the most frequently asked questions our readers have about buying the best mobile phone plan in Australia.
Which telco is best in Australia?

There's no single provider that has the best mobile plans for everyone. It really boils down to your personal preference and network needs.

The best coverage comes from Telstra plans, then telcos that use the Telstra network. Optus offers a mix of coverage and value, which is also true of telcos on the Optus network. Vodafone is behind Telstra and Optus for coverage but offers plenty of value, and so too do the telcos that use its network.

What is the cheapest way to get a mobile phone plan?

You can find cheap phone plans for either Prepaid or SIM Only. Prepaid lets you control costs a bit more but SIM Only tends to offer better overall value for plans, including cheap SIM Only plans.

Is it better to buy an iPhone or another smartphone outright or pay monthly?

If you have budgeted for the outright cost of a new iPhone or another smartphone, you can save money with a SIM Only or Prepaid plan, plus you’ll have the flexibility to move to other plans and/or telcos without hardware exit fees. That said, paying off a new iPhone or another smartphone with 12, 24 or 36-month handset repayment terms is a great way to avoid the big sting of an upfront cost.

Nathan Lawrence
Written by
Nathan Lawrence
Nathan Lawrence has been banging out passionate tech and gaming words for more than 11 years. These days, you can find his work on outlets like IGN, STACK, Fandom, Red Bull and AusGamers. Nathan adores PC gaming and the proof of his first-person-shooter prowess is at the top of a Battlefield V scoreboard.

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