The best mobile phone plans in Australia in September 2021

Circles.Life 100GB Monthly Plan

Best value mobile phone plan: SIM Only

Circles.Life 100GB Monthly Plan at a glance:

• $28 initial monthly fee (6 months)
• $38 per month (normally)
• $396 first-year cost
• 100GB data
• 3GB bonus data
• Optus network
• Month-to-month plan

The incumbent champ returns yet again care of an extended promo-pricing deal. In July, the Spintel $65 5G Mobile Plan nabbed the top spot for this category with a mix of stacks of data and access to the Optus 5G network. But this month, the Circles.Life 100GB Monthly Plan is back to claim its crown.

This particular Circles.Life plan is a best-value contender even with its typical $38-per-month pricing. But punch in the ‘100GBFORU’ promo code at the checkout before 12:00pm AEST on 30 September 2021 and new sign-ups pay $28 per month for the first year. That’s unbeatable value for the plans in our comparison engine for 100GB of data (unless you’re willing to spend more than $50 a month), plus this plan also comes with 3GB of bonus data if you burn through all of that.

For comparison, below is a daily updating list of popular SIM Only Plans that have at least 70GB of data.

Vodafone $55 Super Plan

Best value mobile phone plan: Postpaid

For our best value Postpaid phone plan, we use the iPhone 12 64GB 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.

Vodafone $55 Super Plan at a glance:

• $96.61 per month
• $55 plan; $41.61 phone (iPhone 12 64GB)
• 60GB base data
• 90GB bonus data
• 10Mbps speeds after full-speed cap
• 5G network access
• Bundle discounts
• 3-month Amazon Music sub
• Vodafone network
• Month-to-month plan

In July, Optus toppled Vodafone’s dominance of this category with the $55 Optus Choice Plan, which had some great inclusions. But this month Vodafone returns thanks to the reintroduction of great promotional inclusions. It’s a $96.61 monthly fee for the Vodafone $55 Super Plan plus an iPhone 12 65GB handset, which is 41 cents more expensive than last month, but that’s still great pricing.

This plan includes access to the Vodafone 5G network to pair with your shiny new 5G handset. It also comes with 150GB of data (60GB base + 90GB bonus) if you sign up by 30 September 2021. You can save additional bucks if you bundle this plan with other eligible Vodafone plans, plus it comes with a three-month subscription to Amazon Music Unlimited.

Below is a daily updated list of the most popular plans with at least 10GB of data that you can pair with an iPhone 12 64GB handset.

Mate + Tidal music subscription

Best mobile phone plan: Perks

Subscriptions for video streaming services seem to be the way to go when it comes to taking out this category. Late last year, Telstra secured this spot with a three-month Binge Standard giveaway. In the early months of 2021, it was Vodafone with a three-month Amazon Prime and Amazon Music Unlimited combo (the music part is back for now).

Now it’s a music-streaming service again, this time from Mate, albeit one focused on high-quality audio. If you sign up for the Better Mates, Great Mates, Best Mates Soul Mates or Elite Mates SIM Only plans, you nab up to 12 months of Tidal Premium music streaming subscription valued at $11.99 a month (and up to $143.88 in value if you stay for a year). Tidal was used to test the Razer Nommo Pro PC speakers in our recent review, and it’s certainly a great complement for other great speakers or headphones.

Galaxy A52 with Woolworths Mobile

Best cheap mobile phone plan: Postpaid

For the best cheap Postpaid phone plan, we used to use the Samsung Galaxy A51 128GB handset, but that’s since been replaced by the newer A52 model. Though available in 4G and 5G versions, we’ve opted for the cheaper A52 4G to help keep costs down. Postpaid plans are also based on 24-month interest-free handset repayments.

Woolworths Mobile $25 Mobile Phone Plan at a glance:

• $52 per month
• $25 plan; $27 phone (Samsung Galaxy A52 4G)
• 20GB data
• 300GB data bank
• 10% off monthly Woolies shop
• Telstra network
• No contract

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 new, well-priced Samsung Galaxy A52 4G handset. This no-contract plan will cost you $52 a month with 24-month handset repayment terms, plus it comes with 20GB of data (up from 18GB), which is a great amount for everyday users.

There are some neat perks, too. For starters, any unused data can be banked between months (300GB, up from 200GB) and you can get 10% off your Woolies shop once a month (up to $50 in savings). If you did want the absolute cheapest A52 4G Postpaid plan, the Southern Phone Small Mobile Plan costs $35 a month but it only includes 2GB of data (down from 2.5GB), though there is the Southern Phone Medium Mobile Plan that comes with 20GB of data (up from 10GB) for $50 a month. We still think the $2 extra per month is worth it for the Woolworths Mobile plan perks.

Moose Mobile 16.80 SIM Only Promo

Best cheap mobile phone plan: SIM Only

Moose Mobile 16.80 SIM Only Promo at a glance:

• $16.80 initial monthly fee (12 months)
• $23.80 per month (normally)
• $201.60 first-year cost
• 20GB data
• Optus network
• Month-to-month plan

To help create more of a gap between our pick of the best cheap and cheapest mobile phone plans each month, we’ve upped the spend limit for this category from $15 a month to $20 or less. There are a lot of plans that compete around this pricepoint, particularly when it comes to limited-time promo pricing.

Case in point, last month’s winner: the Circles.Life 20GB Monthly Plan. The reason it doesn’t take out the top spot this month is because its $18-per-month promo pricing used to last for the first year, but that’s been cut back to six months. On top of this, the 30GB of bonus data that used to come with this Circles.Life plan has now been dropped to 20GB. That’s why the Moose Mobile 16.80 SIM only Promo plan is this month’s winner, care of $16.80 monthly pricing for the first year (before reverting to $23.80 per month), which nets you 20GB of Optus network data.

For comparison, below is a daily updating list of popular SIM Only plans in Australia that don’t cost more than $20 a month.

Moose Mobile 9.80 SIM Only Promo

Best cheapest mobile phone plan: SIM Only

Moose Mobile 9.80 SIM Only Promo at a glance:

• $9.80 initial monthly fee (12 months)
• $15.80 per month (normally)
• $117.60 first-year cost
• 6GB data
• Optus network
• Month-to-month plan

We tend to let this category stretch up to as much as $15 per month, but we also love plans that are offered around the $10 mark. It used to be that you could only hope for 2GB max per month, but that’s changed in recent times. Take this month’s returning winner, for instance.

The Moose Mobile 9.80 SIM Only Promo plan comes with 6GB of data. Normally, you’d have to pay $15.80 per month to access this plan, but Moose Mobile has revitalised its ongoing promo pricing so new sign-ups only pay $9.80 a month for the first year.

Have a gander at the list below for a daily updating snapshot of the cheapest mobile plans with at least 1GB of data that cost no more than $15 a month.

Spintel $65 5G Mobile Plan

Best mobile phone plan: Big data

Spintel $65 5G Mobile Plan at a glance:

• $55 initial monthly fee (6 months)
• $65 per month (normally)
• $720 first-year cost
• 200GB data
• 5G network access
• Optus network
• Month-to-month plan

When Circles.Life first landed in Australia, its 100GB Monthly Plan reigned supreme with unbeatable big-data monthly value for SIM Only users. That’s started to change in recent times. While still competitive, that particular Circles.Life plan is one of quite a few that offer 100GB+ each month. Most recently, Vodafone has thrown down the gauntlet to be the first telco in Australia to offer a full-speed unlimited-data plan.

That said, Spintel’s $65 5G Mobile Plan is still our pick of the bunch this month. For starters, that $65 monthly fee in the plan name is the typical price, but new sign-ups pay $55 a month for the first six months. Regardless of the price you’re paying, you’re looking at 200GB of monthly data to use, which includes 5G speeds if you’re within the Optus 5G footprint, too.

Compare phone plans with the daily updating list below of popular SIM Only offerings with at least 100GB of data.

Telstra $55 Small Upfront Mobile Plan

Most popular Telstra network phone plan

If coverage is your primary concern, you might be looking for the best deal on Telstra’s network (or wholesale network if we’re talking Telstra MVNOs). This section doesn’t get the same monthly treatment as the rest of our top picks, but our “most popular” plan filter is still a good indication of the best trending deals and is updated every day.

At the start of the month, Telstra had edged past the once incumbent Belong 20GB Mobile Plan and last month’s winner, the Boost Mobile $30 Prepaid plan. The Telstra $55 Small Upfront Mobile Plan may not come with 5G support, but it does include 40GB of data as well as unlimited texts to international numbers and 30 minutes of international calls.

The top spot for most popular Telstra network plans may change throughout the month based on demand, but this pick is accurate as of 1 September 2021.

Circles.Life 20GB Monthly Plan

Most popular Optus network phone plan

Those who have sufficient Optus coverage that don’t feel like spending a primo on Telstra can suss out the results below to find out which plans on the Optus network are trending right now. While Optus tends to take out the top spot on its own network, there are other Optus MVNOs that sometimes topple the network holder’s popularity. Like this month, for instance.

At the start of the month, the Circles.Life 20GB Monthly Plan maintained its edge over the typically incumbent Optus Prepaid Epic Data – $30 Recharge plan. Despite tweaking the promo pricing and bonus data, the 20GB Monthly Plan still has great value. Sign up by 12:00pm AEST on 30 September 2021 with the ‘40GBFORU’ promo code to nab $18 monthly pricing for the first six months (normally $28 per month) and 20GB of bonus data.

The top spot for most popular Optus network plans may change throughout the month based on demand, but this pick is accurate as of 1 September 2021.

iiNet 8GB Mobile Plan

Most popular Vodafone network phone plan

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. Take a look at the top trending plans below to find a great deal.

While TPG used to be the favourite on the Vodafone network, the last few months have been all about iiNet. Recently, two iiNet plans have been alternating for the gold and silver popularity medals. In July, it was the iiNet Mobile 40GB Plan in the top spot but, at the start of this month, the iiNet 8GB Mobile Plan has the edge again. Normally priced at $19.99 each month, new sign-ups pay $10 a month for the first six months to nab that 8GB of data.

The top spot for most popular Vodafone network plans may change throughout the month based on demand, but this pick is accurate as of 1 September 2021.