The best prepaid mobile plans in Australia (December 2023)

Buying a prepaid plan means you’re in control of how much you spend each month.

There’s no contract, and the bill comes upfront, so you don’t have to worry about bill shock or excess data usage. You also get extra flexibility when it comes to choosing your next handset. Rather than be forced to pick something from your provider's stocklist, a prepaid mobile plan can be paired with an iPhone 15 and Google Pixel 8 Pro or any other handset you fancy.

If you want to save money and don't mind fewer gigabytes of data each month, we recommend going with the TPG 45GB Mobile Plan.

It has identical first-year dollar-to-data value albeit to the TPG plan we chose for our best heavy-use pick at a cheaper monthly price. That more affordable price comes with less monthly data, but it also comes with a smaller amount of bill shock once your honeymoon period is over and the regular $30 per month price kicks in.

If this prepaid mobile plan plan isn't quite what you're after, check out the widget below for a round-up of your alternatives.

60GB for half the usual price is hard to beat, so we've gone with the TPG 60GB Mobile Plan as our pick for the best value prepaid plan this month. New customers get six months of promo pricing before the plan reverts to a reasonable monthly cost of $40 per month.

For the full-rundown on this provider, check out our guide to TPG mobile plans and prices.

If this prepaid mobile plan isn't quite what you're after, check out the widget below for a round-up of your alternatives.

The Catch Connect 30-Day Plan – 30GB is a great, cheap prepaid mobile plan pick for those with more modest data needs.

The name says everything you need to know about this entry in our list of the top-rated prepaid plans, except for the $25 recharge fee you pay every 30 days. That’s a good price for 30GB of data on the Optus network, though you shouldn’t expect any perks with this plan. For example, access to the Optus 5G network isn't included with this particular MVNO. For a sense of how Catch Connect compares, check out this guide to Optus MVNOs.

Below is a daily updated list of the cheapest prepaid mobile plans that cost less than $20 per recharge.

If you're looking to pick up a new plan for less than the price of a burger, the biggest decision you'll need to make is whether you want the security of a fixed price or want to take advantage of a timely discount. The latter might get you more bang for your buck for the short term, but you'll eventually have to change providers or get stuck paying a higher rate.

In contrast, the Lebara $14.90 Extra Small Plan is good all year round. It's a little lighter on the data allowance than some of the promo-priced options but it comes with all the same coverage you'd expect from any provider on the Vodafone network. You'll also score an extra 4GB if you sign up before 26 March 2024.

If this prepaid mobile plan isn't quite what you're after, check out the widget below for a round-up of your alternatives.

Telstra's own $60 prepaid Mobile Plan is a good place to start your search when it comes to prepaid 5G mobile plans, but the Lebara $49.90 Extra Large Plan is our choice for the best place to end it.

This prepaid plan comes with 80GB of monthly data, unlimited talk and text to 60 selected countries, plus 500 minutes to 12 selected destinations, and 50 minutes to a further 10 countries. You'll also get access to Lebara's ongoing 5G trial, which is powered by the Vodafone network.

If this prepaid mobile plan isn't quite what you're after, check out the widget below for a round-up of your alternatives.

The first thing you need to understand about prepaid plans is the differences between prepaid plans recharges, subscriptions and starter packs.

• Subscriptions are a convenient auto-recharging option that can offer SIM Only-like value. However, if you like the idea of more control about when and how much you're paying each month, then opting for a starter pack may be the better fit.
• Providers typically offer bonus data or a discounts on these prepaid SIM packages. Once that initial allotment of data, talk and text expires, you'll have to pay for a recharge in order to keep using your SIM.
• If you need data in a pinch, you can probably get by on a plan with fewer than 28 days expiry. Even if you aren't, monthly plans are the easiest way to determine ongoing costs. Just remember to factor in an extra recharge per year for an ongoing 28-day prepaid plan.
• Don't forget to double check which network your prepaid plan provider is partnered with. Quality coverage should result in a better prepaid experience, from call reliability to download and upload speeds.
• Perks like international calls and roaming aren’t essential. They're nice to have, but rarely as important as making sure you have a prepaid plan that meets your needs and doesn't blow your budget.

Buying a prepaid plan means you’re in control of how much you spend each month.

• There’s no contract, and the bill comes upfront, so you don’t have to worry about bill shock or excess data usage.
• Rather than be forced to pick something from your provider's stocklist, a prepaid plan can be paired with an iPhone 15, Google Pixel 8 or any other handset you fancy.

Our list of the best prepaid plan providers doesn't change too much from month to month, but we'll be sure to update this article (and the picks on it) whenever it does.

Since not everyone has the same needs when it comes to phone plans, our list of prepaid plans is broken into five categories.

• Prepaid mobile plans for light use
• Prepaid mobile plans for heavy use
• Best value prepaid mobile plans
• Cheap or cheapest prepaid mobile plans
• 5G prepaid mobile plans

Postpaid plans are usually associated with contract terms and included handsets (though there are some decent month-to-month SIM Only plans available these days) whereas prepaid mobile plans are low-commitment plans that give you more control over your spending, and they have no contract.

With prepaid plans, you pay for the calls, texts and data you think you will need before using them. Postpaid plans calculate your usage at the end of your billing month and bill you for the calls, text and data used over that period (typically with excess fees if you go over your plan’s inclusions).

Prepaid plans also come with the risk of getting cut off without notice, which can be dangerous if you forget to recharge, whereas Postpaid plans will only cut you off if you fail to pay the last month’s bill after it’s due.

Prepaid mobile plans simply restrict your network access when you’ve burned through your data, whereas excess usage on a Postpaid plan may result in additional charges on your bill at the end of the month (unless telcos use shaping).

Australians after a prepaid mobile plan can find them in many of the same physical and digital locations as their postpaid counterparts, including major supermarkets like Coles and Woolworths, specialised telco stores and electronics outlets like JB Hi-Fi and online through websites like Catch and Amazon.

Unlike contract phone plans, prepaid phones tend to be network locked. You might run into trouble when using one telco’s prepaid handset with another’s prepaid SIM. Unlocking your Prepaid handset will come with a small fee, which may vary depending on the make and model of your phone and the date of purchase.

At the time of writing, the 16 Australian providers in our database are offering prepaid mobile plans.

You'll be able to find prepaid SIMs in major supermarkets like Woolworths and Coles, specialised outlets like Telstra and Optus Stores as well as online through the website of a given provider.

Many of Australia's mobile providers tend to throw in a SIM with any given prepaid mobile plan at no additional cost when you sign on for a plan. However, some providers (like ALDI Mobile) charge a nominal $5 upfront fee to set up an account with them.

While pricing of prepaid mobile plans and postpaid plans varies from provider to provider, prepaid plans tend to be cheaper. The cheapest prepaid mobile plan start from as little as $9 per month, while most budget-friendly postpaid plans start around double that.

Take a look at more prepaid plans in Australia according to WhistleOut’s comparison engine.