The best Prepaid plans available in July 2021

It’s great to see telcos competing in the Prepaid space because it means you can pair a handset—iPhone 12, Samsung Galaxy S21 or whatever else you’re using—with a great value plan. The last couple of months saw Lycamobile and Amaysim battling it out for the best value and best big-data categories, but TPG takes out the best-value top spot and Felix returns for those who use lots of Prepaid data.

Meanwhile, Lebara swoops in to snatch our pick of the perkiest Prepaid plan for July from Optus, while some tight competition between TPG and Kogan at the start of the month makes for a change-up to the most popular Prepaid plan on the Vodafone network. All other categories were the same as June at the start of the month, but you can read more details about all category winners below.

Best value Prepaid plan

TPG Large Plan

TPG Large Plan at a glance:

• $15 apiece for first 3 months
• $29.99 per month
• $314.91 first-year cost
• 40GB data
• Vodafone network

TPG returns to take out the top spot for best Prepaid value this month. If you want more data, stick with last month’s winner—the 28-day Lycamobile Unlimited Plan XL—which comes with 80GB of data for $50. That Lycamobile plan has the best dollars-to-data value, but it’s also double the price of the TPG Large Plan.

The TPG Large Plan normally costs $29.99 a month for 40GB of data, but new sign-ups will pay $15 per month for the first three recharges. There isn’t much else in the way of perks, but that’s a decent chunk of data for a great price.

Below is a daily updating list of popular Prepaid mobile plans with at least 40GB of data.

Best perks Prepaid plan

Lebara $14.90 Extra Small Plan

Lebara $14.90 Extra Small Plan at a glance:

• $5 first recharge
• $14.90 per 30 days
• $173.80 first-year cost
• 3GB data
• 6GB bonus data (x6 recharges)
• International calls
• Additional international credit
• $5 referral credit
• 200GB data bank
• Vodafone network

Optus had a great run of wins with this category, but Lebara Mobile has a cheaper Prepaid plan that’s got some great perks. In terms of the basics, you’re looking at paying $14.90 every 30 days for 3GB of data. Lebara is currently running a couple of promotions to sweeten the deal. For starters, the first recharge costs $5 if you buy online before the end of July. Plus, the first six recharges come with 6GB of bonus data for new sign-ups who use auto-recharge and activate by 5 August.

If that’s not enough perks for you, this Lebara Prepaid mobile plan also includes 300 minutes for eight selected countries, as well as $3 of international talk and text credit for other countries. You can also store up to 200GB in a data bank if you have leftover data at the end of a recharge.

Below is a daily updating list of Prepaid plans with at least 3GB of data that don’t cost more than $20 a month (at least initially).

Best budget Prepaid plan

Lycamobile Unlimited 12

Lycamobile Unlimited 12 at a glance:

• $12 per 28 days
• $138 first-year cost
• 2GB data
• $5 referral credit
• Telstra network

In May, Aldi Mobile took out the top spot with a reasonably priced cheap plan that cost $15 a month for 3GB of data. Lycamobile is the winner this month with a plan that has even better value, even if it does have less data. Last month, Lycamobile was running a promotion on this plan that halved the plan cost for the first three recharges.

While that promotion has expired, paying $12 for 2GB of data on the Telstra wholesale network is still a competitive price. If you sign up and like the service, you can pocket $5 of credit for each successful referral.

Below is a daily updating list of cheap Prepaid mobile plans that come with at least 1GB of data alongside unlimited standard national text and talk.

Best big-data Prepaid plan

Felix $35 Subscription

Felix $35 Subscription at a glance:

• $35 per month
• $420 first-year cost
• Endless data
• 20Mbps speed cap
• Carbon-neutral provider
• Vodafone network

This isn’t the first time that Felix Mobile has won this category, and it’s unlikely to be the last time. Why? Because instead of forcing us to measure out value in terms of the dollars-to-gigabytes ratio, Felix blitzes the data part by offering endless data. It’s called “endless” instead of “unlimited” because there is a catch.

You can forget about 5G speeds or even faster 4G speeds with the Felix $35 Subscription. Instead, the price of endless data is 20Mbps download speeds which, admittedly, is fast enough to do most online activities on your phone. The only disclaimer is you want to be in an area with good Vodafone signal to have the best chance of hitting those speeds.

Below is a daily updating list of popular Prepaid plans with at least 50GB of data.

Best long-expiry Prepaid plan

Kogan Extra Large – 365 Day Flex Plan

Kogan Extra Large – 365 Day Flex Plan at a glance:

• $300 per 365 days
• 486GB base data
• 64GB bonus data
• Earn Qantas Points
• Vodafone network

This feels like deja vu. For the longest time, the Kogan Mobile Extra Large – 365 Day Flex Plan was the incumbent winner of this category. But the prices went up not so long ago, so the popular long-expiry Prepaid plan was replaced with its cheaper sibling in the Kogan Large – 365 Day Flex Plan.

Now that Kogan has tweaked its pricing again, it’s hard to ignore the year-long value of the Kogan Extra Large – 365 Day Flex Plan. Compared to the previous winner, this Kogan long-expiry Prepaid plan comes with heaps more data (550GB vs 300GB)… between the two. The price has jumped around a bit—from $280 to $285 then $355 and now $300—but get in by 29 July to score the bonus data.

Below is a daily updating list of popular long-expiry Prepaid mobile plans.

Most popular Telstra Prepaid plan

Boost $30 Prepaid

Boost $30 Prepaid at a glance:

• $30 per 28 days
• $390 first-year cost
• 20GB data
• 17GB bonus data (first three recharges)
• Data rollover (per recharge)
• Data-free Apple Music streaming
• International talk and text
• Telstra network

Prepaid fans have once again stuck with the Boost Mobile $30 Prepaid plan this month, which may have something to do with the tweaks to bonus data. While it’s restricted to your first three recharges, this 20GB Prepaid plan comes with a bonus 17GB per recharge (which used to be better at 20GB). The good news is, despite the three-recharge limitation, Boost Prepaid plans come with data rollover, so you can put leftover data from your recharge towards the next one (but it can only be rolled over for one recharge, not perpetually).

Just make sure you recharge before your current 28-day expiry to take advantage of this feature, and get in by 27 September 2021 to take advantage of the bonus data. Outside of data, this Boost Prepaid plan still includes unlimited standard calls and messaging to 20 selected countries, with a boosted 300 minutes to another 30 selected dialling destinations alongside 300 texts to any country.

The most popular Telstra Prepaid plans may change throughout the month, but this most popular pick was accurate as of 6 July 2021.

Most popular Optus Prepaid mobile plan

Optus Prepaid Epic Data – $30 Recharge

Optus Prepaid Epic Data – $30 Recharge at a glance:

• $30 per 28 days
• $390 first-year cost
• 10GB data
• 30GB bonus data (first three recharges)
• International calls
• Optus network

Optus Prepaid has recaptured the attention of purchasers for another month after Amaysim snatched the popularity crown not so long ago. At first glance, $30 per 28-day recharge for 10GB of data doesn’t seem like a flash deal. But this Optus Prepaid Epic Data – $30 Recharge plan is very likely popular because of the bonus data.

For the first three recharges, you nab a bonus 30GB of data for 40GB in total to use. Unused data can also be banked up to 200GB, so those unused megabytes today can help you out in data-intensive months down the track. This Optus Prepaid plan also includes standard talk and text to 15 selected countries.

The most popular Optus Prepaid mobile plans may change throughout the month, but this most popular pick was accurate as of 6 July 2021.

Most popular Vodafone Prepaid plan

Kogan Small – 365 Day Flex Plan

Kogan Small – 365 Day Flex Plan at a glance:

• $140 per 365 days
• 80GB data
• 50GB bonus data
• Earn Qantas Points
• Vodafone network

Vodafone network users love a long-expiry Kogan plan. In May, the Kogan Medium – 365 Day Flex Plan was the top dog. Last month, it was the Kogan Large – 365 Day Flex Plan. This month, it’s the Kogan Small – 365 Day Flex Plan. The price has been tweaked to $140 for the year, and there’s bonus data if you get in by 29 July.

Instead of 80GB of base data to use throughout the year (~6.67GB per month), the 50GB of bonus data gives you 130GB to spread around (~10.83GB per month). Plus, every $2 spent earns one Qantas Point.

The most popular Vodafone Prepaid mobile plans may change throughout the month, but this most popular pick was accurate as of 6 July 2021.

How do I change Prepaid plans?

Switching Prepaid plans and providers is nowhere near as stressful as switching Postpaid plans, partly because Prepaid plans have no contract. The process will be different for every provider but, typically, all that’s required to switch Prepaid “plans” is to select a different recharge type next top-up. Other providers will ask you to switch rate plans via an automated service over the phone, and some let you do it all from their app.

Switching providers is almost as simple, but not quite. If you want to switch providers and keep the same number, make sure you approach your new provider with the mobile number you would like to switch, the associated account number (if available), and your personal details for security purposes (e.g. name, date of birth, driver’s license number).

Where you might run into trouble is using one provider’s Prepaid handset with another’s Prepaid SIM. Unlike contract phone plans, Prepaid phones tend to be network locked. 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.

What is the difference between Prepaid and Postpaid plans?

Postpaid plans are usually associated with contract terms and included handsets (though there are some decent month-to-month SIM plans available these days) whereas Prepaid 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, text and data you think you will need before using them. Postpaid plans, on the other hand, 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).

Both offer their own peace of mind; Prepaid plans simply restrict your network access when you’ve burned through your data, whereas excess usage on a Postpaid plan will result in additional charges on your bill at the end of the month. But Prepaid plans 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.

Which Prepaid plans allow tethering?

You would be stretched to find a Prepaid provider and plan that doesn’t allow for tethering these days. We reviewed every Australian Prepaid provider and couldn’t find a single provider that didn’t offer tethering on its prepaid plans. The Optus website states that Prepaid tethering is available on “most plans” but we checked with the customer service team who confirmed it was available on every Prepaid plan.

So, here are the prepaid providers that allow tethering:

• ALDI Mobile
• amaysim
• Boost Mobile
• Coles
• Dodo
• Hello Mobile
• Hive Mobile
• Jeenee Mobile
• Kogan Mobile
• Lebara Mobile
• Lycamobile
• Optus
• TeleChoice
• Telstra
• TPG
• Vodafone
• Woolworths

What is the best Prepaid plan for international calls?

Prepaid plans may not be as perk-packed as SIM Only alternatives, but there are still a handful of telcos that offer unlimited international calls. The cheapest is the Coles Prepaid $20 for 30 Days plan, which offers unlimited international calls to 15 countries. But our pick for the best value and versatility is the Amaysim $40 Unlimited Plan, which comes with unlimited calls to 42 selected countries and 50GB of data.

Below is a daily updating list of the most popular Prepaid plans from the four Prepaid telcos that offer unlimited calls (Coles, Amaysim, Boost and Optus).

More Prepaid plans

Take a look at the most popular Prepaid plans in Australia according to WhistleOut’s comparison engine.