Best Prepaid Plans July 2020

There are some safe assumptions to make it when it comes to our top picks for the best Prepaid plans in Australia. For starters, we work with unlimited talk and text as standard, and we’re only interested in looking at Prepaid recharges, rather than starter packs that may have incredibly short durations or discounted prices designed to get you to that first (and subsequent) recharge.

With the exception of our newly introduced category for best long-expiry Prepaid, all of our Prepaid recommendations operate on a monthly recharge cycle, whether that month is actually a month, 30 days, or 28 days.

Prepaid recharge durations

When is a month not a month? When it comes to a telco’s understanding of a month in Prepaid terms. TPG offers an actual month for its Prepaid plans, which means it’s the same day every recharge whether the month has 28 days or 31 days. Telcos like amaysim treat a month as 28 days, while others like ALDImobile offer 30-day recharge periods. When determining first-year value in our comparisons, we count 30-day recharges 12 times and 28-day plans 13 times.

Things get slightly more complicated with Vodafone offering 35-day Prepaid recharges and Optus stretching that to 42 days.

From here, there’s a massive jump to six months, like those Prepaid plans offered by TPG, amaysim, and Boost Mobile, or Woolworths Mobile’s six-ish months in its 180-day Pre-paid $60 Long Expiry Recharge.

Finally, for even longer recharge periods, there’s a split between the 365-day options offered by Woolworths Mobile and Optus or the one-year UNLIMITED 120GB Long Expiry from amaysim.

Best value Prepaid plan July 2020

amaysim $50 UNLIMITED Plan

amaysim $50 UNLIMITED Plan at a glance:

• $50 for 28 days
• 60GB data
• International calls and texts
• Optus network
• No contract

This month, you’ll have to spend a bit more to find overall value, but as far as dollars-for-data is concerned, amaysim has this month cornered with three of its plans. We’re recommending amaysim’s $50 UNLIMITED Plan, but you can also find great value in the telco’s $30 UNLIMITED Plan and its $40 UNLIMITED Plan (in that order). If you fancy another provider, Woolworths Mobile’s Pre-paid Mobile $40 Recharge is packed with perks, but came fourth in our dollars-for-data comparisons.

For our top $50 UNLIMITED Plan pick, though, you’re paying $50 per 28 days ($650 first-year cost) for 60GB of data on the Optus network. This amaysim plan also includes unlimited calls to mobiles and landlines in 28 selected countries, with unlimited SMS and MMS to 42 countries, and 300 minutes for 14 dialling destinations.

You can see other great-value Prepaid alternatives below.

Best perks Prepaid plan July 2020

Woolworths Mobile Pre-paid Mobile $30 Recharge

Woolworths Mobile Pre-paid Mobile $30 Recharge at a glance:

• $30 for 30 days
• 30GB data
• 10GB bonus July data
• 200GB data bank
• International calls
• 12-month Family Zone subscription
• 10% off Woolies shop
• Telstra network
• No contract

Woolworths Mobile has had a long run of popularity in our top Prepaid picks because of the value it packs into its plans. Take the telco’s Pre-paid Mobile $30 Recharge, for instance. On the surface, you’re paying $30 every 30 days for 30GB of data ($360 first-year cost) on the Telstra network.

Dig a little deeper, though, and you hit the perks. Sign up before the end of the month and you’ll score 10GB of bonus data, which is added to your data bank (200GB capacity). Then there’s the unlimited talk and text to 22 selected countries to factor in. On top of this, the telco also includes a 12-month Family Zone subscription, which covers one user on two devices.

Finally, this plan also includes a 10 percent discount for your Woolies shop every second weekend of the month for up to $50 in savings.

Check out other perky Prepaid plans below.

Best budget Prepaid plan July 2020

Woolworths Mobile Pre-paid Mobile $10 Recharge

Woolworths Mobile Pre-paid Mobile $10 Recharge at a glance:

• $10 for 30 days
• 1GB data
• 200GB data bank
• 12-month Family Zone subscription
• 10% off Woolies shop
• Telstra network
• No contract

Woolworths Mobile returns for another category to combine great value with solid perks. The telco’s Pre-paid Mobile $10 Recharge costs $10 every 30 days and includes unlimited national talk and text, plus 1GB of data ($120 first-year cost). If you somehow don’t manage to use that 1GB of data, you can put any that’s left towards a 200GB-capacity data bank.

While not as perk-packed as the Woolworths Mobile plan in our ‘best budget’ winner above, the Pre-paid Mobile $10 Recharge still includes a 12-month Family Zone subscription to protect one user on two devices. Plus, you also get a 10 percent discount on your Woolies shop every month, as long as you stick to the shopping on the second weekend.

You can also save dollars with these other budget Prepaid plans below.

Best big-data Prepaid plan July 2020

amaysim $50 UNLIMITED Plan

amaysim $50 UNLIMITED Plan at a glance:

• $50 for 28 days
• 60GB data
• International calls and texts
• Optus network
• No contract

It’d be easy for us to automatically pick each monthly winner of this category based on whichever telco offers the most data, regardless of the cost. But this category is taken out by a mix of data and dollars.

That’s why our July winner is amaysim’s $50 UNLIMITED Plan, which costs $50 every 28 days for 60GB of data ($650 first-year cost). Plus, you also get some international perks: unlimited calls to 28 countries, unlimited texts to 42 countries, and 300 additional minutes for 14 countries.

For a close-competing plan, have a look at Lycamobile’s Unlimited Plan XL, which operates on the Telstra network and offers the same data (60GB) and $50-per-28-days cost. That said, get in before the end of July to nab a half-price first month ($625 first-year cost with the discount).

There’s also big data to be found in these other Prepaid plans below.

Best long-expiry Prepaid plan July 2020

amaysim UNLIMITED 125GB Long Expiry

amaysim UNLIMITED 125GB Long Expiry at a glance:

• $150 for 6 months
• 125GB data
• International calls and texts
• $30 discount
• Optus network
• No contract

When it comes to long-expiry Prepaid plans, you have the option of six months or a year. For July, amaysim takes out the top spot with its UNLIMITED 125GB Long Expiry plan. Normally, this costs $150 for 125GB data, but there’s a July promo to get $30 off for a first-year cost of $270 if you automatically renew.

This plan operates on the Optus network and breaks down to just shy of 21GB per month. Plus, you can take advantage of unlimited international calls to landlines and mobiles in 28 selected countries and limitless texts to mobiles in 48 countries.

For long-expiry alternatives, check out these Prepaid plans below.

Most popular Prepaid plan (Telstra) July 2020

Woolworths Mobile Pre-paid Mobile $10 Recharge

Woolworths Mobile Pre-paid Mobile $10 Recharge at a glance:

• $10 for 30 days
• 1GB data
• 200GB data bank
• 12-month Family Zone subscription
• 10% off Woolies shop
• Telstra network
• No contract

The Woolworths Mobile Pre-paid Mobile $10 Recharge plan took out the top spot this month for best budget Prepaid plan, but it’s no surprise to see it’s also popular with Prepaid purchasers. Paying $10 per 30-day recharge ($120 first-year cost) gets you 1GB of data and a data bank for anything unused between months (up to 200GB).

This Telstra network plan also includes a 12-month subscription to Family Zone for two devices and one user, plus you can take advantage of a cheaper Woolies shop once a month to the tune of a 10 percent discount (up to $50).

Other popular Telstra Prepaid plans are below.

Most popular Prepaid plan (Optus) July 2020

Optus Prepaid Epic Data – $30 Recharge

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

• $30 for 28 days
• 10GB data
• 3x 25GB bonus data
• Data rollover
• International talk and text
• Optus network
• No contract

People tend to be drawn to Prepaid plans for a mix of avoiding bill shock, great value, and a decent chunk of data. The Optus Prepaid Epic Data – $30 Recharge ticks all of those boxes at $30 per 28 days for 10GB of data ($390 first-year cost).

The great thing is this Optus Prepaid plan gives you 35GB instead of 10GB on the first three recharges which, coupled with 200GB worth of data rollover, means you can tuck away extra data for the lower-data recharges. The main other perk of this plan is unlimited international talk and text to 15 selected countries.

You’ll find more popular Optus Prepaid plans below.

Most popular Prepaid plan (Vodafone) July 2020

TPG T4G Small Plan

TPG T4G Small Plan at a glance:

• $19.99 for 1 month
• $10 per month (6 months)
• 6GB data
• Vodafone network
• No contract

TPG’s T4G Small Plan is understandably appealing because of a six-month discount and a decent amount of data. What normally costs $19.99 per month has been slashed to $10 a month for new sign-ups for the first six months ($179.94 first-year cost) on this Vodafone network plan.

You’ll have 6GB of data to use in an actual month recharge period – instead of the 28 days or 30 days of other telcos – but you should try to use it up every month, as TPG doesn’t offer data rollover with its Prepaid plans.

Glance down for other popular Vodafone Prepaid plans.

How do I change prepaid plans?

Switching prepaid plans and providers is nowhere near as stressful as switching postpaid plans. 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.

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
• OVO
• TeleChoice
• Telstra
• TPG
• Vodafone
• Woolworths

What is the best prepaid plan for international calls?

We’ve already mentioned amaysim’s stunning value on its prepaid options above but one added bonus you get on these plans is international call and text inclusions. On the highest recharge option, amaysim offers 300 standard international minutes to 22 countries every month (and unlimited standard international calls to another 10 countries). ALDI Mobile also offers unlimited calls to 15 countries and an extra 400 minutes to 35 more countries. Both outstanding, all-rounder prepaid plans but if international calls are your number one priority, look no further than Lebara

Lebara already offers top data-per-dollar value on its XXL Plan but it also offers unlimited calls to 56 selected countries and an additional $10 for calls to every other zone.

More prepaid plans

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