The best Prepaid plans available in April 2021

There aren’t any April fools this month if you’re looking for a new Prepaid mobile plan with plenty of value or plenty of data. While two of our core categories are the same, Optus has boosted the data for its popular Optus Prepaid Epic Data – $30 Recharge plan. If you’re after great value from a Prepaid plan, iiNet is the answer, with the telco taking out best value and best big-data categories this month, which also means it owns three of the five core Prepaid categories.

Meanwhile, Kogan has increased the cost of its incumbent long-expiry plan, so while that’s no longer our top recommendation, there’s a cheaper Kogan alternative that’s well worth a look for those seeking a year of great-value data. Finally, the other switch-up at the start of the month was that the most popular Vodafone network Prepaid plan shifted between TPG plans.

So whether you’re packing a shiny new handset like the Samsung Galaxy S21, iPhone 12 or something else, scroll on for the best Prepaid plans to pair your phone with.

Best value Prepaid plan

iiNet Mobile 40GB Plan

iiNet Mobile 40GB Plan at a glance:

• $29.99 per month
• First six months $15 apiece
• 40GB data
• $10 per 2GB additional data
• Vodafone network

For a while there, TPG was our go-to for the best value Prepaid mobile plan, but we don’t have to worry about that this month because another telco has snatched the crown. At first glance, the TPG Large Plan and iiNet Mobile 40GB Plan are neck-and-neck Vodafone network offerings. They both are monthly Prepaid plans (not 28-day or 30-day recharges), they both typically cost $29.99 a month and have an initial $15-per-month discount, plus they both come with 40GB of data.

But iiNet pulls ahead in its first-year value. While the TPG Large Plan costs $15 for the first three months, the iiNet Mobile 40GB Plan extends that $15-per-month discount to six months ($269.94 first-year cost). This means you can pocket a $44.97 saving between the two plans.

Below is a daily updating ranking of the most popular Prepaid plans with a minimum of 40GB of data.

Best perks Prepaid plan

Optus Prepaid Epic Data – $30 Recharge

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

• $30 per 28 days
• 10GB data
• 30GB bonus data (first three recharges)
• Rollover remaining days (up to 84)
• Rollover remaining data (up to 200GB)
• International calls
• Optus network

Optus returns against this month with perkiest Prepaid mobile plan, except this time it has even better value. The Optus Prepaid Epic Data – $30 Recharge works in 28-day increments and normally comes with 10GB of data ($390 first-year cost). At the moment, though, Optus is throwing in 30GB of bonus data for your first three recharges.

Even if you don’t end up using all 40GB in the first three months, you can take advantage of data rollover (up to 200GB) and even day rollover (up to 84 days), as long as you recharge before those 28 days expire. On top of this, the Optus Prepaid Epic Data – $30 Recharge also includes unlimited international calls to 15 selected countries.

Below is a list of the most popular Prepaid mobile plans with at least 5GB of data.

Best budget Prepaid plan

iiNet Mobile 8GB Plan

iiNet Mobile 6GB Plan at a glance:

• $19.99 per month
• First six months $10 apiece
• 8GB data
• Vodafone network

For our monthly best-budget Prepaid picks, we tend to look for plans that offer at least 1GB of data, unlimited calls and texts, and cost $10 or less. Sometimes we recommend plans that come with 2GB of data, but again this month iiNet Mobile has a great Prepaid plan that now comes with 8GB of data (up from 6GB).

While it normally costs $19.99 per month, new iiNet Mobile customers can pay just $10 a month for the first six months. If you do hang around for 12 months, the first-year cost is $179.94, but we’d absolutely recommend checking this page again in six months to see what other budget Prepaid plans are on offer.

Here are some other great budget-friendly Prepaid mobile plan below with at least 1GB of data as well as unlimited standard national talk and text.

Best big-data Prepaid plan

iiNet Mobile 55GB Plan

iiNet Mobile 55GB Plan at a glance:

• $39.99 per month
• First six months $20 apiece
• 55GB data
• $10 per 2GB additional data
• International calls
• Vodafone network

In March, Amaysim took out this category for the fifth month in a row with the telco’s $50 Unlimited Plan, which comes with 80GB of data. This month’s winner doesn’t have as much data, but it does have better overall first-year value. The iiNet Mobile 55GB Plan normally costs $39.99 a month – an actual month, not the 28-day recharge logic of Amaysim – but the first six months are reduced to $20 apiece.

With a first-year cost of $359.94 after the six months of discounted pricing is factored in, the iiNet plan may have 25GB less data per month, but it’ll save you close to $300 per year in comparison to the Amaysim Prepaid plan.

Below is a daily updating list of Prepaid mobile plan alternatives that have at least 50GB of data.

Best long-expiry Prepaid plan

Kogan Large – 365 Day Flex Plan

Kogan Large – 365 Day Flex Plan at a glance:

• $250 per 365 days
• 243GB base data
• 37GB bonus data (280GB total)
• Vodafone network

For a long time now, the Kogan Extra Large – 365 Day Flex Plan has dominated this category, with a data count that seemingly kept rising in the face of lowering prices. But that’s changed. While it still comes with 500GB of data to use in a year, the cost has gone up by $50 to $335. That’s still great value (roughly $27.92 per month) for a lot of monthly data (41.67GB), so stick with it if you’re a heavy data user.

If you don’t need as much data, though, go with our new winner: the Kogan Large – 365 Day Flex Plan. It costs $250 for the year (roughly $20.84 per month) – $85 cheaper than the usual winner – and still comes with 280GB of data, which works out to a decent 23.34GB per month.

Below you’ll find a daily updating list of other popular long-expiry Prepaid mobile plans.

Most popular Telstra Prepaid plan

Boost $30 Prepaid

Boost $30 Prepaid at a glance:

• $30 per 28 days
• 20GB data
• 18GB bonus data (first three recharges)
• Data rollover (per recharge)
• Data-free Apple Music streaming
• International talk and text
• Telstra network

Prepaid fans have again stuck with the Boost $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 18GB per recharge. 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 days expires to take advantage of this feature, and get in by 29 March 2021 to take advantage of the bonus data. Outside of data, this Boost Prepaid plan still has a $390 first-year cost and includes unlimited standard calls and messaging to 20 selected countries, with 100 minutes, 100 SMS, and 100 MMS to another 35 selected dialling destinations.

Disclaimer: The most popular Telstra Prepaid plans may change throughout the month, but this most popular pick was accurate as of 7 April 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
• 10GB data
• 30GB bonus data (first three recharges)
• International calls
• Optus network

Optus has recaptured the attention of purchasers for another month after Amaysim snatched the popularity crown a few months ago. At first glance, $30 per 28-day recharge for 10GB of data doesn’t seem like a flash deal ($390 first-year cost). 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 7 April 2021.

Most popular Vodafone Prepaid plan

TPG Medium Plan

TPG Medium Plan at a glance:

• $24.99 per month
• First three months $12.50 apiece
• 16GB data
• Vodafone network

TPG takes out the top spot for the most popular Prepaid mobile plan on the Vodafone network at the start of the month again, albeit this time with a plan that has some more data. Last month, it was the TPG Small Plan, which costs $19.99 a month normally for 8GB of data, but this month it’s the TPG Medium Plan that Vodafone network users are most drawn to.

The TPG Medium Plan comes with double the data (16GB) albeit not for double the cost. Better still, what normally costs $24.99 a month – and that’s an actual month, not a 28-day or 30-day interpretation of a Prepaid month – is halved to $12.50 a month for the first three months ($314.91 first-year cost).

The most popular Vodafone Prepaid mobile plans may change throughout the month, but this most popular pick was accurate as of 7 April 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.