The best unlimited mobile data plans

For those who watch YouTube videos on their phones, regularly upload stories and photos to social media or want to binge-watch Netflix shows on the go, worrying you’ll run out of data can be a constant stress. So, can you solve this by opting for an unlimited (aka endless) mobile data plan?

The short answer is that while there aren’t any truly ‘unlimited’ mobile data plans, there are many plans that do come close. Due to fair use policies and speed cap restrictions, Australian mobile providers aren't allowed to call their plans "unlimited", which is why you will see a lot of plans advertise "endless data" these days. That said, Vodafone was recently the first telco to offer a truly unlimited data phone plan, which we'll get into shortly.

Aside from that one plan, Telstra, Optus and Vodafone have all moved to the endless data model, which caps your speed after you reach your included data limit. There's also a new provider on the block, TPG's carbon-neutral Felix Mobile, which only offers endless, speed-capped data with no included max speed data amount. It's a welcome pivot away from predatory excess data charges but there are still some caveats you've got to know before signing up.

Let’s get down to the details.

Before we get into the best plans, here's a selection of some of the most popular endless data plans.

The big three telcos (Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone) all offer endless, speed-capped data in place of excess data charges on their plans. The only exception is Vodafone's Ultra+ plan, which offers unlimited max-speed data.

After a couple of years of "endless" and "infinite" data plans, Vodafone has finally thrown the gauntlet down with the introduction of Australia's first truly unlimited data plan. None of that endless data that maxes out at 2Mbps - just unlimited full-speed data.

Of course, as you might have suspected, the buy-in isn't cheap. It'll set you back $85 per month for Vodafone's Ultra+ Plan, which, in addition to unlimited data, includes unlimited talk and text in Oz, unlimited international calls to Zone 1 countries (and 300 minutes to Zone 2 countries), and if you're not happy with the service, you can get your money back within 30 days.

The only small catch is that if you plan on using your phone's data as a hotspot for other devices, there is a 30GB monthly limit of full-speed data.  Exceed that, and you're stuck at 2Mbps. Our guess is that Vodafone is trying to prevent customers from using the plan to replace their home internet.

One of the latest mobile providers to enter the Australian market, Felix Mobile is a TPG-owned, Vodafone-powered carbon-neutral provider with one plan: a $35 SIM plan. Felix is unique in that it only offers speed-capped endless data (as well as unlimited calls and text), whereas other telcos offer an allotted monthly amount of "max speed" data that is throttled after a limit is reached. When Felix Mobile first launched, it only offered max speeds of 5Mbps but a few weeks after launch, Felix upped that speed cap to 20Mbps. With the change in Felix Mobile's speed cap, the $35 SIM plan is actually a pretty tempting deal and easily the best option currently available for people looking to hop on an endless data plan at a reasonable price. Even better, if you enter the promo code "FLX10" at checkout, you can get your first month free.

It's a straightforward plan with an equally straightforward proposition: you get endless (essentially unlimited) data if you're happy to limit yourself to 20Mbps. 20Mbps isn't amazing but it's no slouch either. For example, streaming Netflix in high definition (HD) only requires a recommended speed of 5Mbps so you'll be able to binge high-quality TV without much of a worry. Netflix recommends speeds of 25Mbps for 4K viewing so while you might not get the best results on Felix, it's still possible.

The only other caveat to using Felix is that it uses Vodafone 4G. Vodafone reaches a good chunk of Australians these days but it's still the smallest network when compared to Optus and Telstra.

Vodafone is a solid option for endless data, thanks to the multiple tiers offered. Outside of the Ultra+ unlimited data plan above, you can get anywhere from 1.5Mbps to 25Mbps of endless data depending on which plan you opt for. If the Ultra+ plan is a bit beyond your budget, our next best pick is the $55 Super Plan, for a number of reasons. Firstly, it offers endless data speeds of 10Mbps, but most importantly, it also offers a whopping 200 GB of max speed data. That's way more than most Australians use on their mobile plans, but if you do burn through that, you will only be throttled to 10Mbps. It also offers the usual unlimited calls and text inclusions, along with 5G access and three months of Amazon Music Unlimited. It's a month-to-month plan, but you can commit to a longer arrangement if you want to add a phone to your plan at any stage.

Vodafone offers different tiers of endless data on every SIM plan. Here's a selection of the most popular plans through Vodafone.

Telstra's plans only offer speeds of 1.5Mbps on their endless data plans. That's a significant hit to your download and upload speeds, and you'll definitely notice the difference. It won't be enough to watch Netflix, and downloading apps will take a while, but it's enough to get you out of a spot of bother if you need to transfer money or book an Uber. Where Felix Mobile's endless data is a flagship feature of the plan, Telstra's is more like a fall-back option for when your data runs dry. Still, the $65 Medium Upfront Plan from Telstra still offers 80GB of max speed data, unlimited calls and text, data-free Apple Music streaming, data-free sports streaming (through the AFLW, Netball, and My Football Live official apps) and 5G access on Australia's biggest mobile network.

Every Telstra plan offers 1.5Mbps endless data. Here's a quick look at some of Telstra's most popular SIM-only plans.

Like Telstra, every Optus SIM-only plan offers endless data with comparatively slow speeds of 1.5Mbps after you hit your included data limit. Our top plan pick for Optus is the $45 Choice Plan. It only offers 20GB of max speed data (plus unlimited calls and text) but if it's endless data you're after, and you can bear the 1.5Mbps cap, it's no different if you spend $45 or $119 per month.

There are plenty of Optus SIM plans with a healthier amount of max speed data if you're willing to fork out the money, but at that point you're probably better off going with a provider like Circles.Life.

Circles.Life doesn't offer endless data, but it does give you a lot of data for cheap on the Optus 4G network. At the time of writing you can get 50GB of data through Circles.Life for $20 per month or 100GB of monthly data for $30 per month.

Otherwise, if it's Optus you're after, here are the most popular Optus SIM plans available (all with endless data capped at 1.5Mbps).

This category used to be owned by Vodafone, but since Felix Mobile jacked up its endless speeds, it's the clear winner here at $35 per month (with the first month free using the promo code "FLX10"). At the low end of Vodafone's plans, you're only getting 1.5Mbps of endless data, but the change to Felix Mobile's one and only plan gets you endless data with a healthy 20Mbps.

If you're not sold on Felix Mobile, or any of the plans above, maybe you'd be better off with a high-data plan. Here's a look at the most popular SIM plans in Australia that offer 50GB or more.