Swoop mobile plans review

Swoop mobile plans aren’t particularly feature-rich, but they do offer competitive pricing with a range of data caps.

By Nathan Lawrence

Dec 16, 2024

4 min read

Quick verdict

Swoop may be new to the mobile scene, but it’s hit the ground running with competitively priced SIM-only plans, helped along by initial promotional pricing. There’s a range of plans, most of which include Optus 5G and data banking. Pay even more and unlock international credit. Still, most of Swoop’s Optus 5G-capable plans are capped at 100Mbps, and there’s not a wealth of perks or support pathways, either.

Pros

Mix of 4G and 5G plans

Data banking for most plans

International inclusions for pricier plans

Cons

100Mbps speed-capped plans

Not big on plan features

Average number of support pathways

Swoop mobile plans

Value for money

All of Swoop’s SIM-only mobile plans include unlimited talk and text in Australia. Let’s start with Swoop’s cheapest plan, which operates on the Optus 4G network.

In terms of typical prices for competing plans on our comparison engine, Swoop’s cheapest plan sits near the top. Typically for between 5–10GB of data, expect better pricing from Circles.Life and Moose Mobile, but most other plans are pricier for this lower data limit. For comparison, here’s a list of plans from our database that have at least 5GB of data and don’t initially cost more than $20 a month.

Swoop’s next cheapest plan offers Optus 5G coverage and a decent amount of monthly data for the average SIM-only user.

Compared to other SIM-only plans in our database with at least 20GB of data, this Swoop mobile plan is only beaten by Spintel for cheaper typical pricing. Below is a daily updating list of popular SIM-only plans from our comparison engine with at least 20GB of data and initial costs that don’t go beyond $25 (at least not initially).

Swoop’s next SIM-only mobile plan keeps the perks of the preceding one but ups the data limit.

Compared to its 40GB peers, Southern Phone, Moose Mobile, Spintel and Dodo Mobile all have cheaper typical monthly pricing. For comparison, here’s a snapshot of popular SIM-only plans from our database with at least 40GB of data and monthly spend capped at $35.

Swoops penultimate SIM-only mobile plan more than doubles the data cap of the one above, albeit with the same inclusions.

Of its similarly data-capped peers, only Spintel has a cheaper offering, and that’s relegated to the Optus 4G network. If you want to compare, the plans below are popular SIM-only picks with at least 100GB of data and monthly fees capped at $40 (at least initially).

Swoop’s priciest SIM-only plan, understandably, has the most data but also ups the perks, including unrestricted Optus 5G download speeds.

Moose Mobile and Spintel are the only other SIM-only providers to offer lower typical pricing for plans with at least 200GB of data. If you’re in the market for a SIM-only plan with at least 200GB of data, check out the popular picks below, capped at $60 monthly spending (at least initially).

Swoop mobile coverage

Swoop uses the Optus network, which includes 4G and 5G.

Swoop is one of many MVNOs that use the Optus mobile network for its customers. Depending on the plan, Swoop users are relegated to the Optus 4G network or have access to the Optus 5G network, albeit speeds are capped for most Optus 5G plans. The interactive map above is useful for getting an idea of Optus network coverage in your area.

Swoop mobile features and perks

Data banking, Optus 5G and international call credit perks abound.

Swoop mobile plans have a varying range of features, but don’t expect to find perks like eSIM, data sharing or handsets available for purchase. If you fancy the perkiest plans, check out the selection from Optus, Telstra, Vodafone and Everyday (Woolworths) Mobile.

The cheapest Swoop SIM-only plan doesn’t have any perks of note, but every plan thereafter includes Optus 5G access. Note that all Swoop plans are capped at 100Mbps download speeds, except for the priciest one. Depending on the plan, you can also expect a 200GB or 300GB data bank. International call and text credit kicks in from Swoop’s penultimate priciest plan. If you successfully refer someone else to Swoop with your unique promo code, the referrer and referee both get $15 off their monthly bill for six months (with no limit on referrals).

For comparison, check out these popular plans from perky mobile providers.

Swoop customer support and satisfaction

Okay support pathways and TBD reported customer satisfaction.

Swoop offers a decent number of support pathways for any user seeking assistance. While Swoop customers shouldn’t go looking for help via a forum or blog, responsive Twitter account, or expect to find a retail store, every other base is covered. Effectively, you can reach out to Swoop via Facebook, online chat, self-service online or email.

There’s also a Swoop usage-monitoring app and you can call 1300 66 55 75 seven days a week for support. Support hours are slightly different between Swoop’s internet and mobile tech support, but you can reach out for mobile assistance weekdays between 9:00am and 7:00pm AEDT, and weekends between 10:00am and 5:00pm AEDT. Typically, we check user reviews from real-world customers but, at the time of writing, there weren’t any available for Swoop mobile on Product Review, Trustpilot, Google or Facebook.

Check out popular plans from mobile providers with lots of support pathways below.

How we review mobile providers

All of the 30 telcos we track in our comparison engine are appraised using the same schema, where each is awarded between 0.25 stars and up to 5 stars overall. This five-star system is also used for meaningful categories, which starts with all-important dollar-to-data value on a selection of plan options (where available).

The next step is to weigh up perks and extras, which starts with factors like network coverage and 5G availability, but also includes other meaningful inclusions, like endless data, unlimited international calls, and data rollover (among other perks). For support, we check for a range of available pathways, from forums and social media through to phone support and online chat.

Finally, we check a handful of user-review websites to see how customers rate their respective telcos, averaging out the scores when more than one option is available. All of this combines to paint a picture of telcos that may rank highly in one, some or all areas.

Swoop frequently asked questions

Here are the questions readers are asking about Swoop.

Who owns Swoop?

Swoop mobile and Swoop internet are both part of Swoop Holdings, which is an ASX-listed telecommunications company.

Does Swoop mobile offer 5G?

Yes, all Swoop mobile plans except for its cheapest one offer Optus 5G, although speeds are capped at 100Mbps for every SIM-only plan except for the priciest one.

What mobile network does Swoop use?

Swoop is an MVNO on the Optus network, and offers plans with Optus 4G and Optus 5G.

Written by

Nathan Lawrence

Nathan Lawrence has been banging out passionate tech and gaming words for more than 11 years. These days, you can find his work on outlets like IGN, STACK, Fandom, Red Bull and AusGamers. Nathan adores PC gaming and the proof of his first-person-shooter prowess is at the top of a Battlefield V scoreboard.