Tangerine and More now sell eSIMs for smartwatches

Australia's big three carriers are no longer the only game in town for smartwatch eSIMs.

As of this week, More and Tangerine mobile customers can sign up and add connectivity to selected smartwatches. Pricing for this add-on starts at $10 per month. That sum is steeper than Telstra and Vodafone are charging but in-line with the price of Optus' own wearable eSIM offering.

In terms of the overall utility offered by a smartwatch eSIM, there isn't a huge difference between what Tangerine and More are offering compared to the competition. Regardless of the provider involved, a smartwatch paired with an eSIM can operate more independently.

In any case, there are two key wrinkles that those thinking of taking advantage of this offer might want to keep in mind.

The first is that not all smartwatches are supported. At the time of writing, Tangerine and More's eSIM offering only extends to those in the Apple or Samsung ecosystem. Both the Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch are supported as far back as their third-generation models.

In contrast, those looking to link up the Google Pixel Watch to an eSIM are out of luck. Telstra proper is the only provider that supports eSIM on the Pixel Watch.

The other big caveat here is an obvious one. In order to sign up for Tangerine and More's companion eSIMs, you'll also need a SIM-only mobile plan with either provider. In addition, the add-on is only available with the provider's 5G mobile plans. Pairing it up with a cheaper 4G SIM isn't an option.

Fortunately, given that both Tangerine and More offer 5G mobile plans at a lower price than the likes of Telstra and Optus, that fine print doesn't detract too much from the broader appeal. Depending on your situation, this setup may be a compelling alternative for those who want to save some money keeping their wearable of choice connected.

For a sense of your options here, check out the widget below for a snapshot of the cheapest 5G mobile plans from Tangerine and More.

Then, for a sense of how that compares to the cheapest plans available from Optus, Vodafone and Telstra, check out the widget below.

As you can see, the starting price for the cheapest Tangerine mobile plan is $10 cheaper than what you can expect to pay for the cheapest mobile plan available through Vodafone and much cheaper of the prices that Optus and Telstra command.

That said, it and More are likely to be the only MVNO offering eSIMs for smartwatches for long. Both Everyday Mobile and Numobile tipped to their own launch smartwatch eSIM plans later this year. We'll have to wait and see how the situation evolves but it seems safe to say that Aussies considering picking up a smartwatch in 2025 are going to have a lot more options when it comes to keeping it connected.