Telstra mobile review: Plans, coverage and value

If value for money is your key concern when looking for a new mobile plan, Telstra shouldn't be your first choice. With its superior network coverage and positioning as a heritage brand, Telstra has long been one of the most expensive telco options in Australia, and that remains true today, with its cheapest SIM-only plan coming in at an eye-watering $74 per month.

Instead of the typical postpaid model, Telstra's SIM plans uses what it calls an Upfront payment method. Essentially, instead of paying your bill at the end of the month, you'll simply fork out your fee at the start of the month. It's similar to a prepaid plan but comes with the more premium inclusions you'd expect from a postpaid arrangement.

Aside from Upfront plans, Telstra also offers prepaid plans with 7-day, 28-day, 6-month and 365-day expiry options. It's worth noting that, unlike Optus and Vodafone, which offer uncapped data speeds on their prepaid plans, Telstra caps most of its prepaid plans' data speeds at 150Mbps or 250Mbps, with only the most expensive monthly plan getting uncapped speeds.

If you're looking to save some money on your next mobile plan, you can get better value with just about any other network or MVNO.

Boost Mobile offers the same full Telstra coverage for a cheaper entry point, and MVNOs that use the smaller (but still excellent) Telstra Wholesale network, like Tangerine Mobile, ALDI Mobile, Everyday Mobile by Woolworths, and Exetel, are also worth considering.

If you're willing to switch to a provider powered by Optus or Vodafone, there's even more savings to be had.

Below are some of the most popular SIM-only and prepaid plans in our comparison engine.

Telstra has long held the reputation as the best Australian telco for coverage, and while Optus and Vodafone have improved their networks over the years, Telstra remains the front runner.

In terms of physical footprint, Telstra's 4G and 5G networks cover 2.14 million square kilometres. In comparison, the Telstra Wholesale network covers 1.4 million square kilometres, while Optus and Vodafone both cover 1.2 million square kilometres apiece.

While the difference between these networks mightn't be noticeable in metro areas, Telstra sweeps the competition for coverage in rural and remote areas. Furthermore, all Telstra Upfront plans support Telstra Satellite, which provides customers with access to a selection of essential apps even when you're beyond the reach of Telstra's mobile network.

To compare coverage in your area, check out the map below.

If you're on a Telstra plan with uncapped data speeds, you could theoretically reach speeds up to 1Gbps under ideal conditions. However, according to testing by Opensignal, you're more likely to achieve an average download speed of 171.7Mbps.

Telstra mobile plans don't come cheap, but to offset their high prices, there's a handful of useful perks to help you get (slightly) more bang for buck, particularly for Upfront plans.

All Telstra mobile customers are eligible for the Telstra Plus perks program, which grants members access to discounted movie tickets, concert pre-sales, and the ability to exchange Telstra Plus points for gift cards and gadgets.

All Upfront plans also come with no excess data charges. If you use up all your allotted data for the month, you'll still be able to access the internet; your speeds will just be throttled to a slow (but still usable) 1.5Mbps.

Additionally, as mentioned previously, Upfront customers have access to Telstra Satellite. This service allows compatible devices to access essential apps like Google Maps, Facebook Messenger, and AccuWeather, even when you're beyond the reach of mobile reception. It's a hugely beneficial perk for hikers and people who like to stray from the beaten track.

All Upfront mobile plans include unlimited international SMS and MMS, but just a measly 30 minutes of calls. All prepaid plans include 100 international SMS, with all but the 7-day plan also offering some number of international call minutes (in most cases, more than Upfront plans). If you need more international calls, add-ons ranging from $10 to $30 are available.

Of the three major telcos, Telstra's international roaming offerings are, as you might expect, the most expensive. Although they offer $5-a-day roaming, it's a bit more limited than Vodafone and Optus' products.

Here's how each Telstra Day Pass roaming pack breaks down:

• Zone 1 (6 Oceania destinations): $5 per day for 2GB data and unlimited calls and texts
• Zone 2 (80+ Oceania destinations): $10 per day for 2GB data and unlimited calls and texts
• Zone 3 (Jamaica, Gibraltar, Jersey and Guernsey): $10 per day for no data and unlimited calls and texts

For travellers with lighter data needs, Telstra offers the following roaming packs for its prepaid plans, all of which can be used in 38 international destinations:

• 3 Day Travel Pack: $10 for 400MB data, 15 SMS or MMS, and 15 minutes of calls with 3-day expiry
• 7 Day Travel Pack: $10 for 2GB data, 25 SMS or MMS, and 25 minutes of calls with 7-day expiry
• 14 Day Travel Pack: $25 for 4GB data, 50 SMS or MMS, and 50 minutes of calls with 14-day expiry

The premium price of Telstra plans also helps fund an impressive array of customer support options for when things go awry. Telstra offers help via online FAQs and self-service online tools (like the My Telstra app). If you want to talk to someone, there’s an online chat service, 24/7 phone support (call 13 22 00), and if all else fails, you can always visit a Telstra store.

Although Telstra's range of support options is impressive, overall customer satisfaction isn’t as flash according to customer feedback on Product Review, where Telstra scores just 1.4 stars out of 5. In fairness, it still ranks higher than Optus (1.3 stars) and just behind Vodafone (1.5 stars). On Reddit, the consensus from customers is that Telstra does indeed offer the best network and reception, but many call their plans a "rip-off".