
Optus is increasing prices on its prepaid recharges from April 28, with all 28-day expiry plans going up by $4 per month. All prepaid plans will also receive larger data allowances, however.
Here's the complete breakdown of how Optus prepaid mobile plans are changing:
| Expiry | Current price | New price | Old data allowance | New data allowance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 days | $12 | $13 | 3GB | 5GB |
| 28 days | $35 | $39 | 20GB | 25GB |
| 28 days | $45 | $49 | 30GB | 35GB |
| 28 days | $55 | $59 | 40GB | 45GB |
| 186 days | $160 | $180 | 80GB | 90GB |
| 365 days | $320 | $350 | 200GB | 220GB |
In addition, Optus will remove speed caps from all 28-day recharges and increase the speed cap on all other plans from 150Mbps to 250Mbps. Uncapped plans can achieve download speeds as fast as network conditions allow. On the Optus 5G network, we've been able to achieve speeds over 600Mbps.
An Optus spokesperson told WhistleOut the telco will be communicating these changes to customers via SMS and email this month.
"We understand that unexpected expenses can make it difficult to manage payments," said the spokesperson. "Our team is here to help, and we encourage any customers experiencing financial hardship to contact us."
Optus is also making changes to AutoRecharge. Customers who have AutoRecharge switched on will now also have "Low Balance AutoRecharge" as a standard feature. Low Balance AutoRecharge automatically recharges the plan when a customer's data allowance drops below 200MB. Low Balance AutoRecharge can no longer be turned off.
Optus will also remove the bonus 5GB of data customers get for having AutoRecharge turned on.
While more data on Optus' prepaid plans may be welcome for some - especially on the long-expiry options - it may be overkill for many. According to the ACCC's most recent Internet Activity Report, prepaid customers are only using an average of 9.3GB per month. For those customers, paying more for extra data may not make sense.
There are of course a number of smaller providers on the Optus network with cheaper plans and lower data allowances. Here are the cheapest options in the WhistleOut database:
|
#1
|
SpinTel
|
SpinTel
$23 Mobile Plan
$12.00/mth
Min. cost $12
|
$12.00/mth
Min. cost $12
|
|
|
#2
|
Yomojo
|
Yomojo
Starter 29GB Plan
$24.90
Per 30 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
$24.90
Per 30 Day Renewal
|
Link not supplied
|
|
#3
|
Dodo
|
Dodo
Small Mobile Plan
$25.00/mth
Min. cost $25
|
$25.00/mth
Min. cost $25
|
|
|
#4
|
Coles Mobile
|
Coles Mobile
Prepaid $25 for 28 Days
$25.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
$25.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
|
Link not supplied
|
|
#5
|
Aussie Broadband
|
Aussie Broadband
Saver 5G SIM Plan
$30.00/mth
Min. cost $30
Link not supplied
|
$30.00/mth
Min. cost $30
|
Link not supplied
|
|
#6
|
amaysim
|
amaysim
UNLIMITED 15GB Plan
$30.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
|
$30.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
|
|
|
#7
|
Optus
|
Optus
$60 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$39.00/mth
Min. cost $39
|
$39.00/mth
Min. cost $39
|
And for comparison, here are the cheapest mobile plans on the Telstra and Vodafone networks:
|
#1
|
Lyca Mobile
|
Lyca Mobile
Unlimited Plan S
$15.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
$15.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
|
Link not supplied
|
|
#2
|
iiNet
|
iiNet
30GB Small Plan
$15.00
Per 1 Month Renewal
Link not supplied
|
$15.00
Per 1 Month Renewal
|
Link not supplied
|
|
#3
|
TPG
|
TPG
30GB Small Plan
$15.00
Per 1 Month Renewal
Link not supplied
|
$15.00
Per 1 Month Renewal
|
Link not supplied
|
|
#4
|
Kogan Mobile
|
Kogan Mobile
Large Monthly Plan
$20.00
Per 30 Day Renewal
|
$20.00
Per 30 Day Renewal
|
|
|
#5
|
Lebara Mobile
|
Lebara Mobile
$25 SIM Plan
$25.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
$25.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
|
Link not supplied
|
|
#6
|
ALDI mobile
|
ALDI mobile
$28 Mobile Plan
$28.00
Per 30 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
$28.00
Per 30 Day Renewal
|
Link not supplied
|
|
#7
|
Boost Mobile
|
Boost Mobile
$28 Prepaid
$28.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
|
$28.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
|
|
|
#8
|
Tangerine Telecom
|
Tangerine Telecom
30GB 5G Mobile SIM
$30.00/mth
Min. cost $15
|
$30.00/mth
Min. cost $15
|
|
|
#9
|
Everyday Mobile
|
Everyday Mobile
Pre-paid Mobile $30 Recharge
$30.00
Per 30 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
$30.00
Per 30 Day Renewal
|
Link not supplied
|
|
#10
|
felix mobile
|
felix mobile
felix 25GB Mobile Plan
$30.00
Per 1 Month Renewal
|
$30.00
Per 1 Month Renewal
|
Optus and Vodafone now have a network-sharing agreement that means Vodafone network customers now get Optus coverage in regional and rural Australia. A such, the Vodafone network now covers 98.4% of the Australian population - just 0.1% less than Optus.
These are the most popular NBN 50 plans with WhistleOut users this week:
|
#1
|
Belong
|
Belong
All Fixed Line nbn®
NBN Standard Plus – Unlimited
All Fixed Line nbn®
$55/mth
for first 6 mths, then $91/mth
Min. cost $55
|
$55/mth
for first 6 mths, then $91/mth
Min. cost $55
|
|
|
#2
|
Dodo
|
Dodo
All Fixed Line nbn®
nbn50 Unlimited Plan
All Fixed Line nbn®
$57.99/mth
for first 6 mths, then $87.99/mth
Min. cost $57.99
|
$57.99/mth
for first 6 mths, then $87.99/mth
Min. cost $57.99
|
|
|
#3
|
Tangerine Telecom
|
Tangerine Telecom
All Fixed Line nbn®
Value Plus NBN 50/20
All Fixed Line nbn®
$64.90/mth
for first 6 mths, then $89.90/mth
Min. cost $64.90
|
$64.90/mth
for first 6 mths, then $89.90/mth
Min. cost $64.90
|
|
|
#4
|
Superloop
|
Superloop
All Fixed Line nbn®
Extra-value nbn50/20
All Fixed Line nbn®
$69/mth
for first 6 mths, then $89/mth
Min. cost $69
|
$69/mth
for first 6 mths, then $89/mth
Min. cost $69
|
|
|
#5
|
iiNet
|
iiNet
All Fixed Line nbn®
nbn50 Liimitless
All Fixed Line nbn®
$69.99/mth
+ $10 Upfront
for first 6 mths, then $89.99/mth
Min. cost $79.99
Link not supplied
|
$69.99/mth
+ $10 Upfront
for first 6 mths, then $89.99/mth
Min. cost $79.99
|
Link not supplied
|
|
#6
|
TPG
|
TPG
All Fixed Line nbn®
nbn50 Unlimited Plan
All Fixed Line nbn®
$69.99/mth
for first 6 mths, then $89.99/mth
Min. cost $69.99
Link not supplied
|
$69.99/mth
for first 6 mths, then $89.99/mth
Min. cost $69.99
|
Link not supplied
|
|
#7
|
Moose NBN
|
Moose NBN
All Fixed Line nbn®
nbn 50/20 Premium
All Fixed Line nbn®
$59.80/mth
for first 6 mths, then $83.80/mth
Min. cost $59.80
Link not supplied
|
$59.80/mth
for first 6 mths, then $83.80/mth
Min. cost $59.80
|
Link not supplied
|
|
#8
|
Flip
|
Flip
All Fixed Line nbn®
Unlimited Family nbn50
All Fixed Line nbn®
$68/mth
for first 6 mths then $84.90/mth
Min. cost $68
|
$68/mth
for first 6 mths then $84.90/mth
Min. cost $68
|
|
|
#9
|
More
|
More
All Fixed Line nbn®
Value Plus NBN
All Fixed Line nbn®
$100/mth
Min. cost $100
Link not supplied
|
$100/mth
Min. cost $100
|
Link not supplied
|
|
#10
|
Kogan Internet
|
Kogan Internet
All Fixed Line nbn®
Silver Unlimited
All Fixed Line nbn®
$69.90/mth
for first 12 mths, then $80.90/mth
Min. cost $69.90
|
$69.90/mth
for first 12 mths, then $80.90/mth
Min. cost $69.90
|
Alex Choros