The best budget NBN and home phone bundles available

It's not quite as good as finding the best possible deal for a given NBN internet connection, mobile phone or home phone line, but bundles are a solid consolation prize when it comes to making the most of your money while staying on top of your bills.

For many consumers, the idea of bundling your bills is synonymous with savings. That said, internet and home phone bundles aren't as common as they used to be. Partially, this is because mobile phones and mobile phone plans have taken up a bigger and bigger part of our lives. However, the fact that this has happened alongside the rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN) is far from a coincidence.

Since the infrastructure involved with the NBN relies the copper network that used to form the backbone of yesterday's landline connections, it's not really possible for a given home to have access to both at the same time. Unless they're still living somewhere with an ADSL2+ connection, consumers for that old-school landline experience will have to opt-in for Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) home phone line instead.

Thankfully, many of Australia's NBN providers offer this service as an option.

Before we get into the juicy details, it's important to get a sense of the landscape when it comes to internet and home phone bundles. Check out the widget below for a quick round-up of NBN 50 plans from providers that allow you to bundle your home phone and internet connection together.

While there are a ton of different providers vying for the top spot when it comes to offering the best home phone and internet bundle, our current pick of the lot is the Tangerine XL Speed Boost Unlimited plan.

This no-contract plan comes with unlimited data, great customer service and 50Mbps when it comes to typical evening speeds.

What's more, Tangerine are currently running a promotion on the plan that brings the monthly cost down from $69.90 per month to just $54.90 per month for the first six months. After that point, the plan will revert to the standard pricing. Again, this is a no lock-in plan. That means you're free to shop around, see what the market looks like at that point and act accordingly.

On top of the monthly cost associated with the NBN connection, Tangerine cost an extra $10 per month for a home phone line with unlimited national, local and mobile calls. If all that sounds good, be sure to check out the widget below for a sense of how the Tangerine XL Speed Boost Unlimited plan compares to the other options around the same price-point.

While mobile and internet bundles aren't as common as they used to be, Spintel's simple and easy-to-like offering is a timely reminder of what's so neat about them. Even if it does stretch the definition of a bundle, the value proposition here is simple and appealing.

If you're signed up for one of Spintel's NBN plans, they'll throw in VOIP home phone line with pay-as-you-go outgoing and free incoming calls for a whopping $0. If you expect to be getting a lot of usage from your not-quite-a-landline, then it might be worth paying the $10 per month for unlimited national and mobile calls across Australia.

If that it sounds good, be sure to check out the widget for a round-up of what Spintel has to offer when it comes to NBN plans.

If you've got the need for speed when it comes to your NBN and home phone service, but don't quite feel ready to make the jump in price up to an NBN100 connection, then Exectel's Extra Value NBN50 plan is a solid option.

The price for this one is $53.95 per month for the first six months, plus an additional $10 month for an unlimited home phone service via VOIP. Once your six months are up, the price involved rises to $69.95 per month. Since this is a no lock-in contract we're talking about, you're free to shop around for a better NBN and home phone bundle when that deadline arrives without too much fuss.

Exetel is currently rated as the top dog when it comes to the ACCC's most recent assessment of NBN providers when it comes to speed, so if that's your priority then this plan might be the right fit. Still, it's always worth doing your research before signing anything. Be sure to check out the widget below for a round-up of what Exetel offers when it comes to NBN plans.

If you're after an NBN internet plan with a speed that's a little faster than what an NBN50 connection can offer, but still want to keep your options open when it comes to VOIP phone lines, then Dodo's NBN100 Unlimited is a solid way to go.

While this plan starts at $85 per month, it's discounted fairly regularly and includes a pay-as-you-go home phone service over the NBN network as standard. Dodo also have options for those who want to bundle in their energy and gas, giving those that do the ability to save an extra $10 per month.

 If all that sounds good, be sure to check out the widget below for a sense of how the Dodo NBN100 Unlimited plan compares to the other options around the same price-point.

If you're after a cheap NBN and home phone bundle that nets you a little more value for money when it comes to connection speed, then Optus' Everyday NBN plan is our go-to recommendation.

Priced at $79.99 per month for the first six months, this plan includes an Optus Ultra WiFi modem and unlimited data. While you'll be on the hook for the cost of the modem until you've paid it off, this is a no lock-in contract. That means you're free to shop around for a better NBN and home phone bundle as it suits you.

Optus is currently rated as the second-best provider when it comes to the ACCC's most recent assessment of NBN providers when it comes to speed, so they're a decent alternative if you don't like the look of the Exetel plan listed above.

If this plan sounds like it might be the right one for your needs, be sure to check out the widget below for a round-up of the most cheap Optus NBN plans that you can get with a home phone plan.

From our perspective, there are two main arguments in favor of bundling your bills as a way to save money.

The first of these is one of convenience. By keeping all your bills with the same provider, it's much easier to keep track of them. This might sound a little superfluous to some, but if you're a little disorganised or paranoid about a missed payment affecting their credit score bundling can make a big difference.

The second benefit that bundling presents is that it can sometimes literally save you money in both the short and long term. In traditional bundling arrangements, providers will offer consumers a discount on either their monthly internet or phone bill in exchange for keeping things under a single roof.

To recap, the main reasons that Australian consumers might want to think about bundling their home phone and internet plan together are as follows:

• It's more convenient and easier to keep track
• It can save you money through loyalty bonuses

When it came to ranking our picks for the best home phone and internet plan bundles in Australia, we started off by favoring providers who offered larger sums of raw savings. The bigger the discount, the better. That led us to pick the Tangerine XL Speed Boost Unlimited plan as the current best NBN and home phone bundle overall.

Beyond that flagship category, we started to think more about some of the other factors in the mix. These included the pricing and features that each providers offers as part of their NBN service, plus the relative perks they provide to those who bundle their home phone and internet plan together. Our thinking here is that if you can't save money by bundling, you might as well get a little bit of additional more bang for your buck.

If you're less attached to the idea of bundling and more keen on matching together a batch of bargains from different providers, then the simplicity of combining your internet and mobile providers might not make as much sense these days. Check out the widgets below for a round-up of popular mobile and internet plan deals.

Cheap SIM-Only mobile plans with at least 10GB of data

Cheap Internet plans with at least 45Mbps typical evening speeds