The best SIM-only mobile plans in Australia (November 2024)

Research from the ACCC’s Internet Activity Report says that Australians with postpaid mobile plans are using around 17GB of data per month (14% year-on-year growth). This average data usage grows each year, which is why we use 30GB as a comfortable baseline to cover the recommended plans for our best value SIM-only category.

Southern Phone takes out the top spot this month with its Medium 5G SIM Plan. Normally priced at $29 per month, new Southern Phone customers pay a reduced $20 monthly fee for the first six months. Just get in by 10 February 2025 to score the initial discounted pricing. Whichever price you pay, you’ll get 40GB of data on the Optus 5G network, albeit capped at max 100Mbps speeds. This Southern Phone plan also includes $50 of international call credit for overseas chats. For SIM-only alternatives, consider the slightly cheaper (with less data) Dodo $28 Mobile Plan or the Circles.Life 30GB Monthly Plan (with six months of 75GB bonus data).

For more contenders, check out these popular SIM-only mobile plans with at least 30GB of data, which don’t cost more than $40 per month (at least not initially).

While the average monthly SIM-only data use in Australia is above 10GB, the best way to save money with a mobile plan is opting for less data. Choosing a SIM-only plan with 10GB is enough for basic monthly mobile data needs, plus it’s more manageable if your mobile phone tends to be connected to WiFi most of the time.

Spintel came close to snagging its third consecutive win for this category but was pipped at the post by a great Circles.Life promotion. The Circles.Life 10GB Monthly Plan normally costs $20 per month for 10GB of data on the Optus 4G network. But new customers who use the ‘10GBDOBETTER’ code at sign-up get a reduced $17.50 monthly fee for the first six months. There’s also 40GB of bonus data each month for the first half year, and any of those gigabytes you don’t use can be rolled over to later months (up to 500GB). For cheap SIM-only alternatives, consider the slightly cheaper Spintel $22 Mobile Plan or the Telstra network reach of the Numobile $22 SIM plan.

For other cheap SIM-only alternatives, consider these popular picks from our database, which have at least 10GB of data and don’t cost more than $25 per month (at least not initially).

For SIM-only data, 30GB is enough for most SIM-only users. But if you’re craving more gigabytes, you don’t have to spend a whole lot more to get at least 60GB of monthly data. This big-data category is great for people who are heavy social media users and like to stream video on their daily commute. Note that we only consider plans with up to 150GB of monthly data for this category.

The big-data winner has changed mobile providers in recent months, and that trend continues with this month’s victor from Southern Phone. Even without discounted pricing, the $34 monthly fee for the Southern Phone Large 5G SIM Plan is competitive for 80GB of Optus 5G data. While that’s capped at 100Mbps, that’s more than enough speed for every mobile use case. Special shout out to the Circles.Life 50GB Monthly Plan this month, but only if you bank bonus data for the second half of the year (it’s otherwise ineligible for this category). Alternatively, consider the Spintel $35 Mobile Plan or AGL 5G Small plans as worthy contenders.

If you’re keen to check out more big-data contenders, have a look at this list of popular SIM-only plans with a minimum of 60GB of data that are capped at $55 per month (at least initially).

Okay, so maybe 60GB isn’t enough. Perhaps you stream so much video and download so many apps on the go that you need hundreds of gigabytes of data. Or maybe you hotspot for work or play. If that sounds familiar, this epic-data SIM-only category is for you. These days, there are plenty of telcos offering 150GB+ SIM-only plans, but that doesn’t mean you have to pay top dollar for them.

Optus nabs the top spot this month with a deal whose value is too good to ignore. The typical price is in the plan name—$62 Optus Choice Plus Plan—but new customers pay a $46.50 monthly fee for the first 12 months. Just get in by 2 December 2024 to lock in the cheaper pricing with the ‘CYBER25’ promo code. That’s very competitive pricing for this category, and you get 180GB of Optus 5G data with uncapped speeds. If you burn through that data cap, speeds are slowed to 1.5Mbps until your next billing month ticks over. For epic-data alternatives, consider the AGL 5G Large plan or the Belong 160GB Mobile Plan.

There are plenty of other epic-data SIM-only plans in our database. These popular picks have at least 150GB of data.

There was a time when 5G plans were relegated to the network owners. But there’s more competition nowadays. While 5G SIM-only plans are plentiful, a bunch of them come with restrictive download caps. For this category, we favour 5G SIM-only plans with either fast download caps (150Mbps+) or, better yet, uncapped download speeds. Note that you don’t really need download speeds beyond 100Mbps for a mobile plan, but we do like SIM-only plans that let you tap into more of the speed potential of Australia’s 5G networks.

This month, the Belong 100GB Mobile Plan returns for a victory lap with its back-to-back win. There isn’t any promotional pricing, but the $45 typical monthly fee comes with 100GB of Telstra 5G data. Speeds are capped at 150Mbps, but we like that there aren’t any excess data fees; instead, speeds are slowed to 1Mbps until your next billing month. Belong also offers data gifting and unlimited data rollover for sharing or storing data. For an Optus 5G alternative, consider the Aussie Broadband Essential 5G SIM Plan, or the Belong 160GB Mobile Plan for more data.

There are other 5G SIM-only plans to choose from. Here are the popular picks today from our comparison engine with at least 60GB of data that don’t cost more than $60 per month (at least initially).

Telstra and Boost Mobile customers get access to the full Telstra mobile network. But there are also plenty of other telcos that operate on the slightly smaller but still expansive Telstra wholesale network. This category is designed to acknowledge the popularity of the Telstra network with SIM-only users.

Tangerine Telecom had a long run of offering the most popular SIM-only plan on the Telstra network, but the Belong 25GB Mobile Plan was the most popular pick at the start of the month. It costs $30 per month for 25GB of Telstra 5G data, albeit with 150Mbps capped speeds. Belong users can gift unused data if they’re feeling generous or bank it instead for later bigger-use months. There aren’t any excess data fees, either, with a 1Mbps cap if you use up all 25GB. The Belong 100GB Mobile Plan and Tangerine 12GB Mobile SIM were also popular picks at the start of the month.

You’ll find other popular Telstra network SIM-only plans below.

The Optus mobile network is nipping at the heels of the coverage potential of the Telstra network, supporting a selection of telcos that deliver solid coverage options with competitive pricing. Consider the Optus network if you’re after widespread 4G coverage or faster 5G options.

The Circles.Life 6GB Monthly Plan was the most popular SIM-only plan on the Optus network at the start of the month. Normally priced at $15 a month, new customers pay a $12 monthly fee for the first six months. There’s also 4GB of bonus data on each of those initial months. Just use the WhistleOut exclusive ‘2024WOOCT10GBRE’ promotional code during sign-up to nab the deal, which expires 30 November 2024. At the start of the month, the Dodo $28 Mobile Plan and the $52 Optus Choice Plus Plan were also popular SIM-only picks on the Optus network.

Check out more popular Optus network SIM-only plans from our database.

While its 5G coverage isn’t as widespread, most Australians can happily access the Vodafone 4G network. And with that access comes some great comparative SIM-only savings, primarily from Vodafone SIM-only plans, as Vodafone mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) tend to be offering prepaid plans more these days.

The Vodafone $59 Medium SIM Only Plan was the most popular SIM-only pick on the mobile provider’s namesake network at the start of the month. That plan name has somewhat inflated pricing, though, because the $59 typical monthly fee is reduced to $49 per month. Just get in by 2 December 2024 to score the lower pricing. You’ll get 180GB of Vodafone 5G data, with speeds capped at 2Mbps if you go over. This Vodafone plan also comes with international call inclusions, plus three months of Binge Standard (normally $19 per month). The Vodafone $49 Small SIM Only Plan and the Vodafone $69 Large SIM Only Plan were also popular network picks at the start of the month.

For more popular Vodafone SIM-only plans, check out the list below.

All SIM-only mobile plans in our database come with unlimited calls and texts in Australia, so you’re ultimately dealing with data caps. The more you pay, the more data you get. But before you go too far down that rabbit hole, consider which mobile networks you have access to in the areas you frequent.

For most Australians, that’ll be all three mobile networks, at least for 4G coverage. If you’ve had coverage issues in the past or travel a lot in Australia, particularly off the beaten track, a Telstra network plan is your best bet. For Aussies who frequent metro areas, you can also consider the generally cheaper Optus network plans and potentially cheaper still Vodafone network options.

Use the interactive map below to get an idea of Telstra, Optus and Vodafone network coverage in the areas you visit most.

With the network out of the way, it’s time to think about data. Aim for at least 15 to 20GB of data minimum if you’re the average user. If you find you use less data each month, save money with a cheaper SIM-only plan. Alternatively, if you constantly need to top up or get stung with excess-data bills, upgrade to a plan with more gigabytes.

Speaking of excess data, not every SIM-only telco charges for it these days but speeds may be capped to the point where doing more than just the online basics feels like a sluggish chore. To separate closely priced plans, we advise taking first-year costs into account. Six months of promotional pricing is good, but it’s not as great if the typical price leaps to a point that nullifies the discount.

The data suggests that most people tend to stick with their telcos, too. If that’s you, pick a mobile provider with competitive ongoing pricing relative to your data needs. Alternatively, if you find your monthly data usage fluctuates, go for a telco with data banking, so those quieter months can help support heavier months with stored gigabytes.

To help further separate contenders from your chosen telco, consider plan inclusions. eSIM, for instance, is a great way to avoid having to wait for a physical SIM card to arrive. International talk and/or text is another consideration, as is straightforward international roaming via add-ons rather than pay-as-you-go (PAYG) credit or telcos that require a roaming prepayment. Whatever the plan perk, don’t pay more for a plan feature if you don’t intend on using it.

Changing SIM-only plans is straightforward. Once you’ve chosen the plan that’s best for you, follow these steps:

1. Click the ‘Go to Site’ button next to the plan you want. Alternatively, if a link is not supplied, visit the telco’s site.
2. On the telco’s site, confirm your SIM-only mobile plan selection and follow the prompts. You’ll likely have to create an account, provide personal details and may need to verify your identity.
3. During plan sign-up, specify whether you’d like to transfer your number or get a new one. Also choose between eSIM or physical SIM card options (where available).

The benefit of eSIM is not having to wait for a physical SIM card to arrive by mail to start using your new SIM-only plan. SIM activation should take around half an hour, but it may take longer. Just remember to not remove your old physical SIM card for your current plan before the new one is ready to go.