JB HI-FI will give you up to $1000 to spend in-store when you sign up to its SIM plan, but what’s the catch?

In a market flooded with MVNOs, JB HI-FI is the latest friendly face to join the ever-changing Australian mobile space. Unlike providers like Woolworths Mobile, which operates as a traditional Telstra MVNO, leasing part of the Telstra network to sell its own services, JB HI-FI is simply selling rebadged Telstra plans. So you’ll get the same customer support and overall service with JB HI-FI mobile as you would if you signed up for a mobile plan from Telstra.

There is, however, one tempting bonus that’s sure to attract new customers: a bonus $300 or $1000 gift card to spend in-store at JB HI-FI.

There are two gift card offers available with JB HI-FI. For the $1000 gift card, you need to sign up to a $99 BYO Mobile Plan, which nets you 200GB for $99 per month (as well as the usual unlimited calls and texts). The $300 gift card is available on the $69 BYO Mobile gets you 80GB for $69 per month.

Here are other comparable plans on the Telstra network with at least 80GB data:

Well, first of all, you need to commit to a 12-month contract for the $69 BYO plan ($300 Gift Card bonus) and a 24-month contract for the $99 BYO plan ($1000 Gift Card bonus).

Most mobile plans offer month-to-month flexibility these days with no cancellation fees. However, if you cancel one of JB HI-FI’s plans early, you will need to pay an Early Termination Charge (ETC) equivalent to 50% of your monthly fee for the months remaining on your plan term. So if you cancel a 12-month plan 6 months in, you’ll need to pay at least 50% of the remaining 6 months of plan fees.

The second catch is, JB HI-FI’s two plans cost slightly more than their Telstra equivalent plans ($4 more per month) and you don't get the included international calling minutes that come with Telstra plans or any of the perks associated with Telstra Plus. 

With all that said, the bonus $300 or $1,000 is still great value. 

Here's a quick look at Telstra's BYO plans for comparison.