More about Kogan Mobile

Of the dozens of telcos we track in our comparison engine, only a handful offer both SIM Only and Prepaid mobile services. Telstra. Optus. Vodafone. Woolworths Mobile. And Kogan Mobile. Whether you’re after SIM Only or Prepaid from Kogan Mobile, expect competitively priced plans that are light on features but have decent dollar-to-data value. Here’s what you need to know about Kogan Mobile plans in Australia.

• Kogan Mobile plans operate on the Vodafone 4G and 3G mobile networks, which is available to 96% of Australians in metropolitan areas.
• Kogan Mobile offers monthly SIM Only plans and long-expiry Prepaid plans.
• A limited range of refurbished iPhones are available from Kogan Mobile to purchase outright, lease-to-buy or just to lease with monthly plans.
• Kogan Mobile SIM Only plans come with 200GB of data rollover, which is handy for saving data from lighter months to use in heavier-use months.

Kogan Mobile primarily sells SIM Only and Prepaid plans, all of which come with unlimited standard national talk and SMS. There’s also a small range of refurbished iPhones. Kogan Mobile SIM Only plans are paid at the end of a billing month, while Kogan Mobile Prepaid plans are exclusively long-expiry offerings. Note that Kogan Mobile doesn’t have any 5G plans, though at the time of writing, eligible customers on the most expensive SIM Only plan had access to a Vodafone 5G network trial.

Kogan Mobile SIM Only plans range from cheap to mid-range prices and, for the most part, include competitive dollar-to-data value. Spend around $20 a month or under $50 a month for the handful of Kogan Mobile plans, all of which operate on the Vodafone 4G network.

Like Kogan Mobile SIM Only plans, all of the telco’s Prepaid plans are offered over the Vodafone 4G network. Unlike other telcos, Kogan Mobile exclusively offers long-expiry Prepaid plans, all of which are 365-day offerings. Typical prices start at around $200 and extend up to around $500 with dollar-to-data value that’s more competitive whenever promotional pricing is available.

Kogan Mobile SIM Only and Prepaid plans operate exclusively on the Vodafone 4G network. Practically speaking, that means average download speeds of around 48Mbps and upload speeds of around 10Mbps according to Opensignal data. 4G download speeds can potentially reach download speeds up to 100Mbps.

Kogan Mobile SIM Only plans offer a decent amount of data for everyday users. The telco’s two priciest SIM Only plans comfortably offer more than the 35GB monthly median data allowance. Kogan Mobile Prepaid plans have decent dollar-to-data value with promotional pricing but less so for typical pricing. Still, the minimum data allowance is 100GB+ and the priciest long-expiry Kogan Mobile Prepaid plan has 500GB of data.

Note that if you exceed your data allowance with a Kogan Mobile SIM Only or Prepaid plan, there aren’t any extra charges. Instead, you lose access to data for the rest of the billing cycle. You can buy an add-on pack if you don’t want to be without data.

If you want to make international calls as a Kogan Mobile customer, you’ll need to buy a call pack, which are available for SIM Only and Prepaid customers. There are three options, which offer 250 minutes of calls to either 10, 15 or 20 selected countries, depending on how much you pay. Kogan Mobile international call packs expire after 30 days.

The Kogan Mobile Calls to 10 Countries pack includes: United States of America, China, Canada, United Kingdom, India, Singapore, Germany, South Korea, Malaysia and Ireland. The Calls to 15 Countries pack includes those aforementioned 10 dialling destinations, plus: Hong Kong, Colombia, Bangladesh, New Zealand and Thailand. Finally, the Calls to 20 Countries pack has the previous 15 countries, plus: Japan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Chile and Brazil. Kogan Mobile international call packs don’t include SMS.

Kogan Mobile has a reputation for running deals. And if there’s a Kogan Mobile deal cooking today, you’ll see it below.

Kogan Mobile isn’t particularly big on a long list of plan features, but there are still some worth noting, like no upfront sign-up costs for SIM Only and Prepaid plans. Kogan Mobile SIM Only plans come with 200GB of data rollover. Customers will also be able to choose between a physical SIM card or eSIM for Kogan Mobile plans. You need a compatible smartphone to use eSIM.

International roaming is available for Kogan Mobile customers via add-on packs. Pay for one, three or seven days of roaming, which include 1–5GB of data, 50–150 call minutes and 50–150 texts. Calls and texts can be used in eligible international countries, plus Australia. Here are the 30 Kogan Mobile eligible roaming destinations: Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Fiji, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States of America and Vietnam.

Kogan Mobile is closer to Boost Mobile or Numobile than Telstra, Optus or Vodafone in terms of mobile phones on offer. Instead of brand-new handsets, Kogan Mobile offers a limited selection of refurbished smartphones.

Kogan Mobile offers a handful of older-model refurbished iPhones. These refurbished mobile phones are available in a range of colours and can be bought outright. Alternatively, pay a monthly fee over 24 months to own the iPhone. The other option is to pay a cheaper monthly fee and return or upgrade your mobile phone after 18 months. Prices range from around $15 to $50 a month or more than $1,000 if you want to buy outright.

Kogan Mobile uses the Vodafone 4G and 3G mobile networks, which is the third largest in Australia. Collectively, the Vodafone 4G network covers 96% of the Australian population in metropolitan areas. Use the interactive map below for an idea of how Kogan Mobile coverage looks in areas of interest. The 4G box should already be ticked, but you can tick and untick network options or choose a different network provider from the drop-down menu if you want to visually compare to the coverage of other telcos. Note that the Vodafone 3G network is being shut down on 15 December 2023.

It’s a straightforward process to switch from any telco in Australia to Kogan Mobile. Follow these steps to sign up for a Kogan Mobile SIM Only or Prepaid plan:

1. Choose the Kogan Mobile SIM Only or Prepaid plan that fits your needs. Click on the orange ‘Go to Site’ button (if available) to be taken to the corresponding Kogan Mobile plan page.
2. On the Kogan Mobile website, click the red ‘Add to cart’ button for your chosen plan, then the ‘View cart & checkout’ button.
3. Pick the ‘Continue without First’ radial option or leave the Kogan First option selected (there’s a 14-day free trial but then it’s a $99 automatic annual payment). Click on the red ‘Checkout’ button to confirm.
4. Input your contact details, hit ‘Continue’, then follow the prompts to complete the sign-up process.

To activate your phone service, visit the Kogan Mobile activation website. You’ll need a driver licence, passport or Medicare card to confirm your identity during the activation process.