Our secret to save on NBN: switch every 6 months

By Anula Wiwatowska

Last updated 05 May 2022

As much as we all love set-and-forget services (bless direct debit), there are some cases when it’s better to have your finger on the pulse. A prime example, NBN.

If you spend as much time looking at NBN plans as we do, you start to notice some patterns. Typical evening speeds are much faster than they used to be, with almost every NBN 50 plan now offering maximum speeds at all times. Contracts are pretty much a thing of the past, and all but a handful of providers let you bring your own modem across. And, the trend right now is six month, timed discounts.

Most NBN promotions you see are valid for six months, on a no-contract term. Meaning that you can go with a new provider, get a solid discount for those six months and then switch to the next great deal.

Here are some NBN 50 plans from providers currently offering timed discounts.

#1	Kogan Internet	Kogan Internet Silver Unlimited nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: $59.90/mth for first 6 months and revert back to $78.90/mth thereafter. Offer ends 30.05.25 $59.90/mth Min. cost $59.90 Go to Site	$59.90/mth Min. cost $59.90	Go to Site
#2	Tangerine Telecom	Tangerine Telecom Value Plus NBN nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $23/mth off for the first 6 mths, $59.90/month for first 6 months, then $82.90/month + 3 months BINGE. Ends 30.06.25 $59.90/mth Min. cost $59.90 Go to Site	$59.90/mth Min. cost $59.90	Go to Site
#3	MATE	MATE Ripper nbn 50/20 nbn® 49/19 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $20/mth off for the first 6 mths (code RIPPER20) + 1-month money back guarantee + Bundle & Save $60/mth Min. cost $60 Link not supplied	$60/mth Min. cost $60	Link not supplied
#4	Exetel	Exetel Extra-value nbn50 nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $19/mth off for first 6 months - $60.99/mth for first 6 months, then $79.99/mth. $60.99/mth Min. cost $60.99 Go to Site	$60.99/mth Min. cost $60.99	Go to Site
#5	Buddy Telco Editor's Pick	Buddy Telco Editor's Pick Value nbn - Unlimited nbn® 49/16 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: $63/month for first 6 months, then $75/month. Use promo code BUDDY50. Offer ends 18.05.25 $63/mth Min. cost $63 Go to Site	$63/mth Min. cost $63	Go to Site
#6	Moose NBN	Moose NBN nbn 50/20 Premium nbn® 50/20 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $16/mth off for first 6 months, then $79.80/month. Ends 30.06.25 $63.80/mth Min. cost $63.80 Link not supplied	$63.80/mth Min. cost $63.80	Link not supplied
#7	Superloop	Superloop Extra-value nbn50/20 nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $14/mth off for 6 months! $67/mth for 6 mths, then $81/mth + Free Amazon eero 6+ if you stay connected for 24 mths $67/mth Min. cost $67 Go to Site	$67/mth Min. cost $67	Go to Site

And here are NBN 100 plans

#1	MATE	MATE No Worries nbn 100/20 nbn® 97/19 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $30/mth off for the first 6 mths (code MATE30) + 1-month money back guarantee + Bundle & Save $60/mth Min. cost $60 Link not supplied	$60/mth Min. cost $60	Link not supplied
#2	Southern Phone	Southern Phone nbn Fast nbn® 100/19 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $24/mth off for 12 months! $65/mth for 12 months, then $89/mth. Offer ends 05.08.25 $65/mth Min. cost $65 Link not supplied	$65/mth Min. cost $65	Link not supplied
#3	SpinTel Editor's Pick	SpinTel Editor's Pick NBN Unlimited Premium 100 nbn® 100/18 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $16.95 off your plan for first 6 months! $65/mth for first 6 months, then $81.95/mth $65/mth Min. cost $65 Go to Site	$65/mth Min. cost $65	Go to Site
#4	Moose NBN	Moose NBN nbn 100/20 Elite nbn® 100/20 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $19/mth off for first 6 months, then $84.80/month. Ends 30.06.25 $65.80/mth Min. cost $65.80 Link not supplied	$65.80/mth Min. cost $65.80	Link not supplied
#5	Kogan Internet	Kogan Internet Gold Unlimited nbn® 100/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: $65.90/mth for first 6 months and revert back to $83.90/mth thereafter. Offer ends 30.05.25 $65.90/mth Min. cost $65.90 Go to Site	$65.90/mth Min. cost $65.90	Go to Site
#6	Tangerine Telecom	Tangerine Telecom Speedy NBN nbn® 100/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $20/mth off for the first 6 mths, $65.90/mth for first 6 months, then $85.90/mth + 3 months BINGE. Ends 30.06.25 $65.90/mth Min. cost $65.90 Go to Site	$65.90/mth Min. cost $65.90	Go to Site
#7	Exetel	Exetel Family nbn100/20 nbn® 100/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $19/mth off for first 6 months - $65.99/mth for first 6 months, then $84.99/mth $65.99/mth Min. cost $65.99 Go to Site	$65.99/mth Min. cost $65.99	Go to Site

Admittedly, a lot of the providers offering discounts may be service providers you’ve never heard of but that's no reason not to give them a shot. When it comes down to it, every NBN provider is ostensibly selling the same network, just a slightly different service. Some providers may have more support options, others faster download speeds but these days the difference between providers are minimal.

"But changing NBN providers is hard!"

Not really.

While changing internet providers used to be a whole ordeal, with the NBN it has actually become incredibly simple. If you're already connected to the NBN, switching NBN providers only takes four steps:

Find your new plan
Sign up to your new plan
Wait about an hour, in this time your new provider will switch your premises over with no, or minimal time offline
Call your previous provider to confirm that you are no longer connected.

That is as simple as it gets.

Things to look out for when changing NBN provider

If you’re looking to save money by making the switch twice a year, there are a few things you should keep an eye out for.

Hidden contractual agreements: Although almost every NBN provider offers plans on a no-contract basis these days, the bigger telcos tend to keep you on the hook in different ways. Both Telstra and Optus offer no-contract plans, but you will pay the prorated cost of your modem if you leave within your first 24 months or 36 months, respectively. So, while you can leave you’ll get stung with the cost of the modem when you do and they may not work with other providers either. To combat this, make sure you’re looking for BYO modem options.

Blatant contracts: Same deal as above, a few providers may offer discounted rates on a plan when you commit to a contract. Even if this contract is only six months you may want to take a look at other options, just in case it doesn’t live up to the hype early on.

Eligibility criteria: For most of these deals you’ll need to be a new customer with the telco, so unfortunately you won’t just be able to jump between Tangerine and SpinTel for eternity. In saying that, we have about 30 NBN providers in our database right now, if you get your timing right that is up to 15 years worth of discounted NBN.

For other options on saving money on your NBN plan, check out our picks for cheap NBN plans for every budget.