While the Telstra network has great coverage, grabbing a plan from Big T often means paying a premium. But you don't need to pay Telstra prices to get a mobile plan on the Telstra network – in some cases, you might halve your bill.
In this guide, we'll look at the best mobile plans from Telstra MVNOs, and give you the rundown on who they are and what they have to offer.
Plans from Telstra providers: $20 and under
|
#1
|
Boost Mobile
$13 Prepaid
$13
Per 7 Day Renewal
|
|
#2
|
ALDI mobile
$19 Mobile Plan
$19
Per 30 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
#3
|
Exetel
ExeSim Saver 4G Plan
$20
Per 30 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
How we chose these Telstra provider plans:
- Most popular for $20 and under per month (for at least six months after signing up)
- Unlimited talk and text
- Mobile plans on the Telstra network
- SIM-only plans: prepaid and postpaid
These plans are a super cheap option for a shopper who uses the Telstra network, but wants to save as much as possible on their monthly bill. They also work well as cheap plans for kids. That said, if you're trying to pick a phone plan for kids, you may also want to look into family mobile plans, including the family plans offered by Telstra.
Plans from Telstra providers: $30 and under
|
#1
|
Belong
25GB Mobile Plan
$30/mth
Min. cost $30
|
|
#2
|
Boost Mobile
$26 Prepaid
$26
Per 28 Day Renewal
|
|
#3
|
Tangerine Telecom
25GB 5G Mobile SIM
$29/mth
Min. cost $29
|
|
#4
|
Superloop
SuperSim Saver 4G Plan
$25
Per 30 Day Renewal
|
|
#5
|
ALDI mobile
$25 Mobile Plan
$25
Per 30 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
How we chose these Telstra provider plans:
- Most popular for $21 to $30 per month (for at least six months after signing up)
- Unlimited talk and text
- Mobile plans on the Telstra network
- SIM-only plans: prepaid and postpaid
These Telstra MVNO plans have plenty of data for browsing and scrolling while out and about. But it also might be useful to keep an eye out for plans offering data banking and data rollover to help build a buffer for high usage months. This would certainly be handy for those months when streaming Bluey on repeat is the only way you can get errands done.
Plans from Telstra providers: $40 and under
|
#1
|
Boost Mobile
$39 Prepaid
$39
Per 28 Day Renewal
|
|
#2
|
Tangerine Telecom
50GB 5G Mobile SIM
$40/mth
Min. cost $40
|
|
#3
|
Belong
40GB Mobile Plan
$35/mth
Min. cost $35
|
|
#4
|
More
25GB 5G Mobile SIM
$32/mth
Min. cost $32
|
|
#5
|
Superloop
SuperSim Essential 5G Plan
$35
Per 30 Day Renewal
|
How we chose these Telstra provider plans:
- Most popular for $31 to $40 per month (for at least six months after signing up)
- Unlimited talk and text
- Mobile plans on the Telstra network
- SIM-only plans: prepaid and postpaid
While certainly not stingy on the data, plans under $40 from Telstra providers might cut it close for heavy data users. Data usage from video streaming services can chew through more than 6GB per hour. If your music is streamed from the cloud, apps like Spotify have data usage that can use more than 140MB per hour, which can add up if you're a daily listener.
If you're not sure you have enough data on the plan you want, you can always look at your current internet data usage as a good marker for a minimum GB amount.
Plans from Telstra providers: $50 and under
|
#1
|
Belong
100GB Mobile Plan
$45/mth
Min. cost $45
|
|
#2
|
Boost Mobile
$49 Prepaid
$49
Per 28 Day Renewal
|
|
#3
|
More
50GB 5G Mobile SIM
$44/mth
Min. cost $44
|
|
#4
|
Tangerine Telecom
80GB 5G Mobile SIM
$46/mth
Min. cost $46
|
|
#5
|
Superloop
SuperSim Plus 5G Plan
$50
Per 30 Day Renewal
|
How we chose these Telstra provider plans:
- Most popular for $41 to $50 per month (for at least six months after signing up)
- Unlimited talk and text
- Plans on the Telstra network
- SIM-only plans: prepaid and postpaid
Most mobile plans on the Telstra network under $50 come with a lot to love. With frequent double-data deals, you're sure to find a plan that can do everything you need. Many Telstra MVNOs offer access to 5G mobile plans, keeping speeds up as you surf the web or catch up on your favourite TV show.
With so much data on offer, it's good to check if 4G or 5G speeds will better suit your needs.
Compare mobile plans from Telstra itself
|
#1
|
Telstra
$39 Pre-Paid Mobile
$39
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
#2
|
Telstra
$49 Pre-Paid Mobile
$49
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
#3
|
Telstra
$59 Pre-Paid Mobile
$59
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
#4
|
Telstra
$65 Basic Upfront SIM Plan
$65/mth
Min. cost $65
Link not supplied
|
|
#5
|
Telstra
$69 Pre-Paid Mobile
$69
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
#6
|
Telstra
$75 Essential Upfront SIM Plan
$75/mth
Min. cost $75
Link not supplied
|
|
#7
|
Telstra
$99 Premium Upfront SIM Plan
$99/mth
Min. cost $99
Link not supplied
|
|
#8
|
Telstra
$180 Pre-Paid Mobile SIM Starter Kit
$180
Per 6 Month Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
#9
|
Telstra
$350 Pre-Paid Mobile SIM Starter Kit
$350
Per 12 Month Renewal
Link not supplied
|
If you prefer to cut out the middleman and get your Telstra mobile coverage straight from the source, there are plenty of Telstra mobile plans to choose from. Starting at the cheaper end, Telstra offers prepaid options, followed by postpaid SIM-only plans. If you want a plan you can truly set and forget, you can pay for six months or a year upfront with Telstra's 365-day long expiry prepaid plans.
With full coverage on the Telstra network and access to Telstra 5G, purchasing your plan directly through Telstra can have its advantages.
Who uses the Telstra network?
If you're wondering who uses the Telstra network, there are 8 major Telstra MVNOs: ALDI Mobile, Belong, Boost Mobile, Everyday Mobile, Exetel, More, Superloop, and Tangerine Telecom. We've done a quick summary of each one's main stats below:
Mobile providers on the Telstra network
| Provider | Plan Types | 5G | Highlighted features |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALDI Mobile | Prepaid, PAYG | Yes, selected plans | Unlimited data rollover, some international calls, long-expiry plans, family plans. 100Mbps speed cap for 4G plans and 150Mbps speed cap for 5G plans (except its $59 5G mobile plan, which is capped at 250Mbps). |
| Belong | No Contract Plans | Yes | Unlimited data banking when you pay on time, data gifting, 150Mbps/250Mbps speed limits for 5G, no coverage charges for national data. |
| Boost Mobile | Prepaid | Yes, selected plans | Unlimited data rollover, long-expiry plans, international calls on standard and long-expiry plans, refurbished phones. Full Telstra network access. 150Mbps/250Mbps/uncapped 5G speeds. |
| Everyday Mobile | Prepaid and No Contract Plans | Yes, one plan | 500GB data banking, data gifting, long-expiry plans, 5G access on its most expensive plan, 100Mbps/150Mbps speed caps. |
| Exetel | Prepaid | Yes, selected plans | 500GB/1000GB data rollover, auto-recharge, 1GB/5GB data add-on, international calls on some plans, 100Mbps/250Mbps speed caps. |
| More | No Contract Plans | Yes, selected plans | 500GB/1000GB data banking, data gifting, eSIM option, travel packs available, 100Mbps/150Mbps/250Mbps speed caps. |
| Superloop | Prepaid | Yes, selected plans | 500GB/1000GB data rollover, international calls on all plans to 15 countries, bundle discounts with home internet, eSIM option, 100Mbps/250Mbps speed caps for 5G. |
| Tangerine Telecom | No Contract Plans | Yes, selected plans | 500GB/1000GB data rollover, unlimited international calls on most plans, data gifting, eSIM option, 100Mbps/150Mbps/250Mbps speed caps for 5G. |
These Telstra MVNOs represent some of the best value on the Australian market right now, especially if you're looking for a mobile plan on the Telstra network.
Most Telstra providers, like ALDI Mobile, Everyday Mobile and Belong, among others, offer services on the "Telstra Wholesale" network. The wholesale network has a slightly smaller footprint than the Telstra network proper, covering 98.8% of the Australian population, compared to 99.6%. 5G coverage on the Wholesale network is 75% of the population, versus 89% on the full network.
However, unless you live in a regional or remote area of Australia, you should still find you're covered by the Telstra Wholesale network – at least for 4G.
If you absolutely must have a mobile plan on the full Telstra network, your only alternative is Boost Mobile. Given Telstra's own subsidiary, Belong, doesn't warrant this special treatment, Boost is somewhat of a unicorn among Telstra providers.
As you can see, there are plenty of options if you're after mobile plans on the Telstra network. But who are these providers and what do they have to offer? Let's take a closer look at each of them below.
ALDI Mobile
ALDI Mobile offers prepaid plans with a range of data inclusions, from the small to the massive, as well as unlimited international calls to 20 selected countries (except on its 10GB plan).
If you're looking for Telstra network plans for the whole family, ALDI Mobile offers a family plan where you can connect up to six services. Or you can opt for a Pay As You Go mobile plan, though these are more of a niche product.
ALDI Mobile also offers some of the best data rollover deals in the business, with 30-day recharge plans offering rollover as long as you recharge within 24 hours of expiry to a plan of equal or higher value.
Belong
If you're looking for cheap mobile plans on the Telstra network, but still want the peace of mind that comes with being with a big provider, SIM-only plans from Belong could be a good bet. Not only does Belong use the Telstra network, it's actually owned by Telstra and operates over the Telstra Wholesale network.
Belong has a few perks you won't find on other Telstra-powered providers, for example its Data Banking is completely unlimited, which isn't standard among SIM-only plans. There's also data gifting, for sharing data with anyone also on a Belong plan.
All Belong plans are free from excess charges. If you go over your allowance, you'll be able to keep using your service at capped speeds of 1Mbps instead of needing to pay for extra data.
Belong plans have 5G connectivity, but are capped to speeds of 150Mbps – except for the most-expensive plan, which is capped at 250Mbps.
For more information, read our piece on how Belong and Telstra mobile plans compare.
Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile is the only Telstra MVNO that offers mobile plans on the full Telstra network.
Its competitively priced prepaid plans come with data rollover, except for its cheapest plan, but note your unused data will only roll over to the next expiry period. You can't bank it indefinitely.
Unfortunately, most Boost plans come with a 28-day expiry, which means you'll end up recharging 13 times per year, rather than 12. Boost does offer a plan on a short 7-day recharge, which could be a handy phone plan for travellers in Australia, and plans with a 12-month recharge for those who prefer a long expiry plan.
Boost's 28-day plans worth $39 or more also come with unlimited international calls to 20 selected destinations, as well as 300 minutes to an additional 30 selected destinations. Boost also offers additional minutes on its $300 12-month plan, but strangely enough not the $365 plan.
Boost also sells refurbished iPhones, Samsung Galaxy phones, and Pixel phones along with other tech like smartwatches, tablets, and soundbars.
Everyday Mobile
Like its promise for grocery shoppers, Everyday Mobile(from Woolworths) sells mobile plans on the Telstra network for less.
Everyday Mobile offers both postpaid SIM-only plans and prepaid plans. The postpaid SIM-only plans feature 5G, whereas all but the most-expensive 30-day prepaid plan are limited to 4G. There are also 6-month and 12-month options for prepaid plans.
While that 5G inclusion might make the postpaid plans sound more tempting, of its three postpaid plans, the two cheapest are capped at 100Mbps (the most-expensive is capped at 250Mbps). And the lone prepaid plan that has 5G is capped to 150Mbps. Given Everyday Mobile's 4G prepaid plans are also capped at 100Mbps, you might not notice a difference if the 4G in your area is up to snuff.
Being an Everyday Mobile SIM-only customer gives you 10% off your grocery shop once per month.
Data rollover for its SIM-only plans is 1,000GB. For its prepaid plans, it's just 500GB, and you sacrifice your banked data if you move between a 30-day or long-expiry plan, sign up to a cheaper plan of the same expiry length, or fail to recharge before your credit expiry.
Exetel
Exetel used to be Australia's largest independent internet provider, but was acquired by Superloop in 2021. While the telco is definitely more known for NBN connections, Exetel also offers prepaid mobile plans on the Telstra network.
The plans are fairly similar to other Telstra network providers, including:
- Up to 500GB or 1000GB of data banking, depending on the plan
- Unlimited international calls to 15 selected countries on all but its two cheapest plans
- 30-day recharges
- Automatically recharging, so you have one less thing to remember
It's important to note that Exetel's two most-expensive plans offer 5G, but the second-most expensive has the same 100Mbps speed cap as the cheaper 4G plans. Only the most-expensive plan will get you blistering 5G speeds of up to 250Mbps.
More
More plans come with low prices, no contract terms, download speeds up to 100Mbps and the ability to bank up to 500GB of data and 1000GB on its higher tier plans.
Plans over $25 per month also come with unlimited international calls to 15 selected countries. more also has additional discounts for Commbank customers on top of its standard deals.
Superloop
Superloop offers mobile plans on the Telstra network and, for the most part, they're not too different to the other Telstra MVNOs in this list.
You get either 500GB or 1000GB of data banking, depending on the plan, and unlimited international calls to 15 select countries across all of plans.
The plans are capped at 100Mbps download speed, except for the most-expensive, which is capped at 250Mbps. The two cheapest plans are limited to 4G, while the rest have Telstra Wholesale 5G access.
Where Superloop's mobile plans vary is the ability to bundle bundle your mobile and internet. If you've already got a Superloop NBN plan, adding a Superloop mobile plan to the same account will cut $5 per month from your monthly bill. You can save up to a maximum of $15 per month for a maximum of 5 additional bundled services.
Superloop's mobile plans are sold as 30-day prepaid recharges.
Tangerine Telecom
Tangerine Telecom has been making waves in the internet space with some of the most affordable NBN plans on the market today. But this upstart telco also sells mobile plans on the Telstra network.
Tangerine mobile plans are SIM-only and no-contract, which is standard for a Telstra (or any) MVNO.
And while many Australians love hating on their telcos, Tangerine is in the unusual position of being highly rated for customer service. A quick glance at the telco's Product Review page reveals 4.2 stars from more than 7,000 reviews – high praise for a mobile provider.
Pros and cons of Telstra MVNOs
Choosing a cheaper provider who uses the Telstra network is a great idea. In most cases, you’ll need to bring your own phone to a Telstra MVNO, but you should notice the savings right away.
Even so, it is worth noting the pros and cons of going with a Telstra reseller, or with Telstra itself:
MVNO pros & cons
- Cheaper than going with Telstra directly
- You have the option to bring your own phone, in most cases
- 5G is sometimes only available on more-expensive plans or with reduced speeds
- Most Telstra network providers also have access to slightly less coverage
Telstra pros & cons
- Telstra plans are free from excess data charges in Australia. Telstra has embraced the 'unlimited' mindset of simply slowing your data speeds to 1.5Mbps once you've reached your monthly allowance, instead of charging excess fees. It's not alone in this regard, as many other providers do the same, though with varied speed caps.
- Access to the Telstra Plus rewards program
- Only provider on the Telstra network, other than Woolworths, to sell new phones on plans. Telstra sells phones on 12, 24 and 36-month contracts, so you can pay it off gradually. These are couple with one of Telstra's SIM plans.
- Telstra has more coverage than most of its MVNOs. The Wholesale network has a slightly smaller footprint than the Telstra network proper, covering 98.8% of the Australian population with 4G, compared to 99.6%. The same goes for 5G, which is 75% on the Wholesale network versus 85% on the full Telstra network.
- Generally more costly than going with an MVNO.
Mobile plans on the Telstra network FAQs
What is the cheapest Telstra mobile plan?
At the time of writing, the cheapest mobile plan available from Telstra we recommend is the $39 Prepaid Mobile plan, which comes with a 28-day expiry, 40GB of included data with every recharge, and a bonus 25GB data with the first three recharges.
Here are Telstra prepaid plans currently on offer:
|
#1
|
Telstra
$39 Pre-Paid Mobile
$39
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
#2
|
Telstra
$49 Pre-Paid Mobile
$49
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
#3
|
Telstra
$59 Pre-Paid Mobile
$59
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
#4
|
Telstra
$69 Pre-Paid Mobile
$69
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
#5
|
Telstra
$180 Pre-Paid Mobile SIM Starter Kit
$180
Per 6 Month Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
#6
|
Telstra
$350 Pre-Paid Mobile SIM Starter Kit
$350
Per 12 Month Renewal
Link not supplied
|
If you want a postpaid Telstra mobile plan, the cheapest available is Telstra's $65 Basic Upfront Plan, which comes with 50GB of data. Here are Telstra prepaid plans currently on offer:
|
#1
|
Telstra
$65 Basic Upfront SIM Plan
$65/mth
Min. cost $65
Link not supplied
|
|
#2
|
Telstra
$75 Essential Upfront SIM Plan
$75/mth
Min. cost $75
Link not supplied
|
|
#3
|
Telstra
$99 Premium Upfront SIM Plan
$99/mth
Min. cost $99
Link not supplied
|
These are the cheapest mobile phone plans with at least 15GB of data, sourced from our database of 28 mobile providers:
|
#1
|
Moose Mobile
Editor's Pick
Moose 26.80 SIM Only
$12.40/mth
Min. cost $12.40
Link not supplied
|
|
#2
|
iiNet
25GB Small Plan
$12.50
Per 1 Month Renewal
|
|
#3
|
TPG
Editor's Pick
25GB Small Plan
$12.50
Per 1 Month Renewal
|
|
#4
|
SpinTel
$22 Mobile Plan
$14/mth
Min. cost $14
|
|
#5
|
iiNet
50GB Medium Plan
$17.50
Per 1 Month Renewal
|
|
#6
|
TPG
Editor's Pick
50GB Medium Plan
$17.50
Per 1 Month Renewal
|
|
#7
|
Southern Phone
Medium 5G SIM Plan
$19/mth
Min. cost $19
Link not supplied
|
|
#8
|
Catch Connect
28 Day Plan - 15GB
$20
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
#9
|
Lyca Mobile
Unlimited 20
$20
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
#10
|
Kogan Mobile
Editor's Pick
Small Monthly Plan
$20
Per 1 Month Renewal
|
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