Ladies and gentlemen, if you haven’t already, it is time to join the revolution. Recent findings from research group Telsyte revealed that over half of Australian phone owners have ditched phone plan contracts and now use BYO phone plans.
Not that we need to tell a tech savvy bunch like you. You’re probably all using grey import, dual-SIM Xiaomi smartphones and have long known the virtues of SIM Only phone plans.
But when was the last time you had a chance to check out the market and hunt around for a bargain? After all, what is the point of having the freedom of a no contract plan if you never keep your eyes open for something better. Six months? A year? Trust me, a lot has changed since then.
Best for lots and lots of data
You’ll noticed that the really big data plans offer 3G speeds only, but there are a growing number of 4G plans appearing with huge data allowances.
And don’t forget that Telstra, Optus and Vodafone all offer data sharing capabilities, so you don’t need to use all of the data in these plans in a single smartphone. You can spread it out across your family, or the multiple devices you own.
The flat-out cheapest plans
If you don’t use your phone all that much, or if you’re super diligent about only using data when you’re connected to WiFi, you can save serious money these days.
Keep an eye on the contract terms. Most of the plans are no contract (or prepaid) but a few of the best deals are offered only on 12 month contracts.
Plans with Data Rollover
If you firmly believe that you should be able to use every megabyte that you pay for, then a plan with data rollover is the solution. Currently there are only a few providers that rollover unused data, but it is something that we hopes catches on, especially with the data allowances increases at such a rapid pace.
Telstra and Belong have especially good offers. While the others rollover data for use in the next month, Telstra and Belong customers ‘bank’ all unused data each month and create a giant data stash for that rainy day in the future when you really, really need to watch Bojack Horseman but you won’t see a WiFi network for hours.
Plans with International Calls
If you regularly call overseas, you have loads of options to choose from these days, but some plans are clearly better than others. Some include unlimited calls and SMS to certain countries, others have limits on calls or may not let you send texts, so you need to read the fine print.
Also, be careful to check which countries are included. Typically the plans include calls to the US and UK, New Zealand, China and India, but the other included countries will vary.
Joe Hanlon is Publisher at WhistleOut, Australia’s phone and internet comparison website. He’s been writing about phones and plans for far too long.