Slowly but surely, Telstra is shedding its premium pricing position. There’s still a long way to go before you’d consider Telstra plans cheap, but there are a few standout options that are certainly good value, like its Mx online only plan, and a number of its prepaid options.
Thankfully there’s also the Telstra network MVNOs to fill the gap: Telechoice, Pennytel, Woolworth’s Mobile, and a few others.
Also of note is Boost Mobile, which changed its plans this week and now has a few killer deals to take a look at. Especially if you’re looking for a prepaid plan with a lot of data. Boost used to structure its plans with a confusing ‘weekend data’ component, but now has all included for use at all time.
Note: Our interactive tables may take a few seconds to generate. Thanks for your patience!
A little known fact about Boost Mobile is that it’s not technically a Telstra MVNO, like the others listed above, but is instead a Telstra retail partner. The key benefit is that Boost Mobile has access to all Telstra 3G and 4G network towers, so you can get a signal in a few of the regional areas that the other MVNOs miss out on. This isn’t to be confused with Telstra 4GX network speeds though, which only Telstra customers access.
All of the plans above are prepaid, so you will need to manually top up each month, or setup an auto recharge option in your account settings.
The data in these Boost plans rolls over at the end of each month (so long as you recharge before the expiry date), which is great for some of the higher data plans. Belong is another Telstra network provider with a data rollover feature, but it is even better, where all rollover data is banked and you can access it any anytime, rather than just in the following month.
There are a few clear standouts in the table above. The Belong plan is a great price for 5GB data, with data rollover, and if you make calls overseas you can add on a $5 international calling pack for unlimited calls and SMS to 36 countries.
Woolworth’s is also a good deal, especially when you factor in a further 10% discount if you have a Woolworth’s Rewards membership.
For comparison, here are a bunch of the Telstra plans closest in price and inclusions:
As I mentioned above, Telstra plan prices are slowly sliding south, and the Mx Plan is clearly one of the best value options from Telstra. But, like it is with a number of the telcos, the best plans are paired with a 12-month contract.
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.