Feature: Best value SIM-only contracts
by edit@cnet.com.au (Joseph Hanlon)The CNET Australia team loves flashy new mobile phones, but when your old phone still has plenty of life left in it at the end of your two-year contract it would make better sense to commit to a shorter SIM-only contract.
(Credit: Sim-talk.com)
Ordinarily when your original contract period expires you continue paying the same amount month to month and receiving the same contract benefits. Ditching this old plan and signing a new SIM-only contract not only has the potential to save you money each month, but you could also end up with better monthly service inclusions in the plan, like higher call and messaging allocations or an increase in available data each month.
Like regular carrier contracts with new phones included, SIM-only contracts come in a range of tiered pricing options. Below we compare some of the best value offerings from each of the major carriers.
Although most eyes will seek out the bottom line first, the cheapest plan offering the most calls, it’s important to remember that this isn’t an apples for apples comparison. Keep an eye on the rate per minute column and examine included bonuses for features that would complement your usage patterns.
Approx. $30 per month
| Carrier | Cost | Contract | Calls | Rate (per min) | Flagfall | SMS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Mobile | $29 | None | $150 | 90c | 35c | 25c |
| Vodafone | $35 | 6 months | $350 | 80c | 35c | 28c |
| Optus | $19 | 12 months | $150 | 92c | 35c | 25c |
| Telstra | $30 | None | $30 | 88c | 27c | 25c |
Vodafone strikes us as the best value in the budget range, the cheaper plans seem too stingy on the included calls to be really enticing, and the excessive call rates will chew through those miserly included calls pretty quickly too.
Approx. $50 per month
| Carrier | Cost | Contract | Calls | Rate (per min) | Flagfall | SMS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Mobile | $49 | None | $350 | 80c | 35c | 25c |
| Vodafone | $55 | 6 months | $550 | 80c | 35c | 28c |
| Optus | $49 | 12 months | $500 | 80c | 35c | 25c |
| Telstra | $50 | None | $50 | 88c | 27c | 25c |
While Optus looks like a slightly better deal, the 12-month contract seems to defeat the purpose of a SIM-only contract. Vodafone’s six-month plan isn’t the perfect option either, but the trade-off seems fairest to us.
Approx. $100 per month
| Carrier | Cost | Contract | Calls | Rate (per min) | Flagfall | SMS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Mobile | $99 | None | $1000 | 70c | 35c | 25c |
| Vodafone | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Optus | $79 | 12 months | $900 | 78c | 35c | Unlimited |
| Telstra | $100 | None | $100 | 44c | 27c | 25c |
We give the big spenders medal to Optus regardless of the contract length, $79 for $900 and unlimited SMS messages is far and away the best deal in this price range.
You’ll notice that none of the standard SIM-only contracts feature data included, though all of the carriers offer bolt-on data bundles that will add to the monthly expense of a SIM-only contract.
Data bundles - prices per month
| Carrier | 25MB | 50MB | 150MB | 200MB | 250MB | 300MB | 500MB | 1GB | 3GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Mobile | $5 | $8 | $20 | $40 | ||||||
| Vodafone | $9.95 | |||||||||
| Optus | $4.99 | $9.99 | $14.99 | $19.99 | ||||||
| Telstra | $10 | $29 |
3 is by far the most generous with data, though this could have something to do with its 3G network only being available in metro areas. 3 also offers the chance to double the data allocations listed if you choose to lock into a 12-month contract. Telstra also offers 5MB for $5 per month, but seriously, who is going to pay for such a ludicrous amount of data?
iPhone owners get a far better deal than everybody else from Optus and Vodafone, and while we think this is outrageously unfair, they are still worth taking a look at.
SIM-only contracts for iPhone
| Carrier | Cost | Contract | Calls | Rate (per min) | Flagfall | SMS | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vodafone | $49 | 12 months | $300 | 80c | 35c | 25c | 300MB |
| Vodafone | $59 | 12 months | $350 | 80c | 35c | 25c | 500MB |
| Vodafone | $69 | 12 months | $400 | 80c | 35c | 25c | 1GB |
| Vodafone | $79 | 12 months | $550 | 80c | 35c | 25c | 1GB |
| Vodafone | $99 | 12 months | $1000 | 80c | 35c | 25c | 1GB |
| Optus | $19 | 12 months | $50 | 92c | 35c | 25c | 100MB |
| Optus | $49 | 12 months | $330 | 80c | 35c | 25c | 250MB |
| Optus | $59 | 12 months | $330 | 80c | 35c | Unlimited | 700MB |
| Optus | $79 | 12 months | $610 | 78c | 35c | Unlimited | 1GB |
We like the most expensive Optus option best, with 1GB of data and unlimited SMS messages tipping our favour. Let’s face it, if you’re going to buy one of the most expensive smartphones around you’re probably not opposed to an $80 per month contract.
All pricing is in Australian dollars.
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