Best prepaid mobile plan in Australia for May 2024

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A prepaid mobile plan can help you stay on top of your spending and these are the best you can currently get.

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The best prepaid mobile plans offer far greater flexibility over your mobile phone usage compared to postpaid plans, and are a great option for those who don’t want to be locked into a contract. 

The main difference between prepaid and postpaid plans, is not only when you pay for your service (before you use vs. after each month ends) but the fact you can easily change your inclusions on a monthly basis. 

And, similar to postpaid mobile plans, prices for prepaid mobile plans vary from super affordable through to those that are more expensive. But, the higher cost usually means you get more inclusions. 

Unlimited minutes and texts are practically a standard with any prepaid plan. The main differentiator is the amount of included data. If you know you’re going to need more data in a particular month, you can elect to pay more to get it. Subsequently, if you’re not going to use your mobile service as much, you can pay less. 

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) found users of prepaid mobile plans chewed through an average of 7.5GB of data per month (data correct as of June 2023) so we’ve used this as our benchmark figure when searching for the best prepaid mobile plans in Australia.

Best prepaid mobile plans in Australia

Felix Mobile | 50GB data | One month expiry | AU$15p/m FELIX50

Felix Mobile | 50GB data | One month expiry | AU$15p/m (for 3 months, then AU$30p/m) with code FELIX50

Best value prepaid mobile SIM plan

Felix Mobile, Australia's first telco to be powered by 100% renewable energy and which plants a tree for every month each user remains connected, is currently offering 50% off its prepaid mobile plans for three months. 

This means you can pick-up this 50GB data plan, complete with unlimited minutes, texts and even data banking, for just AU$15 a month for the first 3 months, before reverting to its usual price of AU$30p/m. 

Felix uses the Vodafone 4G mobile network and you are free to change your plan or cancel at any time with no hidden fees. Felix prepaid mobile plans also operate on a calendar month basis, i.e. not the common 28-day expiry employed by some other providers. This means you only need to recharge 12 times a year (assuming you don't use all your data and need to top-up again).

To get the 3 month discount, just enter code FELIX50 at checkout. You also have the option of choosing a physical SIM or a more environmentally-friendly eSIM, if your phone supports them.

Total first year cost: AU$315

TPG | 12GB data | 30-day expiry | AU$10/month

TPG | 12GB data | 30-day expiry | AU$10/month (for 6 months, then AU$20/month renewal)

Best prepaid mobile plan for low data users

TPG uses the Vodafone network and currently has a whole host of great prepaid phone plan deals. If you know you don't need much data then this 12GB/month plan should be ideal. It's still above the 7GB monthly average, but will set you back just $10 each month for the first six months for the first 6 months. 

Total first year cost: $180

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Superloop | 150GB data | 30-day expiry | AU$60p/m

Superloop | 150GB data | 30-day expiry | AU$60p/m

Best 5G prepaid mobile plan

Finding the best 5G prepaid mobile plan isn't an easy task, but for our money, we think this option from Superloop is one of the standouts. 

For starters, you get 150GB total data and access to the Telstra 5G network. But, crucially, download speeds are capped at a rather respectable 250Mbps. 

When we've come across other 5G prepaid SIM plans, download speeds are capped at either 100Mbps or 150Mbps. Even Telstra itself caps speeds at 150Mbps. When you consider 4G prepaid mobile plans are also capped at 100Mbps, you have to wonder why you'd bother getting a 5G plan, when you won't be able to take advantage of the extra speeds it can offer. 

We also like this Superloop plan because it runs on a 30-day expiry basis as opposed to 28, and the next best option (in our opinion) from Amaysim gives you 120GB data, capped at 150Mbps, for AU$50p/m. For an extra AU$10p/m, you get an extra 30GB data and faster speeds with Superloop. 

Oh, and Superloop also throws in unlimited international calls and texts to 15 countries...although admittedly, Amaysim gifts you unlimited international calls to 42 countries.

It's not the most affordable plan out there we admit, but if you want to go down the prepaid route and have 5G, we think this is the best option. 

Total first year cost: AU$720

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Is a prepaid mobile plan right for me?

Reasons to get one...

  • No lock-in contract
  • Greater control over how much you pay
  • Usually more affordable then postpaid plans

Reasons to not get one...

  • Have to recharge if you exceed allowance before the 30-day expiry
  • Usually offers less data compared to postpaid plans
  • 5G speeds are usually capped

Prepaid mobile plans are a good option for people who want to be more in control of their spending. Because you pay for your usage, before you use it, you generally have the freedom to choose how much money you want to spend on your mobile plan for the upcoming month, as well as deciding if you even want to pay for a mobile service at all. 

This is where prepaid plans differ from postpaid plans. With postpaid, you pay at the end of each billing cycle. If you happen to go over your plan inclusions within the billing period, you’ll need to pay for anything extra. With prepaid, if you go over your allowance, your mobile service stops, and you have the freedom to choose whether you want to recharge at that time or not. 

Max Langridge