With the rising cost of living, every dollar matters so it’s important that you know how to cut expenses to avoid spending more than necessary. In today’s day and age, a mobile plan is an unavoidable cost but luckily there are things you can do to keep costs down.
To help you, we have five suggestions on practical ways you can reduce the cost of your mobile plan, helping you stay connected while keeping your budget in tact.
1. Know your data requirements and choose a plan accordingly
When looking for a mobile plan, it’s important to know how much data you actually need so you don’t end up paying extra for something you won’t use. If you don’t know how to check your data usage, we have a guide that can help.
2. Don’t automatically go with one of the big 3 providers and look into plans from MNVO’s (smaller providers) instead
While it may seem tempting to opt for a plan from one of the big three – Telstra, Vodafone or Optus – you are much more likely to get a better value plan from an MNVO (a smaller provider who uses parts of the network of one of the big three providers). If you’re worried about getting good mobile coverage with a smaller provider, rest assured that unless you live very rurally, it’s highly likely that you will still get good coverage. There are also lots of added benefits of being with a smaller provider, including better inclusions (such as data banking, additional international minutes) and most importantly, generally lower costs.
3. For the ultimate in cost per-month value, consider getting a 365-day plan
If you want the cheapest plan possible that still comes with a decent amount of data, we recommend a 365-day plan. These plans run for an entire year and generally come with a large amount of data included that, depending on your usage, can work out cheaper than paying for a month-to-month contract. In our experience, 365-day plans that offer the equivalent of 20GB of data per month tend to be excellent value. We do appreciate that not everyone can afford to pay upfront for a year-long plan so this may not be an option for some people, but if you can, this is an easy way to get a cheaper plan. Bear in mind that you will also have to monitor your data usage to ensure you don’t run out before the end of the 365 days. If you’re interested, we have done the research for you to find the best 365-day plans on the market.
Compare other 365 day plans:
4. Sign up for a cheap plan that includes introductory bonus data and allows data banking and use that data to create yourself a safety net once the bonuses end
Often, providers will run introductory offers that give you bonus data for the first few months. If you can find a competitively priced plan with an introductory offer that also allows for data banking, you can save the bonus data from those first few months and store it to use as you need, all while paying for a cheap mobile plan.
5. Look into providers who allow you to bundle your mobile and internet plans so you can save overall
Some providers who offer both NBN and mobile plans, tend to offer discounts when you bundle these two services together. If you’re willing to consider switching your NBN plan, this can be a good way to save an ongoing amount. Providers who allow NBN and mobile plan bundling include Flip (save up to $10 per month on a Flip prepaid mobile plan when you bundle with a Flip NBN plan), Tangerine Telecom (save 10% on your SIM only mobile plan when you bundle with a Tangerine NBN plan) and Superloop (bundle a mobile plan with a Superloop NBN plan and save $5 per month).
Compare some of the most popular mobile plans on the market:
If you want to spend as little as possible on a mobile plan, check out our suggestions for best mobile plans under $20 per month.
