Mate is an Australian-owned telecommunication company that was founded by twin brothers in 2016. The company was built on the promise to be a telco that "Aussies can trust" and it now offers a wide range of mobile and internet plans to thousands of customers all over the country.
There are multiple perks that come with signing up for a Mate mobile plan. For starters, five out of its eight offerings provide access to 5G and all plans run on Telstra’s wholesale network which, while not technically full access, still covers 98.8% of the population.
Mate also allows customers to save unused data and add up to 1,000GB of data to their data bank – five allow up to 500GB to be banked, while three others (Brilliant Mates, Elite Mates and Soul Mates) allow for up to 1000GB.
If you’re in the market for both a new mobile and internet plan and you want to save, it’s worth noting that Mate allows customers to bundle a mobile and internet plan and save $10 per month on the total bill.
In addition, sports fans can currently get a free included subscription to beIN Sports when they sign up for a Mate mobile plan with code ‘BEIN’. A beIN Sports plan usually costs $14.99 per month and subscribers get access to multiple international live and on-demand sports such as the English Football League, Scottish Professional Football League, NBA, and a variety of motorsports.
Mate mobile plans comparison
Network: | Telstra wholesale network |
5G: | Yes (on 5/7 plans) |
Plan types: | Postpaid (monthly) |
Cheapest plan: | $25 for 15GB (Good Mates Plan) |
eSIM support: | Yes |
Data banking: | Yes, up to 1000GB |
In terms of mobile plans, Mate offers eight postpaid options, starting from $25 per month. Two of these – Top Mates and Elite Mates – are exclusive offers that you can see below.
Here are the details and general pricing for Mate’s regular mobile plans.
- Good Mates - 15GB for $25 per month
- Better Mates - 25GB for $30 per month
- Great Mates - 32GB for $35 per month
- Best Mates - 50GB for $40 per month
- Brilliant Mates - 65GB for $45 per month
- Soul Mates - 150GB for $55 per month
What is Mate’s mobile coverage?
Mate’s mobile plans run on the Telstra wholesale network. This means that it uses parts of Telstra’s full, main network and claims to cover 98.8% of the population. So, no matter where you are located, you should get coverage with a Mate mobile plan. To find out if your area is covered, you can check Mate’s coverage map.
Are Mate’s mobile plans good value?
Mate’s mobile plans are generally pretty good value, especially its big data plans because the price you pay per GB ends up being very competitive when compared with similar plans from other providers.
As mentioned above, Mate also has two exclusive plan offerings (Top Mates and Elite Mates). These plans are special offerings that are the same price as other plans from Mate but they offer more data (for example, the Better Mates plan is $30 for 25GB while the exclusive Top Mates plan is $30 for 30GB), so you’re much better off opting for one of the exclusive plans linked above if you know you’ll need the extra data.
Out of the eight plans offered by Mate, we have chosen some that we recommend, and others that we suggest you steer clear of if you are looking for the best-value phone plan.
Recommended plans:
• Best Mates | $40 | 1 month | 50GB
If you need a decent amount of data, this plan offers good value per GB as you are only paying $0.80 per GB. This plan also provides 5G access (speeds are capped at 150Mbps) and allows you to bank up to 500GB of unused data.
• Elite Mates | $45 | 1 month | 100GB
This is an exclusive plan available to our readers. Only costing $45 for 100GB – that's just $0.45 per GB – which is good value based on comparisons with other telcos we monitor. While $45 per month could be deemed expensive for a monthly SIM plan, when you consider the amount of data included, it’s actually quite affordable.
Plans to avoid:
• Good Mates | $25 | 1 month | 15GB
This plan isn’t bad value but you are paying over $1.60 per GB based on 15GB per month included. We’d recommend spending an extra $5 per month and opting for the Top Mates plan which gives you an extra 15GB per month.
• Brilliant Mates | $45 | 1 month | 65GB
Again, this plan isn’t bad value but we would recommend opting for the Elite Mates plan mentioned above as it costs the same each month but comes with a generous 100GB per month.
What is Mate's best mobile plan?
Everyone has different needs when it comes to mobile plans, so it’s hard to choose a ‘best’ plan. So, in order to pick one Mate plan to recommend above all the others, we have assessed all of the providers’ plans and chosen one that we believe offers the best value and would suit the most people’s needs.
With this in mind, we have to recommend one of Mate’s exclusive plans, the Elite Mates plan. As mentioned above, this offer is only available to our readers and not openly advertised on the site. It costs $45 per month for 100GB of data, which equates to a very competitive $0.45 per GB. It also provides access to parts of Telstra’s 5G network and allows for data banking of up to 1000GB. While $45 per month may be on the more expensive side, if you need a lot of data, it represents great value. Based on the telcos we monitor, we haven’t come across many other providers offering 100GB of data for less. In addition, new customers also get a free beIN Sports subscription which usually costs $14.99 per month.
Should I sign up with Mate?
Here’s a breakdown of the reasons we think someone would benefit from a Mate mobile plan, and reasons why someone would probably be better off looking elsewhere.
Reasons to sign up
You want to be able to rollover unused data: Not all providers allow customers to rollover unused data. Not only does Mate allow this, but it allows customers to rollover up to 1000GB (depending on the plan you choose), so you don’t have to worry about wasting data that you don’t use
You want to bundle multiple services: Mate allows customers to bundle a mobile plan and an NBN plan and save $10 per month ongoing. So, if you are willing to switch to a Mate NBN plan, you can save.
You want a free subscription to beIN Sports: Mate is offering a free subscription to beIN Sports (usually costing $14.99 per month) to all new customers who sign up for a mobile plan. While this may not seem like enough reason to sign up for a mobile plan, it is a great additional perk, especially if you are a sports lover. While the selection of included sports might not quite rival some of the heavy-hitter providers in Australia, you may discover something new!
Reasons not to sign up
You want to bundle a device with a mobile plan: Mate only offers SIM-only mobile plans. If you’re hoping to get a mobile SIM plan and a new phone, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
You want a prepaid plan: All of Mate’s mobile plans are postpaid, no lock-in contract plans. If you’d prefer greater control over your mobile plan, a prepaid may be a better option as you’ll only pay for what you know you’re going to use. You can check out our prepaid vs postpaid plan comparison guide to help you decide which option is best for you.
Mate mobile plan FAQs
Where can I get support from Mate?
If you need support from Mate, you can call 13 14 13 or there is an open chat function that can be found on the website. You can also send an email to support@letsbemates.com.au.
How can I check Mate’s service coverage in my area?
You can check if your area is covered by Mate via its coverage map.
What is Mate’s cancellation policy?
All of Mate’s mobile plans are no lock-in contract, postpaid plans, which means that you can choose to cancel or switch plans at any time without having to worry about any cancellation fees.
