Slash your phone bills immediately: Discover which phone plan works for bigger savings!

As we welcome the new year, it's the ideal time to reassess our habits and expenses. What better place to start than with our phone bills?

For many of us, January is a month of reflection and planning, and a slight adjustment to your mobile plan could lead to significant savings.

In fact, you could pocket up to $492 over the course of the year just by finding the right-sized phone plan.


The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) reported that the average monthly data usage during the 2023-2024 financial year was approximately 14.2GB per person, encompassing both postpaid and prepaid phone plans.

Despite this, if you're with one of the major telcos and on a postpaid plan, you're unlikely to find an offering with less than 50GB of data.

This is an apparent mismatch between what consumers use and what is being sold.


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January is ideal for monthly expenses, like mobile phone bills, to be reviewed and reduced for significant savings. Credit: IkonStudio / iStock


Let's take a closer look at the cheapest postpaid plans from the Big Three telcos, for example.

Even their monthly prepaid plans come nearly double the average monthly data usage.

This suggested that many customers pay for data they don't need or use.


However, there's a silver lining. By switching to a smaller brand, you can enjoy virtually the same coverage at a much lower cost, and you'll likely still have more data than you'll ever use.

For instance, you can find affordable mobile plans on the Vodafone network with at least 14GB of data per month.

The most cost-effective plans are from iiNet and TPG, offering $12.50 per month for the first six months, then $25 per month ongoing for 25GB of data.

Over a year, that's a mere $225. If you're currently on Vodafone's $35 prepaid plan, switching to iiNet or TPG could save you $195 annually or a substantial $363 coming from Vodafone's $49 postpaid plan.

Similarly, on the Optus network, SpinTel offers a competitive plan at $14 per month for the first six months, then $22 per month ongoing for 25GB of data.


This equates to a yearly saving of $216. Switching from Optus' $35 prepaid plan to SpinTel saves you $204, or an impressive $408 if you're moving from Optus' $52 postpaid plan.

The savings can be just as significant for those on the Telstra network.

While only Boost provides full Telstra coverage, other providers cover 98.8 per cent of Australians.

Exetel offers a plan at $24 per month for 20GB, totalling $288 per year.

By switching from Telstra's $39 prepaid plan to Exetel, you save $180, or a whopping $492 if you switch from Telstra's $65 Upfront plan.


It's clear that by researching and considering your data needs, you can find a phone plan that fits your usage and budget.

The start of the year is the perfect time to make this change and enjoy the savings throughout the year.

Evaluate your current phone plan, consider how much data you use, and look for a plan that aligns with your needs.

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Key Takeaways

  • January is an ideal time to review and potentially reduce monthly expenses, such as mobile phone bills, which can lead to significant savings.
  • Switching from a larger telecommunication company to a smaller brand can save up to $492 a year due to more appropriately sized data plans.
  • Many Australians are on phone plans that provide significantly more monthly data than the average usage of 14.2GB, which suggests potential for cost-saving by switching to plans with less but adequate data.
  • Cheaper mobile plans on all three major networks (Vodafone, Optus, and Telstra) can provide the same coverage with more than enough data at a lower cost.
Have you recently switched phone plans and saved money? What are your tips for finding the best deals? Share your experiences in the comments below.
 
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There is another telco, which is a very good price, Pennytel it works off the telstra network. Plan start just over $20 and are good value. I have been with them for 6 years and have had no problems
 
There is another telco, which is a very good price, Pennytel it works off the telstra network. Plan start just over $20 and are good value. I have been with them for 6 years and have had no problems
Totally agree. If you don’t want much data Pennytel is definitely the go. I just wish there was some better data deals for the home.
 
I am with telechoice which works off the Telstra network. It is $19 a month unlimited calls and texts and sms and 8GB of data monthly I have been with them for about 8 years and have no problems with them at all.
 
I am with telechoice which works off the Telstra network. It is $19 a month unlimited calls and texts and sms and 8GB of data monthly I have been with them for about 8 years and have no problems with them at all.
Wow that’s even better than Pennytel. Haven’t heard of them.
 
I'm with a company called Circles Life. Uses Optus network.

Unlimited calls and text. 6gb data a month. $15 a month.
Don't always take advantage of it as I always look for free wifi when I'm out.
 
So the average mobile user consumes 14.2 Gb per month! o_O

How many hours does this equate to? The same people who are glued to their mobile phones are the ones who are always in a rush and claim they are "time poor".

Life Priority One - check out the latest TikTok or You Tube sensation by mobile phone.
Life Priority Two - everything else.
 
I've tried most budget telcos but had to resort back to Telstra , where I live they were the only ones with good coverage in my rural area. No complaints have good deal , but I think when these budget plans come up they don't think about remote areas where they don't have coverage
 
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Might work ok for those in the city, but no good for us country/rural folk, prob wont even get service from any provider except Telstra (see Noel Whittakers awards re phone providers selling phone plans to customers who are unable to get any phone signal

I wouldn't trust the advice here without lots of research!
 
I've tried most budget telcos but had to resort back to Telstra , where I live they were the only ones with good coverage in my rural area. No complaints have good deal , but I think when these budget plans come up they don't think about remote areas where they don't have coverage
Spot on!
 

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