Competition for the right to sell you a SIM card can sometimes be a bit slow, and other times it can really heat up. Today, it’s white hot. Two of Australia’s largest mobile carriers – Optus and Vodafone – are both offering very similar deals with 15GB of included monthly data for only $50 per month. That’s a good deal however you slice it. In comparison, Telstra’s closet deal offers a paltry 7GB of data for an admittedly slightly lower $40.
Optus
So what are Optus offering? You are getting a $50 plan with unlimited national talk and texts, up to 500 minutes of select international calls, unlimited free music streaming from Google Play, iHeartRadio, Pandora and Spotify (at a capped bit rate) and the 15GB of monthly data. To qualify you can be either a new or contracting customer and you’ll have to sign up for 12 months. Data overages are costed at $10 per GB or part there of.
Vodafone
In Vodafone’s corner, they are offering a $50 plan with infinite (unlimited) national talk and texts and the 15GB of Data. If you’re a student you’ll get an additional 10% off, making $45 per months for 15GB of data. You’ll also receive unlimited data for your first month. For those who travel internationally Vodafone’s $5 Red roaming is also pretty good and well worth considering. To qualify, you have to be a new or existing customer (so, basically anyone) and sign up for 12 months. Data overages are costed at $10 per GB or part there of.
Both deals are excellent value, and depending on your specific circumstance, you may be more inclined to go one way or the other. It’s a shame that Telstra don’t seem interested in offering this sort of value. The value proposition between all 3 carriers has been fairly similar over the past few years, however, if Optus and Vodafone keep deals like this on offer without Telstra offering similar plans, the big T just won’t be in the running for those looking for the best value networks.
Let us know if you’d jump ship for one of these deals and why.
And Telstra’s offering? $50 for 5gb…..
$40 for 7GB if you sign up online
Still falling way short when compared to their main competitors though.
I don’t see the appeal of the $5 roaming. I go to the UK for month-long periods every 2 years and I fail to see why I should pay $5*30=$150 of roaming charges as opposed to just get a local sim with 50 quid on it and have that last me almost the whole trip. For shorter trips, I can see the convenience angle but, beyond a certain length, it just gets expensive. What am I missing?
Since you are roaming, work can continue to contact you on your mobile, even though you are on holiday….
I guess for short notice, very temp stuff, it might make sense. But generally picking up a THREE sim and a £20 all you can eat addon is going to work much better for most. But then again, there $50pm would get you unlimited everything and included roaming to a bunch of other countries.
Agreed, for short trips the $5 roaming is great, but longer trips a local SIM will always be cheaper, and normally faster. But that’s not apples to apples comparison. I’m headding OS soon and plan on getting a local sim as BYOD
Vodafone’s plans annoy me greatly in that at the same price point you now have to choose between included international calling (Red Global) or more data (Red Data, as included here), while Optus have shown that it is possible to have both. However, with a 4 week trip to the UK at the end of the year, the lure of a Vodafone SIM and the $5/day roaming is strong.