October is one of the busiest months of the year for phone launches. Yes, many think the initial frenzy of the year at Mobile World Congress (or shortly thereafter) is where all the launches happen, but that’s just the major announcements. We see a few others throughout the year, but then come October, everyone releases something. Coming this month are the LG V40 ThinQ, the Pixel 3, the Huawei Mate 20, the OnePlus 6T, the Nokia 7.1, the Razer Phone 2, and a mysterious Samsung phone .. and that’s just the ones we know about so far.
While you’ll be able to get some of these new devices on a traditional 24-month contract, some of them will almost certainly only be available outright in Australia. And hey, buying outright can often be better value in the long run anyway, giving you flexibility to change carriers to take up a better offer, for example.
So, if you’re thinking about buying a new phone, you might want to think about a new plan to go with it. If you’re in the market, here are some of our favourite SIM-only deals on the market right now.
Plans with at least 20GB
There’s plenty of great options here. A Dodo promotion means you can get 20GB for $30 per month on the Optus network, and you’ll also get your first six months half price. If that’s not enough data, $35 per month will get you 30GB on Optus and Vodafone. The Optus offer includes an Optus Sport subscription and data-free streaming on select music services, while Vodafone gets you $5 per day roaming.
Plans with at least 10GB
Don’t need quite as much data? You might want to consider TPG who will do 10GB for $15 per month for your first six recharges. You’ll be billed $29.99 per month after your discount runs out, but since it’s a no contract plan, you can leave at any time. Catch Connect is another great option: right now, you can get a 90-day recharge with 45GB for just $15, which is a pretty big discount from its regular $89 price. Since Catch Connect is prepaid, you can always leave after your 90 days, or change to a smaller recharge.
Plans with at least 1GB
And if all you need is a small plan, there’s plenty of good options too. About $10 for 1GB is the standard, but there’s a few plans that are better value. Jeenee Mobile will do 1.2GB for $8.91 per month on a 12-month contract (with a $12.38 setup fee), or SpinTel will do 1.5GB for $9.95 per month with no contract and no setup fees.
