The best phone plans on the Telstra network

Like “delicious” and “toenails”, the words “cheap” and “Telstra” aren’t often seen next to each other in sentences, but there’s still plenty of ways to get Telstra coverage without breaking the bank.

Telstra-powered MVNOs – and Telstra itself, to be fair – have been on a roll lately with a whole spate of good value SIM-only offers. So if you need or prefer Telstra network access, there’s plenty of plans around that won’t make you feel like you’re paying too much for the privilege of being with Big T.

Plans with 25GB of data or more

In terms of data for dollar, the best value SIM-only plan on the Telstra network currently comes from Telstra, oddly enough. The telco is currently running an online-only offer that gets you 25GB for $49 per month. There’s a couple of catches, however: the deal is only available to new customers, you can only get support and customer service online, and you don’t get any international inclusions. As with most Telstra mobile customers, you’ll get data-free access to Apple Music and live passes for AFL, AFLW, NRL, and Netball.

Woolworths Mobile has a deal that almost matches Telstra’s: 25GB for $50 per month. While you don’t get data-free Apple Music or sport access, you get unlimited international SMS included as part of the plan. And better yet, you can sign up if you’re an existing Telstra customer.

Both will require you to sign a 12-month contract.

Plans with 15GB of more

If you don’t need quite as much data, there’s plenty of awesome Telstra network deals around the $40 per month mark with at least 15GB of data. TeleChoice is the clear standout, offering 18GB per month rather than the more standardised 15GB.

If you don’t want to sign a year-long contract, Lycamobile, Boost, and Belong are all good options.

Lycamobile gets you unlimited international calls to 15 selected countries, while Boost includes 100 minutes of international talk and data-free Apple Music. Both Lycamobile and Boost’s plans are 28-day prepaid recharges, so it’s worth noting that you’ll need to top up 13 times per year.

Belong will do 15GB for $45 per month on a no-contract postpaid basis, and also has data rollover and data gifting.

Plans with at least 5GB

If you think you can get by with around 5GB, $30 per month is pretty much the standard across every Telstra MVNO. The main exception is TeleChoice, who’ll do 5GB for $25 per month on a 12-month contract.

Is there a catch?
All Telstra-powered MVNOs now have 4G connectivity, but Telstra keeps the 4GX portion of its network to itself. This means Telstra MVNO customers don’t have access to the fastest speeds possible on Telstra’s network, but this doesn’t make too much of a different in terms of day-to-day usage or coverage.