Optus doesn't offer special discounts on mobile plans for seniors or pensioners anymore, but that doesn't mean you can't get a cheap plan with Optus network coverage. In fact, you can probably pick something up for cheaper than if senior or pensioner discounts were available. The trick is to get a plan from an Optus network reseller, also called an MVNO.
These smaller telcos still operate on the Optus network, but usually have plans that are much cheaper than those from Optus itself.
Optus vs. Optus MVNOs
A Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) is a smaller telco that buys access to one of the three national mobile networks, respectively run by Optus, Telstra, and Vodafone. These providers tend to pick plan type and stick to it, e.g. prepaid or postpaid SIM-only. But a few offer both.
MVNOs can offer mobile plans at much cheaper rates because they avoid expensive overheads such as big advertising budgets, large staff counts, extra plan perks, and brick-and-mortar stores.
Optus MVNOs get full run of the Optus network, which includes the coverage benefits of the Optus-Vodafone network sharing agreement. The main difference you might notice is many MVNOs restrict their cheapest plans to 4G, whereas all Optus' own plans are 5G.
MVNOs also place speed limits on their plans, depending on how pricey they are. But these speed caps are always above 100Mbps, with 5G offerings usually being capped at either 150Mbps or 250Mbps. Speeds like this are faster than many household NBN plans, so don't be too concerned.
Another key difference arises if you want a new phone with your plan. Optus sells phones on repayment plans, which you must then pair with an Optus mobile plan. But MVNOs don't do this. They sell postpaid SIM-only plans or prepaid plans, for which you need to BYO phone.
Even so, buying your phone outright and signing up to a cheap mobile plan from a smaller provider is usually a better way to save money in the longer term, barring any special deals from Optus.
Optus network plans: $30 and under
In lieu of dedicated mobile plans for seniors or pensioners, you can still save money by simply signing up to a cheaper provider than Optus. But first you should have a think about the type of plan you'd like. For example, do you want a prepaid or postpaid plan?
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SpinTel
Editor's Pick
$23 Mobile Plan
$12.00/mth
Min. cost $12
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Yomojo
Starter 29GB Plan
$24.90
Per 30 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
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Dodo
Small Mobile Plan
$25.00/mth
Min. cost $25
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OnePass mobile
Editor's Pick
28 Day Plan - 22GB
$12.50
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
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Coles Mobile
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$25.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
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Yomojo
Starter 29GB Plan
$24.90
Per 30 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
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OnePass mobile
Editor's Pick
28 Day Plan - 22GB
$12.50
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
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Coles Mobile
Prepaid $25 for 28 Days
$25.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
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SpinTel
Editor's Pick
$23 Mobile Plan
$12.00/mth
Min. cost $12
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Dodo
Small Mobile Plan
$25.00/mth
Min. cost $25
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Prepaid plans
Prepaid plans charge you at the beginning of a billing cycle and grant you a set amount of data for use within that period. The most common period length is "monthly", which can be 28-days, 30-days, or recurring on the same numbered date of each month. You can also elect to recharge manually or automatically.
If you go over your data limit, your mobile internet access gets cut off. At this point, you can recharge again (pay a new full bill) or, if your provider offers them, purchase a data add-on pack to get you to the next recharge. But you won't be completely cut off from contact because modern prepaid plans have unlimited standard national calls and texts, which you keep access to for your whole recharge period, even if you go over your data limit.
There's a general idea out there that prepaid plans are cheaper than postpaid plans. While this is generally when comparing the SIM-only and prepaid plans of an individual telco like Optus, it's not necessarily the case when you look at the whole mobile industry.
SIM-only plans
Almost all plans labelled as "SIM-only" are postpaid plans, which charge you at the end of each billing cycle. You can think of them as a monthly subscription service – if you miss a payment or two in a row, you keep full access to your plan but might have to pay an overdue fee.
To muddy the waters, some SIM-only plans charge you at the start of each billing cycle, but are otherwise the same. These generally labelled along the lines of "upfront" plans, but are also pretty uncommon.
If you go over your data limit on a SIM-only plan, you don't get cut off. Usually, you're automatically charged an overage fee based on how much you went over by. Like prepaid, modern SIM-only plans also have unlimited standard national calls and texts.
Optus mobile plans
Whether you're after a prepaid or SIM-only option, Optus' plans are generally more expensive than those from smaller providers. Not only can this big-name telco charge more thanks to being well-known, its smallest plans have far more data than the average user in Austrlia goes through in a month – roughly double, in fact. This means you could end up paying a premium for data you'll never need or use.
But Optus' plans also come with some extra bells and whistles you won't find from many MVNOs, so we'll go over those below. First, here's a quick look at Optus' mobile plans:
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Optus
Optus Prepaid $40 SIM (AutoRecharge only)
$13.00
Starter Pack
28 Day Expiry
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Optus
Optus Prepaid $50 SIM (AutoRecharge only)
$17.00
Starter Pack
28 Day Expiry
|
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Optus
Optus Prepaid $40 SIM (AutoRecharge only)
$40.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
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Optus
Optus Prepaid $44 SIM
$44.00
Starter Pack
28 Day Expiry
|
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Optus
Optus Prepaid $44 SIM
$44.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
|
|
Optus
Optus Prepaid $50 SIM (AutoRecharge only)
$50.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
|
|
Optus
Optus Prepaid $54 SIM
$54.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
|
|
Optus
Optus Prepaid $54 SIM
$54.00
Starter Pack
28 Day Expiry
|
|
Optus
Optus Prepaid $64 SIM
$64.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
|
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Optus
Optus Prepaid $64 SIM
$64.00
Starter Pack
28 Day Expiry
|
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Optus
Optus Prepaid $40 SIM (AutoRecharge only)
$40.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
|
|
Optus
Optus Prepaid $44 SIM
$44.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
|
|
Optus
Optus Prepaid $50 SIM (AutoRecharge only)
$50.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
|
|
Optus
Optus Prepaid $54 SIM
$54.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
|
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Optus
Optus Prepaid $64 SIM
$64.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
|
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Optus
$60 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$39.00/mth
Min. cost $39
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Optus
$69 Optus Promo Plan
$69.00/mth
Min. cost $69
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Optus
$70 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$70.00/mth
Min. cost $70
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Optus
$90 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$90.00/mth
Min. cost $90
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Optus prepaid
Optus' Flex Plus prepaid plans range from 28 days right up to 365 days for those who prefer to set and forget a long-expiry plan. Optus' prepaid plans offer plenty of price and data options on a contract-free basis, so if you find you're paying for too much data, simply scale back to a lower-priced plan that works for you.
Unlike its MVNOs, Optus' 28-day prepaid plans don't have speed caps for either 4G or 5G internet. But the telco's long-expiry and short-expiry plans are limited to 250Mbps 5G – still plenty fast, but common with smaller providers.
The first three recharges get you bonus data (except for the short-expiry option). The amount depends on the plan, but in general the standard ongoing data allowances are a bit over half the starting amount.
Aside from its short-expiry plan, all Optus' prepaid plans come with inclusions for international talk and text, with pre-selected countries separated into two zones. For 28-day plans, Zone 1 inclusions range between 400 minutes and unlimited, while Zone 2 inclusions are between 100 and 400 minutes. And you also get standard 50 SMS to any country, regardless of zone.
All plans also include up to 200GB of data rollover if you maintain an active auto recharge.
Optus postpaid
Optus' postpaid mobile plans are more expensive than its prepaid options, but you do get extra benefits.
First and foremost, you can sign up to a phone repayment plan, which is paired with a standard postpaid mobile plan. The phone repayments have fixed terms of 12, 24, or 36 months.
Barring special deals, you don't actually spend less on the phone with this type of plan. You do get to pay it off over a longer period, but you're also stuck on an Optus postpaid mobile plan for the duration, the smallest of which has about double the average national data usage and is more expensive than many comparable plans from MVNOs.
If you decide to BYO phone, you get the same range of postpaid plans to choose from, albeit without a lock-in contract.
All Optus' postpaid plans have no excess data charges. Instead, your connection speed is limited to 1.5Mbps if you go over your cap. This is extremely slow, but does at least mean you won't be entirely cut off in a pinch. Even so, you'll likely opt to pay for a data add-on pack if you're a few days or more away from the next billing cycle.
One of the biggest perks of going with a large provider like Optus is international roaming. Optus charges $5 per day for 5GB. As soon as your phone connects to a cellular network in one of the supported Zone 1 countries, you're charged $5 and a 24-hour timer starts, during which you have 5GB to use.
Optus postpaid customers also get access to SubHub. This is a service that can combine multiple subscription services into a single bill, such as Netflix, Binge, and Microsoft 365, among many others. Doing so also gets you a 5% discount if you pair two services and 10% if you pair three or more.
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Alex Angove-Plumb
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