If you have a phone you keep in the glove box of your car for emergencies, if you receive the vast majority of your calls, then you might want one of these prepaid plans with extremely long expiry duration. Every phone company has this sort of plan. We all upgrade our phones regularly although the time between those upgrades is increasing all the time. Our own research on this site shows that the most common thing people do with their old phone is to put it in a drawer at home. Despite the already enormous size of the prepaid market, the usage of prepaid services is increasing quickly.
One of those factors is introductory offers. Also, the quality of the product is exactly the same. This is the case consistently across the major telcos — another reason not to write prepaid plans off before you consider them. Telstra has addressed this data aspect of fairness with its inclusion of a data bank.
Further, unlike Telstras free sports streaming content, data banks are even more fair because they benefit all subscribers — not just one sector. The other plans lack this requirement, but all plans have a GB data bank cap. Perhaps Telstra may eventually even match the competition — something that we thought might never happen. A key change for Telstra in was the perception of their coverage. If you live in or near a city, there really is very little reason to choose Telstra now.
There are around 2. For them, Telstra could appear to be the only choice because of its strong 3G coverage. Whatever phone you have, it will work with the Telstra 3G network. Just to make it clear, this does not call in to question what was said above. Telstra does cover some very rural parts of Australia. Those rural parts are very sparsely populated. However, for those living in the coverage area that only Telstra services usually with a 3G signal , there is no alternative.
Telstra Mobile Plans Review: Is biggest really best?
When the network stops working, it is most likely to stop working for both prepaid and postpaid customers at the same time. Telstra suffered a series of embarrassing network outages in Despite efforts and a great deal of PR, the perception of their network as the most reliable in Australia has been sorely dented. Outside the major phone companies, you will get a lot more for your money. We recommend you compare all prepaid SIM Plans side by side. Although several improvements to inclusions have been made here, the data bank addition carries the most weight.
However, competition still exists, and at a lower cost with less stipulations. Telstra, though, is moving towards the right direction, and perhaps even more competitive plans are underway. They are mind-blowingly good and, in line with the reason Telstra is prepared to spend so much on them, these alone might cause you to pick Telstra as your prepaid provider. Prepaid services do not require customers to sign up for contracts.
That works in favor of every prepaid shopper. Simply put, the phone companies have to provide headline-stealing introductory offers to get your attention. It has to be worthwhile for you in order to get you to move away from the competition. That even applies to Telstra, who has uncharacteristically started competing in this way with special introductory offers. These days, headline-grabbing introductory offers involve including more data, which is just what Telstra has done. Compare on our prepaid plans page to get the best value.
Telstra Prepaid Plan Review & Comparison
Beyond the entertainment, these must be terrifying times for Telstra. The famed reliability of the network they used to be able to charge more for is now seen as in need of some maintenance. This seems to be the start of a network perception problem which could get worse for Telstra. To this, we add the burden of the proposed national roaming agreements. If they go ahead, as seems likely, Telstra will not have a better network at all. Alternatives to Telstra, which offer prepaid plans on the Telstra network, are limited.
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Pre-paid plans
What Is 5G? Why Is Data Getting Cheaper? Data Bank - Save up to GB of unused data when you recharge before expiry. Unlimited calls and texts to standard Australian numbers.
Unlimited standard international calls to 20 destinations. Get 10GB bonus data on your first three recharges. First recharge by 28 Oct , remaining recharges by 20 Jan Get 15GB bonus data on your first three recharges. Calls - 30c per min to standard Australian numbers. From 39c per min to standard international numbers.
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Texts - 30c to standard Australian numbers. Credit rollover - rollover unused credit when you recharge before expiry. With every recharge enjoy free Wi-Fi data at over one million Telstra Air hotspots across Australia and millions of Fon hotspots overseas. Listen to over 50 million songs, totally ad-free. See below for details. All live, fast and data-free when you maintain an active recharge.
Other rates. Data charges are based on the amount of data that you use to access your email or browse the internet on your mobile phone. These charges apply when you:. The Telstra Mobile Network offers 4GX in all major and regional cities and in over 1, towns and communities around Australia. Check coverage here. Pre-Paid data and content purchases such as Google Play are not available.
Data Bank: Your unused Data Bank data will expire if you switch to an incompatible plan. Recharge required to access Data Bank.
First recharge by 28 October and all other recharges by 20 January The discount is applied at checkout. Limit 2 per customer. Offer not available for commercial or resale purposes. Not transferable and not redeemable for cash. Data-free on the Telstra Mobile Network. Only available on compatible iOS and Android devices. For use in Australia. For more info: telstra. Non-Apple radio stations and non-music streaming use such as downloads, video streaming and social interaction will attract data charges. Telstra FairPlay Policy applies.
Compatible device required. Apple and Apple Music are trademarks of Apple Inc. Unlocking fee applies for use with a non-Telstra SIM card.