
Get exclusive tech offers and guides
Straight to your inbox
Updated . What changed?
We’re reader-supported and may be paid when you visit links to partner sites. We don’t compare all products in the market, but we’re working on it!
59
Long expiry plans compared
15
Mobile providers
6
Expert picks
At the start of each month, we look at the mobile phone plans available in our database that have a plan length between 90 and 365 days. We then choose a couple of top picks across a range of categories to help you find the best long expiry plan. None of our picks are sponsored placements - we also take into account mobile providers and plans that we aren't partnered with - so that our winners for each category are chosen without bias.
We take these factors into account when choosing our winners:
amaysim is the biggest mobile provider outside of the major networks, so it's no surprise that its plans are pretty well priced with decent data chunks.
If you sign up before January 31, you'll get this plan for $145 instead of $200. Just remember that this price is for your first year on the plan only. If you want to keep it afterwards, you'll need to go back to paying the original price of $200 for a year.
Kogan's another name known for its shopping deals, but it also does some great offers on long expiry plans too. If you're a data-hungry user, check out its massive 500GB mobile plan. If you sign up before March 31, you'll pay $285 for the full year instead of $355.
On its Flex plan, you won't get any monthly restrictions on your data usage, but if you spread it out evenly, you'll get over 40GB to use every month for under $24 a month.
Catch also has a great deal on for its lower data 365 day plan. If you don't need a bunch of data over the course of a year, Catch has lowered the price of its 60GB plan to $89. That means you'll get about 5GB to use each month for just over $7 a month. That's a pretty good bargain to kick off 2021.
Again, this is a promotional price for new customers only. After your first year on the plan, the price will revert to its original price of $120 per 365 days.
If you don't want to commit to a year long plan, a 180 day prepaid mobile plan can still help you save. Lebara's plan will last you about 6 months, and only cost you $30 a month.
You'll also get data banking on this plan, which means if you choose to renew it for the last 6 months of the year, any unused data from your first 6 months will be passed onto the next period.
You might get your groceries from Woolies, but did you know they do mobile plans too? If you don't need a lot of data, check out its 12GB plan which lasts for half a year.
It runs on the Telstra network, and as an added bonus, you also get 10% off your grocery bills once a month if you're a Woolworths Mobile customer. Not a bad way to save in more than one area of your life.
There aren't a lot of plans on the Telstra network with long expiry periods, so Boost Mobile's 12 month plan stands out thanks to its high data limit. Until February 1, you'll get a bonus 60GB of data on top of the usual 240GB on this plan, giving you a total of 300 to use over 12 months .
Boost also runs on the full Telstra 4G network, so you'll be getting the same coverage as you would on one of Telstra's own plans.
There seems to be a lot of shopping brands when it comes to long expiry plans out there, and ALDI is another one of them with great value plans. If you're not someone who uses your phone a lot, you could get away with a lower data plan for the year.
ALDI's 15GB 365 day plan gives you just over 1GB to use each month, so you'd only really want to use it to check emails or browse the web a bit while you're out.
Catch's 120GB plan was actually our long-standing monthly winner for the best 365 day plan in 2020. But thanks to amaysim's price promotion, they've taken a step off the throne this month. This doesn't mean it's not still worth a look though. Catch's plan is still a great option if you're looking for a long expiry plan on the Optus network, with a 1:1 ratio when it comes to data and price.
This plan is currently $120 for a year instead of $150 for new customers only.
If you're not a frequent phone user, Optus has quite a few options to choose from. Its Daily Plus plan works a little differently. You'll get $30 of credit on this plan, and get charged $2 each day you use it. With that $2, you get 500MB to use (which isn't a lot, so we wouldn't recommend anything download heavy) and unlimited calls and texts for the day.
This $2 comes out of your original $30 credit. If you go a day without using your phone, you won't get charged anything for that day.
Rather than go with the same Kogan plan we picked earlier, we chose Kogan's Medium plan for this category since it's aimed at regular mobile users, but not necessarily those that need 500GB a month. This one isn't a Flex plan, which means even though you get 180GB to use over the year, it limits you to use 15GB a month so you don't use all your data at once.
Sign up before March 31 and this plan is yours for $180 instead of its usual price of $205.60.
Kogan has somewhat of a monopoly when it comes to long expiry plans on the Vodafone network, since a lot of Vodafone's own plans are PAYG plans with no data. If you don't need a huge chunk of data, consider Kogan's Small 90 day plan. You essentially get 3GB to use each month for just over $15 a month.
Since it lasts for 90 days instead of a longer 180 or 365 days, if you find you're struggling data-wise, you can switch to a bigger plan after 3 months.
PAYG plans work a little differently to your usual mobile plan. Instead of the normal unlimited calls and texts you might be used to, you only get to use however much you've paid for. While this isn't great for regular mobile users, those who don't use their mobiles often should be fairly happy with this deal.
We picked Vodafone's $40 PAYG plan here, but they also offer $30 and $50 options depending on how much you want to pay upfront. The cost for each call or text you make will come out from the $40 you've paid for the plan.
Long expiry plans are prepaid plans where credit lasts longer than your usual month-to-month grind, up to a full 365 days. You pay upfront in return for a 3-, 6- or 12-month expiry period, meaning you won't need to recharge for ages so long as your credit holds out.
Long expiry plans typically suit infrequent mobile users, people with minimal data needs, or even people who just want to park a rarely-used number on a cheap, long-lasting plan, though that's less prevalent these days.
These plans come in two types:
If you're unsure whether a long expiry mobile plan is right for you, we've broken down the pros and cons for you below:
You can get international roaming on most of Telstra’s postpaid mobile plans for just $10 a day.
It’s never been a better time to switch mobile plans than now. Prices have dropped by 17% compared to last year, and over 50% since 5 years ago.
Optus is finally offering “unlimited” data on its SIM-only plans, but how does it compare to “unlimited” data from Telstra & Vodafone?
MyNetFone offers a range of mobile plans for your business, with a dedicated app to keep track of your spending.
Wi-Fi dongles and pocket Wi-Fi are an easy way for you to get connected to the Internet while you're out and about.
Top deals include 500GB for $55 from Vodafone, triple the data from Circles.Life and 50% off amaysim long expiry plans.
TPG’s new MVNO, Felix, comes with ‘unlimited’ data but at capped speeds. Is it worth it, or are there better plans out there?
Find the best mobile plan deals for the biggest iPhone ever - the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Pick up an iPhone 12 Pro on a reasonably priced plan, complete with all the data you could ever need.
Get no excess data charges on these unlimited data mobile plans.
Save money with these top no-contract deals.
Avoid bill shock and control your spending with the best-value offers.
Easily compare every Australian iPhone plan.
I’m looking for a long term data only plan, preferably 5 years if possible. Data usage is low, just monitoring power at a site with no internet access.
Hi Dean,
Thank you for getting in touch with Finder.
Currently, long expiry prepaid plans are up to 365 days which is for a year. Kindly contact your chosen provider if they may provide a modified mobile plan for your needs.
I hope this helps.
Thank you and have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Jeni
I intend to buy a prepaid mobile plan for 365 days. My present plan will end on 25/04/2019. Can I buy now and activate the SIM card nearer to the end date of my present plan?
Hi John,
Thank you for reaching out to Finder.
There are SIM providers that may allow you to buy a SIM now and then activate on a later time. You may need to check this with the specific SIM provider whom you are considering to buy a prepaid SIM so you can be advised accordingly. This is normally applicable if you are to get a new mobile number. If you intend to port your number, you need to let the incoming provider know that you are planning to move your number and check their porting time frame so you can consider and check your options.
Hope this helps.
Kind Regards,
Mai
Hello, great article, but it seems as though none of the pre-paid plans listed allow calls to be received when roaming internationally? What prepaid long expiry plans allow you to receive calls internationally?
Hi Matt,
Thank you for your inquiry.
Our company finder.com.au is a financial comparison website and general information service designed to help consumers to make a better decision. Please note we do not represent any company we feature on our pages.
On this article, you may need to contact the providers to inquiry if they have an offer to receive a call from overseas.
Cheers,
Harold
Can these SIM cards be used in a Telstra mobile phone?
Hi Aldimobile,
Thank you for your enquiry.
You can use any of the SIM cards featured on this page if you have an unlocked mobile phone, however, you can only use a Telstra SIM card on a Telstra locked phone. You can get in touch with Telstra for assistance in unlocking your Telstra locked phone.
Cheers,
Jason