Best mobile plans for students

From budget-conscious to international students, these mobile plans offer something for every type of student.

As a student, a mobile phone is a natural part of your life and is as much a research tool as a communications device. At the same time, you’re coming to grips with balancing a budget that’s nearly always much lighter than you’d like, so making the most of your money is an absolute must.

However, the needs of students vary depending on personal circumstances and how they use their mobile phones. While different telcos will appeal to students at different times, no provider has designed a plan that fits every type of student in every circumstance just yet. With that in mind, this is what you should consider when picking a plan.

• Communication or information?

  The good news here is that most plans, especially in the contract space but also increasingly in prepaid, come with unlimited standard national calls and texts. This makes data inclusions all the more important, especially if you use your phone for entertainment as well as your (ahem) more important study matters. Remember that streaming video is a data hog, so plan ahead for your needs rather than being stuck with a bill that you can’t easily pay.

• Is there a student discount available?

  As a student, you’re not necessarily cashed-up, but telcos are very keen to get your business now in order to secure it further down the line when you’re more affluent. Many telcos offer student-specific discounts on plans, so it’s always worth checking if the plan of your dreams can be had that much cheaper.

• Entertainment options?

  Does your mobile also act as your entertainment centre? In this case, double down on the data, but also consider plans that include data-free access to music streaming services like Spotify or video streaming services like Netflix. They’re not common, but you could save serious money this way.

• Prepaid or postpaid?

  Prepaid remains the plan choice of the budget-constrained for a reason, because you can’t fall behind on payments when you’re making them upfront. However, postpaid contracts have their place, especially if you want or need a new phone and can’t afford the upfront price of a new handset. They’re also often the plans with the best inclusions for data and other extras.

• Flexibility to move?

  As a student, you’re quite likely to shift accommodation while you’re studying, but have you considered whether you’re likely to want to shift telcos as well? There’s security in a fixed contract plan price (as long as you stay within data caps), but equally you’re likely to have more time than most to switch around special deals for SIM-only prepaid or month-to-month deals.

Pick of the plans: Which plans are best?

We can’t and won’t pick any one plan as being "ideal" for students, because that would suggest that every student’s wants and needs are identical. What we’ve done is identify different student need types in order to highlight plans that we think offer the best value to those types. You may fit into a number of different categories, which is why we’ve explained our choices along the way, so you can weigh up your real needs and make the best possible plan decision.

Best plans for budget-conscious students

Rationale: Money is super tight and while you need a mobile for communication purposes, you absolutely cannot go over budget in any way. It’s not a fun situation to be in, but every cent counts and as such you need the best value for your fiscally constrained dollar.

In the table below, you'll find a selection of prepaid and SIM-only plans priced at less than $20 a month. Be aware that some of these plans include promotional pricing, reverting to a higher rate after the first month or recharge.

Best plans for international students

Rationale: You’re studying here from an international base or you simply have relatives overseas you want to stay in regular contact with. As such, a core part of any plan you pick up has to be a significant quantity of international calling inclusions.

We've listed a few of the cheapest plans below that include an allotment of international minutes. Some offer unlimited minutes to select countries, while others include a fixed quota of minutes applicable to wider international zones. Which countries you plan on calling will determine which of these options is best for you.

Best plans for gap-year students

Rationale: You’re still a student, but you’re taking a gap year to travel around Australia or the world. That doesn’t mean that you can’t stay in touch, but keeping your bills low is also a priority because you’ve got better things to experience with your dough.

Since you don't want to find yourself short on cash when travelling, it's a good idea to go with a pre-paid plan that won't charge you excess fees for blowing through all your call or data inclusions. Using the table below, you can compare a range of prepaid plans below $40 a month suitable for staying in contact during your gap year:

Plans for students who want a new phone

For years, you’ve made do with phones most likely handed down from your parents or simple gift phones at best. With independence comes the ability to choose your own mobile plan and a shiny new handset with it. That choice is quite wide, naturally, but our Mobile Phone Planner can help you tailor the perfect plan with a handset to match your choices. We’ve pre-populated it with a selection of recent smartphones, but you can adjust any variable and add or remove phones easily by clicking on "Filter Results" below.

Image: Shutterstock