Compare cheap prepaid plans

If you're looking to save money on your mobile bill, a prepaid plan is often the way to go. By paying upfront, you don't have to worry about excess charges or cancellation fees should you decide to switch to a new plan. And with plenty of telcos competing for your dollar, there's no shortage of cheap prepaid plans worth considering.

To help you find the right prepaid plan for your budget, we've split them into the three categories below:

Finder's favourite cheap prepaid plan

Ultra-budget prepaid plans

If you're looking to spend the bare minimum on a basic, no-frills phone service, you have quite a few options available to you. You can compare prepaid plans under $10 in the table below, or click "What to consider" for our tips on how to choose the best ultra-budget prepaid plan.

• What to consider

  When comparing the lowest cost prepaid plans, you need to be prepared for compromise. Some plans may only include a limited allowance of calls and texts rather than the unlimited supply most plans come with these days.

  Data is often a rare commodity. Few plans offer more than 1GB in the sub-$10 space, so you'll need to limit your Internet use to light web browsing only.

  You'll also find a number of plans with extra-short expiry periods in the realm of 7 or 10 days. These can be handy as one-off top-ups for when you desperately need to get connected, but they work out to be far more expensive than regular prepaid plans over the long term.

Prepaid plans under $30

There's a lot of competition in the sub-$30 prepaid space, as you can see in the table below. More options means more factors to consider, of course, so click "What to consider" for our advice on how to find the right plan for you.

• What to consider

  Unlimited standard talk and text is a given in this price range. Some prepaid plans go one step further, bundling in a quantity of international minutes. In most cases, those minutes will only apply to a select number of countries, so be sure to check which countries those prepaid plans cover to determine whether the minutes would be useful to you.

  More than calls, data is the key differentiator at this price point. Data caps range anywhere from 1GB up to 20GB (or even more if you factor in bonus data). It's important to read the fine print here, though, as many plans bolster their monthly caps with bonus data that only applies for the first month or for a fixed number of recharges. Once that bonus period is over, your monthly cap will revert to its regular rate, so make sure to factor that in when comparing plans.

Cheap prepaid plans with 20GB or more

Thanks to increasing demand and copious promotions, it's now possible to score more than 20GB of prepaid data at quite a reasonable monthly rate. We've collected the cheapest of those plans in the table below. If you need some guidance on comparing your options, click "What to consider" for our tips on selecting a suitable 20GB+ prepaid plan.

• What to consider

  While going with the biggest data cap you can afford is a decent strategy, there are other factors worth considering. Data rollover, for instance, can add considerable value for folks with irregular Internet needs. If you only use a fraction of your data cap one month, a plan with data rollover will stack the unused data onto your next month's cap so it doesn't go to waste.

  Some larger prepaid plans include data-free streaming bonuses, letting you watch live sports, stream Netflix or listen to Apple Music on the go without impacting your regular data cap. If most of your mobile data is devoted to streaming, these offers can save you a serious chunk of change.