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Coles Mobile plans
Our verdict: Coles Mobile offers a mix of prepaid and month-to-month mobile plans that are decently priced and come with additional perks such as discounted groceries, data rollover and international calls.
Coles Mobile offers decent value for money if you're after a month-to-month subscription plan or a prepaid option (including long expiry).
The main caveat is it may not be your telco of choice if your data needs for the month fall under the 10–11GB mark.
Having said that, Coles Mobile could be right for you if:
You want a egift card worth 10% off your largest single shop from Coles (up to $30) each month. The offer ends on 31 July 2024 and is available on the month-to-month plans.
You're keen on a mobile app to help you manage your plan when you're out and about and want to quickly check on your data usage.
You want to make unlimited international calls to any of the countries on Coles Mobile's list.
Just keep in mind that:
The perks are better on Coles Mobile's month-to-month plans, but these will also cost you more each month. For example, the data rollover limit is 50GB on prepaid plans as opposed to 1000GB on prepaid. You also get unlimited international calls to 15 countries as opposed to 22.
Data on your month-to-month plan will only roll over if you've set up auto-renew.
The cheapest way to sign up to Coles Mobile is through its long expiry plans. For example, its $195 plan works out to be $16.25 a month for roughly 11GB of data.
Its 28-day prepaid plans are mostly on par with what other providers offer for similar data limits. Just remember that a 28-day expiry means you'll be paying 13 bills over the year instead of 12.
Lastly, the subscription plans offer good value for money based on our $1 per GB benchmark. These will work in your favour if you have high data needs.
Things to watch out for
All plans come with auto-recharge activated by default. Depending on your preferences, this can either be a pro or con, but you can turn it off if you choose.
Coverage
Coles Mobile offers access to Optus's 4G network, which is the second largest network in Australia.
Optus covers 98.5% of the Australian population.
You'll get the same coverage as Optus itself.
Some people in rural or regional Australia might find the coverage spotty compared to Telstra's network, which covers 99.8% of the population.
Customer service
Need help? You can reach Coles support any day of the week:
Ring the call centre from 9am–8pm on weekdays or 10am–6pm on weekends (AEST).
Start an online chat via the Coles website during call centre hours (might get a faster response).
Chat to customer support via the Coles Mobile app, which also lets you manage your account.
Keep in mind that while there are physical Coles stores around to purchase the SIM card, don't expect to find any proper tech support in-store.
Customer satisfaction
We compared satisfaction ratings both on Finder and other reputable sites. As of May 2024, the ratings are as follows:
Finder: 2.2/5 (16 reviews)
Product Review: 1.8/5 (345 reviews)
😁 Customers are most happy about:
Price and data
😞 Customers are least happy about:
Issues with SIM activation
Keep in mind: These reviews are subject to users' experiences and your experience may differ.
Bonus features
Coles Mobile will give you a bonus egift card worth 10% of your largest single shop (up to $30) on its month-to-month plans. The offer ends on 31 July 2024.
Other bonus features or perks that stay consistent include:
🔄 Data rollover
Data rollover is helpful when you don't always use the same amount of data every month.
You can bank up to 1000GB on its month-to-month plans and up to 50GB across all prepaid plans.
🌏 International calls inclusions
All Coles Mobile prepaid plans let you make unlimited calls and texts to 15 countries, while its month-to-month plans come with unlimited calls and texts to 22 countries.
Alternatively, you can purchase $5 or $15 worth of credit for international calls, which will last you 14 days or until you use it up.
➕ Data add-ons
Coles Mobile offers the option to add on data if you run out. You can purchase 3GB for $10 with a 5-day expiry on its month-to-month plans.
On prepaid plans, you can pick up 500MB of extra data for $5 with a 7-day expiry or 3GB for $15 with a 30-day expiry.
➕ International roaming
You can enable international roaming for$25. All usage is charged at a pay-as-you-go basis and lasts for 30 days. Unused credits of up to $500 can be rolled over if you recharge before expiry.
Which rivals are giving Coles a run for its money?
While Coles Mobile offers some decent deals, if you're looking for more variety, consider the following providers:
For similar plans with more choice:
Catch Connect offers very similar deals to Coles, but with slightly more choice in plans, especially for those looking for lower data allowances.
For better coverage:
If coverage is an issue for you, check out ALDImobile's affordable range of mobile plans which runs on parts of the Telstra 4G network.
For higher data plans:
If Coles' data limits aren't doing it for you, take a look at Circles.Life. It has multiple plans to choose from, with some offering more data.
Ready to sign up to Coles Mobile?
Once you've decided which Coles plan you're after, you can easily sign up online or grab a SIM at your local Coles supermarket if that's more convenient for you. SIM delivery is free via standard postage, but can take up to 8 business days to arrive at your door.
What if I want to keep my current phone number? You can choose to keep your current number when you activate your new Coles Mobile SIM card, which is done via the Coles website.
Coles Mobile will transfer your number over usually within 15 minutes, but it could take a couple of days.
We've researched and reviewed hundreds of phone plans to make our guides as helpful as possible. Our experts can be seen across TV, print and digital media.
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Mariam Gabaji is an editor and tech and utilities expert at Finder with 12+ years of experience as a journalist. Her goal is to help households cut through the industry jargon and save money on their household bills. Her expertise is often featured in media including the ABC, Yahoo Finance, 9News, 7News, A Current Affair, The Guardian, SBS and Money Magazine.
If I were to buy the $180 SIM card today, how much time will I be given to activate the SIM card before it expires or become invalid? Three or six months?
In most cases, SIMs that were not activated do not expire. You may want to check with Coles when you purchase the SIM card to check if it expires when not activated.
Once activated, the SIM will however expire if you have not recharged it after 186 days from your credit expiry.
I have bought a Coles $180 sim card. It doesn’t work! Coles don’t have any help lines and put me onto Optus. Optus say its not their product and won’t help activate the sim. Coles won’t refund me. Absolute rip off. No support and the product doesn’t work.
I’m sorry you’ve had such a bad experience! What is the problem exactly? Did the SIM card not register in your phone, or was it missing credit? Unless it’s a network issue, Coles should be the ones to talk to about resolving your issue.
SIM card not registered after 28 hours! took the sim back to Coles with receipt and they refused to refund or give me a new sim. Acted like they knew nothing about what they sell.
Just to clarify, what happened when you went to activate your new SIM on the Coles Prepaid website? Have you tried calling the Coles Mobile support team on 1300 644 741?
Nothing! It says its still activating after registering at 11am yesterday. So no phone. Coles support team phone is just a redirect to Optus who refuse to accept its their SIM
Ah, that’s tremendously frustrating! I’m afraid I can’t offer any better advice than attempting to escalate the call up Optus’ support chain. A higher-up may be better equipped to deal with this situation.
To use a Coles Mobile service overseas, you will need to purchase either the $5 or $15 extra credit packs on top of your standard recharge. This will enable international roaming, with call rates charged as per Optus’ international rates. Before applying, please ensure that you meet all the eligibility criteria and read through the details of the needed requirements as well as the relevant Product Disclosure Statements/Terms and Conditions when comparing your options before making a decision on whether it is right for you.
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If I were to buy the $180 SIM card today, how much time will I be given to activate the SIM card before it expires or become invalid? Three or six months?
Hi Beele,
Thank you for reaching out.
In most cases, SIMs that were not activated do not expire. You may want to check with Coles when you purchase the SIM card to check if it expires when not activated.
Once activated, the SIM will however expire if you have not recharged it after 186 days from your credit expiry.
Hope this helps! 😊
Kind Regards,
Mai
I have bought a Coles $180 sim card. It doesn’t work! Coles don’t have any help lines and put me onto Optus. Optus say its not their product and won’t help activate the sim. Coles won’t refund me. Absolute rip off. No support and the product doesn’t work.
Hi Wayne,
I’m sorry you’ve had such a bad experience! What is the problem exactly? Did the SIM card not register in your phone, or was it missing credit? Unless it’s a network issue, Coles should be the ones to talk to about resolving your issue.
Regards,
Matt
SIM card not registered after 28 hours! took the sim back to Coles with receipt and they refused to refund or give me a new sim. Acted like they knew nothing about what they sell.
Hi Wayne,
Thanks for your inqury.
Just to clarify, what happened when you went to activate your new SIM on the Coles Prepaid website? Have you tried calling the Coles Mobile support team on 1300 644 741?
Regards,
Matt
Nothing! It says its still activating after registering at 11am yesterday. So no phone. Coles support team phone is just a redirect to Optus who refuse to accept its their SIM
Ah, that’s tremendously frustrating! I’m afraid I can’t offer any better advice than attempting to escalate the call up Optus’ support chain. A higher-up may be better equipped to deal with this situation.
Regards,
Matt
what is the situation with regard to calls from Overseas when travelling?
Hi Helen,
Thanks for your question.
To use a Coles Mobile service overseas, you will need to purchase either the $5 or $15 extra credit packs on top of your standard recharge. This will enable international roaming, with call rates charged as per Optus’ international rates. Before applying, please ensure that you meet all the eligibility criteria and read through the details of the needed requirements as well as the relevant Product Disclosure Statements/Terms and Conditions when comparing your options before making a decision on whether it is right for you.
Regards,
Matt