CMobile offers budget-centric plans across both the Telstra and Vodafone networks.
The budget-priced telco CMobile does things a little differently compared to most other mobile plan providers. Instead of offering plans on just one of the big three networks, CMobile splits its SIM-only plans into two tiers based on your preferred carrier: CMobile Blue plans use parts of Telstra's 4G and 3G network, while CMobile Red plans operate on Vodafone's 4G/LTE network.
Regardless of which network they operate on, all CMobile's plans come on a no lock-in contract, giving you the option to cancel or change plans at any point without forking out any termination fees.
CMobile Red plans
Vodafone's 4G network might be the youngest of the big three networks, but it still boasts coverage to an impressive 96% of the Australian population. CMobile's Red plans take full advantage of this, with everything from bare-bones plans ideal for ultralight users right up to big data plans for those who like to stream on the go.
Here's what CMobile's entire Red range looks like:
- Red $5 a month, which includes $5 of call credit
- Red $9.90 a month, which includes unlimited calls and texts along with 1GB of data
- Red $16.90 a month, which includes unlimited calls and texts along with 2GB of data
- Red $24.90 a month, which includes unlimited calls and texts along with 4GB of data
- Red $34.90 a month, which includes unlimited calls and texts along with 6GB of data
- Red $39.90 a month, which includes unlimited calls and texts along with 8GB of data
- Red $49.90 a month, which includes unlimited calls and texts along with 10GB of data
- Red $79.90 a month, which includes unlimited calls and texts along with 20GB of data
- Red Annual, which includes $50 of call credit with a 12-month expiry for $50
If you exceed your monthly data on any of CMobile's Red plans, you'll be automatically charged at a rate of 5 cents per 1MB, so be sure to keep that in mind.
CMobile Blue plans
Though CMobile's Blue plans don't have access to the entire Telstra network, they still enjoy coverage to 98.8% of the Australian population. That kind of coverage doesn't come cheap, though, leading to Blue plans that cost more per month than their equivalent Red plans:
- Blue $16.90 a month, which includes unlimited calls and texts along with 500MB of data
- Blue $21.90 a month, which includes unlimited calls and texts along with 1GB of data
- Blue $29.90 a month, which includes unlimited calls and texts along with 3GB of data
- Blue $34.90 a month, which includes unlimited calls and texts along with 5GB of data
- Blue $39.90 a month, which includes unlimited calls and texts along with 7GB of data
- Blue $44.90 a month, which includes unlimited calls and texts along with 10GB of data
- Blue $54.90 a month, which includes unlimited calls and texts along with 15GB of data
- Blue $64.90 a month, which includes unlimited calls and texts along with 20GB of data
If you go over your monthly data limit on any of CMobile's Blue plans, you'll be automatically charged at a rate of $10 per 1GB. Excess usage is counted in 1GB increments, too, so you'll have to pay the full $10 even if you don't use the whole 1GB.
How does CMobile compare?
Since CMobile has two separate networks at its disposal, it's able to compete on both the low-cost front with its Red plans and on the coverage front with its Blue plans.
How do CMobile's Red plans compare?
As the cheaper of the two tiers, CMobile's Red plans compete with budget offerings from other cost-cutting providers like amaysim, Kogan Mobile and Vaya. Unfortunately, the Red plans can't quite keep up with such value-packed competition as you can see when comparing plans at the lower end of the budget space:
The competition doesn't ease up at higher price points, either. amaysim, Vaya and even Vodafone itself serve up larger data caps at lower prices, giving you better-value options on both the Optus and Vodafone networks:
How do CMobile's Blue plans compare?
Mobile plans that operate on Telstra's network are typically priced at a premium over comparable plans on the Optus or Vodafone networks. CMobile's Blue plans are no different. Comparing them to non-Telstra-network plans provides little value, since CMobile's cheaper Red plans already proved incapable of topping the competition. Instead, here's how the Blue plans stack up against other Telstra-powered offerings, starting at the more affordable end of the spectrum:
As you can see, Boost Mobile, ALDImobile and Woolworths Mobile all bundle in more data at a better or comparable price to CMobile. Boost Mobile's offering is especially impressive as it comes with access to Telstra's full network rather than just parts of it.
CMobile fares no better at higher price points, with even more providers offering higher data caps at lower prices:
Why should you consider CMobile?
While CMobile's uncommon dual-network approach stands out from the pack, its actual plans aren't quite so noteworthy. Both its Vodafone-powered Red plans and its Telstra-fuelled Blue plans lag behind the competition in delivering value for money, though its Blue plans still ring in cheaper than Telstra's own equivalent plans – the caveat there, of course, is that Telstra's plans have full access to its network.
Nevertheless, if you're after the best deals for your dollar, you'll probably want to look elsewhere.
