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Optus has a wide range of plans, especially when it comes to prepaid options. A common household name for mobiles and broadband alike, Optus packs data in with a couple of extra juicy features on its mobile plans.
You can get up to 500GB of data on a monthly postpaid plan from Optus, with its options listed in the table below. If you want a new phone along with the plan, see the next section.
Optus has prepaid plans that range in expiry from just five days to a full year, so you can find one that suits you.
This table has the latest phone models to go with Optus's SIM only plans. The tabs let you switch between the iPhone 13 and Samsung Galaxy S21. Or, you can pick whatever model you want by hitting "filter results" and selecting the model you're after in our gallery.
As one of the big three mobile carriers in Australia, Optus has a full range of plans on offer. You can buy prepaid, postpaid or get a new handset on a contract.
Optus has three separate prepaid plan types available: Epic Data, Epic Value, and Optus Flex.
Epic Data are regular plans with high monthly data inclusions. Epic Value focuses on longer expiry periods but not very high data inclusions.
Finally, Optus Flex gives you unlimited talk and text, plus data and an expiry period matching how much you pay from a few preset values. For example, $7 gets you 7GB that lasts 7 days.
For a quick rundown of the different prepaid plan types, click on the different tabs below.
These prepaid plans are designed for people who use their phone regularly. They all include up to 200GB data rollover between recharges and 10GB of bonus streaming data for use with Netflix, Stan and ABC Kids.
These plans can be useful if you want a longer expiry on your prepaid plan but aren't too fussed about big data inclusions. They have 50GB data rollover between recharges.
These plans suit people who don't necessarily operate inside the regular 30 day cycle. The $30 Flex plan in particular outshines most of Optus' other offerings, since it provides only 5 fewer GB than the $30 Epic Data option, but that 30GB of data persists past 3 recharges.
All Flex plans have a 200GB data rollover so long as you recharge before expiry.
Optus Choice SIM only plans are what you'd call "regular" phone plans, with data and calls for normal use. All plans come with no excess data charges, which means you can go past your monthly data allowance and not get charged an extra fee. Instead, your mobile download speed gets slowed down to 1.5Mbps.
Each of these plans offers data sharing between plans on the same account, plus potential 5G access if you have a compatible device and live in an area that's covered.
Buying a phone on a plan from Optus lets you choose between any of its Optus Choice Plus plans options. These are the same plans as what you would get buying them on their own.
Your monthly bill will include the regular price of the plan plus the monthly repayment cost of the handset. The size of these repayments will depend on whether you've signed up to a 12-, 24- or 36-month contract, with longer contracts meaning smaller instalments.
Optus is Australia's second largest telecommunications company and gained the nation's second general carrier licence in 1991 after Telstra. Its network reaches more than 98% of the Australian population.
You'll find Optus's prices are slightly more competitive than Telstra's, but otherwise there's not a huge amount separating the two companies, apart from Telstra's more extensive regional network coverage. Here are the main features you'll find on Optus's plans:
Optus Sport offers exclusive access to EPL football, including match highlights, interviews and live streams. Normally, a subscription to Optus Sport will cost you $14.99 per month, but it's free on some plans.
The My Optus app is available for free from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. You can check your usage, handle your bills, recharge prepaid plans and access support via the app.
Optus Perks is a reward service for Optus customers. Offers include entertainment deals such as discounted movie tickets at HOYTS cinemas, though this may change at any time.
For $5, you can add 24 hours of unlimited full-speed data onto your SIM only plan. This is the only offer of its kind from the big three, since "endless" data from Telstra and Vodafone caps your downloads at 1.5Mbps.
Optus has a call centre, open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays, but during COVID-19 it is asking customers to use other methods. You can get help via the My Optus app or its 24/7 online chat.
Optus recently announced "unlimited" mobile data on its SIM-only plans. This means you won't get charged for going past your monthly data allowance on these plans. Instead, your speed gets slowed down to 1.5Mbps.
There are more features beyond the ones listed above, including:
As a major mobile phone provider, Optus has many extra features available. While they aren't too impressive for the most part, Optus Sport can be a great inclusion for fans of the EPL and the Unlimited Data Day is the only offer of its kind.
Here's a summary of what's available from Optus:
| Feature | |
|---|---|
| Automatic prepaid recharge |  |
| Excess usage warning | |
| Entertainment extras | |
| Data-free media streaming |  |
| Roll-over data | |
| Data sharing | |
| International calls/texts | |
| International roaming | |
| Rewards program | |
| Student/pensioner discounts | |
When you put Optus next to Telstra, the plans are about the same, but Optus is a little cheaper. Telstra does have better extras if you're not a die-hard EPL fan, though, so it could still be worth it to go with it and pay more for the football if you're interested. Telstra also has slightly more coverage in rural and regional areas, which matters to some customers.
Compared to smaller MVNOs, Optus is certainly more expensive, although its prepaid plans aren't too bad for the first few recharges. If you want a provider with higher value on its plans, try ALDI mobile for prepaid or Circles.Life for a SIM only option.
For a thorough breakdown of how Optus mobile plans compare to its competitors, check out our more detailed guides on Optus's plans below.
Here's a quick summary of Optus's plans, with the main pros and cons weighed up:
The roaming options available to you depend on whether you have a prepaid or SIM only plan.
For SIM only plans, the old Optus travel packs have been replaced with roaming passes, where you pay $10 for 1GB of data or 24 hours of use, whichever comes first. During this period, you get unlimited calls and texts, available in 90 or so countries. It auto-refreshes if you continue roaming after 1GB or 24 hours.
For Optus prepaid plans, you can choose from add-ons that let you make calls, send texts and use data overseas for an additional cost.
While Optus no longer offers specific plans or discounts for seniors, it does have a couple of different long expiry plans that might be suitable.
You can check out our guide on the best mobile phone plans for seniors for more options. We update our selection of best plans at the start of each month.
The cheapest ongoing SIM only plan you can get from Optus is 10GB of data for $39 per month.
You can also get an Unlimited Data Day for $5 with access to unlimited full-speed data for 24 hours, purchasable whenever you want.
Check out our guide for more on unlocking your phone from a network.
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