Best cheap 365-day prepaid mobile plans for March 2026
We compared 51 long-expiry prepaid plans from 16 mobile providers across Australia and curated 6 top picks based on price, data, and expert analysis. Not every plan will suit your needs, so be sure to weigh your options before picking the one that's right for you.
Our top picks were reviewed by senior utilities editor Mariam Gabaji.
We compared 6–12 month long-expiry prepaid plans, depending on the category.For each plan, we considered the Finder Score alongside factors such as Finder Award wins and extra features like eSIM support and app availability.Network coverage, price and data allowance carry the most weight to ensure the plans are genuinely affordable — which is the main reason people choose long-expiry options in the first place.
Is a long-expiry prepaid plan worth it?
Long-expiry prepaid plans last between 90 and 365 days.
They’re well-suited for people who don’t mind paying upfront, know which network coverage works best for them and are fairly certain of how much data they need.
Here’s a quick pros and cons list if you’re still unsure:
Pros
Total yearly costs usually work out cheaper compared to a month-to-month plan.
You can set and forget about your mobile bills for up to a year.
Most plans let you use your data flexibly throughout the year - you can use less one month and more the next, and it'll balance out.
Cons
You need to pay the full amount upfront.
There's no option for a refund in case you're not happy with your service.
You'll need to recharge early if you aren't careful about your data use.
How do I find the best long-expiry prepaid plan?
Apart from the cost of the plan itself and your willingness to pay it upfront, you should consider some other key points before committing to a long-term plan:
Network
Figure out which network offers the best reception in your area before committing long-term. Telstra offers the widest coverage, and you're less likely to deal with reception issues than if you were to go with Optus or Vodafone. Plans on the Telstra network tend to cost a little more.
Consider expiry periods
Think about how long you're willing to commit to, whether that's for 90, 180 or 365 days. The longer you commit to it, the fewer times in the year you'll need to worry about recharging. Just keep in mind that if you choose to leave before your expiry period ends, you'll lose the money you paid upfront.
Data
Choose a data limit that matches your needs. Look at past bills or your account to see how much data you're currently using each month. When in doubt, add a some extra gigs on to how much data you think you'll use. You don't want to get stuck with not enough data after committing to a plan long term. Also keep in mind that some plans allocate monthly data limits. Reading the fine print before signing up!
"I used to be lazy and just top up my phone each month. I then realised that the monthly cost for a 365 day plan worked out to be far cheaper and I wouldn't exceed the data limit. The savings was $16 per month less than what I was paying, which meant I was able to reduce my phone bill by $192 a year."
Around 15 mobile providers in our database offer long-expiry prepaid plans.
Some popular ones include Everyday Mobile (Woolies), Coles Mobile, OnePass Mobile (formerly Catch Connect), amaysim, ALDI Mobile, Kogan Mobile, Boost Mobile, Telstra, Optus and Vodafone.
Here’s a full list of mobile providers with long-expiry plans:
ALDI Mobile
amaysim
Boost
OnePass Mobile (formerly Catch Connect)
Coles Mobile
Everyday Mobile (Woolies)
Kogan
Konec
Lebara
Lyca Mobile
Optus
Telechoice
Telsim
Telstra
Vodafone
Compare all long-expiry plans to find the best pick for you
Want options beyond our curated selection of top picks? You'll find mobile plans with expiry periods between 90 and 365 days in the comparison table below.
There are a handful of providers that offer either unlimited international minutes to selected countries or an allocation of how many minutes you can use on your plan to any country. Make sure to compare features between providers and their plans before signing up if this is an important feature to you.
Yes, they're both the same. Some providers will refer to these as 12-month plans while others will call them 365-day prepaid plans.
Keep in mind that some providers do offer 12-month contracted SIM only plans. These are different as you pay for your mobile bill monthly (rather than all upfront like a 365-day prepaid plan) and exit fees usually apply.
Some providers do offer data banking as a feature on their 365-day plans. This can be unlimited or up to a certain limit. You'll just need to make sure to recharge your plan before it expires in order for the data to be rolled over.
If your 365-day prepaid mobile plan doesn't come with any data banking feature, you'll lose your unused data at the end of the expiry period.
Unfortunately you can't on a 365-day prepaid plan. Unlimited data mobile plans are generally uncommon anyway and only felix offers a month-to-month truly unlimited data plan though the caveat is 40Mbps download speed caps throughout.
No, there isn't. All SIM cards with data will eventually expire. The longest period to keep your plan running would be a 365-day prepaid mobile plan where you'll only need to recharge once a year.
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Tried and tested. We give these plans a run for their money and listen to the feedback of the millions of Aussies who have used our plans comparison.
Mariam Gabaji is a journalist with 13 years of experience, specialising in consumer topics like mobile services and energy costs. Her work appears in the ABC, Yahoo Finance, 9News, The Guardian, SBS, 7News, A Current Affair and Money Magazine. Mariam holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and was a finalist for the 2024 and 2025 IT Journalism Award for Best Telecommunications Journalist.
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Hi, the family is on an Optus legacy family plan with discounts. My daughter is going to Canada for two years but doesn’t want to lose her number. Is her best option to port her number over to a pay-as-you go plan with Aldi/Amaysin ($2/$15) until she returns? Or is there a beeter option? Thanks
Finder
SarahDecember 2, 2025Finder
Hi Peter,
Yes, you’re on the right track! The simplest and cheapest way for your daughter to keep her Australian number while she’s in Canada for two years is to port it from your Optus family plan to a low-cost prepaid or PAYG service like ALDI Mobile or amaysim. These plans let her “park” the number and only need a small recharge every 6–12 months to stay active, which is far cheaper than keeping it on a full postpaid plan. The only thing to check is whether she needs overseas SMS, as most prepaid services allow receiving SMS overseas, but it’s worth confirming. Hope this helps!
JoeNovember 23, 2025
Coles mobile has cheap yearly plans and you don’t list them.
Finder
MariamNovember 24, 2025Finder
Hi Joe, our top picks change month to month. This month we had other providers that were offering more value for money based on our selection criteria. Hope this helps give some context.
MichelOctober 26, 2025
Hi. I used generally 80 GB per 365 days. My current plan of 240 GB expires in 2 weeks and I have 174 GB left! I cannot find a plan with low data. 80 to 100gb will suit me. What do you recommend? Michel
Finder
SarahOctober 29, 2025Finder
Hi Michel,
Depending on your budget, there are a range of plans that might suit your needs. The Kogan Small 365 Days Flex plan is 140GB for $179.95, but until November 13, they are offering a special rate of $159 on the Kogan Medium 365 Days Flex plan, which comes with 200GB. You can view these offers and more on this page. Best of luck!
RoslynJune 13, 2023
I am an older lady with not a lot of understanding re my mobile phone. I am with Optus pre paid. But it keeps running out of money. I usually pay $30 at a time. It doesn’t seem to last out the month. I rarely use my phone. It’s more for an emergency, when I’m away from home, as I can’t get coverage at home. Which plan would suit me best?
I’m looking for a long term data only plan, preferably 5 years if possible. Data usage is low, just monitoring power at a site with no internet access.
Finder
JeniJune 11, 2019Finder
Hi Dean,
Thank you for getting in touch with Finder.
Currently, long expiry prepaid plans are up to 365 days which is for a year. Kindly contact your chosen provider if they may provide a modified mobile plan for your needs.
Pay as you go mobile plans are a great way to save money if you don't use your phone very often.
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Hi, the family is on an Optus legacy family plan with discounts. My daughter is going to Canada for two years but doesn’t want to lose her number. Is her best option to port her number over to a pay-as-you go plan with Aldi/Amaysin ($2/$15) until she returns? Or is there a beeter option? Thanks
Hi Peter,
Yes, you’re on the right track! The simplest and cheapest way for your daughter to keep her Australian number while she’s in Canada for two years is to port it from your Optus family plan to a low-cost prepaid or PAYG service like ALDI Mobile or amaysim. These plans let her “park” the number and only need a small recharge every 6–12 months to stay active, which is far cheaper than keeping it on a full postpaid plan. The only thing to check is whether she needs overseas SMS, as most prepaid services allow receiving SMS overseas, but it’s worth confirming. Hope this helps!
Coles mobile has cheap yearly plans and you don’t list them.
Hi Joe, our top picks change month to month. This month we had other providers that were offering more value for money based on our selection criteria. Hope this helps give some context.
Hi. I used generally 80 GB per 365 days. My current plan of 240 GB expires in 2 weeks and I have 174 GB left! I cannot find a plan with low data. 80 to 100gb will suit me. What do you recommend? Michel
Hi Michel,
Depending on your budget, there are a range of plans that might suit your needs. The Kogan Small 365 Days Flex plan is 140GB for $179.95, but until November 13, they are offering a special rate of $159 on the Kogan Medium 365 Days Flex plan, which comes with 200GB. You can view these offers and more on this page. Best of luck!
I am an older lady with not a lot of understanding re my mobile phone. I am with Optus pre paid. But it keeps running out of money. I usually pay $30 at a time. It doesn’t seem to last out the month. I rarely use my phone. It’s more for an emergency, when I’m away from home, as I can’t get coverage at home. Which plan would suit me best?
Hi Roslyn, I’m sorry to hear you’re having trouble with your mobile plan. You can take a look at our guide to cheap plans under $20 https://www.finder.com.au/mobile-plans/cheap-mobile-plans or if you’re after better coverage at home you can also check out these plans from Telstra MVNOs https://www.finder.com.au/mobile-plans/best-mvno-plans-on-the-telstra-network or prepaid plans from Telstra itself https://www.finder.com.au/mobile-plans/telstra-mobile.
I’m looking for a long term data only plan, preferably 5 years if possible. Data usage is low, just monitoring power at a site with no internet access.
Hi Dean,
Thank you for getting in touch with Finder.
Currently, long expiry prepaid plans are up to 365 days which is for a year. Kindly contact your chosen provider if they may provide a modified mobile plan for your needs.
I hope this helps.
Thank you and have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Jeni