Telstra mobile plans

Telstra is Australia's largest mobile provider, with a variety of contract, prepaid or SIM-only plans to suit practically everybody.

Telstra Mobile prepaid & SIM-only plans

Here's how all of Telstra's current prepaid & SIM-only offers and deals compare:

• Read more about Telstra's prepaid plans

  Prepaid plans can make a lot of sense if you're on a constrained budget, or if you simply want to control the level of your mobile spend. Rather than a postpaid plan, where you're billed at the end of each billing month for your usage, prepaid plans are paid upfront, and you can only use as much as you've paid for. In the current mobile climate that's often a question of data usage more than anything else, although plan inclusions can vary.

  Telstra's long legacy in the Australian mobile space means that it has offered more mobile plan variants than just about any other carrier. One interesting aspect of its mobile offerings is that even when it does discontinue a plan, if you're still on it with credit, you can typically stay on that plan as long as you keep recharging. Of course, this isn't always your best option, with ever-increasing data inclusions and other bonuses making newer plans quite attractive.

  Telstra currently offers two different prepaid plan options, under the titles of Pre-Paid Max and Long Life Plus.

  Pre-Paid Max is Telstra's primary prepaid offering, and it's the one that most closely mimics its SIM plans in terms of inclusions. All of the Pre-Paid Max plans include unlimited calls and texts to standard Australian numbers.

  	Prepaid Max $10	Prepaid Max $30	Prepaid Max $40	Prepaid Max $50
  Calls	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
  Text	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
  Data	2GB	10GB	20GB	28GB
  International calls	Unlimited to 20 selected countries	Unlimited to 20 selected countries	Unlimited to 20 selected countries	Unlimited to 10 selected countries
  Extra credit	$0	$5	$10	$15
  Expiry	7 days	28 days	35 days	42 days

  Telstra also offers two longer-term Pre-Paid Max plans aimed at folks who don't want to worry about recharging regularly.

  	Prepaid Max $150	Prepaid Max $300
  Calls	Unlimited	Unlimited
  Text	Unlimited	Unlimited
  Data	60GB	150GB
  International calls	Unlimited to 20 selected countries	Unlimited to 20 selected countries
  Extra credit	$50	$100
  Expiry	6 months	12 months

  At higher pricing tiers, Telstra also provides unlimited international calls to select destinations, as well as international calling credit to spend on dialling other locations. Telstra's Pre-Paid Max plans all qualify for free access to Telstra's nationwide Wi-Fi network, as well as data rollover of up to 200GB if you recharge more than $10 before your expiry period is up.

  For those who want a prepaid service with long expiry and simple inclusions, Telstra also offers its Long Life Plus plans, which do very much what you'd expect with a name like that.

  All Telstra Long Life Plus plans feature 0c flagfall to standard Australian and international numbers, 30c/min calls to Australian numbers, 39c/min calls to international numbers, 30c SMS and 10c/MB data charges. Five recharge options are available, with different expiry periods among them as follows:

  	Long Life Plus $20	Long Life Plus $30	Long Life Plus $50	Long Life Plus $70	Long Life Plus $100
  Calls	30c/min	30c/min	30c/min	30c/min	30c/min
  Text	30c/SMS	30c/SMS	30c/SMS	30c/SMS	30c/SMS
  Data	10c/MB	10c/MB	10c/MB	10c/MB	10c/MB
  International calls	39c/min	39c/min	39c/min	39c/min	39c/min
  Expiry	45 days	186 days	186 days	365 days	365 days

• Read more about Telstra's SIM-only plans

  If all you want is access to Telstra's mobile network and you don't require a new or replacement handset, then a Telstra SIM-only plan may be a better fit.

  Telstra's postpaid SIM-only plans are sold on rolling month-to-month or 12 month terms, with slightly different pricing and inclusions depending on whether you're happy with an annual contract or not.

  Typically speaking, Telstra offers bonus deals on its 12 months SIM-only plans. Here's the current full pricing and details for Telstra's BYO plans:

  	BYO $49 Plan	BYO $69 Plan	BYO $89 Plan
  Calls	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
  Text	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
  Data	15GB	30GB	60GB
  International calls	None	Unlimited to 15 selected countries	Unlimited to 15 selected countries
  Bonus Deal	None	$10/month credit	None

Telstra SIM-only business plans

Telstra Mobile contract plans

For many Australians, a mobile plan is one that comes with a handset, and Telstra has no shortage of handsets you can pick from. The latest and greatest handsets nearly always land at the carrier as soon as they're available in Australia.

Notably, Telstra has been the carrier of choice for Google and its in-house Pixel phones for the past couple of years, including 2017's Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel 2 XL. But it's not just an Android house, with Apple's popular iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus also available.

• Read more about Telstra's contract plans

  However, it's not just the high-end premium space that Telstra serves with handsets. It has a number of lower-cost and rather specific phones on its books as well, including its own branded handsets such as the Telstra Signature 2. These are simpler handsets for those who only need the basics and don't want to spend extra on features they may not use or desire.

  All of Telstra's mobile plans operate off sized plans that offer unlimited national talk and texts plus a data quota, with frequent sign-up specials. You pay a differing amount of handset repayments relative to your phone of choice, but the baseline plans remain the same.

  	S Plan $59	M Plan $79	L Plan $99	XL Plan $129	Ultimate Plan $199
  Calls	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
  Text	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
  Data	3GB	10GB	30GB	60GB	Unlimited
  International calls	None	None	Unlimited to 15 selected countries	Unlimited to 15 selected countries	Unlimited to all countries

  If you're signing up for a Telstra Go Mobile Plus plan, you can often score bonus data for the life of your contract plan above those figures.

  On top of these basic inclusions, the L and XL plans include unlimited international talk and text to 15 select countries, while the Ultimate plan comes with unlimited international talk and text to any country across the globe.

  Telstra also offers the ability to lease your handset rather than buy it on contract. These Go Mobile Swap plans mirror the inclusions of the Go Mobile Plus plans but typically offer around a $10 monthly discount to your total plan price. If you're very careful with your phone this is worth considering for the saving, but bear in mind that at the end of your 24-month term, you do have to give the handset back. At some higher-priced tiers there's no saving at all on a Go Mobile Swap plan, so compare carefully.

  The total price you pay for a Telstra Go Mobile Plus plan varies, depending on the type of handset you select. More premium-end handsets attract higher repayment prices, although that also varies depending on your monthly plan pricing. Conversely, if you opt for a simpler handset, you may incur low or no handset repayment costs at all.

For comparison, here's Telstra's current plan pricing on the top-end 256GB Apple iPhone X:

How does Telstra Mobile compare?

Telstra's market positioning is one of being a premium provider, with premium services and pricing to match. That means in a straight line comparison, it's often just a touch more expensive than its direct competitors, Vodafone and Optus, in matters such as contract plans.

Telstra's positioning on this is that additional features such as free streaming of AFL, NRL and Netball, plus access to the Telstra Air network, give its plans additional value above its competitors.

• Apple iPhone X contract comparison

  So on a handset level, for example, here's how Telstra compares for the Apple iPhone X on a 24-month contract:

• Prepaid plan comparison

  In the prepaid space, Telstra again pitches itself on the quality of its network, although if that's all you're keen on, you could consider any of the existing mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) who use Telstra's wholesale 4G network. You don't quite get the full Telstra speed, but it can be a good way to save. Here's how Telstra's prepaid plans compare against prepaid offerings on the Telstra network from Woolworths Mobile, Boost Mobile and ALDImobile:

Why should you consider Telstra Mobile?

For many Australians, Telstra represents a trusted and known brand in the mobile space with a premium pedigree for service quality. It has the widest overall footprint of any mobile 4G or 3G provider, and while that's not 100% of the Australian landmass, it's still much larger and wider than its competitors if you do travel to the more remote corners of our country.

Telstra charges a premium price, but it backs that up with a lot of extra features.

• Read more about Telstra's coverage & features

  Telstra's network has long led in terms of coverage, but it's also typically the fastest network in the country for overall speeds, with many metropolitan areas and selected regional centres now updated to speeds of Category 16 and above. Telstra's ambitions for 5G networks are aggressive, as it doesn't want to give up its lead on its rivals in terms of speed.

  For most of Telstra's postpaid and prepaid plans, you get access to the Telstra Air network of free public Wi-Fi hotspots. You can find out more about Telstra Air here, but it's also worth considering for international travellers as, in addition, it grants you access to the Fon network of Wi-Fi hotspots globally.

  If sports is your love, Telstra can be a great choice, with many plans giving you free access to AFL, NRL and Netball games with live broadcasts that don't affect your overall data usage. Or in other words, you'll never miss a vital game just because you're not near a TV, or blow out your data usage streaming it, either!

  Telstra's partnership with Foxtel also brings Foxtel Now to a wide variety of Telstra Mobile Phone plans, with free access for selected plans to Foxtel Now streaming packages, although data charges for streaming will still apply on those plans.

  For Apple Music aficionados, Telstra offers a range of plans with free Apple Music subscriptions for a limited period. Even beyond that free period, usage of Apple Music for streaming (whether it's music or video, such as Carpool Karaoke) doesn't attract any data charges.

  Telstra also tests its handsets for specific regional and rural suitability under its "Blue Tick" scheme, which rates specific handsets as being especially suitable for use in areas where mobile towers are few and far between. Not every handset gets the Blue Tick, but it's an easy way to see if your handset is going to get the best possible reception in all areas, including remote areas.

Telstra prepaid recharge options

• Online at m.telstra.com: If you've got your prepaid phone to hand, you can access Telstra's web portal at any time with no data cost. From there, you can access your credit balance and recharge via credit/debit card, Visa Checkout, PayPal or CreditMe2U services.
• Online from your desktop: The same interface that you can use at Telstra's mobile portal is also open to you from your computer's web browser, although because it won't be able to detect your mobile automatically, you will have to register for a Telstra ID, or link your Facebook ID with your Telstra account to manage and recharge your prepaid service.
• Via Telstra's 24/7 app: Telstra's mobile app for Android or iOS provides you with an easy way to check your prepaid balance. If you have other Telstra services you can log in with your Telstra ID, but if you're using your mobile device directly and you're not on a Wi-Fi connection, it can detect your SIM and service status, as well as letting you recharge your service. The Telstra 24/7 app is available free of charge for iOS (you can download it here), Android (download here), Windows Phone 8 (download here) or BlackBerry 10 handsets (download here).
• Via Credit Card/PayPal: Telstra supports payments via Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club, American Express or PayPal to recharge mobile services if that's your payment gateway of choice, but you will have to go through Telstra's prepaid payment gateway to avail yourself of the service. You can recharge your own mobile service, or the service of any other Telstra prepaid mobile this way.
• Via voucher: You can opt to purchase recharge vouchers at most supermarkets and other mass-market retailers, which you then apply to your mobile service through the Telstra 24/7 App or mobile web portal.
• By phone: If you'd rather use your phone to recharge, you can access recharge services by dialing 125 888 from your handset.
• Via automatic recharge: If you simply don't want to forget to recharge, you can set your account to automatically recharge on expiry through Telstra's 24/7 app or web portal. Bear in mind if you do opt for this feature, it will keep going even if you're not using the service any more until you explicitly tell it not to.

How to contact Telstra

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