Hold the phone! Telstra hikes mobile plan prices…and Boost Mobile and Belong
Telstra and smaller providers using its network are changing mobile plan prices again in another costly blow.
Along with the price of just about everything else, mobile plans from some of the well-known telcos including Telstra are getting more expensive.
Here's a gist of what's going on before we jump into more details.
- Telstra's raising the price of the majority of its postpaid mobile plans from 27 August by $3 to $4 a month.
- Telstra's prepaid mobile plans are going up in price by $1 to $4 a month for 7- and 28-day expiry periods, and by $20 to $30 a month for its long-expiry plans.
- Boost Mobile is hiking its 7- and 28-day mobile plans by $1 to $4 a month from 22 October. It will discontinue its $230 long-expiry plan. The others will remain unchanged.
- Belong's doing a small price increase - its 25GB SIM-only plan will cost $30 a month instead of $29 from 30 July.
Telstra's hiking mobile plan prices by $2 to $4 on average
When a few months ago Telstra said it wouldn't increase prices in line with inflation, it wasn't lying.
It has stayed true to word, scrapped Consumer Price Index-related changes and just gone higher with the charges.
Last year, Telstra postpaid customers were hit by a price increase of $3 to $6. Prepaid customers had to fork out an extra $2 to $5.
Something similar is unfolding between August and October this time around.
Postpaid plans
| Plan | Current price and data allowance | New price and data allowance |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $50 a month for 2GB | $50 a month for 5GB |
| Basic | $62 a month for 50GB | $65 a month for 50GB |
| Essential | $72 a month for 180GB | $75 a month for 180GB |
| Premium | $95 a month for 300GB | $99 a month for 300GB |
| Bundle | $50 a month for 25GB | $52 a month for 25GB |
Prepaid plans
| Plan | Current price and data allowance | New price and data allowance |
|---|---|---|
| $12 SIM Kit | $12 for 7 days for 3GB | $13 for 7 days for 3GB |
| $35 SIM Kit | $35 for 28 days for 15GB | $39 for 28 days for 15GB |
| $45 SIM Kit | $45 for 28 days for 25GB | $49 for 28 days for 25GB |
| $55 SIM Kit | $55 for 28 days for 35GB | $59 for 28 days for 35GB |
| $65 SIM Kit | $65 for 28 days for 70GB | $69 for 28 days for 70GB |
| $160 SIM Kit | $160 for 6 months for 70GB | $180 for 6 months for 70GB |
| $320 SIM Kit | $320 for 12 months for 165GB | $350 for 12 months for 165GB |
According to Telstra, it is now "simplifying its pricing approach for consistency".
"It takes a lot of work and cost to run a mobile network as large as ours, and even more to support the increased usage we have seen on our network," Telstra wrote in its blog post.
The investments we make in our mobile network don't just help to keep your phone connected to your favourite content and apps. We know those are important, but our network does so much more every single day.
Boost Mobile price changes
It was a similar story for Boost Mobile last year. It increased prices by $2 to $30 across the majority of its 7-, 28-day and 12-month expiry plans.
Here's what is in store for October.
| Plan | Current price and data allowance | New price and data allowance |
|---|---|---|
| $12 SIM (7-day expiry) | $12 for 5GB | $13 for 5GB |
| $22 SIM (28-day expiry) | $22 for 7GB | $26 for 7GB |
| $35 SIM (28-day expiry) | $35 for 25GB | $39 for 25GB |
| $45 SIM (28-day expiry) | $45 for 35GB | $49 for 35GB |
| $55 SIM (28-day expiry) | $55 for 45GB | $59 for 45GB |
| $70 SIM (28-day expiry) | $70 for 90GB | $74 for 90GB |
| $230 SIM (12-month expiry) | $230 for 160GB | To be removed as an option from 22 October 2024 |
| $300 SIM (12-month expiry) | $300 for 240GB | No change |
| $365 SIM (12-month expiry) | $365 for 365GB | No change |
"Any changes to our pricing structure is not something we take lightly, especially in this economic climate, but is done so that we can maintain the very best in mobile coverage and performance," said Jason Haynes, general manager of Boost Mobile in an email.
We have worked hard to ensure some of our most popular options for consumers remain unchanged with our 12-month long-life plans, accessing full coverage on the Telstra network for just $25 a month.
Belong mobile plan price hike
Interestingly, Belong's only making changes to its entry-level plan...again.
Last year its 25GB monthly plan went up from $25 to $29. This time it's receiving a $1 increase and will cost $30 a month.
Sooo...what do I do now?
If you don't want to sign up for a handset repayment plan, it's easy enough to ditch Telstra and save money with one of the smaller providers that use its network.
Boost Mobile, despite its price hikes, offers full access to Telstra's 4G and 5G networks and is the closest alternative.
Its $300 long expiry plan is a pretty solid option.
Otherwise, other providers on the wholesale Telstra network could also save you some bucks.
Here's a look at some of the options you could consider.
Finder Score for mobile plans
We've scored over 300 mobile plans on everything from cost to data allowance and important features.
Our experts give each plan a score out of 10 - totally fair, with no commercial strings attached.
Not married to the idea of using Telstra's network? We've rounded up some of the best SIM only plans for July that are worth checking out.
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