Will Telstra’s new mobile bundles actually be cheaper for families?
Telstra is making it cheaper to add extra SIMs to your Upfront mobile plan.
Telstra has just launched its mobile and data bundle add-ons to make it more "affordable and convenient" to get the entire family online.
The bundle add-ons are as follows:
- Mobile Bundle Plan. 15GB for $47 a month with 4G and 5G access, no excess data charges or lock-in contract.
- Data Bundle Plan. 10GB for $10 a month with Telstra's fastest 4G and 5G speeds, no excess data charges or lock-in contract.
You can add up to 5 bundle plans under 1 account, with the option to mix and match mobile and data bundles.
To hop on one of these new bundles, you'll need to be signed up to either Telstra Upfront Essential (180GB for $68 a month) or Premium (300GB for $89 a month) mobile plan.
What's the catch with Telstra's new mobile bundles?
On paper, the bundle plans are definitely cheaper than the regular line-up of Telstra mobile plans. However, there are a couple of caveats to keep in mind.
You can't add on the new SIMs if you're on Telstra's Upfront Mobile Plan Basic, which costs $58 a month for 40GB.
If you're on the Basic plan, you'd have to pay at least $10 a month more to become eligible for the bundle plans.
But will you end up saving?
Assuming you're mostly interested in the mobile bundle, the savings will increase if you add more than 1 SIM.
For example:
Without the bundles in play, if you wanted 2 Telstra SIMs, your cheapest option would be to get 2 Basic plans, which would cost $116 a month in total ($58 each).
If you bundle with Telstra's new add-on, you'd need to get the Essential plan for $68 a month to access the bundle add-on for $47 a month.
That would then cost you $115 a month overall and save you only $1 per month compared to signing up to Telstra's Basic plan.
The savings do tally up the more SIMs you add under the 1 account (you could save $12 with 3 bundled SIMs), so crunch the numbers before you commit to anything.
What other family plans are available in Australia?
If you're after big brand energy similar to Telstra, then Optus and Vodafone could be worth comparing.
- Vodafone offers 5% to 20% off depending on how many plans you bundle under 1 account. For example, bundling 2 plans will save you 5% while bundling 5 or more plans will save you 20%. This deal is available across the full range of Vodafone's postpaid plans.
- Optus has a dedicated family plan with 4 SIMs. It costs $165 a month for 320GB. Between 4 people, that's equivalent to 80GB for $41.25 per person, which is a pretty good deal.
It's also worth considering some of the smaller providers as they could offer you even more bang for your buck.
- ALDImobile offers 3 types of family plans starting from $45 a month with 44GB of shared data (includes 2 services).
- Yomojo's family bundle lets you save between 5% for 2 plans and up to 15% for 6 plans. The starting price for Yomojo's eligible mobile plan is just under $30 a month.
Family mobile plans may be convenient, but you can often find juicy deals for individual plans too. Compare SIM only mobile plans and start saving today.
