Best prepaid mobile plans in Australia (April 2024)

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(Image credit: Getty Images / Eugenio Marongiu)

A prepaid mobile plan could work for you if you want more flexibility over your phone plan. Prepaid mobile plans are free from lock-in contracts, and there’s no risk of incurring extra charges if you go over your data allowance – once it’s used up, you need to recharge your prepaid plan to keep using your phone.

This gives prepaid users more flexibility on how much they’ll spend on their phone bill each month – you can spend more or less depending on your budget and how much data you need. If you’re considering going prepaid, make sure the plan you choose has enough data to get you through the month, as you don’t want to recharge multiple times a month. 

Prepaid mobile plans are different from postpaid SIM-only plans because you pay for your usage upfront, before you’ve started using it. Postpaid mobile plans are paid for at the end of your billing cycle, after you’ve used it. If it’s a postpaid plan you want, head over to our best SIM-only plans guide.

On this page, we’ve compared prepaid plans from over 18 providers and chosen the best prepaid mobile plans in Australia. We’ve looked at the best option overall, cheap plans under AU$20, long-expiry prepaid plans that last up to a year, and everything in between.

Jump to:
Best prepaid plan for most people – Catch Connect 18GB for AU$12 per 30-day renewal (1m, then AU$15)
Best cheap prepaid plan under AU$20 – Catch Connect 18GB for AU$12 per 30-day renewal (1m, then AU$15)
Best long expiry prepaid plan up to 365 days – Catch Connect 200GB for AU$150 per 365 day renewal
Best Telstra network prepaid plan – Everyday Mobile 32GB for AU$30 per 30-day renewal
Best Optus network prepaid plan – Catch Connect 18GB for AU$12 per 30-day renewal (1m, then AU$15)
Best Vodafone network prepaid plan – TPG 25GB for AU$12.50 per 1-month renewal (first 6m, then AU$25)
Best Boost Mobile prepaid plan – Boost Mobile 50GB for AU$12 per 28-day renewal (1m, then 25GB for AU$35)
Best Amaysim prepaid plan – Amaysim 40GB for AU$12 per 28-day renewal (32GB for AU$30 after 1st renewal)

Noteworthy prepaid mobile deals for (April 2024)

We’ve selected the best prepaid mobile plans further down this page, but if you’d just like to see some of the best offers going at the moment, check out this list of sweet prepaid mobile plan deals:

Best prepaid mobile plans: our picks

Best prepaid plan for most people

Catch Connect18GB data30-day expiryAU$12 per 30-day renewal (first renewal, then AU$15 per renewal)

Catch Connect | 18GB data | 30-day expiry | AU$12 per 30-day renewal (first renewal, then AU$15 per renewal)

After weighing up dozens of options, we can confidently recommend Catch Connect for the best prepaid plan overall. This plan is discounted to AU$12 for your first renewal, but it also has an excellent everyday price – AU$15 for 18GB of data. Along with that data, you also get unlimited talk and text to standard numbers in Australia. Catch’s plan comes with a 30-day expiry, and uses the Optus 4G network.

Total minimum cost is AU$12 | Total cost for first year: AU$177 | Yearly cost after discount: AU$180

Best cheap prepaid plan under AU$20

Catch Connect18GB data30-day expiryAU$12 per 30-day renewal (first renewal, then AU$15 per renewal)

Catch Connect | 18GB data | 30-day expiry | AU$12 per 30-day renewal (first renewal, then AU$15 per renewal)

Catch Connect also gets our recommendation for the best cheap prepaid plan, falling well under AU$30 per 30-day renewal. For just AU$15 every 30 days, you’ll get 18GB of data and unlimited talk and text to standard numbers, all powered by Optus’ 4G network. For your first 30 days, you’ll only pay AU$12 for the same benefits. Catch Connect’s regular pricing is highly competitive, costing around AU$0.84 per gigabyte.

Total minimum cost is AU$12 | Total cost for first year: AU$177 | Yearly cost after discount: AU$180

Best long expiry prepaid plan up to 365 days

Catch Connect200GB data365-day expiryAU$150 per 365-day renewal (first renewal, then AU$200 per renewal)

Catch Connect | 200GB data | 365-day expiry | AU$150 per 365-day renewal (first renewal, then AU$200 per renewal)

Catch Connect is our top choice for best long expiry prepaid plan. You’ll get 200GB of data for AU$150 with your first renewal, which comes on a 365-day expiry. We’ve chosen it because it has a very low cost-per-gigabyte of AU$0.75, which is the best value we can find. It’s a good fit for average data use, as 200GB to use over an entire year shakes out to be around 16GB every 30 days. Catch Connect uses the Optus 4G network.

Total minimum cost is AU$150 | Total cost for first year: AU$150 | Yearly cost after discount: AU$200

Best Telstra network prepaid plan

Everyday Mobile32GB data30-day expiryAU$30 per 30-day renewal

Everyday Mobile | 32GB data | 30-day expiry | AU$30 per 30-day renewal

Woolworths Mobile has rebranded as Everyday Mobile, and it uses Telstra’s 4G network for its prepaid plans – parts of Telstra’s 5G coverage is only available via its SIM-only plans. This plan comes with 32GB on a 30-day recharge, and you can rollover your unused gigs into a data bank of up to 500GB. The best bit about Everyday Mobile is that it comes with 10% off a Woolworths shop in store every month – if you do big shops, that could potentially recoup you the cost of this plan.

Total minimum cost is AU$30 | Total cost for first year: AU$360

Best Optus network prepaid plan

Catch Connect18GB data30-day expiryAU$12 per 30-day renewal (first renewal, then AU$15 per renewal)

Catch Connect | 18GB data | 30-day expiry | AU$12 per 30-day renewal (first renewal, then AU$15 per renewal)

This Catch Connect plan has claimed a few recommendations on this page, and it’s also our pick for the best Optus network prepaid plan. Catch Connect uses the Optus 4G network, and you’re getting it for the super-cheap price of AU$15 per 30-day renewal. Along with 18GB of data, you also get unlimited talk and text to standard numbers in Australia, and you should expect good coverage courtesy of Optus.

Total minimum cost is AU$12 | Total cost for first year: AU$177 | Yearly cost after discount: AU$180

Best Vodafone network prepaid plan

TPG25GB data1-month expiryAU$12.50 per 1-month renewal (first 6 months, then AU$25 per renewal)

TPG | 25GB data | 1-month expiry | AU$12.50 per 1-month renewal (first 6 months, then AU$25 per renewal)

This TPG prepaid plan is 50% off for your first six months, so you’ll initially pay just AU$12.50 for 25GB of data. After that discount ends, you’ll be paying AU$25 for each one-month renewal. TPG’s prepaid plans auto-renew every month until you cancel, and we like that the recharge happens 'every month' rather than on a 28-day or 30-day cycle. TPG’s prepaid plans use Vodafone’s 4G network.

Total minimum cost is AU$12.50 | Total cost for first year: AU$225 | Yearly cost after discount: AU$300

Best Boost Mobile prepaid plan

Boost Mobile50GB data (first three recharges)28-day expiryAU$12 per 28-day renewal (first renewal, then 25GB for AU$35 per renewal)

Boost Mobile | 50GB data (first three recharges) | 28-day expiry | AU$12 per 28-day renewal (first renewal, then 25GB for AU$35 per renewal)

Boost Mobile is offering a huge discount for your first recharge on this prepaid plan. You’ll get your first 28 days for just AU$12, and that’ll net you 50GB of data. You get 50GB on your first three recharges, after which it drops down to 25GB for your fourth recharge onwards. Boost Mobile offers data rollover for any of your unused gigs, provided you recharge your plan before expiry. After your first renewal, you’ll pay AU$35 for each subsequent recharge.

Total minimum cost is AU$12 | Total cost for first year: AU$360 | Yearly cost after discount: AU$397

Best Amaysim prepaid plan

Amaysim40GB data (first recharge)28-day expiryAU$12 per 28-day renewal (first renewal, then 32GB for AU$30 per renewal)

Amaysim | 40GB data (first recharge) | 28-day expiry | AU$12 per 28-day renewal (first renewal, then 32GB for AU$30 per renewal)

You can get a great discount for your first renewal on this prepaid plan from Amaysim. You’ll pay just AU$12 for your first renewal, getting you 40GB of data. After that, it’ll revert back to the standard offer, which is AU$30 for 32GB each renewal. What’s particularly good about Amaysim is that any unused data rolls over into a data bank, and there’s no limit on how much can be stored – you’ll keep it for however long you stick with your plan. This plan includes 5G coverage via the Optus network, with speeds up to 100Mbps.

Total minimum cost is AU$12 | Total cost for first year: AU$342 | Yearly cost after discount: AU$360

Jasmine Gearie
Ecommerce Editor

Jasmine Gearie is an Ecommerce Editor at TechRadar Australia, with a primary focus on helping readers cut through the jargon to find the best mobile and internet plans for their needs. She crunches the numbers to maintain dedicated guides to the latest phones, NBN and broadband plans of all types, and covers the important telco industry news. She also hunts down tech deals on laptops, phones, gaming consoles and more, so readers know where to buy the products they want for the cheapest prices.