Telstra mobile customers set for a second price hike in 12 months — is it enough to finally convince you to switch?

In news that is both ridiculous yet unsurprising, Australia’s telecommunications sweetheart, Telstra, has announced it will be raising prices across its postpaid and prepaid plans from May 5, 2026.

Most postpaid plans will go up by AU$4 per month, while prepaid plans can expect a AU$5 monthly increase.

This is the second price hike in less than 12 months, with the previous one coming in July 2025 when most plans increased by around AU$5 a month. Telstra’s NBN plans were also affected by the previous price increases but, as it currently stands, they’re unaffected this time round.

The changes to postpaid plans are as follows:

As you’ll see, the Premium plan is unaffected by the price increase, but elsewhere there are hikes of up to AU$4 per month.

In the case of prepaid plans, the increases vary depending on plan length. Telstra’s six-month and 12-month plans, for example, are going up by AU$20 and AU$45 respectively. However, as a small gesture of goodwill, Telstra is increasing the amount of data included with these plans. The full range of prepaid plans with new pricing is as follows:

As tends to be the case with any price increase across any service, Telstra says they’re necessary to help “ongoing investment in our mobile network infrastructure, enabling innovation and the rollout of new features that expand connectivity options for customers”. The telco touts its rollout of satellite-to-mobile messaging — which could prove invaluable to customers beyond the range of Telstra’s mobile network — as being a prime example of said innovation.

Time to change?

If you’re a Telstra customer and feel these price increases are a bit of a slap in the face, then the good news is that you can still gain access to much of the telco’s expansive network coverage while paying an awful lot less.

Whether you prefer a postpaid or a prepaid plan, there are several options available from smaller telcos, called MVNOs, who use what is known as the Wholesale Network. You can view our guide to the best mobile plans on the Telstra network for more information.

This is technically different to the full, main network that direct Telstra customers enjoy. The main differences tend to be a cap on the download speed you can achieve — usually between 100Mbps and 250Mbps — and they offer slightly less in the way of network coverage. However, it’s likely only people in extremely remote parts of Australia that would be affected by this change.

For everyone else, there’s plenty of value to be found and money to be saved by switching to a different provider, and I’ve picked out my three favourites below. Alternatively, if you want to consider switching networks, be sure to check out my guide to the best SIM-only plans.

Exetel Plus One | 130GB | Telstra Wholesale Network | AU$40/recharge

For just AU$40 per month, you can get a huge 130GB of data with this Exetel prepaid plan. Download speeds are capped at 150Mbps, but you also get the benefit of up to 1,000GB databanking and unlimited international calls to 15 countries.

Total minimum cost: AU$40 | Total yearly cost: AU$480

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Tangerine | 30GB | Telstra Wholesale Network | AU$15 p/m (first 4 months, then AU$30 p/m)

If you don’t need a huge amount of data, then this postpaid plan from Tangerine is a great option. You’ll pay just AU$15p/m for the first 4 months, in return for 30GB of data on the Telstra 5G Wholesale Network.

Total minimum cost: AU$15 | Total cost for first year: AU$300 | Ongoing yearly cost: AU$360

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Boost Mobile | 380GB | Full Telstra Network | AU$330 (first recharge, then AU$365 ongoing)

Boost Mobile has the unique benefit of having full access to the main Telstra network. I’ve selected this long-expiry plan as a good example of the value to be gained by switching to the Telstra-owned provider. You’ll get 380GB on your first recharge, and this drops to 365GB upon your second recharge. The price also changes, from AU$330 the first recharge to AU$365 when the time comes to recharge for year two.

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