If you’re a data-hungry phone user then you’ll likely be interested to learn that yes, there are in fact Australian phone plans that come with unlimited data. But, before we dive more deeply into which mobile carriers offer unlimited plans, we need to point out that they most come with some major caveats, and as such, there’s actually only one such plan we can recommend if you simply must have unlimited data: Felix Mobile’s AU$40p/m prepaid plan.
While other Australian mobile providers do technically have unlimited plans, they’re not really intended for that use. All these come with an initial capped amount of data (20GB for example) and while you won’t be cut off or charged any extra once you hit this cap, your data speeds will be severely slowed down. Of the six providers that offer unlimited data, five of them will slow your service to 2Mbps or worse. These five providers are Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, Belong and Dodo. Dodo is by far the slowest of the bunch, limiting your download speed to a paltry 256Kbps when you hit your monthly data cap.
TPG-owned Felix Mobile is the only provider we can find that offers a reasonable-enough download speed (20Mbps) to make unlimited data worth it. Although 20Mbps still isn’t particularly fast, it will at least serve you far better than 2Mbps speeds.
However, Felix Mobile’s plan isn’t without its own caveats either. While it will certainly grant you truly unlimited data, that 20Mbps speed cap applies the entire time. The mobile carrier also uses parts of the Vodafone 4G network which, admittedly, isn’t as expansive as the networks of Optus or Telstra. You’ll want to factor this is in too when deciding if this unlimited mobile data plan is for you.
The other providers that don’t charge for excess data usage will give you higher-speed downloads until you reach your data cap. In some instances, these may still be speed capped, but at a more generous 100Mbps – 250Mbps. Felix Mobile does have two other SIM-only plans with data caps and no excess charges if you hit them, but if you do, your download speed will be reduced to 1.5Mbps.
High-data plans
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If you know you need an obscene amount of data, but you also want that data to travel at fast speeds, then a high data plan may be more up your alley. Circles.life is still offering its 650GB mega data plan, although only for a limited time and only for the first 12 months. After 12 months has expired, this plan reverts to its regular 160GB data amount for the same AU$55 monthly cost.
While the Circles.life plan doesn’t put a speed cap on its bonkers data plan, it does only use parts of the Optus 4G Plus network, i.e. you will be inherently limited to the accessible speeds based on network infrastructure. If you want a large amount of data and the benefit of 5G speeds, then you’ll generally need to go directly to the major telcos.
Optus has a 500GB monthly SIM-only plan, with the most attractive aspect being you get 500GB as standard, compared to the Circles.life plan mentioned above which comes with 160GB standard data and 490GB of bonus data. You also get full access to Optus’ 5G network. Optus’ plan will set you back AU$69p/m for 12 months, before reverting to its regular cost of AU$89p/m.
You can view the most popular high data SIM-only plans in our comparison tool below. Do note that some of these plans are 365-day long-expiry plans, meaning the amount of included data is for use over a 12 month period, as opposed to a one month period.
Data banking
One other option you have to make sure you always have a healthy amount of data is data banking. Data banking is a feature that some mobile carriers offer that lets you keep any unused data from one month and carry it over into the next billing cycle. A good proportion of mobile carriers offer data banking in some capacity, although usually with a cap on how much data you can bank – this is usually between 200GB to 500GB.
However, there are a couple of providers that offer unlimited data banking, which effectively means you’ll never run out of data. Although, if you do manage to hit the original data cap on your plan, then you may need to pay extra to get more.
Other mobile carriers that offer unlimited data banking include Belong, Aldi Mobile and Felix. You can view the most popular plans with these providers in the comparison tool below below
