How Aussies Are Gaming Their NBN Bill (and you can too)

This article is sponsored by Exetel.

Concerned about unpredictable bills hitting your bank account each month? Electricity and gas bills fluctuate, the streaming services keep hiking up their rates, and that six-month signup offer on your nbn plan is about to expire.

If you'd like greater consistency in your household budget, the Exetel One Plan might be the NBN plan for you. For $80 per month, you get a fast 500Mbps NBN service with no short-term discounts before a steep price rise or gotcha T&Cs. Just reliable, fast internet at a fixed price you can bank on.

Better yet, while the price of the One Plan won't increase unexpectedly, there are a couple of ways to reduce costs.

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Exetel FTTP, HFC One Plan 500/50 FTTP, HFC nbn® 500/45 Mbps Unlimited Data $80/mth Min. cost $80 Go to Site

$80/mth Min. cost $80

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Share the love (and the savings)

Exetel's Refer a Friend program is the secret to saving on your internet bill. Every customer on the One Plan is assigned a unique referral code. If you share this with a mate, and they sign up, you both get $1 off your Exetel bill every month for as long as you both remain on the One Plan. 

Over 1,300 Exetel customers currently use the Refer a Friend program to save on their internet. But here's a little-known hack: while it's called 'Refer A Friend', you don't need to know the people who use your unique referral code. 

Take the example of Yici Liu from Victoria, who shared their referral code on the Chinese social media platform RedNote. This post was seen by over 11,000 other RedNote users and led to 77 people using the referral code to save on the One Plan, while Liu reduced the cost of their Exetel service to just $3 per month. 

Getting started only takes a moment. Just open the Exetel app and find the 'Refer a Friend' tab. Copy your unique referral code, and send it to whoever needs it. Or go big and post your code on Facebook to see if you can beat the current record.

Keep calm and in control

Referrals aren't the only way to control your bill. In the Exetel app you'll find options to increase your connection when you need the speed or slow it down for times when you won't use it.

Hibernate mode reduces your service's download speed to 12 Mbps and saves you $1 per day on your bill that month. It's useful for when you're away for an extended period. You just toggle it on before you leave and off when you return. 

Warp Speed does the opposite; it increases your download speeds to 1000 Mbps (Typical Evening Speed: 860/85 Mbps) for an extra $1 per day. You know that enormous 100GB Xbox game update that's going to take all afternoon to download? For just $1, it can be installed in about 30 minutes. It just makes sense to only pay for Ultrafast NBN speed when you actually need it, rather than paying a premium on your bill year-round for the handful of times that you really need the speed.

If you're tired of introductory rates that evaporate and bills that only get more expensive over time, Exetel's One Plan model offers an alternative. Your internet cost becomes something you can control by sharing the savings through your network and the smart speed adjustment tools built-in to the service.

And, remember you don't need 80 close friends to save on your bill. Why not post your code on your local community Facebook group? To get started, head over to the Exetel website and run an address check to see if you're eligible for the One Plan.

Joseph Hanlon

Editorial Director | X | LinkedIn

Joe Hanlon has been immersed in mobile phones, plans and the internet for over a decade, having written for publications like CNET, Techradar, Gizmodo and Lifehacker. He steers the editorial ship and makes sure that we are always serving up the most useful guides and recommendations. If you ever bump into Joe on the street, don't be afraid to ask for a phone recommendation. It's embarrassing how much he enjoys talking about this stuff. He also loves listening to podcasts, so feel free to email Joe with recommendations.

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