Telstra's new Upfront NBN plans are genuinely contract and exit fee free

Alex Choros - Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor

Last updated 09 November 2021

Telstra has a new range of NBN plans that are genuinely contract-free with no exit fees. Telstra's NBN plans have been contract-free quite some time now, but if you left within your first 24 months, you'd be stung with a prorated modem fee equivalent to $9 for each month left in your two-year term.

With its new Upfront range, you simply need to return your modem to Telstra if you leave within 24 months. You can keep it if you'd like, but you'll need to pay a $200 non-return fee. This is the same smart modem you get with other Telstra NBN plans, and as such, it also supports 4G backup.

Telstra's Upfront NBN plan range is priced identically to its core NBN plan range, but there are a few differences. The biggest is how the plan is billed. As the name suggests, you'll be billed upfront, and pay for the upcoming month ahead of it. On the older Telstra range, you're issued an invoice and have around two weeks to pay for it.

Not all features are currently available on Upfront NBN plans. You can currently only get plans as fast as NBN 100, with NBN 250 coming by the end of the month and NBN 1000 early next year. In addition, most extras cannot be bundled onto Upfront NBN plans yet, including WiFi boosters, game optimisier, and Xbox All Access. Game Pass Ultimate is available, however.

Professional installation is not available, and you can't transfer an existing phone number to a Telstra Upfront NBN plan if you still need a landline. Telstra's older range of NBN plans is a better pick if you need any of the aforementioned features right now.

All of Telstra's Upfront NBN plans are currently available for $1 for your first month.

You can check the plans out here

Upfront plans will eventually be your only NBN option from Big T, and Telstra plans to move over existing NBN customers to Upfront plans mid-to-late 2022.

Telstra's Upfront NBN range follows on from it taking its 5G home internet plan out of invite-only. If you're looking for an NBN alternative, Telstra is offering a one-month free trial on 5G home internet.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

Read full bio