Why Aldi Mobile?

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Aldi is well known as a low-cost supermarket chain and a favourite with bargain hunters across the country, so it is no surprise that it is also the mobile provider of choice for hundreds of thousands of Aussies too. 

Part of the appeal of an Aldi Mobile phone plan is the simplicity in selecting one. With Aldi Mobile there are only a handful of plans to choose from. There are no complex terms and conditions, no risk/reward sacrifices to consider, and you can leave any time you like. 

You'll need your own phone to bring to the Aldi Mobile service, though. Aldi Mobile doesn't offer mobile phone plan contracts, so you'll need to use an old phone you have, or buy a new model outright through someone else. Aldi sometimes offers smartphones for sale through their supermarket outlets, but you can't count on their always being one for sale, or that it will be a brand and model that you're familiar with.

Types of Aldi Mobile plans

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This is the best part. As we mentioned above, there are only a few plans on offer, and all of these plans are prepaid. No contracts, no long term commitments, just easy to understand prepaid plans. There are two basic plan types, each with a few options. 

If you have simple phone usage and you're looking for a great plan for calls and messages, Aldi Mobile offer Pay As You Go plans, with recharge options from $15. Calls cost $0.12 per minute, and SMS messages cost $0.12 each. Impressively, some international calls start from $0.10 per minute, but it depends on which countries you call.

Alternatively, you can choose from one of five Value Pack plans, starting from the Small $15 per recharge and stepping up through the range to $55 for the Jumbo Value Pack recharge.

Each Value Pack includes unlimited national calls and messages, plus a generous data allowance. The more you pay for the plan, the more data you get to use each month. On top of this, plans from $25 and up also include international calling minutes. Again, the more you pay, the more minutes will be included in your recharge. These minutes can be used for calls to 50 countries, which is more than we can list here in a tidy fashion, but you'll find the full list of included countries on the Aldi Mobile website.

Aldi Mobile Data Roll-over

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Do you think that you should be able to use all of the data you pay for each month? Well, Aldi Mobile has got your back, and is one of a few (but growing) number of telco providers now offering a data roll-over feature. This allows you to use unused data from one month in the following month, giving you a second chance to make full use of the data you've paid for.

The feature is available when you choose a Value Pack plan, and kicks in when you recharge your account before your current credit expires. If you wait until after the expiry date then the unused data disappears. Thankfully Aldi Mobile has an auto recharge feature, so you can set it up to top up your account before you lose your data for the month.

How to switch to Aldi Mobile

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Changing your mobile phone provider can seem a little daunting. We often get asked about how long it takes, whether you can keep your number, and when exactly your number changes hands. The good news is that it is very easy to change telco in Australia, and laws exist that protect your right to switch and ensure you always keep your phone number.

Your number is held by your provider, but only as long as you allow them to. If you want to swap to Aldi Mobile, your old carrier will automatically relinquish your number and transfer it to Aldi when you activate your new service.

Here's the process:

1. Find the Aldi Mobile plan you're after and sign up online, or pick up a SIM card from the checkout at your local Aldi supermarket. 
2. When signing up, you'll be asked whether you want to 'port' or transfer your current number to your new account. Simply put in your number and specify your existing provider.
3. After you receive your SIM card (if you order online), you'll need to activate it. Doing this begins the process of transferring your number. If you bought a SIM in-store, this will happen as part of the initial setup.

Note that your old service will keep working until porting is completed. This typically takes somewhere between a couple of minutes and an hour or two, but there's cases where it can take a day or if not longer. You'll typically know your Aldi Mobile plan is live when your previous service stops working.

SIM cards store very little information these days, which means all of your contacts, phone numbers, emails and photos are either on your phone or in the cloud. Switching to Aldi Mobile will not delete any of your personal information from your device.

We've gone over the steps of switching providers in this video:

Aldi Mobile FAQs

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What happens if I want to leave my Aldi Mobile plan?

Nothing, you're free to leave any time you like. Because all Aldi Mobile plans are prepaid, your commitment lasts as long as your current recharge. You can switch to a new provider at any time, and you can take your phone number with you when you move on.

What happens if I go over my monthly data allowance? 

As is the case with all prepaid plans, when you reach your data limit on an Aldi Mobile plan, the data service is blocked until you recharge your account. You don't need to buy a full Value Pack recharge though, you can choose a data-only top up of 1GB for $10.

What network is Aldi Mobile powered by? 

Aldi Mobile uses parts of the Telstra 4G network. By parts, we mean most but not all of the Telstra network footprint. All of the major cities and regional centres are covered by this signal, but you might not get coverage from an Aldi service in rural parts of the country where a Telstra signal is available.

What kind of SIM cards does Aldi use? 

Aldi Mobile SIM cards come in nano SIM, micro SIM, and mini SIM sizes. This should cover any phone you currently own.

Does Aldi Mobile still have a 2G network? 

Aldi Mobile no longer providers 2G services. You'll need a 3G or 4G smartphone to connect to Aldi Mobile. 

Does Aldi Mobile offer international roaming? 

Yes, but you'd be wise to consider other options while travelling. In general, it will cost you between $1 and $2 to make and receive phone calls when overseas, and it costs $0.50 to send a message. If you use data, it will add $0.50 to your bill for each megabyte you use, or $500 per GB.

You can turn off international roaming access when you log into your account on the Aldi Mobile website, or through the app.

Aldi Mobile Feature breakdown

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