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Welcome home! While there plenty of things to look forward to when returning to Aus there are also a few necessary evils and no - we’re not talking about quarantine. Restarting your life here requires you to ‘set up’ all over again... And if you thought restocking all your sauces and spices was a pain - just wait until you try signing up to a mobile plan - you won’t know what’s cumin.
First, some context...
We can all agree moving-home-logistics are NOT FUN. The biggest headache is having proof of address which can feel very ‘chicken or egg’ and while some things can wait, a mobile phone plan is the lynchpin in organising the rest of your new life.
To add a layer of complexity you also have to think about your credit rating / score. If you’ve been gone for a while chances are your credit history (or lack thereof) is only going to extend your migraine.
As a company full of expats, immigrants and locals we’ve put our heads together help you get connected with minimal fuss.
For the past 10 years we’ve tracked, analysed and compared mobile plans from Australia's major telcos (and most of the minor ones too) and because we help millions of Aussies find phone and internet plans every year we reckon we're in a pretty good position to give you some direction.
Mobile Network and Telco Refresher
There are three networks; Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. “The Big Three” own the infrastructure that delivers mobile coverage around the country. In recent years we’ve seen an explosion of smaller brands who lease those networks and as small operators they don't have the same big business overheads meaning they can often offer cheaper plans. These brands are called 'MVNOs' and we’ve broken them down by below:
Telstra MVNOs
Telstra MVNO's (except Boost) only have access to Telstra's wholesale network. So instead of reaching 99.4% of the population they only reach 98.8%.
Optus MVNOs
Optus MVNO’s have identical coverage to Optus and reach 98.5% of the population.
Vodafone MVNOs
Vodafone MVNO’s have identical coverage to Vodafone and reach 96% of the population.
To put it simply if you live in a city or big town you’re very likely to be covered, if you’re moving somewhere more regional or rural use this coverage map or have a chat to the locals about what they’re using.
Best Plans for Expats with Limited Documentation
Jump straight to plans
If you’ve been away for a few years and haven’t been actively paying for anything in Australia in that time it's very likely you won’t have much of a credit rating or proof of address - which basically means that a telco doesn’t have any evidence that you will pay your bills.
I spent five hours in total on the phone. Phone plan was rejected. Then SIM-only plan rejected too. Eventually I just bought prepaid SIMs online after the whole woeful ordeal.
- Rich W (15 years in London)
If this is the case your best (and probably only) option will be a prepaid SIM card until you’re settled, you can show proof of address (i.d, utility bills, medicare etc), and have a bit of credit history against your name.
Luckily the days of ducking to your local corner store and spending your last tenner on 100 minutes you can only use after 10pm are gone. Prepaid SIM plans have come a long way in the past few years.
Why we've selected these plans for you
- BIG data
- No contract - free to leave whenever
- Unlimited calls and texts
- Keep your number when you switch
- Affordable - won't break your budget
- Prepaid - no bill shock
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#1
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Boost Mobile 
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#2
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TPG 
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Link not supplied
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#3
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Exetel 
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#4
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felix mobile 
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#5
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Telstra 
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Link not supplied
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Best Plans for Expats with Documentation
Jump straight to plans
If you do have a credit score or proof of address and you own your own phone we recommend going with SIM-only option on a contract-free month-to-month plan.
Getting a phone plan was fine for us because we had bought a house while in Singapore so we had a credit rating and proof of address when we arrived.
- Laura S (3 years in Singapore)
The past few years has seen the telco market shift to service a more switch-savvy consumer. Because of this the grounds are highly competitive in the SIM space, meaning you can get a great deal - especially if you’re a new customer - and the best part is that as they’re all no contract plans you can switch away whenever you like and become a ‘new customer’ somewhere else with very minimal fuss.
Why we've selected these plans for you
- BIG data
- No contract - free to leave whenever
- Unlimited calls and texts
- Keep your number when you switch
- Affordable monthly payments - No dipping into emergency funds
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#1
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Dodo 
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#2
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Tangerine Telecom 
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#3
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Vodafone 
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#4
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SpinTel 
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#5
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Optus 
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Expats Who Want to Buy a New Phone on a Plan.
If your documentation is A-OK
Compare iPhone and Samsung plans or take a look at some other lesser known brands. Keep in mind, only the Big Three offer iPhone plans and only the Big Three + Woolworths offer Samsung plans so competition is limited.
If you're lacking in documentation
Things get a little tricky here. If you've been away for a few years and haven’t been actively paying for anything in Australia in that time it's very likely you won’t have a credit score - which, put simply, means that a telco doesn’t have any proof that you will pay your bills and they won’t be handing over an expensive phone - even if your mum says you’re a good person.
If this is the case you have two options:
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Buy a phone outright (where you pay the total cost upfront) and get a prepaid plan or no Contract SIM-only plan.
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Use an old phone and get a prepaid plan until you’ve worked up some credit history and try to reapply again in a few months.
How Do I Get My Credit Score?
Applying online or by mail can take days, even weeks - if you don’t have the time to wait, you can get your free credit score pretty quickly with either of these credit reporting agencies:
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Equifax: 138 332
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Experian: 1300 783 684
Give them a bell so you know what your limitations are before you set your heart on the latest iPhone. You’ll save yourself hours of being passed around call centres.
Anula Wiwatowska
Offsite Editorial Lead | Instagram
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