Prepaid isn't what it used to be (and that's a good thing)

Anula Wiwatowska - Offsite Editorial Lead

Last updated 16 August 2021

Remember when you had to go to the servo to pick up your prepaid recharge? The receipt was a metre long, and you’d go through the hoops of calling, and entering your voucher number, just to do the whole process again in 28 days?

Prepaid isn’t like that anymore. Now you can recharge online, or take the thought out of it and just opt for an auto-recharge instead. More and more plans expire on calendar month, rather than the 28-day limit, or you can recharge for a full year upfront. We’re spoiled for choice.

Being spoiled like we are is a double-edged sword, however. It can be tricky to find the best deals out there and pick one that works for you. Below we break it down by monthly budget, and take a look at your long term expiry options as well.

Prepaid recharges under $20
Prepaid recharges under $30
Long expiry recharges

Prepaid recharges under $20

Most prepaid recharges under $20 come from smaller providers known as MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators). Each of these providers are powered by Telstra, Optus or Vodafone’s mobile network, meaning you’ll get pretty much the same 3G and 4G coverage as the OG provider. The only exception is Telstra that uses a smaller wholesale network for its MVNOs (apart from Boost Mobile), but it still covers more of the population than Optus or Vodafone do.

#1	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile 6GB Data $14 Per 7 Day Renewal Min. cost $14	100%	Go to Site
#2	Lyca Mobile	Lyca Mobile 50GB Data $15 Per 28 Day Renewal Min. cost $15 Deal: $15 for first 6 renewals when you activate this plan. Offer ends 31.12.26. T&Cs apply	75%	Link not supplied
#3	amaysim	amaysim 10GB Data $10 Per 7 Day Renewal Min. cost $10	25%	Link not supplied
#4	OnePass mobile	OnePass mobile 22GB Data $12.50 Per 28 Day Renewal Min. cost $12.50 Deal: Save $12.50 - Get 22GB for only $12.50 for the first 6 recharges! Recharges $25/22GB. New customers only. T&Cs apply	12%	Link not supplied
#5	Vodafone	Vodafone 5GB Data $13 Per 7 Day Renewal Min. cost $13 Deal: Get 1GB extra data on every Automatic Recharge when you opt-in to Automatic Recharge	3%	Link not supplied

Less than $20 per month gets more than you'd expect. Prepaid SIMs are perfect for anyone looking for a great value plan without a long term commitment. In most cases you can just recharge once and move on to the next one if that's your preference.

They come with enough data to suit light users, but some come with much larger allowances. In this case, the larger plans tend to only include a high amount of data for your first couple of recharges, after which you'll be reverted to the original inclusion. But because prepaid SIMs don't require any commitment you can always jump around for the best deals.

Prepaid recharges under $30

Prepaid providers offering great value under $30 are the same that have deals in the under $20 category. Keep an eye out for smaller providers operating on one of the big three networks, these operators tend to have the best deals.

#1	Yomojo	Yomojo 29GB Data $24.90 Per 30 Day Renewal Min. cost $24.90	100%	Link not supplied
#2	Superloop	Superloop 15GB Data $25 Per 30 Day Renewal Min. cost $25 Deal: FREE 2nd recharge for existing Superloop broadband customers or new customers signing up for a mobile & broadband service	11%	Go to Site
#3	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile 8GB Data $28 Per 28 Day Renewal Min. cost $28	9%	Go to Site
#4	ALDI mobile	ALDI mobile 12GB Data $28 Per 30 Day Renewal Min. cost $28	7%	Link not supplied
#5	Everyday Mobile	Everyday Mobile 22GB Data $25 Per 30 Day Renewal Min. cost $25 Deal: Get 10% off an eligible Woolworths shop in store every month when you link your Everyday Rewards card. T&Cs apply	6%	Link not supplied
#6	Kogan Mobile	Kogan Mobile 25GB Data $23 Per 30 Day Renewal Min. cost $23	4%	Go to Site
#7	OnePass mobile	OnePass mobile 65GB Data $20 Per 28 Day Renewal Min. cost $20 Deal: Save $20 - Get 65GB for only $20 for the first 6 recharges! Recharges $40/65GB. New customers only. T&Cs apply	3%	Link not supplied
#8	Lebara Mobile	Lebara Mobile 25GB Data $25 Per 28 Day Renewal Min. cost $9 Deal: Get the $25 SIM for $9 online until 05.10.26. T&Cs apply	3%	Link not supplied
#9	Coles Mobile	Coles Mobile 35GB Data $30 Per 28 Day Renewal Min. cost $10 Deal: Get the $30 SIM for only $10! Offer ends 27.10.26	3%	Link not supplied
#10	Lyca Mobile	Lyca Mobile 120GB Data $20 Per 28 Day Renewal Min. cost $20 Deal: $20 for first 6 renewals + includes 40GB bonus data on activation and first 11 renewals. Offer ends 31.12.26	3%	Link not supplied

If you need big data there's still plenty of options when it comes to prepaid SIM cards. And if you're only looking to use the SIM for a month or two, the value gets even better with a tonne of first month big data bonuses from various providers on offer.

Be aware that these bonuses won't last beyond your first recharge, so if you're planning to keep your SIM a while you should look at the long-term recharge value as well as the short. Some prepaid SIMs come with a 28-day recharge cycle, while others offer 30 days, or even 35 in some cases.

Long expiry recharges

Long expiry recharges are technically anything over 30 days, but let's take a look at annual or bi-annual recharges. The upside to recharges like this is that you pay once, or twice a year and don’t have to think about your phone bill again for a long time. While these options don’t always have the most generous data inclusions, the nature of them means that you won’t waste data on slow months or get stung with extra fees on more data-intensive ones.

#1	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile 290GB Data $300 Per 12 Month Renewal Min. cost $300 Deal: Get 290GB data on new activations, then 240GB from next recharge. Activate by 02.11.26	100%	Go to Site
#2	OnePass mobile	OnePass mobile 360GB Data $300 Per 365 Day Renewal Min. cost $300	44%	Link not supplied
#3	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile 365GB Data $305 Per 12 Month Renewal Min. cost $305 Deal: Grab the $365 SIM for $305 – save $60. Hurry! Offer ends 12 October 2026. Terms Apply	41%	Go to Site
#4	Kogan Mobile	Kogan Mobile 200GB Data $190 Per 365 Day Renewal Min. cost $190 Deal: Get 200GB data for only $190 on the Medium 365 Day Flex Plan. Offer ends 30.11.26	26%	Go to Site
#5	amaysim	amaysim 240GB Data $199 Per 365 Day Renewal Min. cost $199 Deal: Get 240GB for $199 (includes $121 off) on first renewal. Offer ends 31.10.26. New online services only. T&Cs apply.	26%	Link not supplied
#6	Everyday Mobile	Everyday Mobile 75GB Data $130 Per 180 Day Renewal Min. cost $130	22%	Link not supplied
#7	Lyca Mobile	Lyca Mobile 900GB Data $220 Per 360 Day Renewal Min. cost $220 Deal: $480 plan discounted to $220 for first renewal when you activate this plan. New customer only. Ends 31.12.26	22%	Link not supplied
#8	Coles Mobile	Coles Mobile 210GB Data $240 Per 365 Day Renewal Min. cost $240	22%	Link not supplied
#9	Vodafone	Vodafone 225GB Data $179 Per 365 Day Renewal Min. cost $179 Deal: $250 SIM for $179 + Includes 75GB bonus data on activation + Extra 50GB on every Automatic Recharge	15%	Link not supplied
#10	Telstra	Telstra 160GB Data $200 Per 6 Month Renewal Min. cost $200 Deal: Includes 80GB bonus data on activation or first recharge, 80GB on future recharges. Activate by 02.11.2027.	11%	Link not supplied

Anula Wiwatowska

Offsite Editorial Lead | Instagram

Anula is the Off-Site Editorial Lead for WhistleOut Australia, and an award winning tech journalist. She has been writing about the Australian telco industry, and consumer technology for over five years, and has been known to tell her Uber driver which phone they should upgrade to next.

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