This telco wants your next iPhone to be an old iPhone

Fergus Halliday - Digital Content Editor

Last updated 01 August 2022

Telstra-owned MVNO Belong is getting into the hardware half of the mobile provider equation.

Launched in partnership with Kingfisher earlier this week, Belong's new Second Life Shop offers both refurbished iPhones and Samsung Galaxy smartphones that are designed to complement the provider's range of mobile plans.

While you can't get them on a traditional repayment plan, Belong's roster of refurbished iPhones all come with a 12-month warranty and a SIM card loaded with $80 of credit. The latter can be used towards any of Belong's three postpaid mobile plans, so you're potentially getting as many as the first three months-worth of phone bills covered with the purchase of a given device.

If that's of interest, you might want to check out the widget below for a quick round-up of Belong's current postpaid plans:

#1	Belong	Belong 25GB Mobile Plan 85GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Uses parts of Telstra’s 5G and 4G mobile networks Deal: Includes 60GB monthly bonus data for first 12 months when you activate your new service by 04.11.26. T&Cs apply. $34.00/mth Min. cost $34 Link not supplied	$34.00/mth Min. cost $34	Link not supplied
#2	Belong	Belong 40GB Mobile Plan 100GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Uses parts of Telstra’s 5G and 4G mobile networks Deal: Includes 60GB monthly bonus data for first 12 months when you activate your new service by 04.11.26. T&Cs apply. $39.00/mth Min. cost $39 Link not supplied	$39.00/mth Min. cost $39	Link not supplied
#3	Belong	Belong 100GB Mobile Plan 160GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Uses parts of Telstra’s 5G and 4G mobile networks Deal: Includes 60GB monthly bonus data for first 12 months when you activate your new service by 04.11.26. T&Cs apply. $49.00/mth Min. cost $49 Link not supplied	$49.00/mth Min. cost $49	Link not supplied
#4	Belong	Belong 160GB Mobile Plan 220GB data at download speeds up to 250Mbps Uses parts of Telstra’s 5G and 4G mobile networks Deal: Includes 60GB monthly bonus data for first 12 months when you activate your new service by 04.11.26. T&Cs apply. $59.00/mth Min. cost $59 Link not supplied	$59.00/mth Min. cost $59	Link not supplied

According to Belong's head of product and marketing Aaliah Eggins-Bryson, the new branch of Belong's business aligns with its existing emphasis on sustainability.

Citing internal data, she said that refurbished devices are increasingly of interest to younger and environmentally conscious consumers.

Belong's research also suggested that more than 54 per cent of Australians of all ages were willing to delay the purchase of a new phone or hold onto their existing device longer out of environmental concerns.

“This tells us that consumers, particularly younger Australians, are open to changing their purchasing behaviour and that the most sustainable phone is often one that already exists," she said.

Nevertheless, what consumers are gaining in value and peace of mind comes at a cost to choice. The range of devices on offer via the Belong Second Life Store is more limited than what you'll find at both carrier-agnostic retailers like Amazon and major carriers like Optus.

At the time of writing, Belong's refurbished device reseller stocks the following:

Apple iPhone X from $399
Apple iPhone XR from $419
Apple iPhone XS from $429
Apple iPhone 11 from $599
Apple iPhone 11 Pro from $739
Apple iPhone 11 from $829
Samsung Galaxy S20 5G from $669
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G from $769
Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G from $659
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra from $949
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G from $609

Belong say that all their refurbished devices "are 100% fully functional and arrive with a minimum of 80% battery health."

At the time of writing, only two other MVNOs on the Telstra network offer refurbished devices: numobile and Boost Mobile.

Some of the devices on Boost's alternative to Belong's Second Hand Shop (called The Refurb Shop) are slightly cheaper, but only come with a $30 prepaid SIM rather than $80 of credit.

If you're weighing up between these three Telstra MVNOs, you may want to check out the widget below for a quick and concise comparison of Boost Mobile, numobile and Belong's mobile plans.

#1	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile $14 Prepaid 6GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices $14.00 Per 7 Day Renewal Go to Site	$14.00 Per 7 Day Renewal	Go to Site
#2	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile $28 Prepaid 8GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices $28.00 Per 28 Day Renewal Go to Site	$28.00 Per 28 Day Renewal	Go to Site
#3	Belong	Belong 25GB Mobile Plan 85GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Uses parts of Telstra’s 5G and 4G mobile networks Deal: Includes 60GB monthly bonus data for first 12 months when you activate your new service by 04.11.26. T&Cs apply. $34.00/mth Min. cost $34 Link not supplied	$34.00/mth Min. cost $34	Link not supplied
#4	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile $39 Prepaid 30GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Grab a $39 SIM for $13 – save $26. Hurry! Offer ends 05.10.26. Terms Apply $39.00 Per 28 Day Renewal Go to Site	$39.00 Per 28 Day Renewal	Go to Site
#5	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile $49 Prepaid 75GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Get 75GB data on first 6 recharges, then 45GB from 7th recharge. New customers only. Activate by 02.11.26 $49.00 Per 28 Day Renewal Go to Site	$49.00 Per 28 Day Renewal	Go to Site
#6	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile $59 Prepaid 105GB data at download speeds up to 250Mbps Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Get 105GB data on first 6 recharges, then 55GB from 7th recharge. New customers only. Activate by 02.11.26 $59.00 Per 28 Day Renewal Go to Site	$59.00 Per 28 Day Renewal	Go to Site
#7	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile $74 Prepaid 150GB Uncapped download speed Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Get 150GB data on first 6 recharges, then 100GB from 7th recharge. New customers only. Activate by 02.11.26 $74.00 Per 28 Day Renewal Go to Site	$74.00 Per 28 Day Renewal	Go to Site
#8	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile $180 Prepaid 160GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Get 160GB data on new activations, then 100GB from next recharge. Activate by 02.11.26 $180.00 Per 6 Month Renewal Go to Site	$180.00 Per 6 Month Renewal	Go to Site
#9	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile $300 Prepaid 290GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Get 290GB data on new activations, then 240GB from next recharge. Activate by 02.11.26 $300.00 Per 12 Month Renewal Go to Site	$300.00 Per 12 Month Renewal	Go to Site
#10	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile $365 Prepaid 365GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Grab the $365 SIM for $305 – save $60. Hurry! Offer ends 12 October 2026. Terms Apply $305.00 Per 12 Month Renewal Go to Site	$305.00 Per 12 Month Renewal	Go to Site

This story originally appeared on sister site Reviews.org AU

Fergus Halliday

Digital Content Editor

Fergus Halliday is a journalist and digital content editor at WhistleOut Australia. He’s written about technology, telecommunications, gaming and more for over a decade. He got his start writing in high school before interning at magazines like CRN Australia and freelancing for publications like the AU Review, Gizmodo, Kotaku, GamesHub, Press Start, ScreenRant, Superjump, Nestegg, and more.

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