Student special: 20GB for $36 with Optus

Are you a student? Need a lot of data for your mobile? Optus' new deal may be the answer.

Until 16 March, Optus is allowing tertiary students to sign up for the My Plan Plus SIM-only plan at 10% off, with a bonus 5GB of data. That means instead of $40 for 15GB per month, students will pay $36 for 20GB per month.

But this is an even better deal than it sounds. The $40 My Plan Plus is already on special, having bumped up data from 10GB to 15GB for a limited time only. That means you're really getting an extra 10GB of data, as well as 10% off.

The plan includes:

• Unlimited national talk and text
• Up to 300 international minutes (to selected countries)
• Data-free entertainment streaming on selected apps including Spotify, Netflix, Stan and ABC iview
• Subscriptions and data-free streaming for Premium Optus Sport and the National Geographic app

With so much data-free entertainment streaming on top of 20GB, the plan should include all the data you'll ever need.

What should you know?

The plan is:

• SIM-only, BYO phone
• A 12-month locked-in contract

Despite the 12-month contract, the bonus 5GB of data will be included for 24 months, after which your data limit will drop back to 15GB per month.

But for the next 12 months at least, it's still a pretty great deal. It's the cheapest 20GB plan on today's market, and Optus' data-free entertainment streaming is the most generous around.

Do you need that much data?

Of course, with all the entertainment inclusions, it's possible you won't need the extra 20GB. But if you spend a lot of time on big data-draining sites likes Foxtel Now, Instagram or YouTube, it may be worth it.

It's also worth considering that most SIM-only plans offering 10GB cost upwards of $30, so for an extra $6 or less you're doubling your data.

If you're still not sure, use our mobile data use guide to work out how much data you'll need.

How do you sign up?

You'll need to go to https://offer.optus.com.au/student-hub and use your student email address to get the promo code. From there, it's just a simple matter of choosing the Optus $40 My Plan Plus and following the prompts.

Jacqui Dent

Editorial Strategist

Jacqui Dent is an Editorial Content Strategist at WhistleOut Australia, where she writes about mobile phone plans, NBN plans and everything in between. Over her ten-year career, she has worked to provide informed advice to the public, first in the sphere of writing and now in the world of consumer tech. Jacqui has also written about consumer telco products for Business Insider, Pedestrian and the 50Up Club.

Read full bio