Are you paying for mobile data you never use?
Most plans include unlimited calls and texts, so the price is really the data allowance. Paying for a big one you do not touch is the commonest phone-bill mistake.
Your usage
the number that should pick the plan, and it is in your account rather than on the advertisement
What this is
Mobile plans are sold on data allowance because almost everything else is the same: most plans include unlimited calls and texts to Australian numbers. That makes the decision simple in principle and expensive in practice, because people buy against the worst month they can imagine rather than the three they actually had. The two things worth knowing before you compare are your real usage and whether the network works where you spend your time, and both are already in your possession.
Does it apply to you?
- Anyone who has not looked at their data usage in a year
- Anyone on a plan bundled with a handset that has since been paid off
- Anyone in an area where their current network drops out
How to do it
- Find your actual data use over the last three months. Every provider shows it in their app or account, and most people use far less than they buy.
- Check coverage where you actually are, not nationally: home, work and anywhere you regularly visit. A cheaper network with a black spot at your house is not cheaper.
- Compare plans on the data you actually use, remembering that unlimited calls and texts to Australian numbers are standard rather than a feature.
- If you call or message people overseas, check that separately. It is where plans differ most.
Where people lose the money
Buying data for the worst month you can imagine.
Buy for your actual usage. Most providers let you top up occasionally, which is cheaper than paying for headroom every month.
Staying on a bundled plan after the handset is paid off.
The repayment often stops but the plan price does not. Check what you are still paying for.
Trusting a national coverage map.
Check the specific places you spend time. A black spot at home makes the cheapest plan worthless.
Questions
How do I find my real data usage?
Your provider's app or online account shows it per billing period. Look at three months rather than one, and use the highest of the three as your guide.
Are unlimited calls and texts standard?
Most plans include unlimited calls and texts to Australian numbers, so they rarely distinguish one plan from another. International calling is where plans genuinely differ.
Is a cheaper network worse?
Not necessarily. Many smaller providers resell capacity on the major networks. What matters is coverage where you actually are, which is worth checking with someone local rather than on a map.
Where these numbers come from
- Moneysmart (ASIC), Choosing a mobile phone plan · read 2026-09-23
Last gone over 2026-09-23. Figures change; the link above is always the current one.
Published by Income Lab, Melbourne. Responsible for this page: Jarred Krowitz.