How to save money on smartphone bills (guide)

There is no magic way to save money on mobile phone bills, but there are a few common sense ways to ensure you don’t spend more than you need to.

Knowledge is power, so you need to know some facts about your data use – after all, most mobile phone plans have unlimited calls and SMS in Australia. It is Apps (web browsing, music and video streaming, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter and more) that use data.

On iPhone, go to Settings>Cellular (or Mobile Data), and at the bottom of the screen, you will see Current Period Cellular Data. It will show you your upload and download data for the current period.

There is also a list of Apps and how much data they use. Safari Browser, Spotify, Mail, App Store, Photos and Facetime are big users. You can switch any of these off, so they only use Wi-Fi.

mobile phone bills

On Android, go to Settings>Connections>Mobile network>Data usage. Under Data usage by App, you will see a list of Apps, and you can disable Mobile data use for those you don’t need. Most keep Chrome, Mail, or Outlook enabled but disable the rest. Different versions of Android may use different names – search for data.

mobile phone bills

You can set the start of the billing cycle to make this co-inside with your Telco bill and set daily or monthly usage alerts/limits on both Android and iOS.

This data is also on your Telco bill – which may be easy to access via its App.

How do I use this data to save money on mobile phone bills?

Let’s assume you are a typical user with a mix of Wi-Fi at work and home and use about 100MB of mobile data daily or 3GB per month. Yes, that is an average user.

If you stream 1080p/4K video over mobile (YouTube, Netflix etc.), you can use up to 3/12GB an hour! You can save heaps just by setting the streaming rate to 720p. Think – do I need this resolution on a small screen? Probably not.

Anyway, let’s say you use 10GB per month. Why are you paying $58/40GB (Telstra’s lowest-cost sim-only plan)?

For example, Woolworths (on the Telstra network) offers a $20/12GB monthly prepaid plan with a 500GB rollover data bank (unused data rolls over). And it entitles you to 10% off on monthly grocery shop (to a maximum of $50) that can pay for your phone bill.

You can then look at any MVNO for lower-cost plans.

We advise you not to use price comparison websites to buy a plan – read Price comparison websites – the scourge of the internet.

Why? Once you enter your contact details, you are at their mercy and will generally be spammed with all sorts of offers. Use them for initial research, but don’t give them your details and deal directly with the MVNO.

If you find a ‘sale’ be aware that it is for a limited period, and you need to know what that pre-paid plan will revert to after the sale.

List compiled from here.

TelstraOptusVodafone
ALDI Mobile
Belong (Telstra sub-brand) Better Life Mobile
Boost Mobile
CMobile
Blue
Konec
Lycamobile
Mate
Numobile
Pennytel Tangerine
Telecom TeleChoice
Think Mobile Woolworths Mobile		Amaysim (acquired by Optus)
Aussie Broadband
Catch
Connect
Circles.Life
Coles Mobile
Dodo (owned by Vocus Group)
Exetel
Gomo (Optus sub-brand)
iPrimus (owned by Vocus Group)
Moose Mobile
Southern Phone
Spintel
Vaya (acquired by Amaysim/Optus)		CMobile Red
Felix Mobile (TPG Telecom sub-brand)
Kogan Mobile
iiNet (acquired by TPG Telecom)
Internode (acquired by TPG Telecom)
Lebara Mobile (acquired by Vodafone/TPG telecom)
TPG (merged with Vodafone)

You can read more about Telstra’s Retail Vs Wholesale mobile plans – the catches you need to know. Only Telstra and Boost use its retail network. Optus has slightly less coverage, but it is a viable alternative. Vodafone is predominately capital and regional city based. Check the coverage maps (although these are often wildly inaccurate) by clicking on the Telstra/Optus/Vodafone links in the table above.

We prefer to use the far more accurate NPERF coverage maps using actual coverage data.

Do I need 5G?

No, I repeat, no. 5G means more use of more expensive data. When 5G mobile plans are the same cost as 4G, then it is time to consider that.

CyberShack’s view – save money on mobile phone bills by being smart and not a rusted-on user

Too many Australians are rusted onto their Telco – they should not be. With a vast choice of MVNOs, you can enjoy better prices and still get the Telco network you need. And you can keep your existing phone number with most MVNOs.

If you need the Telstra network, Woolworths, with its Woolworths Rewards and 10% off a monthly shop, is a no-brainer. We also recommend Boost Mobile, which offers the retail Telstra network and lower-cost plans than Telstra.

Coles uses Optus, and you get Flybuys points. Aussie Broadband has fabulous service and Optus network plans from $15/3GB per month.

We cannot recommend Vodafone unless you already use its network and are happy with its coverage. Avoid Kogan Mobile, but most of the other Vodafone MVNOs are owned by Vodafone.

  • Rule #1 – know how much mobile data you are using
  • Rule #2 – shop around for a no-lock-in, pre-paid plan that you can vary if you need more or less – do not pay for data you do not use!
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