Finally, Optus plans offer endless data
Optus have finally joined Telstra and Vodafone to offer endless data plans. Prior to this move, Optus customers were charged $10 per every 1GB of data they use after exhausting their plan data. Now, Optus’ new “unlimited” SIM Only plans throttle data speeds to 1.5Mbps when plan data is exhausted, allowing users to browse as much as they want until the next billing cycle kicks in.
Telstra and Vodafone have been offering endless data SIM Only plans for a while now. And with Optus joining the trend, all three major telcos in Australia now have plans that allow customers avoid extra data charges.
So which telco has the best “unlimited” data plan for you? We’ll compare them to make it easier for your to choose.
“Unlimited” data plans from Optus, Telstra, and Vodafone, are not really unlimited
For a plan to actually offer unlimited data, it would have to included unlimited data without capped speeds. In Optus, Telstra, and Vodafone’s case, their plans simply throttle data speeds after the customer has exhausted plan data inclusions.
In such cases, it is actually misleading to advertise the plan as including unlimited data. As a result, telcos have coined other terms like “endless data”, “infinite data” to describe the throttling scheme.
Here’s a look at the endless data plans from Optus, Telstra, and Vodafone:
- Optus key selling points
Like Telstra, Optus will throttle your download speeds down to 1.5Mbps when you exhaust your plan data. However, Optus’ key selling point appears to be their price points. Right now, they offer the cheapest endless data postpaid plan at $39, offering the same 10GB of plan data at max speeds as Vodafone’s $40 postpaid plan. - Telstra’s key selling points
Telstra’s endless data plans don’t really offer anything special when compared to Optus and Vodafone. Telstra has higher price points and similar or even less data inclusions. However, what you get with Telstra is the widest coverage in Australia right now, especially when it comes to 5G plans. - Vodafone’s key selling points
Vodafone has the most unique offers of endless data plans. They are the only telco to offer endless data on prepaid plans, throttling speeds to 1.5Mbps when plan data is exhausted. Vodafone also have some competitive price points on their month-to-month plans, thanks to their frequent promos. For instance, you can get anywhere from $10 to $20 off each month is you stay connected to your plan. And the best part of Vodafone’s postpaid endless data plans is the throttled speeds: unlike Optus and Telstra, Vodafone postpaid plans’ throttle speeds range from 2Mbps to 25Mbps, depending on the plan you choose.
Final words – Who wins?
For Optus customers, excess data charges have been a pain. Optus’ solution to the problem was to charge an additional $10 per 1GB of excess data used on your plan. The only other option Optus gave customers was the $5 per day Unlimited Data Day offer, which gives customers unlimited data at uncapped speeds for only 24 hours.
Telstra and Vodafone had the right idea with endless data, throttling speeds after customers exhaust their plan data. Now, Optus have joined in with endless data plans of their own, however, there is some real competition in this space.
While Optus has the cheapest postpaid plan with endless data, Vodafone’s cheapest plan is only $1 more, and the throttled speed is 2Mbps, compared to Optus’ 1.5Mbps. In addition, Vodafone offers a lot of promos that easily rank their plans as the cheapest after all, and they also offer endless data on prepaid plans.
Vodafone’s throttled speeds of postpaid plans are a solid selling point because browsing at 1.5Mbps is not that great — at such speeds, you are limited to checking emails, routine browsing, some social media and music streaming. But with Vodafone offering as high as 25Mbps throttled speeds on their largest plan, you can actually stream unlimited HD videos when you exhaust your plan data.