ALDImobile Plan
Review and Comparison
- We’ve compared ALDImobile with the best of the rest
- Better deals are available - we've shown them below
- Get more data for less $ on better networks than ALDImobile
Common Questions About ALDImobile
What competitors to ALDIMobile should I consider ?
- ALDImobile uses part of Telstra’s 3G, 4G, and 5G mobile networks – which cover around 1.2 million square miles.
- Belong Mobile use the same network as Aldi but often has better deals. Belong are a postpaid plan provider, which some find easier to manage than prepaid services like ALDI’s.
- Boost Mobile use the full Telstra 3G, 4G, and 5G network – they’re the only phone company in Australia, apart from Telstra itself, that uses that network.
- The Optus network covers approximately the same square miles as ALDImobile.
- Alternatives to ALDI on the Optus network include Moose, Amaysim, and Moose Mobile. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, so check out our detailed reviews by clicking on each telco.
Which network do ALDIMobile use ?
ALDImobile uses ‘parts of the’ Telstra Mobile Network.
Remember, though, if you take a SIM from Aldi, you will not get the full Telstra (‘Retail’) network. ALDImobile uses the Telstra Wholesale Network, which provides a smaller coverage footprint through resellers (or MVNOs). The coverage you get differs by town, but you’ll find that you have a similar signal on Aldi as you might get if you took a SIM plan from Optus or one of the MVNOs that resell Optus’ network.
You can check the specifics of ALDImobile’s coverage here.
And if you’d like more information on national coverage, you can find that on our coverage page.
What isn’t so good about ALDImobile’s plans?
ALDI is an excellent phone company. However, make sure you go in with your eyes wide open. Here are the things we don’t like about their plans.
- Aldi’s ‘Out-of-bundle’ data pricing is among the industry’s highest: ALDIMobile charges 5 cents per MB for data used outside your bundle. So, if you have some money in your balance and you’ve used your 3GB of data in your ALDI plan (assuming that’s all the included data), you’ll be charged 5c per each MB you use. It doesn’t sound like a lot, right? Wrong. It is possible to use a GB extra (called ‘overage’) in your plan very quickly. And a single GB would cost you more than $50 at this rate! Aldi’s out-of-bundle charging is one of the most expensive on the market. Thankfully, they offer data add-on packs for as low as $10 per 1GB top-up.
- Overseas call centers :
Not everyone minds, but some do. The best NPS and customer satisfaction scores in the reports we review go to Australian call center staff. ALDI’s call center is overseas. Customer service never seems important until you want to use it. When you need to give them a ring, getting the message across quickly is very important. If you go with Aldi, just keep that in mind. - Only prepaid :
Most people know ALDImobile is a prepaid provider. Some find postpaid plan alternatives to be easier to manage.
Can I keep my phone numbers if I go with ALDImobile or some of the other providers on this page?
Yes, you can. We write about this all the time because we know everyone needs to be clear they can keep their phone number before they move. You can find out more in our article on the subject.
Do ALDIMobile have a self-service app?
Yes, ALDImobile has a self-service app, and it’s a good one. It is user-friendly and has all the essential features you’d expect. This is something ALDI has done to improve its service since our first review of the telco. They should be congratulated.
What’s the ALDImobile Recharge Window/‘expiry’ period?
ALDImobile’s recharge window/expiry is the industry standard these days – 30 days. It might not sound like much but remember, those extra couple of days add up to nearly a month if you use the service for a year.
What's good
- We offer better deals from providers other than ALDI
- ALDImobile doesn't use the full Telstra 3G, 4G, and 5G network
- Consider better deals from alternative phone companies
What's bad
- ALDI are not always best value for the spend
- Data charging for overage is very high
- Only offer prepaid plans - no postpaid options
- Too many plans, can be confusing
The 60 second guide to ALDImobile
As usual, we’ll start with the critical points about ALDImobile for those in a hurry. This is our 60-second guide to the critical information you need on ALDImobile. We expand on each point in the article below.
- ALDImobile is a reliable high-street brand that most Australians know.
- They’ve had a prepaid plan range for the last few years.
- ALDImobile now has a suite of several plans ( some would say too many ).
- The higher-end unlimited range offers a valuable suite of data options to cover most real-world needs.
- They now offer 5G plans as well.
- They’ve also added a Data Vault feature.
- However:
- ALDImobile’s plans are not always the best value for the spend (we explain which providers are, below.)
- Their network may not be as good as you think it is ( it’s not the full Telstra network – coverage is closer to Optus’ national coverage ).
- And ALDImobile’s plans are only available as prepaid variants. There are postpaid options out there that may suit some people better.
- And their out-of-bundle ‘overage’ charging is very high ($50 per GB if you forget to buy an add-on pack!).
Let’s get into the devil in the detail of ALDImobile and see if they’re right for you.
We’ve compared Aldimobile’s deals, so you don’t have to. Find better deals than ALDI on this page.
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This Month’s Hot Offers
What you need to know about ALDImobile Prepaid Plans
ALDImobile has been in Australia for years. Their parent company, ALDI, sells groceries and thumbs its nose at the Coles and Woolies brands we all love, and which we all know to charge us too much for the food they sell. ALDI has also invested substantially in its ALDImobile brand since it arrived in Australia. They now have a growing reputation in telco and many quiet, happy customers.
ALDImobile plans appeal to price-conscious shoppers who like to research things closely before buying. ALDImobile’s brand stands for the choice of product over name brand. They’ve even used the slogan, ‘Like Brands, Only Cheaper’, in their advertising. ALDI’s idea is simple: invest in ‘own brand’ products. For instance, ALDI could produce a can of beans and make it look like the original Heinz container, charge less, and challenge you to tell the difference. I’ve eaten those beans, and there’s not a lot of difference.
You might ask, Why is all this talk of beans relevant to phone services? It’s relevant because ALDImobile’s approach to their prepaid plan service is essentially identical. ALDImobile are an MVNO – a smaller phone company that resells one of the Tier 1 networks – i.e., resell part of Telstra’s, all of Optus’, or all of Vodafone’s Australian cellular network. Specifically, ALDImobile resells part of Telstra’s mobile network.
How ALDImobile’s Prepaid Service Works
- Buy the SIM :
You can do this online or in-store. They’re pretty good about keeping the playing field even. If you buy online, there is no charge for delivery or connection. Your first SIM comes preloaded with $5 when you buy from ALDImobile. - Activate :
Once you have the SIM in your possession, just go to the app ( you can download the ALDImobile Self-Service app from the App Store or Google Play store ) or log in online to activate the SIM. - Charge / recharge her up :
Add some credits to your SIM plan using a recharge voucher or an online facility. You’ll renew this every 30 days or so. ALDImobile also sells ‘scratch cards,’ which provide you with a voucher code to enter online and recharge your SIM plan inclusions. You can buy those in an ALDI store, which is convenient if you shop there often.
What we like about ALDImobile's prepaid service
ALDI is no slouch for helping you save money on your bills. Here’s what you’ll get and love if you take a SIM from them.
- ALDImobile is big enough to be reliable:
ALDImobile will not go in and out of the telco business the way Kogan has. You might remember that, a few years ago, Kogan set itself up as a phone company through an intermediary to Telstra. Telstra didn’t like it and so caused the intermediary to fail. - They now offer 5G:
ALDImobile is one of the few Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) to offer a 5G plan on the Telstra network. This is great for Australians who want prepaid 5G plans without paying the premium prices that the major telcos charge for 5G. - They also do tablet plans:
ALDImobile is one of the few companies that offer tablet data plans. If you have a tablet computer and want to put a SIM in it, check out our recommended tablet plans. - Broadened range:
ALDImobile has five popular mobile SIM plans, but they have many more plans and offers than that. In fact, their actual range is very broad, boasting tablet plans, big mobile data plans, and even PAYG plans with a 365-day term (not every phone company offers these). In some ways, we think this range is slightly too broad, given the number of competitors. ALDImobile also offers three family plans that allow 2 to 6 users to share 44GB to 132GB of data on the same subscription account. This can be beneficial for groups that include heavy and light data users, where a balancing act between such users might naturally occur, reducing the need to spend more money purchasing individual data packages. All in all, even though they only offer prepaid plans, ALDImobile’s plans are quite flexible. You can even change your plan every month and take advantage of the auto recharge feature, which essentially turns your prepaid plan into a postpaid-like one that makes it very difficult to overspend on your monthly service fee. - Add data at a pretty standard $10 per GB:
This is all but an industry standard charge now and far preferable to the alternative – running out of bundle data and incurring overages, the high cost of which we explore below. ALDImobile also offers ‘Super Pack’ data add-on packs – $15 for 3GB, $30 for 20GB, and $60 for 70 GB. - Data vault feature:
ALDImobile now offers a data vault feature called ‘Continuous Data Rollover’. This allows you to hold on to your unused data forever if that’s what you want. The whole idea is that you get to keep what you paid for. This is becoming an increasingly common offering amongst phone companies on the Telstra Network, including Belong Mobile and even Telstra This is perhaps the fairest way for telcos to treat data without unlimited data plans. - 30-day recharge window:
Optus, Vodafone, and Telstra have all moved to a 28-day recharge window in their month-to-month prepaid retail plans. ALDImobile is one of the few who don’t do the same thing. ALDImobile’s recharge validity window is still 30 days, putting them alongside Amaysim, Boost, and most Tier 2 phone companies. This might not seem like a huge difference, but if you take a 30-day plan with the same entitlements as a 28-day one, you’re getting nearly 10% extra for free. Over a year, those savings can add up. - Solid self-service app:
ALDImobile has a mature, effective self-service app that allows customers to avoid the call centre. Customers can use the easy-to-use app for several account-related services, including changing their plans once a month.
What we don’t like about ALDImobile’s prepaid service
- Not always best value :
Despite their brand promise, ALDImobile have stepped into an extremely dynamic and very changeable environment. Selling phone plans is even harder than selling groceries. Buying the beans is an easy comparison. You’re up against Coles and Woolworths. Selling phone plans, you have literally 20 competitors. ALDImobile cannot always be the most affordable. - Not always the best rates :
Their PAYG rates are 15 cents per minute, which is pretty standard. But ALDImobile are not the best value across the range. - The network is not as good as you might think it is :
ALDImobile’s prepaid service uses the Telstra Mobile Network – now with 4G ! That language is true – but also misleading. The network ALDImobile use is not the ENTIRE Telstra network. Instead, they resell a part of the Telstra network, which puts their coverage on par with the alternative telcos. This takes away from the Telstra branding behind the ALDImobile coverage claim, and should result in you checking out other providers that will likely give you more data for less and/or at a broader price-point range. Find out more about Australian network coverage. - Out of bundle charging :
ALDImobile’s out-of-bundle data charging is incredibly high. To give you an example : Imagine you charged your SIM with $100 and used an ALDImobile $25 ‘L’ Pack. It comes with 2GB of data which is a reasonable inclusion at this price point. The plan is $25 so you’re left with a $75 hanging balance. You use more than your 2GB of data that month. You go over by 1GB. Your remaining balance is $20 ! ALDImobile will charge you $55 for that GB of data. To give you an idea, Amaysim would charge around $10 for the same event. - ALDImobile offer only prepaid plans :
There are other providers out there, notably Amaysim, who offer their plan range as either prepaid and / or postpaid. Prepaid is not right for everyone. Postpaid plans can be better for those who have more money. Those who manage their finances better, see prepaid as more of a children’s thing or need the convenience of not having to recharge their SIM. You can see a full range of postpaid plans, including Amaysim’s, on our SIM Only Plan page. - Don’t have the specials the others have as frequently :
Prepaid plans are usually on offer. Phone companies, whether they are large or small, know that with prepaid there is no contract to keep you tied in. That means that they’re not the best value across the range on a normal day. Throw in a competitor promotion and you could very easily save yourself a good deal more by shopping around. - Overseas customer service :
We prefer Amaysim’s customer service. On their unlimited plans, customer satisfaction rates are as high as 96%. Amaysim’s call center is in Chatswood; ALDImobile’s is overseas. It doesn’t always affect the quality of communication between caller and support operative but some people find that the cultural background differences mean that support calls take longer when trying to get their issue resolved.
ALDImobile's 5G plan
While 5G launched in 2019, the major telcos held on to the technology for years. However, Telstra has now opened up 5G to MVNOs on its network.
ALDImobile has taken advantage of Telstra’s 5G offer, becoming one of the few MVNOs to offer its customers access to the high-speed network. However, ALDImobile only offers one 5G plan for now, which costs $55 – a bit higher compared to their normal 3G/4G plans.
While 5G has been hyped as a super-fast mobile network, we can’t say that this is the best deal ALDImobile has to offer. That’s because the 5G plan includes just 60GB of data for $55, while they also offer a 4G plan that includes 90GB of data for only $45.
Considering how fast the Telstra 4G network is, we can’t see why ALDImobile’s 4G plans aren’t a better fit than their lone 5G plan. If the criteria here is value, then the 4G plans will likely offer more of it.
Saving Money by Sharing Data with ALDImobile
Called the Family Pack Plan, it also comes with up to four SIM cards that can be used in individual devices. The 40GB of data can then be shared around the four SIM cards, allocated by the main user.
The data can be shared in any way that works for the group of users, and any unused data goes into a data vault to be rolled over for use in the next month. The plan also includes unlimited call and text, and even unlimited international minutes to 15 countries for each user. ALDImobile uses the Telstra network, which reaches the most customers across Australia.
While the plan is obviously marketed at families, groups of friends could benefit as well. The plan breaks down to $20 for 10GB of data between four users, although if some people within the group don’t use their full allocation it might mean the other users have access to even more. In contrast, another plan offered by ALDImobile charges $25 for only 9GB of data.
This plan has extra appeal because there is no lock-in contract – If the system isn’t working out, users can exit the plan after paying for that billing cycle. The plan also has added benefit in allowing the main user to actually allocate the data, which can give them greater control of how data is being used – an asset in a family with teenagers, for example.
Summing Up – We're 50 - 50 on ALDImobile
ALDImobile’s Prepaid Services are going to be right for some people. I have a problem with them because they’re not right for everyone. Unfortunately, since ALDImobile has such a retail presence, people seem to default to them through laziness. We all lead busy lives, and we’re all dragged in many different directions at once. But just because you’re staring at an ALDImobile SIM at checkout does not mean you are best off picking it up.
There are better deals out there if you know where to look. Make sure you compare ALDImobile, as we have on this page, with the best of the competition. Belong Mobile use the same Telstra Wholesale Network that ALDImobile does, and we believe they offer better value in some plans. Boost uses the full Telstra Network, which is a great benefit compared to ALDImobile, which uses only part of Telstra’s network. Amaysim use the Optus network, which has a footprint similar to the one that ALDImobile is reselling. They, too, should be among your comparisons.
For those who want options on the Vodafone network, especially those with 3G phones, you might like to consider Lebara.
Don’t get us wrong; ALDImobile’s plans are good. They’ve learned a lot since their first launch. They have filled the obvious and heinous self-service gap. They now provide their customers with an app that allows self-service. They’ve broadened their range and added 5G speeds to what they offer customers. They even have a data vault feature, which is probably the fairest way to treat customers’ data. Their service is now convenient enough and offers sufficient value to be a serious contender for your dollar against the competitors we‘ve mentioned.
Compare all of our prepaid plans
If you need another network, you might like to check our Best Prepaid Plans Page and compare all the plans ( including every one mentioned on this page. ) A list of best value plans using the Telstra, Optus and Vodafone networks.
COMPARE THE BEST PREPAID PLANS
See all SIM Only plans
If you need another network, for example you’re after an unlimited plan with Telstra coverage, or you live in a city and you’re happy with Vodafone, you might like to check our SIM Only Comparison page and compare all the plans ( including every one mentioned on this page. )
COMPARE ALL SIM ONLY PLANS
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This Month’s Hot Offers
