Lebara Plan Review
And Comparison
- We’ve compared Lebara so you don’t have to
- Better deals on better networks are available
- See below for deals better than Lebara
Frequently Asked Questions
Which network does Lebara work use ?
Lebara is the best known Australian reseller of the Vodafone 4G network. You can find out more about Vodafone’s network coverage here.
Vodafone’s network has improved immensely over the last 6 years. Independent research shows that Vodafone’s 4G network is on a par with Telstra’s. We realize that this is an incredible claim but it’s true. For now, you get get 4G data speeds and coverage on a par with Telstra’s for a fraction of the cost of going direct to big T.
Lebara are an MVNO or a smaller phone company. What’s an MVNO ?
MVNOs are smaller phone companies which rent access to a phone network without owning it themselves. Lebara is an MVNO. The difference to you doesn’t mean a lot. Buying a plan from an MVNO represents an affordable SIM Only alternative and, if you call overseas, you probably don’t want to look further than Lebara.
What is Lebara’s data banking and data gifting?
Lebara plans include data banking and data gifting features.
Their data bank allows you store up to 200GB of unused data for later use, so long as you recharge and keep your eligible plan active. They also give you a 48-hour grace period after your plan expires, so you’ll have enough time to recharge without losing your data bank.
The data gifting feature allows you to send up to 10GB of data to another Lebara user every 30 days. You can transfer up to 2GB each transaction, up to 5 times every 30 days. However, you can only gift data that’s already in your data bank – your plan’s included data, bonus data, or data pack cannot be gifted.
Is voicemail retrieval and deposit included in the unlimited plans ?
Yes.
Are 13 and 18 numbers included in Lebara’s unlimited plans ?
Yes they are.
How is data charged on Lebara’s unlimited plans ?
Data is charged in per kB chunks. That means that your usage will be rounded up to the nearest kB at the end of each data session. The move to per kB charging came in around the start of September 2015. Before that, Lebara used per MB charging which is far less palatable from a user perspective.
Is MMS included in the Unlimited plan ?
Yes.
Can I keep my existing phone number if I go to Lebara ?
Yes, you can. We’ve written on this extensively too – Can I keep my mobile number. The process is called porting and it usually only takes a couple of hours.
With a postpaid connection, you’ll usually enter your phone number in to the checkout as part of the process.
With Lebara and other prepaid providers, you order first. Then, once you received your SIM, you will need to activate it (as with all service providers). This can be done through Lebara’s website or by calling their call centre.
As part of the activation process, you will be asked if you wish to port in ( transfer across to Lebara ) your existing mobile number. If you select YES, they will be asked for the mobile number and your date of birth. The port will then be processed as part of the activation. Let me know if you require any further clarification.
How long does delivery take when a SIM is delivered from Lebara ?
The official line on this and what you’ll find on the website is that it’ll take 5-7 days. We’ve ordered a few online and they’ve all come much quicker than that. Usually within 2 to 3 working days. They come through Australia post. Of course, if we lived in more remote parts of WA, we would expect that to take longer.
Also, Lebara’s Extra Small 5 Day plan is actually an eSIM plan so you can activate this plan without waiting for a physical SIM card to arrive in the post. However, at the time of this article, no other Lebara plan is eSIM compatible.
Do Lebara charge for SIM Delivery ?
Nope. Order online and delivery is free so the price is right.
What's good
- Great international rates
- Data is fast - expect consistent 4G speeds
- Lebara are prepaid so totally predictable costs
- Data banking and data gifting
What's bad
- Some lingering concerns over Customer Service levels
- Coverage outside cities could be better
- No self-service app - only online self-service and USSD
What do you need to know about Lebara ?
Lebara are known for their value when it comes to unlimited plans and international calls.
Lebara are one of a few smaller Australian phone companies which use the Vodafone Australia network. Smaller phone companies are sometimes called MVNOs and we’ve written about them a lot. Although they’re small, relative to the main phone companies like Optus, Telstra and Vodafone, Lebara are a well known brand in Australia. You’ve probably seen them every time you’ve bought petrol or the paper for the last few years — only few corner shops don’t have a blue Lebara poster advertising their plans, although they’re mostly outdated.
Lebara are no longer the typical MVNO reselling Vodafone’s network. They are now completely owned by Vodafone — they even share the same office building. Lebara operate the better part of a dozen phone companies in various, mostly European, countries around the world. They are known for their value when it comes to unlimited plans and plans that include international calls. They only offer prepaid plans, but this isn’t a bad thing — more and more people are moving to prepaid, and Lebara are benefiting from this. If you’re not sure what prepaid means or how it compares to other types of SIM Only Plans, read our article on how to compare prepaid plans vs month to month vs contract plans. In Australia, Lebara have been operating for nearly 10 years, so they’re not going to run off in the middle of the night with your recharge money.
Lebara’s recent plan refresh acknowledged the importance of data to their customer base (by offering more at each price point, along with data banking and data gifting) and maintains their leadership in international calls. They’re also a fair company – fairer than most telcos – as you’ll see from what’s below.
Here’s a bit more background in case you need it before you buy
How Lebara’s prepaid plans work.
Lebara’s / Vodafone’s network coverage has improved, but still remains the main question
We’ve written extensively about Vodafone’s network improvements over the last 5 years. Vodafone coverage has improved dramatically, particularly in Australia’s capital cities. The short version of all the research and our longer articles is that Vodafone’s 3G network is very good in Australia’s main cities. If that’s where you live, we recommend that you seriously consider Lebara.
However, the popular question is still related to coverage. Although there have been improvements, is the coverage good enough? Vodafone have been known for having some shoddy network when compared to the other major telcos — Telstra and Optus. While Vodafone coverage may be good enough in the main cities, those in rural areas may not have such luck. While Lebara’s main selling point is their International call inclusions, that won’t do much good if coverage becomes an issue. You might be better off getting a plan with International calls from Telstra or Optus (or an MVNO on the same networks) to avoid network coverage concerns, especially if you live in (or frequent) a rural area.
For those in main cities, though, Vodafone have made herculean efforts to improve the quality of their 3G and 4G networks as we have tried to make clear on our coverage page. The result is impressive. In mid 2016, Vodafone made two, linked announcements about their network. First, Vodafone have offered 4G data speeds to their network resellers, including Lebara’s Plans. Second, following years of planning and hundreds of millions of dollars spent, Vodafone’s 4G network is comparable to Telstra’s for coverage in Australia. You’ll get a 4G signal with Vodafone the where you will get a 4G signal from Telstra. Vodafone actually have more customers in Sydney than Telstra and their network has been measured quicker in NSW than any competitor.
As well as providing access to the Vodafone network at rates better than Vodafone themselves offer, Lebara have an additional string to their bow. Lebara have negotiated substantial discounts on calls to other countries, right from your Australian mobile. These are international rates you won’t even get with Vodafone themselves. For now, Lebara are reselling a quality 4G network – up with the best in Australia. And yet their data inclusions are enormous when compared to the competition from the mother companies like Vodafone and Telstra.
What is 4G?
Lebara use the Vodafone 4G network. But what does that mean?
Lebara now offer 4G data speeds.
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This Month's Hot Offers
What are Lebara’s international rates like?
Lebara’s international rates are very good. Obviously, information about the countries you can call changes all the time so you’re best checking Lebara’s website for details of international pricing. However, as an example, if you take the $29.90 Medium 30 Day SIM plan, you’ll get unlimited calls to the UK, USA, China, South Kora, Israel, Venezuela, and so on.
What’s good about Lebara’s plans?
Lebara use a great metro focused network and offer the most affordable unlimited plans with a data allowance in Australia. They also have the best international rates we know. But these are not the only reasons we recommend them:
- Lebara’s Plans are from a low cost Prepaid SIM Only provider:
The vast majority of the Australian market is now SIM Only focused. Hand me down phones, refurbished phones and eBay bargains mean more people every day are looking for a SIM which gives them pricing which is as good for their plan as it was for their handset. Among the low cost SIM Only providers in Australia, Lebara are unique for their international inclusions. - Fast Data:
4G is fast data – fast enough to let you watch a You Tube clip without stalling or interruption. 4G is superfast data – probably faster than your home broadband connection. The speeds Lebara give you are, from the middle of 2016, full 4G. Remember, if you have a 3G phone, you will not be disadvantaged – your Lebara SIM will work just fine. You will not, of course, be able to get 4G speeds on a 3G phone, however. To get Lebara’s 4G speeds, you’ll need to be in a coverage area and using a 4G phone. - Australia’s most affordable all you can eat plans:
Lebara offer an unlimited plan for $29.90 which includes 35GB of 4G data. This inclusion compares favourably against the competition (you might also want to check out Kogan Mobile’s plans – they also use the Vodafone network. - Data bank and data gifting:
All Lebara plans include data banking and data gifting, features that even their parent company do not offer. - Prepaid Plans:
Prepaid plans offer total predictability when it comes to cost. The very most you will spend before your next bill is the amount you recharged this time. Predictability of spend is one reason prepaid plans are so appealing. So long as you only recharge by your recharge requirement each month, it’s impossible to overspend. Prepaid plans also mean you do not have to sign a contract. You are free to move to a new provider whenever you’d like. If another phone company runs a promotion you’d like, you can move to it straight away. - Flexible Plans:
You can recharge your Lebara SIM with any of their plans simply by visiting their online self service area or texting a code to them from your phone. If you’re not sure whether Lebara have coverage in your area, we recommend using their coverage checker. - Easy recharge:
Recharging is a key component of any prepaid plans and, luckily, Lebara make it easy. They offer the following facilities. - Credit card recharge:
Online, IVR (by calling 126 123), CRM by calling customer care (126 122) - Physical scratch voucher or e-voucher:
Online, IVR, CRM, SMS (by sending pin number to 126 172) and mobile app - Moving Plans:
Lebara allow customers to opt in to plans using their main balance. For instance, a customer with $40 main balance can send Large to 126172 and the $39.90 Large 30 Day Plan will be applied (they will have $0.10 main balance remaining) - 1kB Data Rounding:
Some providers offer per kB charging for their data plans. Some operators charge (and round up) per MB. It is preferable from a customer’s perspective when they do charge per kB. Struggling to understand what it means ? Whether it’s Kb or MB charging, your data session will be rounded up at the end of the surfing or downloading you’re doing. Imagine your data allowance was $2000 instead of 2GB. The best analogy is if the shop you buy your groceries with that $2000, always rounds up to the nearest dollar ( MB charging ). It’s fine if you’ve spent 99 cents. But if you’ve only spent 50 cents and they round it up to a dollar, it starts to add up. By the end of the month, you’re more likely to have reached your limit than if the same shop had rounded up to the nearest penny ( kB charging.) - They now offer 180 day and 365 day plan options:
Alongside Kogan, Lebara now offer bigger bundles and bigger plans to support longer spaces between recharges. As you’ll see on the table above, they have better value plans for people prepared to stump up the money up front for 6 months’ or a years’ worth of plan.
Lebara are 'fair'
Most people have had bad experiences with telcos. Lebara are fairer than most and you might be surprised at some of the things they offer their customers.
- Recharging leaves you with your full entitlement:
Lebara’s expiry of 30 days is be no means has a long plan expiry, as we’ve said. For users who recharge with Lebara mid month (that is, within that 30 day period,) the top up they buy is applied at the end of the 30 day recharge period. (The alternative is that, as many other providers do, the recharge simply starts your 30 day period again. The methodology Lebara use is the fairest way to do it, but it can present problems for people who want to get extra data straight away. - Lebara’s extra data:
Since everyone upgraded their plans in 2013, we have come to expect that we will be charged an extra $10 per GB for any data we use outside our plan entitlements. (30% of Australians at any one time have been slugged with that fee in the last month). Instead, Lebara offers three data packs ranging from $5 to $25. A 1GB extra data pack costs $5 at Lebara, a $10 pack includes 3GB, while a $25 data pack includes 10GB – much more generous than competitors. Also, with Lebara, extra data is charged at around $20 per GB if you prefer to pay as you go. Remember, this is a prepaid plan so you don’t have to pay for extra data if you don’t want to. If you want to avoid being charged simply don’t keep money in extra credit. (Because the service will hard stop at your plan’s entitlement limit if you do.) - Lebara includes data banking and data gifting:
Lebara’s data bank will allow you store up to 200GB of your unused data for use at any time, as long as you recharge. Not only that, they also give you a 48-hour grace period to recharge on an eligible plan and keep your unused data. You can also gift other Lebara users up to 10GB of data from your data bank every 30 days (that is, up to 2GB per gift/transaction up to 5 times per 30 days. - They pass on price cuts to you:
Lebara don’t ‘grandfather’ plans. That means that if you’re on an older price plan and they upgrade it, you will get the benefit. Price cuts or plan changes are passed on immediately to all customers. As data use grows (and the cost of it falls), Lebara keep your needs covered. In our view, everyone in the industry should do this.
What’s not so good about Lebara’s plans ?
- Some questions over historical customer services levels:
We have used the Lebara service ourselves and can tell you that we never had any need to call the call center, However, we acknowledge that’s something many people do need to do in the course of their tenure as a prepaid customer of a phone network. Some reviews of Labara have been critical of their customer service handling. Long waiting times have been a consistent theme. Lebara do not offer a Self Service App in the same way so many phone companies do these days. They do have some automated services including the usual balance checking and recharge facility over SMS. To offer a balanced view, we feel we need to include this as a ‘watch out’ for potential customers. Obliging customers to call for the majority of their enquiries ( because they have no app ) and then offering long wait times is not an ideal customer experience. - Lebara’s plan range can (in our view) be slightly confusing:
We’ve tried to break down the plans and show the most popular here. Picking a price plan is not an easy business. Unfortunately, to a degree, Lebara are a victim of their own success in some regards. The great thing about Lebara is that they offer cheaper international calls and affordable national unlimited plans. The international aspect is an additional layer of complexity to the pick a price plan bit which was none too easy in the first place. - No self-service app:
Self-service apps have become the norm, and they make things a lot easier. They allow you manage your account and plan from your handset, as well as manage data. Lebara do not have a self-service app, and that’s a bit disappointing. However, they do compensate for this with online self-service, where you can log into their website to manage your account and plan.
Comparing Lebara’s key plan features and inclusions to other telcos
- Cheap plans with International inclusions:
Compared to other telcos, Lebara offer some really cheap plans when you consider their International inclusions. For instance, their $14.90 Extra Small Starter Pack (their smallest 30-day plan) includes up to 300 minutes of International talk to 8 select countries, and an additional $3 credit for calls and texts to other countries. Compare that to other telcos’ International inclusions in plans with similar price points, and Lebara comes out on top. For instance, Optus Prepaid Epic plans cost $30 and $40 but none of them include International minutes. Optus Flex Plans include International minutes, but at a higher spend than Lebara. Another example is Belong Mobile, which doesn’t include any International calls and texts in their $25 plan – you’d need to add $5 per month for that. However, Boost Mobile stacks up well with Lebara – their $25 plan includes unlimited International talks and text to 20 select countries and 300 minutes and texts to 30 select countries. You would need to upgrade to Lebara’s $24.99 plan to get closer to Boost Mobile’s offer. - Data banking and Gata gifting for “fair” data management:
Lebara customers get data banking to store up to 200GB of unused data for later use. To keep this going, you have to keep your plan active – but Lebara give you a 2-day grace period after your plan expires, so you can decide whether to recharge and keep your unused data bank in tact. They also include data gifting, which allows customers gift data to other Lebara users from their data bank. While telcos like Telstra and Belong Mobile also offer data banking, none of them also offer data gifting. Also, Lebara’s parent company, Vodafone, does not even offer data banking or gifting at all.
- Entertainment content:
Lebara used to offer entertainment content but not anymore. Their content was offered in specific plans that cost more than their normal plans, but the content made Lebara stand out. Unfortunately, because Lebara no longer offer entertainment, they are now similar to the typical MVNO offering basic SIM plan. Other telcos now have the upper hand over Lebara for entertainment (if content in a phone plan matters to you). Telstra’s AFL and NRL content is a great example entertainment content in mobile plans, and Optus’ Optus Sport is another example with their extensive live sport coverage.
How do I make sure I never run out of prepaid Lebara credit?
There are a couple of ways to make this painless. By far the easiest way is to go online and recharge there using a credit card. Lebara, like most prepaid providers has an ‘auto-recharge’ facility which will top you up at the end of your prepaid recharge window.
Lebara customers can also use your credit card by calling 126 123 or by calling customer care 126 122
Finally, customers can buy a physical voucher in store when you’re buying petrol or stamps. You can then use that voucher to recharge Online, IVR, CRM, SMS (by sending pin number to 126 172) and mobile app, if they’d like.
Summary – should you go with Lebara?
There has rarely been a better time to pick a plan from Lebara. Their latest refresh has added more data and made Lebara an even more competitive proposition. If you live in one of Australia’s major cities, and you either want a plan which has unlimited voice, included international calls or both, we recommend Lebara wholeheartedly. Lebara are an international brand. Around the world, if you added up all of their companies, you’d be talking about something close to the size of Optus. That means they’re reliable ( they’re not going to disappear in the middle of the night with your money ) and it also means they have the heft to be able to negotiate Australia’s best International Direct Dialing rates.
There are some concerns around Lebara’s customer service levels visible online. We’ve never experienced those ourselves. We have mentioned them here because we want to give you a balanced view. However, given the fact that Lebara are an exclusively prepaid provider, we see no risk in taking a plan from them. After all, if it doesn’t work out, you can just leave them.
What’s of more importanct in our recommendation is the move Lebarra made to offer super-fast 4G data services 7 years ago. Any plan you buy from Lebara now has 4G data speeds available to it. This is a no lose. If you have an older 3G phone, you can still use it on the Lebara network. If you have a newer 4G phone, you’ll get blindingly fast data speeds. Importantly, Lebara offer a huge amount more by way of data inclusion than their mother network, Vodafone. Remember, if you buy a plan from Lebara, you’ll get access to the full Vodafone network and it’s fastest possible speeds. I have personally seen 100Mbps on a Lebara SIM speed test since they did that update.
The simple truth, (as my lived experience shows ) is that, since independent research showed that Vodafone matched Telstra for 4G coverage in Australia is that buying a plan from Lebara gets you access to the best 4G network in Australia for a fraction of what you’d have to pay Telstra. That was probably news to you. Not many people know it. Which is why, for now, Lebara’s pricing is so great. And why you should buy a plan from them.
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Sources.
- While many people still harbour doubts about Vodafone network, independent research shows they needed be concerned. Roy Morgan research shows Vodafone have more customers in Sydney than either of their main competitors.
- As the ACMA point out, international call rates in phone plans can be confusing. Our view is that Lebara make it very easy.
