Sometimes a big data plan isn't enough. Unlimited data mobile phone plans have started to pop up in Australia over the past five years, with the big three telcos each offering plans without download limits.
However, things aren't necessarily as rosy as they seem – and there's a bit of a difference between an unlimited data phone plan and an unlimited data NBN plan, where limitless data is the norm. While unlimited data phone plans do indeed claim truly limitless data, there are some major caveats, with the most prominent being drastically capped download speeds.
Across the Australian telco landscape, there is one SIM-plan provider that does offer unlimited data with download speeds that are better than the competition: Felix Mobile's AU$40p/m prepaid plan, with download speeds capped at 20Mbps – though this is a slower speed than what you would be able to achieve on a similarly priced phone plan with a set monthly data allowance.
Other than Felix's unlimited data plan, other providers that offer 'unlimited' data do so on top of a monthly data allowance with uncapped speeds. Once you've gone over the monthly data allocation, you'll still get unlimited downloads, but at a snail's pace.
Which other providers offer unlimited data phone plans?
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Only five other SIM providers in Australia claim to offer limitless data plans, although they all possess the same critical caveat: you'll be able to achieve much faster download speeds up until your monthly data limit, after which the speed drops to around 2Mbps or slower. The saving grace when this happens is that you won't be charged anything extra.
Those five providers are Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, Belong and Dodo. Dodo is by far the slowest of the bunch, limiting your download speed to a paltry 256Kbps when you hit your monthly data cap. But, three of Dodo's four SIM-only plans offer unlimited data banking, meaning if you don't use your monthly data allowance, it will rollover into the next month and so on. In effect, you may find you'll never actually go over your data limit and instead can bank up a significant amount to use at each plan's full speed. Dodo's 5G network plans are speed capped at 100Mbps.
Telstra and Optus both offer 1.5Mbps unlimited data speeds once you surpass your unlimited speed monthly data limit, while Vodafone offers 2Mbps and Belong 1Mbps.
Here's a full breakdown of the 'unlimited' SIM-only plans from Optus, Vodafone, Dodo, Belong and Telstra.
Optus
All of Optus' postpaid SIM-only plans charge nothing if you go over your data limit. If you do manage to get through all of your data, your download speed will be capped at 1.5Mbps.
But, Optus' current selection of SIM-only phone plans come with a generous amount of data, starting from 50GB. And, being one of Australia's biggest providers, you'll get full access to the telco's 5G network and the faster download speeds and reliability that come with it.
Optus has also added some extra perks to a couple of its SIM-plans recently, with its Promo Plan and Large Choice Plus Plan both featuring a mammoth 360GB of data. Along with this, you'll receive AU$10p/m for 12 months and AU$20 per month for the duration of your service, respectively, to spend on subscriptions via its SubHub service. You can spend this credit on many of the biggest streaming services, including Netflix, Prime Video and Binge, to name a few, effectively getting them for free.
All SIM-plans from the Medium Choice Plus Plan and higher also come with unlimited international talk and text to 35 destinations.
Vodafone
Vodafone has recently updated its SIM-only plan offerings by giving them all double data, while also introducing a AU$120 saving over the first 12 months of the service. As with the other providers, if you do manage to hit your monthly data limit, your download speeds will be reduced to 2Mbps.
You may find that never needs to happen, however, as Vodafone's SIM-only plans begin with 100GB of included data (50GB base + 50GB bonus) for as long as you remain connected. If you're a particularly data-hungry user, you can opt for a staggering 720GB of included data for just AU$59p/m for the first 12 months.
And, if you were of the mindset that Vodafone's network was slightly inferior to Optus and Telstra, think again. The telco (via its parent company TPG) recently finalised a network sharing deal with Optus that sees it using the latter's mobile towers – particularly in more regional areas of the country – that means its network now covers 98.4% of the population.
Dodo
For a more affordable route to an unlimited data phone plan, you'll do well to check out Dodo. The telco uses parts of the Optus 4G and 5G network, so coverage should be no issue. Dodo's SIM-only plans start with 15GB of data but, crucially, feature unlimited data banking. This means if you don't use your monthly allowance, any unused data will rollover into the next month and so on.
Effectively, it could play out that you never need to worry about hitting your monthly limit and can therefore not worry about your download speeds being capped. You may want that to be the case, as Dodo seriously throttles download speeds to just 256Kbps if you do go over your limit.
Belong
Belong is owned by Telstra and so uses parts of its network. While you might have expected full access, you do at least benefit from Telstra's constant security monitoring services against scams.
However, Belong's SIM plans start with a speed cap of 150Mbps and rise to 250Mbps and use both the Telstra 4G and 5G network. Considering many other mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) tend to max out at 100Mbps or, in some cases, 150Mbps, there is much to like about Belong's service.
Like Dodo, Belong also offers unlimited data banking, just with the criteria that you pay your bill on time. If you do hit your monthly data allowance with Belong, your download speeds will be capped at 1Mbps.
Telstra
Finally, Telstra is also one of the only telcos offering 'unlimited' data. If you do hit your monthly data allowance, your download speed will be limited to 1.5Mbps. Of course, being connected directly to Telstra does have the benefit of having full access to its network, which still remains the largest in the country.
However, as with Telstra NBN plans, its mobile SIM plans are among the more expensive you can find, especially when you factor in the amount of included data. Plans start with 50GB of data for AU$65p/m and rise to 300GB of data for AU$79p/m for the first 12 months (AU$99p/m thereafter). If you know you'll want access to the largest network, then Telstra is your best bet, but considering Optus and Vodafone aren't all that far behind, and have better inclusions on paper, we'd recommend going with one of those instead.
Data banking
One other option you have to make sure you always have a healthy amount of data is data banking. Data banking is a feature that some mobile carriers offer that lets you keep any unused data from one month and carry it over into the next billing cycle. A good proportion of mobile carriers offer data banking in some capacity, although usually with a cap on how much data you can bank – this is usually between 200GB to 500GB.
However, there are a couple of providers that offer unlimited data banking, which effectively means you’ll never run out of data. Although, if you do manage to hit the original data cap on your plan, then you may need to pay extra to get more.
Other mobile carriers that offer unlimited data banking include Belong, Aldi Mobile and Felix. You can view the most popular plans with these providers in the comparison tool below below
