Optus Mobile Review ALDI Mobile Review Amaysim Mobile Review Belong Mobile Review Circles.Life Review Vodafone Mobile Review Woolworths Mobile Review Felix Mobile Review Best iPhone Plans Best Family Mobile Plans Best Budget Smartphones Best Prepaid Plans Best SIM-Only Plans Best Plans For Kids And Teens Best Cheap Mobile Plans Telstra vs Optus Mobile Optus NBN Review Belong NBN Review Vodafone NBN Review Superloop NBN Review Aussie BB NBN Review iiNet NBN Review MyRepublic NBN Review TPG NBN Review Best NBN Satellite Plans Best NBN Alternatives Best NBN Providers Best Home Wireless Plans What is a Good NBN Speed? Test NBN Speed How to speed up your internet Optus vs Telstra Broadband ExpressVPN Review CyberGhost VPN Review NordVPN Review PureVPN Review Norton Secure VPN Review IPVanish VPN Review Windscribe VPN Review Hotspot Shield VPN Review Best cheap VPN services Best VPN for streaming Best VPNs for gaming What is a VPN? VPNs for ad-blocking Here, we break down the pros and cons of each phone contract length so you can choose the right one for you. Though you’ll end up paying the same amount overall (give or take a few cents) whether you opt for a 36-month contract or a 12-month contract, there are significant savings to be had by opting for the longer period. Take the iPhone 12 64GB for example. Here’s the cheapest it’ll cost you on a 36-month contract with Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. For comparison’s sake, we’ll be using the iPhone 12 64GB again. Here are the cheapest plans currently available with Telstra, Optus and Vodafone on a 24-month phone contract. If you opt for an iPhone 12 64GB on this payment term, you’re looking at an extra $50 (at least) per month on top of what you’d be paying on a 24-month contract above. That could mean your total monthly bill for your phone and mobile plan is in excess of $150. Even if you can’t manage to find a better deal than full price (or if you simply want the security of an Australian warranty), there are still other ways to save your money over time. Instead of sticking with one of the big three telcos, consider a smaller provider. Also known as MVNOs, these providers offer similar (if not the same) coverage as Telstra, Optus and Vodafone, but with far better value offerings. It does mean sacrificing the perks that come with bigger providers, but the money you’ll save is easily worth it. Not convinced? Here are some of the most popular MVNO plans right now. But how much would it cost if you purchased the same phone outright at full price ($1,349) and pair it with an MVNO plan over 24 months? Say you go for Woolworths Mobile’s $25 plan, which offers around the same amount of data (20GB) as Optus and Vodafone’s cheapest plans. Over a two-year period, both the phone and plan will set you back $1,949. That’s well over $300 cheaper than the same deal on a contract.