Are $59 Plans with Phone Dead?

Zondor on 11/08/2021 - 09:48

Is it just me or have phone plans got significantly more expensive?

A year and a half ago $60 got you a end of generation or last generation flagship and 20GB plus of data.
Now the same plans are $84 a month and the contracts are all 36 months.

I was hoping to get an iPhone 11 in a few months on a $65 plan. I claim alot of it on tax as I use it all day for work, then sell the phone at the end of the contrac. Now it seems like the only way to get a good value plan is just to buy one second hand, and go with a sim only plan.

Is there something I'm missing?

Mobile Phone Plan

Comments

  • Muzeeb on 11/08/2021 - 09:52
    +3

    When a flagship phone is now $1500-$2500 the money has to come from somewhere.

    • Zondor on 11/08/2021 - 10:05
      -1

      Even the iPhone 11 though? Aren't those price ones usually the fully spec'd out ones?

    • BewareOfThe Dog on 11/08/2021 - 13:09
      +1

      And the margins are tighter on IOS.

  • CodeXD on 11/08/2021 - 10:04

    I was hoping to get an iPhone 11 in a few months on a $65 plan. I claim alot of it on tax as I use it all day for work, then sell the phone at the end of the contrac.

    If you can claim it on tax, why does it matter? Are you salty that you aren't making as much a profit as you used to?

  • me1stt on 11/08/2021 - 10:27
    +1

    Telcos used to subsidise a lot. https://www.zdnet.com/article/why-telcos-love-handset-subsid…
    I still remember, years ago, there's an article saying that Australia has the most affordable iPhone plan in the world.

  • mskeggs on 11/08/2021 - 10:59
    +1

    IPhone 11 with 20Gb a month on Optus is $64.40 over 36 months.

    • Zondor on 11/08/2021 - 16:13

      This does work, but it's actually less data then I get for my p30 (30gb) on a 24 month plan. It seems like 36 is now the new 24 which to be honest I'm not keen on. The duration of the contract just feels way to off-putting considering how much data consumption is increasing each year.

  • freefall101 on 11/08/2021 - 11:01
    +1

    Just buy the phone and go on a Boost plan. iPhone 11 is less than $1k, $400 of boost recharges, less than $60 a month over 2 years.

    • BewareOfThe Dog on 11/08/2021 - 13:08

      Or Amaysim. My only gripe is no 5G with Amaysim.
      Last month they gave me near 200gb for $30. Normally 55GB. Only time I went close was when I was setting up my M1 Macbook, and downloading all the Logic Pro sounds.

      • freefall101 on 11/08/2021 - 15:21

        Yeah, I wish there was an mvno that offered 5G. Not that it's an issue for me personally, I can't get 5G at home and rarely leave the house anymore thanks to working from home, but I'll want it eventually.

        There's plenty of providers out there. I'm switching to Woolworths thanks to the 10% back on one shop each month, it'll pay for my phone bill anyway. iPhone 12 mini is only $900 and will likely drop more when the iPhone 13 comes out next month, if I was unhappy with my XS I'd just go buy that.

        People are getting smarter too, if you sign up to a plan with a free phone you just switch providers after 12/24 months, you don't keep that plan that's massively overpriced. That was the only reason they ever existed, relying on people simply not switching when the plan ended but it's too easy these days to switch.

    • Zondor on 11/08/2021 - 16:08

      Might get the 12 on a costco spectial and then a byo sim. Should hopefully be able to get abit for my p30 regular.

  • Strahany on 11/08/2021 - 12:41

    The last truly solid deal for an iPhone was not long after the iPhone 8 was launched, and Optus were offering it free on a $59 plan over 24 months with 20GB data.

    $59 * 24 = $1,416.
    iPhone 8 RRP (at the time) $1,079.
    Monthly plan cost = (1416 - 1079)/24 = ~$14/m

    Optus' equivalent SIM only plan of 20GB was $40/m so that yielded $26/m "savings" over buying outright plus not paying upfront (i.e an interest-free loan).

    Nowadays, all plans are just the RRP of the phone divided by 12/24/36 months with the SIM only plan tacked on. For example, the same plan today would cost (1079/24)+40 = ~$85/m.

    I did see Optus (via Harvey Norman) giving the S21 away with certain plans but this deal ended a few months ago, as far as I know. Outside of these HN/JB/GG deals, you're looking at RRP.

    • BewareOfThe Dog on 11/08/2021 - 13:06

      The last truly solid deal for an iPhone was not long after the iPhone 8 was launched, and Optus were offering it free on a $59 plan over 24 months with 20GB data.

      Yes, Apple don't make them like that anymore, unfortunately. I think it was the last iPhone with a decent antenna, hence why it was Telstra Blue-Tick.

    • Brianqpr on 11/08/2021 - 15:41

      That was a great deal and I think only around for a couple of weeks. Got my wife an iphone 8 on that plan at the time. It also included Optus Sport, effectively making the plan free.

    • Zondor on 11/08/2021 - 16:08

      This was the first plan I signed up for haha.

  • AustriaBargain on 11/08/2021 - 12:58

    Telstra let you end a contract whenever you want without penalty, you just pay off the actual handset value.

  • [Deactivated] on 11/08/2021 - 14:54
    +1

    We have 2 x $45 Xs plans with Telstra and 1 on $65 180gb plan, can still share data on business.

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