Optus mobile plans review | Tom’s Guide
Since its commercial arrival on the Australian telco landscape in 1992, Optus has maintained its position as Australia's second largest network operator, with Telstra consistently holding the number one position in terms of customer numbers.
Optus, a subsidiary of Singapore's telecommunications giant Singtel, offers several mobile plans that offer big data at reasonable prices. There are both pre-paid and post-paid options, as well as plans that include one handset.
Although Optus comes second to Telstra in terms of its overall network coverage, the telco is still able to claim that its 3G and 4G networks reach 98.5% of the Australian population.
And Telstra seems to have a significant lead when it comes to 5G coverage (based on this). nPerf's independent coverage maps) and is claimed to now reach 85% of the Australian population, it is worth nothing that OpenSignal has awarded Optus 5g download speed Crown for the last 4 years continuously. Of course, most users probably won't be able to reach that top speed unless they're right next to an Optus tower and the network is relatively uncongested.
For customer service, Optus still uses off-shore call centers in India and the Philippines, although it also operates local call centers in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.
However, the real elephant in the room is that it's been a tough few years for Optus – in 2022, Optus experienced one of the largest cyberattacks in Australian history, which resulted in the personal information of nearly 10 million customers being exposed.
This was followed by a nationwide outage in 2023, which lasted for about 12–13 hours, once again affecting about 10 million customers, including 400,000 businesses.
So while Optus has the second-largest network and a range of reasonably priced mobile plans, the question is whether the telco can regain the trust of its customers – both existing and potential.
Optus Mobile Plans and Pricing
- Optus SIM-only plans are much more reasonably priced than Telstra's
- No lock-in contract for Optus SIM-only plans
Of the three main network operators in Australia, Optus arguably sits best between Telstra and Vodafone when it comes to price and value.
Telstra's coverage is undoubtedly the best, but it is by far the most expensive. And while Vodafone offers the most monthly data at prices on par with Optus, it comes third in terms of coverage and download speeds.
This leaves Optus with a range of plans that are well priced and still data-generous, with coverage that is good enough despite falling short of Telstra's reach. In other words, Optus is probably the telco that Goldilocks would choose.
| plan size | optus | Telstra | VODAFONE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | AU$49 / 30GB | AU$62 / 50GB | AU$49 / 50GB |
| medium | AU$59 / 100GB | AU$72 / 180GB | AU$59 / 180GB |
| Big | AU$69 / 220GB | AU$95 / 300GB | AU$69 / 360GB |
| x big | AU$89 / 360GB | Row 3 – Room 2 | Row 3 – Cell 3 |
Optus SIM-only plans start at AU$49 per month Short Optus Choice Plus PlanWhich comes with 30GB of monthly data, which means you're paying around AU$1.63 per GB.
is after that Medium Optus Choice Plan, which costs AU$59 per month for 100GB of monthly data (a cost of AU$0.59 per GB). This is double what Telstra offers in terms of data on its entry-level Basic upfront plan, which is more expensive at AU$62 per month (or AU$1.24 per GB) for 50GB.
next is Big Optus Choice Plus Plan, which costs AU$69 per month for 220GB of monthly data, or about AU$0.31 per GB. Yes, you heard right: for just AU$7 extra per month, Optus gives you 170GB more monthly data than Telstra's aforementioned 50GB basic upfront plan.
If that's still not enough data for you, Optus also offers a XL Optus Choice Plus PlanThat costs AU$89 per month and includes 360GB of monthly data (about AU$0.25 per GB).
Additionally, Optus currently offers a optus plus promo plan, which gives you 500GB of monthly data at AU$69 (a tiny AU$0.14 per gigabyte) for the first 12 months, after which the price rises to AU$89 per month (still a very reasonable AU$0.18 per GB). Note that this is technically a special offer, and although it does not have an end date at the time of this review, it will only be available until withdrawn.
It's also worth noting that there are no lock-in contracts on any Optus SIM-only plans, and each of the selected regions (except the Northern Territory) comes with uncapped 5G network access, unlimited standard talk and text within Australia and unlimited standard Brings international talk. And send messages to 35 selected destinations. You can also share your data across eligible plans on the same account, and donate your unused monthly data to Australians in need.
Although there is no lock-in contract on any of the Choice Plus plans above, Optus also offers a range of prepaid Flex Plus plans for those who don't want to risk extra fees, or only have the service for a certain period of time Is not needed.
Optus Flex Plus plans with a 28-day expiration period start at AU$35 and come with fluctuating data amounts. For example, new customers on this plan get 40GB data with a bonus 20GB data for the first 28 days. After this, the plan loses bonus data on the second and third recharge (total 40GB), then reduces to 20GB thereafter. This means you'll pay AU$1.75 per GB after the introductory period.
Similarly, the AU$45 Flex Plus plan offers 60GB + 20GB of bonus data (total 80GB) during the first 28 days, with bonus data lost on the second and third recharge, before landing at 30GB thereafter (or $1.50 per GB Working) . Alternatively, you can choose a plan that costs AU$55 for 80GB on the first three recharges, which reduces to 40GB after that (a rate of AU$1.38 per GB).
Of course, there are other long-term 186-day and 365-day options for those who don't want to think about recharging for a while, though you'll have to pay a larger amount upfront.
Note that there is a caveat with Optus' Flex Plus prepaid plan; While all will give you access to the telco's 3G, 4G and 5G networks, download speeds on these plans are limited to 150Mbps across the board. It's also worth mentioning that each Flex Plus plan includes up to 200GB of data rollover, which will remain applicable as long as you recharge before expiry or set up an active auto-recharge.
optus mobile coverage
- Excellent 3G/4G coverage, but lags Telstra in 5G penetration
- Optus awarded fastest 5G download speed by OpenSignal
Given that Optus operates the second largest mobile network in Australia, it's perhaps no surprise that it also offers the second best coverage.
Where Optus comes closest to Telstra is in its 3G and 4G reach, which is claimed to cover 98.5% of the Australian population. However, Telstra's 5G mobile network is said to currently reach approx 87% AustralianOptus does not currently claim any specific percentage – and if nPerf's coverage map Is there any indication, there's still a lot of work to be done.
During our review of the various mobile plans offered by Optus, you may have noticed that 5G network access was only available in selected areas, and the Northern Territory was excluded entirely. Certainly, upon closer look Coverage map of nPerf for Darwin Optus shows a complete absence of 5G network coverage and only a small 3G and 4G presence.
Simply put, if you live in the Top End, you're better off going with Telstra or Vodafone – both of which offer a far greater 3G, 4G and 5G presence in the NT. That said, if you live in any major city in Australia along the east coast, you should be fine. Optus offers 5G network access in Perth, although the rest of the west coast is fairly barren in terms of coverage.
Optus Mobile Plans: Extras, Features and Offers
- Big discount on Optus Sport Access
- Discounts on Streaming Subscriptions with SubHub
In terms of additional features, Optus postpaid SIM-only customers get 3 months of Amazon Prime free when they sign up through Optus SubHub. The latter lets you manage and pay for subscriptions in one place, which are added to your regular phone bill.
Additionally, customers can save up to 10% on streaming subscriptions when they add three or more eligible subscriptions to SubHub. Supported services include Netflix, Amazon Prime, Binge, Paramount Plus, and more.
Best of all, sports fans who sign up for Optus Sport through SubHub get a huge discount on the monthly subscription cost of the service, bringing it down from AU$24.99 per month to just AU$6.99 per month Is.
Optus also offers a highly competitive international roaming add-on – for AU$5 per day, you get 1GB of data, 100 minutes of talk and 100 texts per day to use in over 90 Zone 1 destinations.
Optus Mobile Plans: Customer Service & Community Reviews
- The support team still has call centers in India and the Philippines
- Optus' reputation is at an all-time low
While Telstra has fallen heavily It reduced the use of offshore call centers As of 2021, Singtel-owned Optus still relies on call centers based in India and the Philippines, while switching to a mostly Australia-based support team.
Of course, Optus also has call centers in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, although you probably won't know if you're connected to one of those or an overseas branch.
Thankfully, Optus has a huge retail presence in Australia, with over 350 branded Optus Yes outlets across the country, making it relatively easy for customers to get face-to-face service.
Still, not everyone is happy with Optus, with the telco receiving mostly negative online reviews on sites like product review And trustpilotWhere it has earned overall customer satisfaction scores of 1.3 and 1.2 respectively.
With this in mind, it's important to note that both Telstra and Vodafone achieved the same score, which shows that most customers will only bother to review something if they had a bad experience.
Even with that disclaimer, it can't be denied that the telco's reputation is at an all-time low following a massive cyberattack in 2022 in which the information of more than 10 million Optus customers was exposed.
This was not helped by the nationwide outage the following year, which left 10 million customers and 400,000 businesses without mobile or internet access for about 14 hours. The outage not only left vulnerable Australians without the means to contact anyone for help, but it also left business owners who rely on EFTPOS stranded for the entire working day.
Given the extreme public reaction following these two disasters, it is no surprise that Optus CEO Kelly Baer Rosmarin resigned in November 2023.
However, the telco still has a long way to go to regain the trust of Australia – market research company Roy Morgan Optus was named Australia's most distrusted brand in March 2024, suggesting the telco's black eye is here to stay for some time.
Optus Mobile Plans: The Bottom Line
Are Optus mobile plans worth your money? In terms of value, Optus mobile plans are priced far more competitively than Telstra, with SIM-only offers that offer big data and worthwhile features.
As Australia's second largest telecom company, it's no surprise that Optus lags behind Telstra in terms of coverage. That said, reach is still important – especially when it comes to 3G and 4G coverage.
Of course, it can't be denied that Optus has made some significant mistakes over the years in terms of customer security and service – some of which are hard to forgive. Optus has posted a open letter to customers This includes a commitment to “do better,” but is that enough?
If you're willing to forgive Optus, you can at least rest assured that its mobile plans are good value and will probably satisfy most customers (outside the Northern Territory).
