AGL launches SIM-only mobile plans with bundle discounts

Several months after launching a small suite of NBN plans, leading energy provider AGL is continuing its move into the Australian telco market. The company has officially announced AGL Mobile, a new range of SIM-only mobile plans that come with competitive discounts for existing AGL energy customers.

Operating on the Optus 3G and 4G networks, AGL’s mobile line-up includes three month-to-month postpaid options, with no lock-in contracts and plenty of fast data. All plans are SIM-only, so you’ll need to bring your own unlocked smartphone, but AGL’s multi-fit SIM means almost all standard devices will be compatible with the service.

AGL’s new mobile plans include:

• Small Mobile SIM plan: $20 per month for 5GB of data
• Medium Mobile SIM plan: $35 per month for 20GB of data
• Large Mobile SIM  plan: $45 per month for 50GB of data

All three plans feature unlimited standard national talk and text in Australia, with international extras also included on Medium and Large options. The Medium plan offers $50 of standard international calling credit each month, while the Large plan features $300 in international credit.

AGL Mobile offers extra data for customers who exceed their monthly allowance, priced at $10 per gigabyte and automatically added to your account. You can receive up to three 1GB top-ups in a billing period, after which your data use will be suspended for the remainder of your billing cycle; while this can be inconvenient, it also prevents customers from accumulating hundreds of dollars in data overage fees.

Bundle mobile with AGL energy, save $5 per month

The biggest incentive to get on board with AGL Mobile is the discounts available to current AGL energy users. If you’re an existing AGL gas or electricity customer, you will enjoy a $5 monthly discount on all AGL Mobile plans, bringing the price down to either $15 per month, $30 per month, or $40 per month.

To qualify for the lower price, you’ll need an active AGL energy plan in your name. You’ll receive a $5 discount as a bill credit on your AGL Mobile account each month, for as long as your AGL energy account is active.

The offer reflects the savings available to customers on the company’s NBN plans, which come with a $15 monthly price cut if you’re signed up with AGL energy. By offering multiple essential services to customers, AGL hopes to take away the hassle experienced by customers juggling separate phone, internet and energy providers.

“We want to transform how Australians connect to the essential services that power their lives,” said AGL Chief Customer Officer, Christine Corbett.

“By bundling services, we are delivering value, convenience and flexibility for customers, while also helping to make homes and businesses smarter and more efficient.”

AGL Mobile customers will be able to monitor data usage and manage their plan through the AGL App, which bundles details for energy, NBN and phone into a single service. The app is available as a free download from both the App Store for iOS and Google Play for Android devices.

How do AGL Mobile plans compare?

Even without the discount, AGL’s SIM-only plans are competitive, although there are cheaper options out there. If you’re looking at the mid-range Medium plan with 20GB of data, rival telcos Moose Mobile, Southern Phone, Dodo, Woolworths Mobile, NuMobile and TeleChoice all offer similar data inclusions at that $30-$40 per month price point.

If you’re already an AGL energy customer, a move to AGL Mobile could be worth considering if you’re happy with your current phone, receive great Optus coverage, and you’re satisfied with the data and international inclusions available on AGL’s plans. 5GB for $15 per month is a great low-cost plan for small-to-average data users, so it could be worth bundling services to get a cheaper overall price if you’re currently on an AGL gas or electricity plan.

However, if you’re looking for a plan that can be bundled with a new smartphone, prefer prepaid, or want access to 5G coverage immediately, you may want to shop around. While Optus is offering 5G access to partners operating on its mobile network, it may be a while before this option is available to AGL users; although you can still use 5G-ready phones on AGL plans, you’re currently limited to 3G and 4G speeds.

If you’re looking to compare postpaid options, we’ve compiled several SIM-only plans from a range of providers below.

The following table shows a selection of comparable postpaid SIM-only plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our phone plan comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.

Other energy and telco bundles

It’s not a surprise that AGL is setting it sights on the mobile market, especially as the company acquired phone and internet provider Southern Phone back in December of 2019. However, it is interesting that AGL has chosen to launch its own competing SIM-only telco brand, rather than providing incentives for energy customers to simply switch to Southern Phone’s services.

AGL isn’t the only energy supplier to enter the telco world, with Sumo and Origin both offering NBN plans (and internet and mobile provider Dodo now selling electricity and gas). If you’re looking for a deal on NBN or broadband, you can currently get the following bundle discounts from dual internet/energy providers:

• Dodo: $10 off Dodo internet each month when you bundle with electricity and gas
• Origin: $10 off Origin fibre and NBN each month when you bundle with eligible energy plans
• Sumo: $15 off Sumo NBN each month when you bundle with electricity and gas