Review of Better Life Mobile phone plans

Are you looking for a better life? Or perhaps you’re a pensioner or concession card holder and looking for discounted phone plans? Better Life Mobile may be for you. It operates as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) on the Telstra Network. Better Life Mobile comes on a prepaid basis, which makes it easy to recharge and also not get charged extra if you go over your cap. Its plans are on a SIM-only BYO mobile basis. So what does Better Life Mobile offer, and how does it compare to the competition?

Better Life Mobile Phone Plans

Better Life has four prepaid plans in total, starting at just $19 a month, with one being a data-only plan. All four are discounted by $2 per month if you hold an eligible Healthcare Concession (HCC) card.

Source: Better Life Mobile website

All of Better Life’s plans come on a no minimum term basis, meaning you’re not locked-in for any period, and can leave at any time. It’s also promising to see that unlimited calls and texts also come as standard on 2/3 eligible plans. But as for its cheapest plan, it’s also promising that you get a set 500 minutes of call time, instead of a dollar-value attached. Unlimited texts are also very handy, but the biggest bonus is perhaps unlimited calling between 7pm and 7am. If you’re a night owl, this plan is a pretty cheap way to get your calls and texts on.

• Mobile data carries a 180 day term, and this makes it great for tablets or light data users
• If you successfully refer a friend for any plan you get a Woolworths $10 gift card

Away from phone plans, Better Life Mobile also aims to give back to the community, with initiatives like handing out phones with free credit to the most needy. In Christmas 2015, for example, Better Life provided over 50 free phones and calls to welfare centres and agencies across Australia, amassing hours of conversations from those less fortunate and who may have been feeling a bit isolated in the festive season. However, aside from its ethical business model, let’s just see how Better Life stacks up against other providers.

How does Better Life compare to other providers?

As a social enterprise, Better Life focuses on low-costs and no billing surprises with its prepaid model. It stacks up pretty well against the competition, providing healthy smatterings of data, texts and calls for its prices. Those on HCC cards may get the most benefit from Better Life with its $2 discounts.

Better Life $21 Plan Compared

For $19 or $21, this plan compares pretty well, but it could do better. 1GB can be found on plans costing as little as $10 these days. As it stands, OVO Mobile offers a pretty compelling plan, as does TPG but dollar value call inclusions are attached. You may find it works out to be better to find a plan that as minutes, rather than dollars. However, for not much more per month you can get unlimited calls and texts from as little as around $17. Kogan Mobile stands out here, as does Yomojo, which offers 2GB for under $20.

Better Life $30 Plan Compared

For $30 or $28, Better Life Mobile compares very well against the competition, where 3GB for $30 is pretty much expected these days. Unlimited calls and texts is also a very handy inclusion. In this price bracket, Yomojo once again shines through with 6GB of data, while Kogan and Lebara also offer 5GB for sub-$30. Lebara includes some international call credit, while with Kogan you can earn Qantas Frequent Flyer points. Amaysim rounds out the list, and was previously a Canstar Blue Customer Satisfaction Ratings winner.

Better Life $35 Plan Compared

If you’re willing to spend at least $33, this plan will see you through the month quite happily with a massive 6GB of data attached, as well as the standard fare of unlimited calls and texts. However, once again several other providers come to the table with more, more, more. OVO steps up to the plate with a massive 8GB, and so too does Kogan with 10GB. TPG and ALDI Mobile round-off the list, with 7GB and 6GB respectively. Overall there looks to be pretty great value at the $30-$35 mark, and while Better Life is certainly not a slacker, there are a couple others that provide more data at least.

Better Life Mobile Data Plan Compared

10GB for around $90 might seem expensive, but keep in mind this is for 180-days, or nearly half a year! For light users this could work out to be quite economical, as it equates to about 1.66GB of data over 30 days. So in this sense, you’ll essentially be paying $15 every 30 days. This rate appears to be pretty on the money, but a handful of other providers may offer better deals. Take for example Jeenee Mobile – it offers 5GB for only $15, but it is on a postpaid basis so you may incur extra charges if you exceed your limit. Also standing out are the likes of Vaya, SpinTel and Exetel – all offering 5GB for around the $20 mark. With Better Life Mobile, it may just be easier to get the 180-day plan, but there are some 30-day or monthly providers out there that may be worth a look-in.

Is Better Life Mobile a better bet?

Better Life Mobile is an MVNO SIM-only provider with a conscience. Its three plans, plus one data plan, are all in all pretty competitive in the prepaid sphere. Its $2 discount for people with a HCC card is also noble, as is its initiatives giving back to the community. While Better Life Mobile is by and large pretty competitive against the competition, it does lack ever so slightly sometimes in the data department. In this case, those in need may be able to find cheaper plans elsewhere. However, Better Life Mobile is still a pretty compelling option. Overall, it’s worth shopping around and keeping Better Life in mind the next time you’re after a new prepaid phone plan.

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