For the first time in our postpaid mobile provider ratings, Circles.Life has taken out top spot, with a near-perfect result of five stars across most categories including overall satisfaction, customer service and value for money. Its only four-star result was for network coverage.
Our postpaid mobile provider ratings are based on customer satisfaction, as rated by Australians. Think of it like asking a bunch of Aussies what they think of their postpaid phone service and provider, but all in the one place!
Canstar Blue surveyed 2,022 Australians with a current postpaid service for their feedback on postpaid providers they’ve been signed up to. Respondents had to have an active postpaid mobile phone account in their name and pay the bills.
Survey respondents are asked to rate their satisfaction with their postpaid provider from zero to 10, with zero meaning extremely dissatisfied and 10 meaning extremely satisfied. Postpaid mobile provider satisfaction is rated on the following criteria:
The winning brand is the brand that receives the highest Overall satisfaction rating after scores from the Overall satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged. Overall satisfaction is asked as a specific question and represents an individual measure, not a combined total of all criteria.
To qualify in the ratings results, providers must have received a minimum of 30 responses to be included. Therefore, not all postpaid providers will be compared in this survey. Providers rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
Find more information on our Most Satisfied Customers ratings.
The following table shows a selection of sponsored SIM Only plans on Canstar Blue’s database with links to referral partners.
 |
1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $25) SIM Only Postpaid
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50GB Data/month |
$25.00 Cost/month |
Go to site |
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1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $55) SIM Only Postpaid
|
150GB Data/month |
$50.00 Cost/month |
Go to site |
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1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $55) SIM Only Postpaid
|
150GB Data/month |
$50.00 Cost/month |
Go to site |
Taking out top spot for the first time was Circles.Life, scoring an impressive five stars across all categories but one. It took out five stars for overall satisfaction, value for money, customer service, sign up and activation, plan flexibility and billing, while it scored four stars for network coverage.
Circles.Life offers a simple selection of month-to-month plans using the Optus mobile network, with data inclusions increasing with price. You’re free to switch plans if your needs change, and there are even referral discounts on offer.
Everyday Mobile, formerly Woolworths Mobile, came in second, with four stars for overall satisfaction, value for money, customer service, sign up and activation, plan flexibility and billing. It scored five stars for network coverage, and was the only provider to do so in our ratings.
Everyday Mobile offers a simple selection of SIM-only postpaid plans, with up to 1,000GB of data banking on all plans, along with data gifting and a monthly discount on your grocery shop.
Taking out third place is Belong, which scored four stars across all categories including value for money, network coverage, customer service, plan flexibility and overall satisfaction.
Belong, which is a Telstra subsidiary, offers a simple selection of postpaid plans, which all include 5G network access, although speeds are capped. Data inclusions go up with price, and all plans include unlimited data banking.
Our previous back-to-back winner Moose Mobile took out fourth place with four stars for overall satisfaction, value for money, network coverage, customer service, plan flexibility and billing. It scored five stars for sign up and activation.
Moose Mobile has a reputation for offering postpaid plans with some pretty good value for money. It offers a simple range of month-to-month plans operating on the Optus mobile network, and with data banking included on select plans.
Southern Phone came in fifth place with four stars for overall satisfaction, along with four stars for value for money, network coverage, plan flexibility and billing. It scored five stars for customer service and three stars for sign up and activation.
Southern Phone is another postpaid provider offering plans on the Optus mobile network. It offers a simple selection of month-to-month plans, including a suite of 5G phone plans with capped speeds.
Dodo scored three stars for overall satisfaction, along with network coverage, customer service, sign up and activation and plan flexibility. It scored four stars for value for money and billing.
Dodo is one of a handful of providers offering mobile, internet and energy plans. Its simple selection of postpaid phone plans are on the Optus mobile network and include data banking on most plans. Dodo is known to include discounts and special offers on its plans, so keep an eye out if you’re looking for some savings.
In seventh place was Vodafone, with three star scores across most categories including overall satisfaction, value for money, network coverage, sign up and activation, plan flexibility and billing. It scored its only four star result for customer service.
Vodafone offers a wider range of phone plans including plans bundled with a handset, prepaid plans and its SIM-only postpaid plans. It offers a simple selection of month-to-month postpaid plans with unlimited capped-speed data and 5G network coverage.
Telstra scored a mostly three star result in our postpaid ratings, with three stars for overall satisfaction, value for money, customer service, sign up and activation, plan flexibility and billing. It scored its only four stars for network coverage.
As Australia’s biggest telco, Telstra offers a wide range of phone plans, including SIM-only postpaid plans — although its Upfront plans require you to pay your bill in advance, but aren’t the same as its prepaid plans. Telstra’s plans are on the more expensive end, but you’ll get 5G coverage (with capped speeds only on its cheapest plan), along with no excess data charges and access to Telstra’s rewards program.
Rounding out our ratings was Optus, with three stars scored in every category including value for money, network coverage, customer service and overall satisfaction.
Like Telstra and Vodafone, Optus offers a range of phone plans including handset plans and SIM-only postpaid plans. Its simple selection of postpaid plans include 5G network access (with no speed caps), along with unlimited capped-speed data and access to Optus Sub Hub.
The above mentioned providers aren’t the only telcos on the market offering SIM-only postpaid plans. Just because a provider hasn’t made our ratings, doesn’t mean these telcos aren’t worth looking into, as they could offer the right value for your needs. Some other SIM-only postpaid providers include:
Looking for a quick comparison of plans and prices? Below include a selection published postpaid plans with a minimum of 10GB of data from Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. This selection of plans includes links to referral partners.
If you’ve decided a postpaid phone plan is right for you, with many providers and plans on the market, it can be tricky to navigate. While it could be tempting to go with a big name telco, it helps to shop around to find the best plan to suit your needs and one that could offer you real value for money.
When you’re comparing postpaid SIM-only plans, there are several things you might want to keep in mind.
For many of us, the number one measure when looking for a phone plan will be the mobile data inclusions. As we use data more and more on our phones — even for making calls and sending messages — there’s a need for more data on our phone plans. It’s important to work out how much mobile data you need (and will realistically use) and compare plans that will suit your data needs.
For some, cost may be the most important part of deciding which postpaid plan to sign up to. As cost is often linked to data inclusions, the cheaper the plan, the smaller the data inclusions will be. If you have higher data needs, you may need to sign up to a more expensive plan. If finding a cheaper plan is important to you, but you use your mobile data a fair bit, you might need to reduce or monitor your data usage.
Choosing a phone plan based on the mobile network might be important if you live in or visit an area which has limited mobile coverage. It’s best to check the network coverage map before signing up to any phone plan, to ensure you’ll have mobile reception in areas you live and frequent. Keep in mind that you don’t need to sign up to a phone plan with the big three telcos (which own and operate the mobile networks), as smaller providers, known as MVNOs, will have access to parts of the mobile network.
Some telcos may offer additional extras or services with plans. This could come in the form of entertainment extras, data banking, international call inclusions along with discount and bonus data offers. While it might not be worth signing up to a phone plan based solely on its extras, it could be a helpful way to narrow down your plan comparisons if you need or will use any of these extras. However, be sure to read through any terms and conditions on these offers so you know what you’re signing up to.
Emma Bradstock has been an authority on consumer phone, internet, technology and streaming markets in Australia for the last 4 years, with a dedication to providing Aussies with all the information they need to make better purchasing decisions. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Media from Macquarie University and has a decade of professional writing experience in print and digital media.
Meet the Editorial Team
Samantha Howse is Canstar Blue’s Consumer Research Specialist, coordinating the consumer research program behind our customer satisfaction awards across Canstar and Canstar Blue in Australia and New Zealand. Sam has earned a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from Griffith University and, with seven years in market research and 2 years in marketing, she is experienced in survey design, implementation and analysis, coupled with an understanding of marketing principles and best practice.
Meet the Research TeamCanstar Blue surveyed 12,200 Australian adults across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from customers within the survey group who currently have an active SIM-only mobile phone account in their name and pay the bills – in this case, 2,022 people.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criteria.
Here are past winners of Canstar Blue’s Most Satisfied Customers – Postpaid Phone Plans ratings:
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