Not everybody needs data on their phone plan! Telcos may be packing more gigabytes into plans – but believe it or not, there are still phone plans out there that don’t have any data bundled in.
Dataless plans aren’t very common, and often take different forms to the traditional prepaid and postpaid offerings that you’re used to; but if you’re looking for a no data or low-data plan for a senior, young child, or even a light phone user, there’s some simple and low-cost options on offer. See below for your best choices.
In summary: No-data and low data plans in Australia
To give you an idea of no-data and low data plans in Australia, here’s a quick summary of some of the plans in this article.
| Plan | Details | Price |
|---|---|---|
|
Dodo no data SIM |
Postpaid unlimited talk and text, no data |
$5/mth |
|
Moose $8.80 SIM Only |
Postpaid unlimited talk and text, 1GB/mth |
$8.80/mth |
|
Yomojo Kids Plan |
Prepaid unlimited talk and text, 1GB/mth |
$9.90/mth |
|
Amaysim Basic As You Go |
PAYG rates for talk, text and data |
$10/mth |
|
Telstra Long Life Plus $30 |
PAYG rates for talk, text and data |
$30/186 day period |
|
Optus Long Expiry $30 |
PAYG rates for talk, text and data |
$30/186 day period |
How much data do I need?
Generally, as long as you’ve got unlimited calls and texts, your phone plan doesn’t need data. However, if you want to enjoy streaming, web browsing and anything online on-the-go without a WiFi connection, you’ll need data included in your plan.
Data is basically how phone plans are sold and priced, with unlimited calls and texts an industry standard. Of course, some plans still exist that are call and text capped, as do some plans that are lacking data.
Reasons you might prefer a data-free plan:
- You mostly use your home, work or other WiFi connection to browse the internet on your phone
- You’re looking for a plan for a senior or very light user
- You’re looking for a child-friendly plan with just calls and texts
- You want a cheap alternative to a landline phone
You’ll find in this article some data-free picks from all over the telco world. Most of the plans lacking any straight-up data are Pay As You Go (PAYG), although as you’ll find below, there are some outliers.
Dodo’s $5 no-data postpaid plan
Dodo’s smallest postpaid plan offers no data inclusions – only unlimited calls, texts, and the option to add on data if needed. The plan has no data at its most basic level, however you can add 3GB on for an additional $10 per month ($15 in total). If you find yourself adding data frequently then you might instead want to consider Dodo’s $20 plan, which comes with 12GB of data.
This plan is also the recipient of a Canstar Blue Innovation Excellence Award (2020). As one of the only postpaid plans in the country that doesn’t offer any data inclusions, it has a very competitive price and is likely to satisfy a consumer base generally now overlooked by the industry.
You can find the no data plan in the table below, with the data add-on included. Remove the data add-on at the checkout and the plan will only cost $5. This plan includes a link to a referral partner.
Low data phone plans
Even if you’re not usually a data user, having a small monthly allowance is helpful for times when you need to quickly Google something on the go, check for directions, or just contact someone outside of your voice and message apps.
Fortunately, plans with 1GB or 2GB of data each month are easily available at around the $10 price point, and are an affordable option if you want a low-cost plan with a little data just in case. Below you’ll find a range of cheap, low data plans that you can sign up for. You might find these plans work better for your needs!
Prepaid Plans Under $10
Here is a selection of prepaid plans from Canstar Blue’s database for $10 or less, listed in order of standard cost, lowest to highest, then by data allowance, largest to smallest, then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our comparison tool to see a wider range of plans from other providers. This table includes products with links to referral partners.
Postpaid Plans Under $10
Here is a selection of postpaid plans from Canstar Blue’s database for $10 or less, listed in order of standard cost, lowest to highest, then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our comparison tool to see a wider range of plans from other providers. This table includes products with links to referral partners.
Pay As You Go phone plans
There’s not many data-free phone plans across the Australian market, however you’ll find that the next best thing is a Pay As You Go (PAYG) plan. PAYG plans involve paying for a service on a prepaid basis (before use), giving you account credit which you then put towards calls, text or data use. For example, a phone call might cost $0.09 per minute, or a gigabyte of data might cost $10, which is deducted from your credit balance after use.
Plenty of providers offer PAYG plans, all with different costs, periods and plan inclusions available. Prepaid PAYG plans are offered by big and small providers, including:
We’ve put together a quick snapshot of PAYG plans on our database below, so you can compare what’s out there.
PAYG Telstra Plans
The following table shows selected Telstra Long Life Plus plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
| Brand | Features | Max Data**/billing period | Advertised Cost^^/billing period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
min. cost $20 over 45 day expiry |
N/A | $20 | Go To Site |
|
min. cost $30 over 186 day expiry |
N/A | $30 | Go To Site |
|
min. cost $50 over 186 day expiry |
N/A | $50 | Go To Site |
|
min. cost $70 over 365 day expiry |
N/A | $70 | Go To Site |
|
min. cost $100 over 365 day expiry |
N/A | $100 | Go To Site |
 View all mobile plans listed on Canstar Blue |
**^^View important information | |||
PAYG Vodafone Plans
The following table shows selected Vodafone Pay and Go plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
| Brand | Features | Max Data**/billing period | Advertised Cost^^/billing period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
$30 Pay and Go Starter Pack
min. cost $30 over 180 day expiry |
PAYG | $30 | |
|
$40 Pay and Go Starter Pack
min. cost $40 over 365 day expiry |
PAYG | $40 | |
|
$50 Pay as You Go Starter Pack
min. cost $50 over 365 day expiry |
PAYG | $50 | |
| View all mobile plans listed on Canstar Blue |
**^^View important information | |||
PAYG Optus Plans
The following table shows selected Optus Long Expiry plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
| Brand | Features | Max Data**/billing period | Advertised Cost^^/billing period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Long Expiry $10
min. cost $10 over 45 day expiry |
N/A | $10 | |
|
Long Expiry $20
min. cost $20 over 90Â day expiry |
N/A | $20 | |
|
Long Expiry $30
min. cost $30 over 186 day expiry |
N/A | $30 | |
|
Long Expiry $40
min. cost $40 over 186Â day expiry |
N/A | $40 | |
|
Long Expiry $50
min. cost $50 over 186 day expiry |
N/A | $50 | |
|
Long Expiry $60
min. cost $60 over 365 day expiry |
N/A | $60 | |
|
Long Expiry $70
min. cost $70 over 365 day expiry |
N/A | $70 | |
|
Long Expiry $80
min. cost $80 over 365 day expiry |
N/A | $80 | |
|
Long Expiry $100
min. cost $100 over 365 day expiry |
N/A | $100 | |
| View all mobile plans listed on Canstar Blue |
**^^View important information | |||
PAYG Amaysim Plans
The following table shows selected of Amaysim Pay As You Go plan from Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products from a referral partner.
| Brand | Features | Max Data**/billing period | Advertised Cost^^/billing period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Basic As You Go
min. cost $10 over 365 days |
NA | $10 | |
| View all mobile plans listed on Canstar Blue |
**^^View important information | |||
PAYG ALDI Mobile Plans
The following table shows selected ALDI Pay As You Go plans from Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
| Brand | Features | Max Data**/billing period | Advertised Cost^^/billing period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Pay As You Go $15
min. cost $15 over 365Â days |
PAYG | $15 | |
|
Pay As You Go $25
min. cost $25 over 365Â days |
PAYG | $25 | |
|
Pay As You Go $35
min. cost $35 over 365Â days |
PAYG | $35 | |
| View all mobile plans listed on Canstar Blue |
**^^View important information | |||
Should I get a low data plan?
Data is one of those things you’d rather have and not need, than need and not have, and as such a low data plan might be right for your needs.
With low-data plans available from less than $10 per month (and unlimited standard talk and text included), having a small amount of data as a backup is easily affordable, even if you have no plans to use it.
However, if you’re certain that mobile data isn’t for you, PAYG and no-data options like Dodo’s $5 plan are still available to keep you connected.
Share this article