Savings for CBA customers as More Telecom launches SIM-only phone plans

More is offering the plans at a healthy 30% discount for the first 12 months for CBA customers, dropping to 10% off after the first year. Plus, the plans offer an opportunity to trial the 5G network at 4G prices until February 2023.

The phone plan move adds another bundling string to the big bank’s bow — CBA started offering NBN plans through More and energy plans with Amber Energy in 2021.

CBA bought a 25% stake in More and its sister brand Tangerine last year and started offering its huge customer base exclusive deals on internet products, including through its CommBank app. The app also has a fuel savings feature for New South Wales customers called Fuel Finder and groceries, food and fuel cashback offers with brands including Myer, Rebel and Coles.

More CEO Andrew Branson said the telco’s focus was on great deals and discounts.

“With many Australians looking closely at their weekly and monthly budgets at additional ways they can save … we have the ability to actually help reduce costs on items that families can’t live without,” he said.

Even if you’re not a CBA customer, you can switch to a new phone plan with More – minus the plan discounts for CBA customers. While the mobile plan market isn’t as saturated as the NBN market, more competition for mobile services gives Aussies more opportunity to find a deal that suits their needs.

What do you get from More’s SIM phone plans?

More is offering a suite of month-to-month SIM-only prepaid phone plans across the Telstra 4G and 5G mobile networks. This means you’ll need to BYO device and if you’re after 5G network coverage, you’ll need a 5G phone. While plans run on a month-to-month basis like a postpaid plan, you will be required to pre-pay at the start of the month.

Prices start at $22 for 10GB of data per month and up to $55 with 100GB of data per month with 4G network coverage, while 5G coverage will cost $60 for 60GB of data per month. All plans include unlimited standard national calls and SMS, with a cap of 1,000 standard national MMS per month. There’s also a 500GB data bank, optional add-on travel packs for overseas roaming and international calls to 15 select countries on all but the cheapest plan.

One thing worth noting, though, is that your data speeds are capped across all plans. Plans on the Telstra 4G network will be capped at 100Mbps, while speeds on the 5G plan (both 4G and 5G speeds) are capped at 250Mbps.

While there’s only one 5G phone plan currently listed in More’s product range, several of the 4G plans include a 5G network trial for new mobile services from now until February 28, 2023. If you’re yet to sign up to a 5G plan and have a 5G-compatible phone, this could be a good opportunity to save a bit of cash by switching to the 4G plans with the 5G trial to find out whether paying extra for the 5G plan will be worth it for you in the long run.

The following table shows all published More SIM-only plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard cost, lowest to highest, then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our phone plan comparison tool to see a wide range of plans from other providers. This table includes products with links to referral partners.

What extras do Commonwealth Bank customers get?

If you’re a CBA customer, you’ll receive 30% off your plan fees for the first 12 months, dropping down to a 10% discount on your plan fees ongoing. This means that the $22 plan with 10GB of data will set you back $15.40 per month for the first 12 months you stay connected, then $19.80 per month ongoing. If you’re looking at the $60 5G plan with 60GB of data, you’ll pay $42 per month for the first 12 months, then $54 per month ongoing.

How do More’s post phone plans compare to other telcos?

More’s phone plans are reasonably average-priced for the phone plan market. While there are telcos offering more competitive plans with larger data inclusions for less money, these plans aren’t particularly expensive, especially when compared to plans offered by Telstra, Optus and Vodafone.

If you are looking for a new SIM-only phone plan, whether you are a CBA customer or not, it’s still worth comparing plans from a wide range of providers to find the best value plan for your needs.

Compare More NBN plans

If you’re happy with your current phone plan but want to take advantage of More’s discounts on NBN plans for CBA customers, the following table shows a selection of published More NBN plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest. Use our NBN plan comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.

How about energy plans for Commonwealth Bank customers?

CBA’s move to offer discounted phone plans — in addition to the discounted NBN plans also offered through More — is the latest step in the shifting bundle market. While it’s not a straightforward bundle deal like you’ll typically see from other companies (such as internet or energy companies offering discounts for bundling multiple services on the one bill), the CBA-More partnership shows that many companies are honing in on offering utility bundles.

CBA customers can take advantage of the bank’s partnership with renewable energy provider Amber Energy, for example. While Amber has a focus on offering greener energy to its own customers, CBA customers also have access to exclusive offers with the energy provider.

Instead of setting base rates and discounts like most energy retailers, Amber uses published wholesale energy costs as a basis for its own pricing, which are updated every 30 minutes. What this means is that when there’s lots of electricity needed (high demand times), electricity rates will be higher, and in off-peak times, prices will drop. Householders can get access to these ‘wholesale’ rates by paying Amber’s $15 monthly subscription fee, which also covers the daily supply charge typically set by energy retailers.

CBA customers score a six-month Amber subscription at no cost if they switch their energy supply to Amber and use their CommBank credit card, debit card or bank account as their bill payment method. This offer is available until January 31, 2023.

Related: Energy Switching Deals & Promotions

Other bundling options available now

However, you don’t need to be a CBA customer to snag some utilities savings. Many telcos, including Telstra, Optus and Vodafone, offer discounts when you bundle more than one service with the provider — whether it’s bundling phone and internet services or multiple phone plans on the one account. Optus takes this a step further with its Sub Hub subscription bundling service, where Optus customers can save on subscription services such as Optus Sport, Netflix and Paramount+ when bundling multiple services through the telco.

Another option becoming increasingly available is the bundling of telecommunications and energy services. Whether it’s telcos such as Dodo moving into the energy market, or energy providers such as AGL and Origin moving to offer NBN and phone plans, customers have more choice than ever to bundle plans — and potentially save money in the process.

Keep in mind, though, that bundled offers might look tempting, but it’s still worth comparing your utility plans separately to work out if the discounts you’d get from bundling would be comparable to having plans through multiple providers. You might find better value can be found going with cheaper plans from multiple providers – it really pays to compare.