iPhones don’t come cheap, but if you’re absolutely set on a new Apple smartphone, you can still find a great phone plan deal. The newest iPhones are available on plans from Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone, with each provider offering a range of inclusions and perks for your dollars.
The best plan for you will depend on your unique usage and budget needs. But if you’re looking for standout iPhone options from each provider, our mobile experts are happy to do the work for you, with our awesome iPhone comparison feature that shows you where to find the best deals.
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Best iPhone plans December 2024
The following table compares a selection of 24-month 128GB iPhone 16 plans as published on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of their standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our phone plan comparison tool to compare plans from a range of providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
The following table compares a selection of 24-month 128GB iPhone 16 Plus plans as published on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of their standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our phone plan comparison tool to compare plans from a range of providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
The following table compares a selection of 24-month 128GB iPhone 16 Pro plans as published on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of their standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our phone plan comparison tool to compare plans from a range of providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
The following table compares a selection of 24-month 256GB iPhone 16 Pro Max plans as published on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of their standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our phone plan comparison tool to compare plans from a range of providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
Best Telstra iPhone plan
$65 Basic Plan
Value score: 7.8
Telstra streamlined its plan range, and now offers three postpaid plans which can be paired with your choice of iPhone. The telco’s $65 Basic plan offers a huge 50GB of data each month, plus unlimited standard talk and text in Australia. Like Vodafone, Telstra also provides bill shock backup, including unlimited speed-capped data (limited to 1.5Mbps) on all postpaid plans.
The Basic plan also features unlimited international SMS, and 30 minutes of international call each month. Paired with a 128GB iPhone 16 on a 24-month payment plan, and you’ll pay $123.29 per month ($2,958.96 over 24 months). This pricing includes $65 per month for the plan itself, and a $58.29 monthly device payment.
What’s good about this plan:
- Unlimited data capped at 1.5Mbps – no data overage fees in Australia.
- Separate from your phone payments, so you can change between Telstra plans without affecting your repayments.
- Plenty of extras, including and international texts.
What to look out for:
- International roaming not included, but available from $5 per day.
- Users with heavy data needs may prefer a plan with more included full-speed gigabytes.
- Most expensive entry-level iPhone plan on the Aussie market.
The following table shows Telstra’s $65 Basic Plan for the 128GB iPhone 16 on a 24-month contract. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a product from a referral partner.
Best Vodafone iPhone plan
$49 Small Plan
Value score: 8.3
If you’re looking for a simple plan with great monthly data inclusions, Vodafone’s $49 Small plan has you covered. This plan includes 50GB of monthly full-speed data, plus unlimited standard national talk and text in Australia and unlimited standard texts to overseas.
All Vodafone plans come with unlimited data, with an allocated data amount per plan. This plan has 50GB of base data, though once you pass that limit, your speed will be reduced to 2Mbps. Your data will be unlimited, though your speed won’t allow for anything high-definition.
Pick up the 128GB iPhone 16 on a 24-month payment plan, and you’ll pay $107.29 per month (or $2,574.96 over two years). This price includes your $49 monthly plan cost, plus a $58.29 device payment per month.
What’s good about this plan:
- Separate from your phone payments, so you can change between Vodafone plans without affecting your repayments.
- Trade-up options available if you have an unwanted device.
- Customers can bundle this plan with other eligible Vodafone mobile and NBN plans to save up to 20% on plan fees.
What to look out for:
- Network coverage not as extensive regionally when compared to Telstra or Optus
- Doesn’t include overseas calls.
- International roaming not included, but $5 and $10 Roaming available in selected countries.
The following table shows Vodafone’s $49 Small Plan for the 128GB iPhone 16 on a 24-month device contract. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a product from a referral partner.
Best Optus iPhone plan
$52 Small Choice Plan
Value score: 8.0
Optus offers something for just about everyone, including huge data allowances, international calls and plenty of bonus features. If you’re looking for an iPhone plan with a healthy data allowance that’s priced at just over $50 per month, our rankings recommend the Small Choice option with 50GB – you’ll get unlimited standard talk and text in Australia, plus the option to pool data across multiple plans on a single account.
Pair the Small postpaid plan with a 128GB iPhone 16, and you’ll pay $110.29 per month over 24 months (or $2,646.96 in total): $52 per month for your plan, and $58.29 monthly for your device.
What’s good about this plan:
- Separate from your phone payments, so you can change between Optus plans without affecting your repayments.
- Data pooling available – share data across eligible plans on a single account.
- No excess data charges in Australia.
What to look out for:
- International calls and texts not included.
- Heavy data users may prefer to upgrade to a larger plan with more monthly gigabytes.
- International roaming not included, but customers can add an Optus Roaming Pass from $10 per day.
The following table shows Optus’ $52 Small Choice Plan for the 128GB iPhone 16 on a 24-month device contract. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers.
If a low price is what you look for when signing up to a plan, to pick up an iPhone on the absolute cheapest plan from Telstra, Optus and Vodafone, you might have to make some compromises.
Firstly, the cheapest iPhone offered by all three major telcos right now is the iPhone SE, a smaller, budget-oriented iPhone with the technology of the older iPhone 11 (minus the all-screen front and the cameras). It’s a lot cheaper compared to the most recent iPhones, and is definitely one of the most affordable ways to get a new iPhone.
All three telcos separate phone payments from the actual plan, meaning you can choose how long you want to pay off your device, with 12, 24 or 36-month options available. Then you can bundle your phone with your plan of choice. No matter which payment term you pick from your provider, you’ll pay the same in total for your phone — it’s just your monthly repayments that will vary. Choosing the 36-month payment period will give you the cheapest monthly device payment cost, however you’ll be locked into your device contract for longer.
Adding on the cheapest plan available from each telco will give you an idea of how much you’ll pay each month. This being said, 12-month plans are much more expensive month-to-month, but it gets you off the plan quicker, which is great if you want to consider switch to a different phone plan.
Our Value Score methodology: How we rank the best iPhone plans
While pricing is always a major concern, there’s more to finding a great iPhone plan than simply looking for the cheapest deal. In addition to comparing on pricing alone, Canstar Blue also gives readers the opportunity to sort and search for plans based on our unique Value Score.
As mentioned above, Value Scores range from 1 to 10, with a higher score indicating a better value product. The Value Score consists of a Price Score and Feature Score: the Price Score accounts for 70% of Canstar Blue’s overall ranking, with the Feature Score contributing to 30%.
Price Score
Price Scores are calculated by comparing a plan’s average monthly cost to the price of other plans on the market. Canstar Blue uses a plan’s average cost, rather than advertised prices, to account for plans that don’t renew on a standard monthly basis. Using a plan’s average monthly cost, mean average monthly cost, and the standard deviation of the average monthly cost, our team calculates and assigns a Price Score between 0 and 100.
Feature Score
The Feature Score compares over 100 features found on mobile plans, which are grouped into the following three categories:
- Customer Service and Support (40% of score): Application channels, website functionality, online help/support, call centres, etc.
- Inclusions (35% of score): Call, data, and SMS allowances, additional plan inclusions such as international calls or data free streaming.
- Billing and Payments (25% of score): Payment, statement, and billing frequency and options
The Value Score, Pricing Score and Feature Scores of plans and products are re-calculated daily, with changes then reflected on Canstar Blue’s comparison tool.
For a better understanding of how Canstar Blue’s Value Score works, view our Phone Methodology here.
How we pick the best value plans
- Best Value Telstra iPhone Plan: The best-ranked 24-month Telstra plan for the 128GB iPhone 16, as determined by Canstar Blue’s Value Score.
- Best Value Vodafone iPhone Plan: The best-ranked 24-month Vodafone plan for the 128GB iPhone 16, as determined by Canstar Blue’s Value Score.
- Best Value Optus iPhone Plan: The best-ranked 24-month Optus plan for the 128GB iPhone 16, as determined by Canstar Blue’s Value Score.
In the event that two or more plans have the same value score in any given category, the cheapest option will be featured.
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