While pre-paid gets you out of a 24-month contract, it doesn’t always provide as much bang for buck when it comes to your monthly data allowance.
For $30 a month, pre-paid will get you 2GB on Virgin and Optus, which is actually better value than the Optus standalone 2GB contract over 24-months, which costs $39.99 ($29.99 if you bundle with an Optus phone plan).
Higher data quota, value's not so great
The value of pre-paid drops off as you move to higher data quotas. While $40 you get you 3GB with Optus pre-paid, you'll get 5GB for the same price on a bundled Optus 24-month contract (if you bundle with Optus phone plan).
Over at Three you get 6GB for $39, one of the best wireless broadband deals currently going in Australia (except for Unwired's whopping 10GB plans, but you'll be dealing with different speeds).
Pre-paid vs contract at $50
At $50, pre-paid isn't great value in terms of sheer data quota, compared with 24-month wireless plans. For $50 at Optus you get 6GB on a bundled plan (or $59.99 without a bundle), and over at Three the value is once again good, with $50 giving you 7GB. At Virgin you get 5GB, though that's over 60 days.
Consider network coverage
Picking wireless plans shouldn't be done on data quotas alone. Other issues to consider are wireless network coverage and speeds.
In terms of bang for buck, the catch with pre-paid is getting less data for your money. Of course, if your main aim is to avoid a 24-month contract, then you might be happy to compromise on a couple of GB.