iPhone Plan Picker: Best deals for Light, Medium and Heavy users
Alex Kidman
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Jul 11, 2008 10:39 AM
To go with Telstra, or not to go with Telstra? Weigh up the decision with our full analysis of the best deals in three scenarios, as well as the best overall iPhone 3G plans from Optus, Vodafone, and Telstra.
To say that the iPhone deals on the table today are confusing might be seen as something of an understatement. Once you balance out the per month costs of a plan, work out if you want a cap or not, then balance out the monthly repayments (or whether you want to pay upfront), you've still got to sort out your flagfall costs, bundled text allowances... and so it goes on.
It hasn't helped that two thirds of the Australian carriers waited until the proverbial last minute to reveal their plans, either. That's why we've sifted through the plans to uncover the best deals across a range of scenarios. We're assuming (except in one very particular case) that as everyone who wants an iPhone is, by definition, picking up a new phone and a new plan, that you won't object to potentially switching carriers.
We're also assuming you want a mix of calls and data, because while the iPhone is a very nice, shiny data device, if you just want its data capabilities, you can save an awful lot of money on just about all of the carrier's existing wireless data cards instead of picking up an iPhone.
We've only included Telstra in two plan situations, but there's no denying that its NextG coverage, in a national sense, far outstrips that of its competitors. Whether that makes a good value proposition to you (or, indeed, whether it's your only option, for many non-metropolitan iPhone users) is another factor entirely.
Light Phone/Data User:
| | Optus | Vodafone | | Best Plan | $19 Cap | Jumbo Cap Contract Plus Data Pack | | Per Month | $19 | $40.95 | | iPhone Monthly Repayment (8GB/16GB) | $21/$26 | $14.13/$19.17 | | Included Data | 100MB | 100MB | | Cap Inclusions | $50 | $130 | | Call Flag | $0.35 | $0.30 | | Call Cost (per 30 seconds) | $0.47 | $0.44 | | Text Cost | $0.25 | $0.25 | | Minimum 24 month cost | $960/$1080 | $1,321.92 |
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Vodafone’s Jumbo Cap isn’t exceptional value in a calls/data sense (and it’s a somewhat “hidden” plan option that they don’t exactly advertise all that heavily), but it does represent the cheapest way to get an iPhone from them; if you’re only a very light user it may make some sense, especially if you’re a moderate phone user.
Optus’ entry level cap plan has fewer call credits, but it’s the single cheapest way to get a contract iPhone available today. We’ve left pre-paid out of the matrix for now, as Vodafone still lists pre-paid as “coming soon”, leaving you with a choice of Optus… or Optus.
Medium Phone/Data User:
| | Optus | Vodafone | | Best Plan | $59 Cap | $99 Cap | | Per Month | $59 | $99.00 | | iPhone Monthly Repayment (8GB/16GB) | $2/$7 | $4.13/$9.13 | | Included Data | 500MB | 500MB | | Cap Inclusions | $350 | $600 | | Call Flag | $0.35 | $0.30 | | Call Cost (per 30 seconds) | $0.40 | $0.40 | | Text Cost | $0.25 | $0.25 | | Minimum 24 month cost | $1464/$1584 | $2475/$2595 |
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Once again, Optus offers the best value in this segment, unless you’re an incurable talker; over the 24 months of the contract, the additional call value in Vodafone’s comparable plan does add up substantially.
Heavy Phone/Data User:
| | Optus | Vodafone | | Best Plan | $149 Cap | $169 Cap | | Per Month | $149 | $169.00 | | iPhone Monthly Repayment (8GB/16GB) | $0/$0 | $0/$3.71 | | Included Data | 1GB | 1GB | | Cap Inclusions | $1,200 | $1,200 | | Call Flag | $0.35 | $0.30 | | Call Cost (per 30 seconds) | $0.35 | $0.40 | | Text Cost | $0.25 | $0.25 | | Minimum 24 month cost | $3,576 | $4056/$4154.04 |
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Both carriers assume that if you’re a heavy data user, you also want lots of call provision; the incurable talkaholics can also opt for a $179 Optus cap that tops the call credit up a further $300 per month. Optus is once again the clear winner in this segment, however.
Best of each carrier:
It’s at this point that a certain national incumbent carrier might be crying foul, as we’ve not listed a single Telstra plan. That’s OK, because we can cry foul, to, as in “most of Telstra’s plans are pretty foul from a value perspective”. Still, there is a large proportion of the population that, almost by default, will have to choose Telstra as their iPhone service provider, simply because the coverage its NextG network offers includes them.
Optus and Vodafone’s shared 3G network coverage is comparatively pitiful, but Telstra will charge you a pretty penny for it. Equally, for business reasons, it might not make sense to switch carriers away from either Optus or Vodafone. With that in mind, here’s what we reckon the sweet spots for each carrier are.
The sweet spot for each carrier:
| | Optus | Vodafone | Telstra | | Best Plan | $59 Cap | $69 Cap | $80 Plan plus $89 Data Pack | | Per Month | $59 | $69.00 | $169 | | iPhone Monthly Repayment (8GB/16GB) | $2/$7 | $7.88/$12.88 | $0/$69 (upfront single payment) | | Included Data | 500MB | 250MB | 1GB | | Cap Inclusions | $350 | $310 | $70 | | Call Flag | $0.35 | $0.30 | $0.27 | | Call Cost (per 30 seconds) | $0.40 | $0.40 | $0.26 | | Text Cost | $0.25 | $0.25 | $0.25 | | Minimum 24 month cost | $1464/$1584 | $1845.12/$1965.12 | $4056/$4125 |
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If you are in a no choice situation and simply must have an iPhone, we’d err on the side of caution and get more data, not less, from them. Put them up against even Vodafone’s prices, and the value drops, and against Optus and it’s practically a landslide.