Danny Gorog04 August 2008, 2:50 PM
UPDATED | Want to buy an iPhone 3G? We've gone through all the plans from all the telcos to find the best of the best.
Page 4 - Optus iPhone 3G plans in detail
Optus has clearly got the best value iPhone plans in Australia. There are a big range of capped plans starting at $19 per month and going through to a rather extraordinary $179 per month.
But Optus has done the right thing by customers -- it is offering both 12 and 24 month contracts, rather than only offering the longer contract to lock people in. The 12 month contract does, however, have significantly higher monthly repayments for the iPhone 3G itself (for example on a $49 plan over 12 months, you'll be paying another $37 a month for an 8GB iPhone 3G, whereas on a 24 month contract that drops to just $7 a month.)
Optus does also offer non-capped plans, but the capped plans over either a 12 or 24 month period are the best value for customers that intend to use the iPhone as their one device for both data and voice. For instance, when comparing a mid level $79 capped plan to a $79 non-capped plan you'll get an additional 150 three minute phone calls when choosing the capped plan.
However, if you're considering an iPhone 3G primarily for its browsing and email capabilities you'll be able to get away with a cheaper ($29, $39, $49 or $59) plan as each case these plans come with a higher download cap than the equivalent capped plans (where they exist). For example, on a $29 non-capped plan you get 250MB of data, whereas to get that on a capped plan, you'd have to spend $49.
Even so, capped plans are probably better choices for most people, even if you don't plan to make many phone calls on the iPhone. The monthly cost of the iPhone 3G is relatively high on the cheaper non-capped plans (for example on a $29 non-capped plan you'll be paying $12 a month for 24 months to get an 8GB iPhone.)
Optus prepaid plans
If you're a prepaid user you'll pay a hefty premium when purchasing the iPhone 3G, but you'll have the option to unlock the phone after six months use (or by paying $80 before six months has passed) and use it with your choice of carriers. Optus is also providing generous data and voice bonuses when pre-paid users recharge.
For more detail see the spreadsheet below.