Ask an Expert: Buy your next phone on a plan or BYO?

Joe Hanlon from WhistleOut takes us through the ins and outs of choosing the best way to get your new device.

There are few things more exciting in life than getting your hands on a new phone. There’s settling down, possibly the birth of a child and then the launch of a new smart phone. In that order, obviously. 

For decades, Aussies have often opted to buy new mobile phones on contract plans, but the rise of high-value Bring Your Own (BYO) phone arrangements has many wondering whether there are advantages to buying a phone outright and then choosing a SIM-only plan as an alternative. 

What you get with a BYO phone plan is flexibility. If you own your phone, you may be able to connect to any phone plan in Australia, so long as your device is compatible with the network. You’re free to sample from the buffet of phone providers, of which there are dozens. While in the past, most consumers opted to commit to a specific phone plan, nowadays you buy a phone with a plan, rather than buying it on a special ‘phone plan’. Instead of the old contracts, you now stay connected to a SIM plan with the phone offered on interest-free repayment terms.

With Optus, you can choose between 12, 24 or 36-month repayment options, and if a plan better suited to your changing lifestyle and needs comes along in the meantime, you may be eligible to upgrade.

Regardless of whether you are buying a phone or not, all Optus customers choose from the same range of SIM only plan options, meaning that we all can access the same perks and plan features. For example, many of the Optus Choice plans include Optus Sport + OS Fitness, Data Sharing and some have International Roaming inclusions as well.

It doesn’t matter if you choose to add phone repayments to your account or not, everyone has the ability to access the same benefits.

As you can see, the question of which option is preferable between BYO or SIM-only simply boils down to whether you want to pay for your new smartphone upfront or whether you would prefer to pocket the cash and have the convenience of interest-free monthly repayments. This used to be a difficult decision to make, but the way companies like Optus have simplified phone plans has made it much more straightforward.

If you have the money to spend, it may make sense to buy and own your phone from day one and take advantage of the flexibility it gives you. But it’s important to remember that buying a phone with a plan is far less restrictive than it used to be.

Joe Hanlon is ­­­of WhistleOut Australia and Reviews.org Australia. He’s been writing about phones and plans for over a decade and has been published on sites like CNET, TechRadar, Gizmodo and Lifehacker to name a few. 

Looking to lockdown a new phone without feeling locked in? Explore our Build Your Own Options or browse the shop for a new device.