It may not seem like there is ever a right time of year to an iPhone. Apple almost never discounts the price of its handsets until a newer model launches, and this leaves the telcos and retailers to eat into their profits if they want to run a special price or promotion.
In fact, over the last couple of years we’ve actually noticed the telco contract prices for the latest iPhones increase over the course of their first year in market. The price of new iPhones is discounted heavily on launch day, and then profits are clawed back on more expensive contract plans as the year went on.
Which is why it’s a pleasant surprise when we spot solid discounts on these phones, especially the iPhone 8. In fact, some of these plans you might actually describe as cheap.
iPhone 8 64GB for under $100 per month
Vodafone plans with 24 month handset installments
The Optus Promo Plan with 7GB data is a real standout considering that the total minimum cost is only a few hundred dollars more than the price of the phone if you bought it at an Apple store. When the iPhone 8 launched last year, a similar Optus plan costs $100 per month, so this is a bargain.
The next step up to the $89 plan still seems like good value, but 30GB per month is more data than most people will need and it’s a shame there isn’t a middle ground offer for $10 less with half as much data included. It’s worth pointing out that one of the trade-offs with the Optus Promo Plans is that data-free music streaming isn’t included, but can be added as an optional extra.
iPhone 8 Plus 64GB for under $100 per month
Vodafone plans with 24 month handset installments
If you prefer the larger iPhones, you can still scrape in for under $100 per month with Optus, and interestingly the 30GB plan option is discounted further and sits $1 per month cheaper than the 7GB data option.
Vodafone is a good option on the Plus-sized model, but you won’t get quite as much data included. And we had to bend the rules of the search a little to squeeze Telstra in, and even then, the included data makes it a tough sell in comparison to the others.
How about the iPhone X?
When a phone costs over $1500, we can’t expect it to come too cheaply, and if you want an iPhone X you need to be ready to pay $100 per month as a minimum.
The deal on the $125 Plan (for $105 per month) is great value if you can afford it. It comes with a ridiculous amount of data, international phone calls, international roaming and access to all of the Optus apps. It’s not what you might call cheap, but it is value packed.
Joe Hanlon is Publisher at WhistleOut, Australia’s phone and internet comparison website. He’s been writing about phones and plans for far too long.
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