{"id":108976,"date":"2026-02-03T08:31:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T21:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/?p=108976"},"modified":"2026-02-02T20:33:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T09:33:31","slug":"woolworths-mobile-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/woolworths-mobile-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Used This Woolworths Mobile Plan? You\u2019re About to Pay 40% More"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>It was the kind of email that makes you frown and read it twice. Woolworths Mobile customers on the brand\u2019s lowest-cost plan have just been told it\u2019s ending\u2014and the replacement will cost more. A lot more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Woolworths axes its most affordable plan, replaces it with a pricier alternative<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Woolworths Mobile has ended its $170-per-year prepaid plan, a long-expiry option that appealed to people who wanted simplicity without a monthly bill. Instead, customers were offered a $20 monthly alternative, which means they&#8217;ll now pay $240 a year\u2014a $70 increase, or around 41% more. That\u2019s no small change for households watching every dollar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To make it sound better, Woolworths called it an \u201cexclusive\u201d offer, tailored to ease the transition. But a quick scroll through social media shows many aren\u2019t buying it, reports <a href=\"https:\/\/au.finance.yahoo.com\/news\/woolworths-customers-face-70-hit-as-supermarket-giant-ends-cheapest-mobile-plan-210635628.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yahoo Finance.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Woolworths customers face $70 hit as supermarket giant ends cheapest mobile plan <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7mdChKS4xI\">https:\/\/t.co\/7mdChKS4xI<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Yahoo Finance Australia (@YahooFinanceAU) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/YahooFinanceAU\/status\/2018072714510999982?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">February 1, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A move towards &#8216;consistency&#8217;?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/woolworths-quietly-launched-this-feature\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Woolworths<\/a>, the decision was part of a routine refresh designed to bring \u201cconsistency\u201d to its mobile offering. In plain English? Streamlining the product line. The company says all current plans now offer simple pricing, generous data inclusions, and tie-ins with Everyday Rewards, its loyalty program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It might make sense from a business perspective. But for people who chose that plan because it was cheap and reliable, the shift feels more like a downgrade wrapped in marketing speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prepaid plans are popular\u2014but shrinking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s the thing: prepaid plans aren\u2019t just for students or low-income users. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acma.gov.au\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ACMA<\/a>, about a third of Aussies use prepaid mobile services\u2014and the number is growing. With cost-of-living pressures rising, people are moving away from long contracts and toward budget options like MVNOs (think Aldi Mobile, Amaysim, and yes\u2014Woolworths).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But even those spaces are getting squeezed. The cheapest plans are disappearing, replaced with bundles that include more data&#8230; whether you need it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do we really need all that data?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Quick reality check: ACCC reports that the average Australian uses around 13GB of mobile data per month. That\u2019s it. Between home Wi-Fi, public hotspots, and work networks, most of us aren&#8217;t burning through 30GB like we think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So when a low-data, low-price plan gets pulled, it\u2019s not just about money. It\u2019s about losing an option that fit people\u2019s actual needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">So, what now?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For affected customers, the options are clear: accept the new plan, or look elsewhere. The good news is that MVNOs still exist. The bad news? You have to dig a bit harder to find value. The takeaway? Don\u2019t sleep on your phone plan. What works today might be gone tomorrow\u2014and replaced with something that costs more but gives you&#8230; the same.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Woolworths shakes up its mobile offerings, leaving customers with unexpected changes and tough choices. Here&#8217;s what that means for everyday users.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":108977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-108976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108976"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108976\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":108979,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108976\/revisions\/108979"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/108977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}