Easy ways to switch and save your energy, mobile and broadband deals
Slashing utility costs can save households hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year. Here are the best ways to do it.
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Slashing utility costs leaving you hundreds - if not thousands of dollars - better off can easily be done in 2021.
Electricity, mobile phone and home broadband costs quickly add up if you set and forget.
For retailers this is a win – customers who prove loyal are usually the ones that get left dudded, stuck on the worst deals.
So we’ve asked the experts how you can switch and save on your utilities in the new year and leave more cash in your back pocket.
1. ELECTRICITY
When a power bill arrives in the inbox or your mailbox, often consumers don’t question it, instead they just pay it.
Latest data from energy comparison site Canstar Blue showed the average annual household electricity bill in Victoria is $1490, NSW $1627, Qld $1367 and SA $1759.
Depending on where you live and if you can choose your desired retailer, Origin spokesman Stuart Osbourne said it’s important customers use government comparison websites to compare prices.
“This will provide a good independent view of different offers available from retailers in your area,” he said.
“While switching retailers should be easy to do online or over the phone, it is also good to contact your current retailer to see if you are on the best current deal for you right now.”
For customers in Victoria retailers must compare charges against the Victorian Default Offer.
While in NSW, Qld and SA, retailers must compare prices against the default market offer.
“This is designed to make things clear and transparent for customers and make it easier to compare apples with apples when shopping around,” Mr Osbourne said.
Canstar Blue’s spokesman Simon Downes said switching providers can often result in your previous provider contacting you once they learn you are leaving, begging you not to leave.
“You might get a call from your old provider after they find out you’re leaving, offering you an improved deal to stay,” he said.
“This gives you a decision to make, although it’s worth considering why your old provider never gave you a better price in the first place.”
Mr Downes urges users to also check the supply and usage charges on their bill because this will help compare prices with other retailers.
“Energy plans can be confusing but drilling down into the specific rates will give you the answers you need to make an informed decision,” Mr Downes said.
“Check the rates on your bill every few months to make sure they have not changed.”
2. MOBILE PHONES
Nine out of 10 Australians own a mobile phone, 2019 research from Deloitte found.
While most customers are signed up to the big three telcos – Telstra, Optus and Vodafone – there are dozens of other smaller challenger brands that are often cheaper.
Every telco runs off the three major networks, so you can still get the same reception except sometimes with a cheaper offering.
Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) as they are known are the lesser-known brands and include the likes of Amaysim, Boost, Moose Mobile and ALDI Mobile.
Damien French, 45, recently purchased a new Samsung Galaxy Note 5 device for about $1600 and decided to sign up to a smaller carrier on a month-by-month deal to save.
After paying off his last device with Optus he said was left being charged the same monthly costs when the contract expired, even though the device was paid off in full.
“I was with Optus for years and years and when I upgraded my phone I switched to ALDI Mobile and I’m not locked in anywhere,” Mr French said.
“I’m paying $25 a month for 20 gigabytes of data and that data rolls over each month if I don’t use it.”
Moose Mobile’s chief executive officer Dean Lwin urged mobile customers to consider smaller providers and said switching carriers is relatively seamless.
“A lot of people think it’s either hard to transfer their number or that you simply can’t do it, but in reality, it’s incredibly easy,” he said.
“It only takes a couple of hours and your current provider’s SIM keeps working during the process, so the only downtime you will experience is the time it takes to change SIMs.”
Mr Lwin said some customers can save up to 80 per cent on their monthly charges by switching.
“So many of our customers were paying $70 plus for their phone plan and after joining us they’re now paying as little as $15.80,” he said.
3. BROADBAND
For those who are switching connections, for instance from ADSL to the National Broadband Network you might be hit with new equipment charges.
Comparison website whistleout.com.au’s spokesman Kenny McGilvary said it’s important to understand the costs involved in switching.
“If you’re switching connection types, you may need to pay for some new equipment, or you could get stung with a connection cost,” he says.
“Keep an eye out for $0 set-up fee deals, which can help save some money.”
McGilvary also said it’s important you’re out of contract because you can get hit with hefty cancellation fees if you are trying to exit a locked-in deal.
“If in doubt, check with your current provider about early termination fees,” he said.
Customers can check nbn.com.au to find out what broadband options are available in your area.
For those signing up to the NBN for the first time, once you’ve contacted your provider they will take care of switching your internet over and cancelling your old service, McGilvary said.
“Depending on the provider and where you live, this can take anywhere from days to weeks to organise,” he said.
“Your new provider will work with you to get this sorted as quickly as possible and will walk you through anything else you need to know to get connected.”
The new NBN-ready modem will most likely be bundled into your plan costs, or it could be charged as an upfront fee for the modem if you are not signing up to a fixed contract.
But if you’re already with the NBN and are simply switching carriers your new provider will do the hard work for you.
However Mr McGilvary said you are usually “responsible for cancelling your old service once your new one is live”.
He said standard NBN 50 deals range from about $60 to $70 per month, while fast NBN 100 deals cost around $15 more per month.
McGilvary said customers should seek out promotional offers to save.
“Many providers run incentives like giving $10 off for the first six months, which is an easy additional saving to get,” he said.
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