Our secret to save on NBN: switch every 6 months

Anula Wiwatowska - Offsite Editorial Lead

Last updated 05 May 2022

As much as we all love set-and-forget services (bless direct debit), there are some cases when it’s better to have your finger on the pulse. A prime example, NBN.

If you spend as much time looking at NBN plans as we do, you start to notice some patterns. Typical evening speeds are much faster than they used to be, with almost every NBN 50 plan now offering maximum speeds at all times. Contracts are pretty much a thing of the past, and all but a handful of providers let you bring your own modem across. And, the trend right now is six month, timed discounts.

Most NBN promotions you see are valid for six months, on a no-contract term. Meaning that you can go with a new provider, get a solid discount for those six months and then switch to the next great deal.

Here are some NBN 50 plans from providers currently offering timed discounts.

#1	amaysim Editor's Pick	amaysim All Fixed Line nbn® Editor's Pick NBN50 All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $40/mth off for the first 6 months ($30 NBN Black Friday Offer + $10 Standard Intro offer), then $85/mth. Ends 30.11 $45/mth for first 6 months, then $85/mth Min. cost $45 Go to Site	$45/mth for first 6 months, then $85/mth Min. cost $45	Go to Site
#2	Dodo	Dodo All Fixed Line nbn® nbn50 Unlimited Plan All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $30/mth discount for 6 months based on the standard price $87.99/mth. Ends 08.12.26. T&Cs apply. $57.99/mth for first 6 mths, then $87.99/mth Min. cost $57.99 Go to Site*	$57.99/mth for first 6 mths, then $87.99/mth Min. cost $57.99	Go to Site
#3	Moose NBN	Moose NBN All Fixed Line nbn® nbn 50/20 Premium All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/18 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $24/mth off for first 6 months - $59.80/mth for 6mths, then $83.80/mth + Get eero 7 modem for only $175 (RRP $249). $59.80/mth for first 6 mths, then $83.80/mth Min. cost $59.80 Link not supplied	$59.80/mth for first 6 mths, then $83.80/mth Min. cost $59.80	Link not supplied
#4	Origin Broadband	Origin Broadband All Fixed Line nbn® Experience nbn® 50 All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Classic Deal: Includes $45/mth off for 6 mths, $64/mth for 6 mths, then reverts to $109/mth. Offer ends 30.11.26. T&Cs apply $64/mth for 6 mths, then $109/mth Min. cost $64 Link not supplied	$64/mth for 6 mths, then $109/mth Min. cost $64	Link not supplied
#5	Tangerine Telecom	Tangerine Telecom All Fixed Line nbn® Value Plus NBN 50/20 All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $25/mth off for the first 6 mths, $64.90/month for first 6 months, then $89.90/month. $64.90/mth for first 6 mths, then $89.90/mth Min. cost $64.90 Go to Site	$64.90/mth for first 6 mths, then $89.90/mth Min. cost $64.90	Go to Site
#6	Flip	Flip All Fixed Line nbn® Unlimited Family nbn50 All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $16.90/mth off for 6 months - $68/mth for first 6mths then $84.90/mth. New customers only. Ends 30.11.26. T&Cs apply. $68/mth for first 6 mths then $84.90/mth Min. cost $68 Go to Site	$68/mth for first 6 mths then $84.90/mth Min. cost $68	Go to Site
#7	Belong	Belong All Fixed Line nbn® NBN Standard Plus – Unlimited All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $22 off for 12 months - $69/mth for first 12 mths, then $91/mth (Offer ends 30.11.26) + Free $80 Mobile SIM $69/mth for first 12 mths, then $91/mth Min. cost $69 Link not supplied	$69/mth for first 12 mths, then $91/mth Min. cost $69	Link not supplied

And here are NBN 100 plans

#1	amaysim	amaysim FTTN, FTTB, FTTC NBN100 FTTN, FTTB, FTTC nbn® 100/18 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $40/mth off for the first 6 months ($30 NBN Black Friday Offer + $10 Standard Intro Offer), then $90/mth. Ends 30.11 $50/mth for first 6 months, then $90/mth Min. cost $50 Go to Site	$50/mth for first 6 months, then $90/mth Min. cost $50	Go to Site
#2	Origin Broadband	Origin Broadband FTTN, FTTB, FTTC Enthusiast nbn® 100 FTTN, FTTB, FTTC nbn® 95/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Classic Deal: Includes $55/mth off for 6 mths, $59/mth for 6 mths, then reverts to $114/mth. Offer ends 30.11.26. T&Cs apply $59/mth for 6 mths, then $114/mth Min. cost $59 Link not supplied	$59/mth for 6 mths, then $114/mth Min. cost $59	Link not supplied
#3	Dodo	Dodo FTTN, FTTB, FTTC nbn100 Unlimited Plan FTTN, FTTB, FTTC nbn® 100/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $30/mth discount for 6 months based on the standard price $92.99/mth. Ends 08.12.26. T&Cs apply. $62.99/mth for first 6 mths, then $92.99/mth Min. cost $62.99 Go to Site*	$62.99/mth for first 6 mths, then $92.99/mth Min. cost $62.99	Go to Site
#4	Moose NBN	Moose NBN FTTN, FTTB, FTTC nbn 100/20 Elite FTTN, FTTB, FTTC nbn® 100/18 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $23/mth off for first 6 months - $63.80/mth for 6mths, then $86.80/mth + Get eero 7 modem for only $175 (RRP $249). $63.80/mth for first 6 mths, then $86.80/mth Min. cost $63.80 Link not supplied	$63.80/mth for first 6 mths, then $86.80/mth Min. cost $63.80	Link not supplied
#5	Tangerine Telecom	Tangerine Telecom FTTN, FTTB, FTTC Speedy NBN 100/20 FTTN, FTTB, FTTC nbn® 100/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $25/mth off for the first 6 mths, $67.90/mth for first 6 months, then $92.90/mth. $67.90/mth for first 6 mths, then $92.90/mth Min. cost $67.90 Go to Site	$67.90/mth for first 6 mths, then $92.90/mth Min. cost $67.90	Go to Site
#6	Flip	Flip FTTN, FTTB, FTTC Unlimited Turbo Boost nbn100 FTTN, FTTB, FTTC nbn® 100/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $19.90/mth off for 6 months - $69/mth for first 6mths then $88.90/mth. New customers only. Ends 30.11.26. T&Cs apply. $69/mth for first 6 mths then $88.90/mth Min. cost $69 Go to Site	$69/mth for first 6 mths then $88.90/mth Min. cost $69	Go to Site
#7	Optus	Optus FTTN, FTTB, FTTC Optus nbn® Promo Plan FTTN, FTTB, FTTC nbn® 100/18 Mbps Unlimited Data Promo plan: $69/mth for 6mths, then $109/mth or as notified. Until 12/11/26. New services only. Minimum cost $375. Terms apply. $69/mth for first 6 months, normally $109/mth Min. cost $69 Link not supplied	$69/mth for first 6 months, normally $109/mth Min. cost $69	Link not supplied

Admittedly, a lot of the providers offering discounts may be service providers you’ve never heard of but that's no reason not to give them a shot. When it comes down to it, every NBN provider is ostensibly selling the same network, just a slightly different service. Some providers may have more support options, others faster download speeds but these days the difference between providers are minimal.

"But changing NBN providers is hard!"

Not really.

While changing internet providers used to be a whole ordeal, with the NBN it has actually become incredibly simple. If you're already connected to the NBN, switching NBN providers only takes four steps:

Find your new plan
Sign up to your new plan
Wait about an hour, in this time your new provider will switch your premises over with no, or minimal time offline
Call your previous provider to confirm that you are no longer connected.

That is as simple as it gets.

Things to look out for when changing NBN provider

If you’re looking to save money by making the switch twice a year, there are a few things you should keep an eye out for.

Hidden contractual agreements: Although almost every NBN provider offers plans on a no-contract basis these days, the bigger telcos tend to keep you on the hook in different ways. Both Telstra and Optus offer no-contract plans, but you will pay the prorated cost of your modem if you leave within your first 24 months or 36 months, respectively. So, while you can leave you’ll get stung with the cost of the modem when you do and they may not work with other providers either. To combat this, make sure you’re looking for BYO modem options.

Blatant contracts: Same deal as above, a few providers may offer discounted rates on a plan when you commit to a contract. Even if this contract is only six months you may want to take a look at other options, just in case it doesn’t live up to the hype early on.

Eligibility criteria: For most of these deals you’ll need to be a new customer with the telco, so unfortunately you won’t just be able to jump between Tangerine and SpinTel for eternity. In saying that, we have about 30 NBN providers in our database right now, if you get your timing right that is up to 15 years worth of discounted NBN.

For other options on saving money on your NBN plan, check out our picks for cheap NBN plans for every budget.

Anula Wiwatowska

Offsite Editorial Lead | Instagram

Anula is the Off-Site Editorial Lead for WhistleOut Australia, and an award winning tech journalist. She has been writing about the Australian telco industry, and consumer technology for over five years, and has been known to tell her Uber driver which phone they should upgrade to next.

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