Worried you need to unlock your phone from Optus? The good news is, you probably don't. Most phones sold by Optus are unlocked by default, so you typically don't even need to worry about an unlock code.
But if you bought your phone on a prepaid plan – or well over a decade ago on a postpaid plan – it might be a different story. In this guide, we'll cover how to find out if your phone is locked to the Optus network and, if so, what you can do about it and how much it will cost. We'll also look at some cheap phone plans from other mobile providers, both on and off the Optus network.
Unlock your iPhone from Optus
All iPhones sold by Optus after 2013 are unlocked – regardless of whether you bought it prepaid or postpaid. And all iPhones sold before that date can be unlocked for free.
However, if your iPhone is old enough to still be locked to Optus, you have bigger problems. Any iPhone this old will have stopped receiving security updates years ago and so is a big security risk to use online. We strongly advise you get a newer phone with an in-date version of iOS.
But if you do insist on using one of these relics of the modern age, here's how to unlock it:
- If you have an iPhone 4 or higher and are running iOS 6 or below – all you need to do is update iOS to unlock your iPhone.
- If you somehow still have an iPhone 3 or iPhone 3GS – you'll need to factory restore your phone using iTunes (possibly an older version of iTunes). Then it will be unlocked. Restoring it will wipe the storage drive, so make sure you back it up first.
Unlock your Android phone from Optus
If you bought your Android phone from Optus on a postpaid plan, it should already be unlocked – unless it's a MotoBlur from around 2010, in which case you need to upgrade to a newer handset because you're using a device that is dangerously past its security use-by date.
If you bought your Android from Optus as part of a prepaid plan, it will be locked. Optus charges a fee for unlocking your phone, which depends on how long you've been a customer and you much you've spent.
If you've already recharged your service to at least $80, unlocking your phone is free. If you haven't, the cost varies depending on whether you've been with Optus for more or less than six months.
- $80 if your prepaid service has been active less than six months
- $25 if your prepaid service has been active more than six months
Step by step: unlock your Android from Optus
To unlock your phone, you'll need to find its IMEI number first. You can do this by opening the phone app and typing *#06* into the dial screen. If your device shows two numbers, you want the number labelled IMEI 1.
When you have the number, visit the Optus unlock page. You'll need to enter your mobile number and your IMEI as part of this process. You'll then be prompted to pay, if need be. If you have a saved payment method, you can use this to pay to unlock. If you don't, you'll need to make a PayID payment through your banking app.
After you've paid, then wait for the network unlock code to be sent to you. If Optus does not have a code, it may take up to ten business days for it to get form the manufacturer, but it will require you if this is required.
You will then need to:
- Note down the network unlock code sent to you by Optus
- Switch off your phone
- Insert a non-Optus SIM
- Turn on your phone and enter your network unlock code
- To finish, you might need to turn your phone off and on again
Cheap mobile plans from Optus network resellers
If you want a cheaper plan than Optus offers, but still want Optus mobile coverage, you can still sign up to a mobile plan on the Optus network via a reseller or Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO).
Optus MVNOs buy capacity on the Optus network for cheap, then resell it to their customers. They can keep prices down because they have lower overheads, such as smaller advertising budgets or fewer bells and whistles. Some plans are limited to 4G, and some 5G plans have speed caps, but they can both still get up to 100Mbps or more, depending on coverage in your area. That's roughly the same download speed as an NBN 100 plan.
These are some of the most popular SIM-only plans with WhistleOut visitors on the Optus network, taken from our database of 28 mobile providers over the last seven days:
Cheap mobile plans on the Vodafone and Telstra networks
If you want to get off the Optus network entirely, you can also go with a Vodafone or Telstra network reseller.
These are some of the most popular plans on the Telstra and Vodafone networks, based on WhistleOut visitor activity in the last seven days:
Popularity is based on visitors who click a "Go to Site" button or who click to check the T&Cs of a plan. If we don't have an active affiliate relationship with a given provider, there's no button for users to click. As such, we're unable to include "Go to Site" clicks for these providers in our popularity data.
Jacqui Dent
Editorial Strategist
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