iPhone 16 plans and pre-order deals: Up to $1,500 in gift cards and more
Pre-orders for the iPhone 16 series are live, with trade-in deals and more from Optus, Vodafone, Telstra and Apple stealing the spotlight (besides the phones, of course).
Let's dive into the good stuff real quick before we break down all the iPhone 16 plans and deals from the big telcos in detail.
| Retailer | Trade-in deals and other perks | |
|---|---|---|
| Optus |
iPhone 16 plans start from $90.86 a month over 36 months | |
| Vodafone |
iPhone 16 plans start from $87.86 a month over 36 months | |
| Telstra |
iPhone 16 plans start from: $103.86 a month over 36 months | |
| Apple |
Outright iPhone 16 prices start from $1,399 |
Alternatively, you can buy any iPhone 16 model outright from Amazon or The Good Guys.
As mentioned, pre-orders are live and the phones will officially be available for sale from 20 September 2024.
Before we dive into the plans and deals from Optus, Vodafone and Telstra, let's take a quick peek at the pricing of the iPhone 16 lineup.
| Model | Australian RRP |
|---|---|
| Apple iPhone 16 128GB | $1,399 |
| Apple iPhone 16 256GB | $1,599 |
| Apple iPhone 16 512GB | $1,949 |
| Apple iPhone 16 Plus 128GB | $1,599 |
| Apple iPhone 16 Plus 256GB | $1,799 |
| Apple iPhone 16 Plus 512GB | $2,149 |
| Apple iPhone 16 Pro 128GB | $1,799 |
| Apple iPhone 16 Pro 256GB | $1,999 |
| Apple iPhone 16 Pro 512GB | $2,349 |
| Apple iPhone 16 Pro 1TB | $2,699 |
| Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 256GB | $2,149 |
| Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 512GB | $2,499 |
| Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 1TB | $2,849 |
You can get the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus in Ultramarine, teal, pink, white and black.
The iPhone 16 Pro models come in four titanium colours: black, white, natural and desert (a dusty gold of sorts).
Choose your player to see which plans you're interested in learning about more.
iPhone 16 plans and deals from Optus
Optus's main spotlight is on its trade-in offer, giving away $1,500 in credit for eligible phones. This will be issued as a prepaid Mastercard gift card.
For example, if your iPhone 15 Pro Max (1TB) is in good working condition, you could potentially get the full $1,500.
This won't knock anything off the price of your iPhone 16 directly, but you can still use the gift card for other stuff.
Just remember, you'll need to be an existing Optus customer to score the trade-in deal.
To get the iPhone 16 on a plan, you'll need to pair it with a SIM-only plan from Optus, with the cheapest one starting at $52 a month for 50GB.
Based on this, your starting costs will look like:
- iPhone 16: $90.86 a month over 36 months
- iPhone 16 Plus: $96.40 a month over 36 months
- iPhone 16 Pro: From $101.96 a month over 36 months
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: $111.68 a month over 36 months
iPhone 16 plans and pre-order deals from Vodafone
Vodafone's got a couple of interesting offers in play for the iPhone 16 pre-order period.
- You can get a $150 bonus trade-in credit until 14 October. For instance, if you trade in a working iPhone 15 (128GB), you could get up to $685. With the bonus credit added in, that brings your total trade-in value to $835.
- Vodafone's launched a new $79 Promo SIM-only Plan. New Vodafone customers who sign up for any iPhone 16 plan + the $79 Promo plan will get up to $1,299 in credit if they stay connected for 36 months. offer valid until 10 October unless extended.
- You can use the $1,299 credit offer with a regular trade-in deal from Vodafone to save money on either of the models.
- For example, it's possible to get the iPhone 16 Pro 128GB or iPhone 16 Pro Max 256GB for $0 if you trade in an iPhone 14 Pro Max 512GB or iPhone 13 Pro 256GB. Or, you can skip the trade-in and get an iPhone 16 128GB for $100 by taking advantage of just the credit.
- Just keep in mind the bonus $150 credit won't apply on the $79 promo deals and you will need to stay connected for the full 36 months to be eligible for the full credit amount.
As with all phone repayment contracts, you'll need to pair your iPhone 16 with a SIM-only plan from Vodafone. The cheapest option is $49 a month for 50GB.
Based on this, your starting costs will look like:
- iPhone 16: $87.86 a month over 36 months
- iPhone 16 Plus: $93.41 a month over 36 months
- iPhone 16 Pro: From $98.97 a month over 36 months
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: $108.69 a month over 36 months
iPhone 16 plans and pre-order deals from Telstra
Telstra's offering a $275 bonus trade-in credit until 11 October across the entire iPhone 16 lineup.
For example, trading in an iPhone 15 Pro Max 1TB in good working condition will get you $1,500 in trade-in credit (including the bonus offer).
If you get a better value trade-in quote between buying your new iPhone and within 21 days of receiving it, it'll match it.
You'll need to sign up for a 12, 24 or 36-month phone repayment plan and pair it with a SIM-only plan from Telstra to get the offer. The cheapest one costs $65 a month for 50GB.
Based on this, your starting costs will look like:
- iPhone 16: $103.86 a month over 36 months
- iPhone 16 Plus: $109.41 a month over 36 months
- iPhone 16 Pro: From $114.97 a month over 36 months
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: $124.69 a month over 36 months
Existing Telstra postpaid customers can also buy the phone outright and take advantage of the offer.
What's the best or cheapest iPhone 16 plan in Australia?
If you strip away the offers, Vodafone has the cheapest iPhone 16 plan around because it has the cheapest SIM-only plan out of the lot.
But where it gets interesting is the trade-in deals. Whether you're going for the base model, iPhone 16 Plus, Pro, or Pro Max, there are a few things to think about:
- Which offer gives you the best value? While Optus's deal doesn't directly lower the cost of the iPhone 16, you can get up to $1,500 in gift cards to spend on anything else.
- Telstra and Vodafone, on the other hand, are offering bonus trade-in credits that can reduce the price of your new iPhone 16.
- Vodafone's also adding a twist with its $1,299 credit offer combined with the trade-in value of your old phone - but you'll need to commit to its $79 Promo plan for 36 months. Are you happy to do that? It could mean getting a new iPhone 16 for $0 barring a few conditions.
- Most importantly, which network coverage works best for you? For example, if you live in rural or regional Australia, you might get patchy signals with Vodafone. In this instance, Telstra or Optus might be a better choice. In metro areas, you can take your pick the majority of the time.
Happy iPhone 16-ing!
UPDATED 16 September 2024: We updated Vodafone's iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max pre-order offers following the launch of its $0 deal. We also made changes to our section on what's the best or cheapest iPhone 16 plan following the offer update.
Here's a recap of everything Apple announced about the iPhone 16 in case you're still debating whether to pre-order it or not.
