Coles is now selling iPhones starting at AU$259

Buying a cheap phone often means committing to a handset from a brand you may not be familiar with – if you’re looking for an affordable alternative from Apple, it’ll soon be as simple as picking up your weekly groceries.

Coles has partnered with Boost Mobile to offer a refurbished iPhone 7 (32GB) from its stores, and it’s launching at an introductory cost of just AU$259, before raising to a price of AU$299.

The handset comes unlocked, but it is bundled with a AU$10 Boost Mobile SIM so you can use it right out of the box. Boost Mobile’s AU$10 prepaid SIM uses the Telstra network and comes with 3GB of data and unlimited calls and texts to standard numbers.

Coles says each refurbished phone must pass a 72-point inspection to ensure it is genuine and in good working order. They’ve also had the previous owner’s data wiped, and are cross-checked against a national police lost and stolen database.

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The refurbished iPhone 7 will be available at Coles from November 4, from stores in NSW, SA, WA, NT and Tasmania. Those in Queensland and Victoria will be able to purchase in stores at a later date.

Coles and Boost Mobile aren’t the only ones offering refurbished phones though. NuMobile is a telco that exclusively sells refurbished handsets from Apple and Samsung.

NuMobile is also powered by the Telstra network, and you can pick up a number of pre-owned handsets including an iPhone 7 from AU$27p/m, an iPhone 8 from AU$33p/m or an iPhone X from AU$51p/m to name a few.

NuMobile’s base plan comes with 3GB of data and unlimited talk and text to standard numbers in Australia. Any unused data gets rolled over into your data bank, which can store up to 200GB.