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CAIRNS, Australia — The Cairns Post, the daily newspaper serving Far North Queensland since 1897, is currently offering new digital subscribers a heavily discounted entry point: $1 a month for the first two months of full digital access, after which the standard rate of $35 monthly applies. A separate 12-month plan locks regular readers into a $20 payment every four weeks, with digital access to The Courier-Mail bundled into both options. Here is a breakdown of the plans, the benefits, and the fine print. (Updated May 14, 2025)
The Cairns Post has been the paper of record for Cairns, Port Douglas, and a wide arc of Far North Queensland for well over a century. It has covered cyclones, cane harvests, tourism booms, and the steady growth of one of Australia's most energetic regional cities. Operated within the News Corp Australia network, it shares business systems and editorial infrastructure with Brisbane's The Courier-Mail.
That relationship increasingly shapes what a subscription actually delivers. A digital pass is no longer just a single masthead app; it has become a combined access deal to two Queensland titles, plus a bundle of digital extras, at one price. That is a meaningful shift for readers comparing their options.
Cairns Post currently markets two consumer digital subscriptions. One is a flexible pay-as-you-go arrangement with no lock-in contract. The other is an annual plan that costs less per billing cycle but demands a longer commitment. Both renew automatically, which makes the contract details just as important as the advertised prices.
The choice, in short, comes down to whether you want to test the service quickly or commit to a lower ongoing rate.
The Pay As You Go plan is built for the cautious reader. New customers pay $1 per month for the first two months — a total outlay of $2 for two months of full digital access. That makes it one of the cheapest ways to sample an Australian regional daily before deciding whether it is worth keeping.
After the promotional window, the subscription renews automatically at $35 per month. The "no lock-in contract" label means you can walk away at any time, but only if you cancel before the next billing cycle. Miss that window and the standard charge applies.
At $35 a month, the post-trial rate is not the cheapest in regional Australian news. What cushions the price is the inclusion of The Courier-Mail, Brisbane's flagship daily. Readers who want Queensland state politics, NRL and AFL coverage, business reporting, and national opinion usually would have to pay separately for that title — in many cases a similar amount on its own.
All prices here are in Australian dollars. For readers paying from overseas, a quick currency check is sensible.
The 12 Month Plan is advertised as $5 a week, with a minimum cost of $260 for the first year. In practice, billing runs at $20 every four weeks. That distinction matters: a standard year contains 13 four-week periods, not 12, which is why the terms use the phrase "minimum cost" rather than a flat annual fee.
After the first 12 months, the subscription automatically renews at the same $20 every four weeks. The trade-off is strict: no cancellations are permitted during the first year. Once you sign up, you are committed to a minimum outlay of $260, even if your circumstances change.
Do the arithmetic and the difference is clear. The annual plan costs about $260 in year one. The Pay As You Go route, by contrast, runs to about $420 once the $35 monthly standard rate kicks in. That is a gap of roughly $160, which makes the annual option the better deal for anyone confident they will keep reading for a year.
Both plans unlock the same Full Digital Access package, which comprises:
That last benefit is arguably the strongest element in the offer. The Courier-Mail's Brisbane-based reporting teams are considerably larger than those of a regional standalone title, and bundling the two newspapers effectively creates a Queensland-wide news pass for the price of one regional subscription.
The full terms are published at www.cairnspost.com.au/subscriptionterms, but the essentials are worth summarising:
None of this is unusual in Australian digital publishing, but the auto-renewal and refund policies are where most complaints originate. Reading the terms before subscribing, not after, is the practical takeaway.
Looking beyond Cairns, the $35 monthly rate sits mid-pack among Australian newspaper subscriptions. The Australian frequently runs introductory trials near $1 for the first month before converting to roughly $23 per fortnight, which is slightly more expensive overall than Cairns Post at standard rate. Nine's Sydney Morning Herald and The Age have periodically discounted their first 12 weeks to around $4, then shifted to roughly $24 a month — cheaper on the surface, though neither includes a second major-city newspaper in the bundle.
The Courier-Mail bundling is therefore the key comparator. Measured against buying The Courier-Mail alone, the Cairns Post subscription typically breaks even or comes out ahead while adding a regional daily to the package. On a longer view, the 12 Month Plan at an effective $5 per week is one of the better-value long-term commitments in Australian regional digital news.
The right choice depends on one question: how long do you intend to stay subscribed?
The Pay As You Go plan suits the sceptic, the short-term visitor, the overseas reader following a specific event, or anyone who already pays for another masthead and wants a second login for a while. The total risk is $2 for two months of access, provided you cancel on time.
The 12 Month Plan suits the daily reader — someone who lives in the region, works in a local industry, or simply cannot start the day without the local news. The per-week cost is lower, the benefits are identical, and the only real downside is the inability to exit early. For anyone who has been reading the Cairns Post consistently for years, the annual plan is the sensible financial move.
The broader industry pattern is worth understanding. Australian publishers have spent more than a decade shifting print audiences to digital, and aggressive promotional pricing is the default tool. The $1 trial is designed to build a reading habit over two months, then convert that habit into a $35 monthly charge.
Australian consumer regulators have repeatedly examined subscription traps and automatic renewals in digital media. Publishers, including News Corp Australia, have responded with clearer terms pages and more transparent renewal communications. The fine print here remains dense but is conventional for the sector. The safest consumer approach is to treat the trial as exactly that: a trial, with a marked calendar date.
Cairns Post's current digital subscription offer is competitive on two fronts. The $1 trial makes it nearly risk-free to sample, and the Courier-Mail bundling gives the subscription real value beyond a single regional title. At full price, the Pay As You Go plan is mid-market; the 12 Month Plan is the better deal for anyone willing to commit for a year. As with any auto-renewing subscription, track the renewal date, read the full terms, and decide deliberately.
