Aussiebird Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 Can anyone recommend reasonably priced mobile phone providers in Australia please? We have just checked with Telstra online and very expensive! Are there cheaper companies who offer good deals that include the phone or is sim only the cheapest option? Many thanks. Xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 (edited) They’re generally more expensive than U.K. providers. It’ll be a good idea to check the coverage maps because there is quite a difference in who covers what areas so check where you will be living for the best coverage. Unfortunately Telstra does have the best coverage in general. Then it will depend on what you actually want from your phone in terms of data, talk minutes, international calls and texts etc. So it’s very much person specific. There are quite a few review sites out there which compare the offerings and you can input what’s important to you. The DH is with Telstra, I’m with Vodafone and the son is with Optus - we all wanted slightly different things. I think we are all sim only because we bought our iPhones outright. Edited July 16, 2020 by Quoll Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavers Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 (edited) Do a search online, I've just ordered 2 sim cards from moose which are on telstra I think. $14.80 each with unlimited calls (in Australia), unlimited txt and 6GB of data. The contracts seem expensive but when you are earning dollars they will work out the same as the UK. Edited July 16, 2020 by Lavers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussiebird Posted July 16, 2020 Author Share Posted July 16, 2020 43 minutes ago, Lavers said: Do a search online, I've just ordered 2 sim cards from moose which are on telstra I think. $14.80 each with unlimited calls (in Australia), unlimited txt and 6GB of data. The contracts seem expensive but when you are earning dollars they will work out the same as the UK. Thanks Lavers. I'm assuming you have paid separately for the phone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 Telstra is the most expensive. If you're going to be in one of the big cities, getting coverage from other providers won't be a problem. If you have your own unlocked phone, there are plenty of good deals around. We use Lebara and Kogan on prepaid plans. https://www.lebara.com.au/ If you need to buy a phone, this comparison site might help: https://www.canstarblue.com.au/phone/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavers Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 2 hours ago, Aussiebird said: Thanks Lavers. I'm assuming you have paid separately for the phone? Yeah I've just stuck with the phone I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 The fact that my Dh said his pre-paid needed recharging and your enquiry got me thinking - so I changed today - I went with Telstra (much as it pains me to say) and for 6 months $150 - so $25 a month - I get something like 3000 minutes of international talk time to UK (which is important given that I am executing a will and have an elderly uncle in a care home) plus 60gb of data - so if the wifi goes belly up I should be fine and international texts (not everyone has an iPhone or WhatsApp) at 20c each but $50 worth of credit to cover them. The Dh renewed his today too and as we have been known to venture out to places quite far from civilisation it seemed like a good way to go. Saving myself $15 a month off the Vodafone I had been using. In different times I may have done differently but the international calls are important for me at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammygirl Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 I have always bought phones and had sim only supply. Currently with Aldi $25 a month gives me Telstra service with international calls and more data than I can use at it rolls over. Never had an issue with them, not a contract so can change or cancel without penalty. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussiebird Posted July 17, 2020 Author Share Posted July 17, 2020 7 hours ago, Lavers said: Yeah I've just stuck with the phone I have. Your UK one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussiebird Posted July 17, 2020 Author Share Posted July 17, 2020 Grateful for all the replies! Xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curly Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 Just a quick heads up on this but make sure you get your phone unlocked if bringing it from the UK. That caught me out for the first week I was here. Once unlocked you can put any sim in there as I was with O2 in the UK and they put a lock on them if you are in a contract 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mt9754 Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 If you still want your UK Sim in your phone just in case someone calls you but you want an Australia number as well, then if you have a newish iPhone then it probably supports eSims(check first!) which allow you to do this. It's also useful if you have poor coverage on Vodafone, get a Telstra PAYG as a backup too for when you go rural. I set mine up and it's working great. I got a physical Vodafone Sim from Woolies, signed up, then requested an eSim replacement on the website. 10 minutes later I could take the physical sim out and throw it away. I then put my UK sim back in the phone. I'm connected to both networks at the same time and can receive calls from both numbers, this sounds complicated but honestly Apple make it easy to understand and use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtritudr Posted August 4, 2020 Share Posted August 4, 2020 There are lots of MVNOs (virtual resellers) that use the Telstra network so they'll offer exactly the same coverage as Telstra but at a decent price. I'm currently using ALDImobile which is on the Telstra network and they're not too bad. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanderer Returns Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 Amaysim all the way. I pay $30/month for 45GB data, unlimited texts, unlimited calls within Australia and to 20 countries overseas - including the UK (both landline and mobile numbers).If anyone can beat that then I'm all ears! :D 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetBlast Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 I use Boost mobile for $20 a month I get 5GB of data Unlimited domestic & International calls to 15 countries (inc UK) Unlimited domestic & International texts to 15 countries (inc UK) Boost uses the Telstra network so you get the best possible coverage. I travel to regional areas with work and it has always worked well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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