Does anything beat Vaya $19 for $650 and 1.5GB mobile plan?

• 

  pyramid on 29/04/2014 - 07:51

  +1

  Amaysim $19.9? They got excellent customer service,no data charge on social networking sites, you international call rates….I read it n whirlpool that vaya customer service is awful and their per MB data rounding is killing few customers….but if you don't care for customer service much, vaya is killer.

• 

  justwaitingforamate on 29/04/2014 - 10:20

  +2

  Yes I think im going back on vaya as cant find a better deal and all customer service sucks on ALL carriers.
  Temperaly using Aldi sim and in my area (southern gold coast) the Vaya sim (optus) is much better coverage as I need to go outside for the Aldi/telstra sim …. must be some weird parallel universe???

  • 

    ESEMCE on 29/04/2014 - 11:11

    -1

    ALDI only get coverage that roughly matches Optus coverage.
    If you want full Telstra 3G network coverage you have to go with Telstra or Boost.

    • 

      FadeToBlack on 30/04/2014 - 12:10

      Your first statement is completely wrong. I went from Optus to ALDI because I could not get consistent coverage in my area, and the wholesale telstra network available through ALDI is far superior the the Optus network.

      • 

        ESEMCE on 30/04/2014 - 12:51

        FACT - The network coverage available to ALDI is restricted and is not the entire NextG network. That's why they only claim "part of Telstra's 3G network".

        FACT - Coverage is restricted to match (as best as possible) the Optus/Vodafone coverage areas. Hence the 98% of the population claim. (Optus now claim 98.5% population coverage.. ie their network is actually larger, or at least better positioned, than ALDI)

        https://www.aldimobile.com.au/#coverage-tw

        Sure there are areas where the ALDI network will be better than Optus/Voda, just as there will be areas where Optus/Voda coverage is better than ALDI.
        It also depends on the network compatibility of your handset.

        Summary, I'm not completely wrong at all, in fact completely right!

      • 

        FadeToBlack on 01/05/2014 - 10:31

        Nope, still wrong.

      • 

        ESEMCE on 01/05/2014 - 10:41

        Care to point out how?
        It's there in black and white on ADLI's site!

      • 

        FadeToBlack on 02/05/2014 - 10:17

        -1

        I live in an area that Optus claims full coverage.
        On the optus network, I in fact get very poor coverage with constant drop outs.
        I switched to Kogan and then ALDI. Since the switch to Kogan and to this day, my reception has been excellent in this area.
        I have also compared my reception with friends who are on the full Telstra network, and others who are on the optus network. Over time Optus has improved, for example when we go camping in Echuca Optus network phones used to have no reception and now have full, however my area which is still claimed by the Optus coverage map to have full coverage has not changed.

        These are my own observations, however they are consistent with the general consensus online that coverage maps do not show the true picture of real world reception.

        I'm no telstra fan boy, I used TPG for years until I moved and it was unusable. At that point I tried a trial Kogan sim, and with the deal at the time it was a no brainer to move.

        If you are happy with the service you get on the Optus network, by all means stick with it - I would if I could, the value is much better.

        Re-reading this post, I think I jumped the gun - You are correct, claimed coverage for claimed coverage, Optus and ALDI have similiar figures. What I should have said, is that real world reception in my experience has always been in favour of both the full and restricted Telstra network.

      • 

        ESEMCE on 02/05/2014 - 10:34

        What phone are you using?

      • 

        justwaitingforamate on 02/05/2014 - 21:03

        I can only go on what I have personaly experienced Im not a tech guy… had kogan then aldi before and got better coverage in many areas. Where I currently am (southern gold coast) using the aldi sim i have to walk up the road where the optus/vaya sim works amywhere in the house with bars to spare.

• 

  polol on 29/04/2014 - 10:57

  Came to same conclusion as you. Vaya is best cost-benefit from the plan info.

  Otherwise if you're forking out a bit more then Amaysim? http://www.amaysim.com.au/mobile-plans/amaysim-unlimited.htm…

  • 

    pyramid on 29/04/2014 - 11:03

    Only thing that put me off from vaya is $20 sim card fees…

    • 

      justwaitingforamate on 29/04/2014 - 13:18

      They are free ATM

      • 

        pyramid on 29/04/2014 - 14:56

        Is it? I need to check them again.

        Ok, here is their response: Vaya 24 Month Contract includes a SIM pack for free. SIM Pack fee of $20 is applicable for the monthly contract and service will go on until you decide to disconnect.

• 

  spockter on 29/04/2014 - 12:25

  Have a look at
  http://www.telechoice.com.au/

  $25 plan has similar inclusions to the $18 Vaya plan, but includes international calls and data is bill by KB rather than MB sessions. It is on the Telstra wholesale 3G network which has better coverage than Vaya (Optus), although if you are in a 4G area, Vaya will be quicker.

  Note that Vaya have changed to MB session billing over the last year and that can blowout the data allowance easily for usage patterns involving lots of small sessions.

  Edit: there's a special offer for online signups - 50% off 3rd month
  http://www.telechoice.com.au/kogan-offers
  Although it says Kogan, you don't need to be a Kogan user to take up that offer.

  • 

    ozhunter on 29/04/2014 - 13:05

    That $25 plan is also a 2 year contract where vaya is month to month.

    • 

      shadow131 on 29/04/2014 - 13:17

      12 month = 1 year.

      and cost benefit analysis would tell you that mb vs kb should be a major deal breaker, far greater than the little 12 month flexibility can give you.

• 

  derptheking on 30/04/2014 - 07:48

  I have the old live connected plan, They might still offer it? not sure?
  I pay $12 a month for 1.5gb data, $650 call and text. No contract.

  People always complain about their customer service, but I'm thinking you get what you pay for, and Its certainly no worse than optus - Live just emails me back within a few days.
  I've spent hours on the phone to optus about the family plans, to no avail.

• 

  mick1 on 30/04/2014 - 08:50

  The Vaya data charging is very dodgy. Just about every phone transmission seems to be treated as a separate session and is rounded up to 1MB for billing. It means if you have a smart phone and leave the data turned on the 1.5GB is only worth about 300MB to 400MB of data with a normal provider (like telstra or optus on their per Kb charging.)
  Also if you look at the whirlpool site for Vaya and Live Connected (owned by the same people) you'll see the issues about their billing systems (overcharging, wrong usage amounts etc etc).

• 

  Geekomatic on 01/05/2014 - 01:24

  I'd love to know if Vaya works in Falcon, WA??

  Right now, I'm stuck with Boost..unless I hear otherwise?

  :(

  • 

    ESEMCE on 01/05/2014 - 09:23

    Look up the Optus Coverage map and make sure your phone is 900MHz 3G compatible

    • 

      Geekomatic on 22/07/2014 - 15:00

      Friend of my son had Optus- you have to go outside to get a bar…same with Voda, Virgin, & Amaysim.

      Anyone here live in or near Falcon, WA?

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  Waldo000000 on 01/05/2014 - 05:02

  I pay $9.99 per month to TPG ("Super Value Mobile Starter" — no longer available). Gives me $180 calls + $2000 TPG calls + 250MB data (10KB sessions).

  Something with a bit more data per month would be nice, but without paying twice as much, there is nothing available!

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  draistlin on 02/05/2014 - 10:46

  +1

  Signed up for the $11 Vaya plan early last year, which is also no longer available, buts its a very good deal, $500 credit including 1800 and 13 numbers, $500 vaya to vaya, and 1.5GB data.

  • 

    Waldo000000 on 04/05/2014 - 21:10

    Gah, that's exactly what I want now

  • 

    jenna12 on 21/07/2014 - 10:22

    Is there anything comparable to that now?