Hi All,
I've never really posted on the forum before, so please go easy on me if I'm doing it wrong :)
My situation is as follows;
I've been on a 24 month postpaid phone plan with Virgin Mobile, paying a total of $50 a month ($30 plan + $20 handset repayments) for a Sony Xperia Z3. My contract is coming up to expire (I'm not sure of the exact date, but I believe I just entered the 2nd last month of the contract, so perhaps early January 2017?) and my Xperia Z3 still seems to be holding up reasonably well, so I'm looking at simply getting a new SIM only plan. I'm not really overly fussed over whether it's paid month to month or on, say, a 12 month contract, but I suppose the former involves less commitment which is nice.
On this previous plan, I technically only had about 300MB of data each month, however, I was making good use of the "Guvera" extra 1GB of data which they had been offering up until about yesterday. That is to say, I never really use any more than 1.5GB - 2GB of data each month, as I'm most often in range of somewhere with wifi available, be it home or uni. I'm aware that there seem to be quite a few of these smaller companies who are offering SIM plans which include around 2GB of data and unlimited calls and text for only around $20 per month, but I'm just not sure which one(s) represent the best value for my relatively low-data usage situation. Vaya? Jeenee? Ovo? Coles? Kogan? Please, any advice or recommendations you may be able to offer will be greatly appreciated.
As you can probably tell, I'm not very knowledgeable about any of this, and I have a few questions which some of you hopefully may be able to answer..
1) I'm aware that some of these smaller carriers which I've mentioned use parts of the bigger telcos' networks, ie. Telstra or Optus. I've also heard that they may not allow usage of a certain higher speed band.. (Band 28?) or something. Would this be an issue to me, if I'd be using my Xperia Z3?
2) Would I be able to keep my old phone number from Virgin if I switch to an alternative carrier?
3) Would I need to get a new SIM card from whichever new carrier I choose, if I end up switching?
4) Given that I'm currently only getting about 300MB of data per month (as the Virgin Guvera 1GB bonus ended), if I see out the length of my contract, I'd probably end up opting to get a 1GB "data value add", for a price of about $10 extra per month, meaning that I'd be paying $60 each month (for 2 months, =$120) to see it out, for only 1.3GB of data per month. If I opt to pay off the remainder of my existing contract ($66), will I be released from this contract from Virgin to then potentially switch carriers? And if possible, would this be the best option financially speaking?
5) This may be irrelevant, but I also work part time at Coles, and I have no idea if they offer a discount on their SIM plans to staff, but I just thought I'd state it, in case it makes a difference.
Once again, I apologise profusely for my naivety in these matters, and look forward to any help you may to be able to offer! :) Thanks!
1) no issue - Vaya -who I'm -with allows 4G via Optus network
2) yes, you "port" your number over to the new carrier
3) yes, new sim from the the carrier which they provide (almost usually)
4) —-
5) no idea
i ported over to Vaya from Amaysim about 3 or 4 months ago. I found the transfer very easy and straightforward. I pay $13 a month for unlimited talk and text and 1gb data - this was because i paid the year in advance. there was a deal here for it.
if i only do interwebz (Ozbargain, ebay, email, aliexpress, etc) and stay away from youtube and online video things then I easily stay under the 1gb amount.
people have been burnt by Vaya before (all Vaya deals recieve many negs from disgruntled former customers - however many the issues have ben resolved or are no longer relevent - e.g. exit fee no longer exists).
Vaya has been more than adequate for what I need. it, like Virgin, uses Optus network.
if you do choose Vaya then they a referral program which gives the referer $25 credit. as the referrer code is the referrers phone number then it could be part of the referral program here. (just saying)