Hi Ozbargainers! This is my first time using a Telstra prepaid starter kit. I've activated my SIM with a Long Life plan. There's $30 balance in my account. Many forums saids you can use your Telstra credit in Google Play. But I can't find the "Bill my Telstra account" as my payment method. I am using a Moto G4 Plus dual sim. Please help!
Telstra's Google Play billing is rather finicky on dual sim phones. Google Play is able to tell which sim you're using for data, and if you are using an alternate sim for data (say a Vodafone sim), then your mobile is registered as a "Vodafone Motorola Moto G (4)" and you won't be able to access the carrier billing option when making Google Play purchases.
Remove your alternate sim, and restart your phone with only your Telstra sim card inserted. The carrier billing option should appear on your phone after a few minutes (you might have to enable data for it to work - beware of expensive data charges on Telstra Long Life Prepaid).
Thanks anonym. It works now after I took the other SIM out. It won't work if you just disable the other SIM slot in the SIM setting. But is there a way to transfer the Telstra credit to places like Google Wallet for example? I need the other SIM for calls and txt and I don't have a spare android device.
Unfortunately those are the only two options I know of. You either go through all the hassle of picking apart and restarting your mobile (twice!), or get an alternate android device.
I recommend the latter - be on the lookout for cheap android devices (under $60) / ask around if anyone has a spare they are willing to part with. Just make sure that it is either unlocked / locked to Telstra, and has Google Play enabled.
You only need to restart the device once with the Telstra sim card - once Google Play associates the device with Telstra, you can continue to use it for Google Play purchases over WiFi without any sim card inserted. Don't use the spare device with any other sim card - the Telstra carrier billing option will disappear if the device is associated with any other carrier.
If your phone supports ejecting the SIM (like S7), you can try turning on airplane mode, remove the SIM, and then turning air plane mode off. Worked for me when switching SIMs in S7.
For me, I need to have the telstra SIM inserted when attempting to make a purchase. Otherwise "Bill my telstra account" does not appear.
After you have it setup and working, it might now also work if you deactivate the other Sim instead of removing it. Alternatively, if you have another android WiFi tablet, check if Telstra billing has become available as another payment option in it.
I'll try later and see if it works. Actually both of my SIM slots were occupied, one SIM for calls (grandfather TPG) and one SIM for data (Optus). As this Telstra one is purely for Google Play only.
You can't with new plans.
Incorrect. Still possible on Long Life & Simplicity.
I thought it still works on Simplicity and Long Life?
put your telstra sim, make sure turn off data, connect to wifi. open the game, purchase something they will ask you source of the fund (credit card, google credit, etc), change it to bill my telstra something like that.
thats all
yes simplicity and long life still fine, other plans, NO
Like OP, I couldn't get the thing worked until did the online chat and they tweaked something on their back-end to activate it.
My Google Play payment using Telstra Simplicity plan credit just stop working today ("Payment Declined"). Have a chat with the Telstra support, they say Google Play payment is no longer available for Simplicity and Long Life from 13 Sept 2017 (for security reason to stop frauds).
No public announcement though, they say they have sent SMS (my sim card is on my security system, I cannot check the SMS).
May have to move to other provider now.
I thought that was for an older pre-paid option and any new users cant do it.