Prepaid Plan options (for a non resident)

slee123 on 20/11/2017 - 08:35

Hello! I am looking for some help, as I am an expat and no longer too familiar with the telcos in Australia.

I’ve been with Virgin mobile for almost 15 years, and have had my number even longer. I have been living overseas for about 5 years and recharging my credit every 6 mths to keep my number.

I know there are so many better deals out there with Amaysim, Kogan, even Optus and Telstra etc. I have been coming back to Australia at least every 6 months, and I had issues with Virgin the last 2 times and think it might be time for a change…

I’m looking for some suggestions of prepaid sim only plans.

My top 3 criteria:

  • long expiry OR ability to not have my number expire with 6 mths of inactivity
  • data minimum should be 500mb (I’m only here for 1-2 weeks at a time usually)
  • CHEAP (who am I kidding? This is ozbargain)

Other stuff… I usually make some calls or texts (I can use data for iMessage or whatsapp). My parents don’t have data on their phones, so I need the ability to call or text them if they are out of the house, and I don’t want to burn through my credit.

I’m looking at Optus daily plus $2 per day, $30 credit for 186 day expiry… would work out to $26 for the 13 days I’m here, if I use everyday, it has 6 mths expiry, plus 500mb per day (wayyy too much)…

Or Amaysim $10 unlimited calls, texts and data for 28 days.. but not sure about phone number expiry for inactivity (anyone know?)… or their 365 day expiry for $10 plus $10 data add on… but calls and texts cost 15c…

Kogan, Aldi etc all seem to have similar things staring at $15 for 1.5gb, but again, expiry is about 30 days and I’m not sure if they cancel the number after inactivity.

To compare:
What I normally do for 2 weeks with Virgin is $29 for $450 worth of calls and texts, and 2gb data…
I will need to port my number over etc and would like to order the SIM card so it is waiting for me when I get back to Australia.

And so you guys can get an idea of how terrible phone plans are in Canada, I pay $48 a month for 100 minutes of calls, unlimited texts (international incl), and 2gb data… and it’s a sim only plan too, and I negotiated for that price.

Thanks ozbargainers!

Mobile

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 20/11/2017 - 09:16
    +1

    aldi can keep ur number for a year for few dollars

    • slee123 on 21/11/2017 - 02:06

      Good to know! Is this done through customer service?

  • retiredfeline on 20/11/2017 - 09:25

    They don't cancel the number for "inactivity" (non-use of credit). As long as you have credit, it's active.

    • slee123 on 21/11/2017 - 02:09

      I guess "cancel" is not the right word. They inactivate my account if there's been no re-charge within 6 months. This happened to me this year with Virgin, as while I did technically recharge within 6 months (so I thought I was ok), my credit from 6 months ago had been used up before the 30 days, so they counted 6 months from the date I used it up, not the end of the 30 days… I recharged my credit 3 times, and was charged on my CC 3 times and they would not refund my charges. They found out that my number was inactive which is why charges kept being posted, but no credit was being issued.

      I would like to ensure that I have my phone active when I land.

      • retiredfeline on 21/11/2017 - 09:13

        Sounds like your mistake was leaving no credit in the account.

  • brokenglish on 20/11/2017 - 09:44

    You already did your research.
    You cannot have long expiry and free calls + data at the same time at the cheapest price.

  • Aniseed Steed on 20/11/2017 - 10:07

    ALDImobile's Pay As You Go $15 plan:

    Calls 12c per min
    SMS 12c each
    Data 5c per MB
    365 days expiry

    https://www.aldimobile.com.au/plans/15payg/

    • slee123 on 21/11/2017 - 03:16

      I am looking at Aldi right now… so is this correct:
      - $15 PAYG base plan, 365 days expiry. I have $15 credit.
      - Opt to add $15 S value pack, which gives me unlimited calls, texts and 500mb data.

      This uses up the PAYG $15 credit? So that means by day 30, if I do not recharge the S value pack, I have $0 credit on PAYG. My SIM will be cancelled after 90 days of inactivity. So essentially I would need another $15 PAYG credit, and it would activate it again for 365 days, and then when I come back to Aus, I can use that towards my value pack??

      If I am understanding this correctly, then it seems like a very good option…

      I cannot find an email address to contact them with, and calling from o/s will be $$$…

      • Aniseed Steed on 21/11/2017 - 09:16

        Yes, that sounds correct.

        From their FAQs:

        "If you don’t recharge your ALDImobile service after your PAYG plan expires, the service becomes “passive”, and you will no longer be able to make calls, send SMS, MMS or use any data. Whilst your service is passive, you can still receive calls and SMS, but you won’t be able to return those calls or SMS’s.

        You will still be able to make calls to the ALDImobile Customer Service line 2534 which is a free call from your ALDimobile service.

        If you leave your ALDImobile service in passive mode for 90 days without recharging it with Pay As You Go credit then the service will be terminated and your number will be disconnected.

        The other important thing to note is that if your service becomes passive, you will not be able to add a Value Pack or Data Pack to your service. You must reactivate your service with PAYG credit first, and then you can add a Pack. YOu can use the PAYG credit to purchase a Value Pack so you wont be out of pocket."

        Unfortunately, you need to be an existing customer to email them by lodging an eSupport ticket from your ALDImobile account.

  • retiredfeline on 20/11/2017 - 11:14
    +1

    Or Amaysim $10 unlimited calls, texts and data for 28 days.. but not sure about phone number expiry for inactivity (anyone know?)… or their 365 day expiry for $10 plus $10 data add on… but calls and texts cost 15c…

    Incidentally the $10 data add on is obsolete in the sense that for the same $10 you can instead switch from AYG to the smallest plan for 28 days, giving you the same 1GB plus unlimited calls and text to standard numbers. So this is a choice to consider. Expiry is 365 days for AYG.

    • Aniseed Steed on 20/11/2017 - 11:48

      @greenpossum: Do you know if your remaining credit rolls over if you recharge your Amaysim AYG before it expires? I can't find any info on this.

      • retiredfeline on 20/11/2017 - 11:50
        +2

        Yes you retain your $ credit if you recharge before expiry.

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