My first submission (be kind).
Unlimited calls, SMS & MMS with $100 of international calls - all for $29 per month (plus once off $20 Sim fee). Not locked in to a contractQualifies for the first month free if signed up by 31 January as well. Uses the Optus network and is getting good reviews on Whirlpool.
I just signed up for this for my wife and may get one of the cheaper deals for myself it all works out OK.
Yep. Apparently so.
Yes but only if you purchase AND ACTIVATE before 28/02/2013.
Since it has gone from being $20 overpriced to just $10 over, +1. Just remember kogan's in the 'hood
Yep Kogan $29 without once off $20 Sim fee + 2gb extra data (6gb)
Just don't mention the $5 postage.
And the capped download speed at a max Of 4 mb/s
And Kogan's 'customer service'
I'm also led to believe that Kogan charges data in megabyte blocks unlike others who charge by the kilobyte.
This offer includes international SMS, MMS and $100 in calls to international destinations.
Kogan is on the Telstra network, end of story, much better than everything else.
Pretty much. Vaya is only good for their $11/month plan. I would never pay $30/month for the Optus network.
I would never pay
That's you. Everyone's carrier experiences are different and depend on where they live, work, study and travel.
Just because you don't consider Optus a good buy, doesn't mean that everyone should consider your opinion as being applicable to them.
But out bush its the 2g network, not 3g. check the wholesale network maps for Kogan. Looking between Optus and kogans maps, Optus seems like it has more 3g coverage.
You're more than likely correct.
Anyone out bush really should be connecting to the great Boost deal on the whole of Telstra's 3G/2G network (not the subset of that available via Kogan).
I read a lot of reviews before signing up and Vaya seemed better than the Kogan option.
Would have gone the same way if the data wasn't dialup speeds where I wanted to use it.
Bugger. The $100 international calls and free international SMS & MMS also swayed me.
The free international SMS is nice but their international call rates are atrocious so the $100 free credit will not last you very long.
For example, they charge 29c/m for calls to the US whereas with other operators it can be as low as 2c/m
Can existing members upgrade to this??
Interested in knowing this too, just changed over to Vaya less than 2 weeks back.
Nope, you need to port out and then port back in unfortunately.
That's not always correct.
Answers on this on subject on Whirlpool say that it depends on your current plan. Email Vaya and ask. See also → http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=2013758&p…
Thoughts on Vaya v Kogan?
Still go Kogan if you want unlimited and dont care about international calls/sms
($24ish vs $29/month - more data, better network but no international calls/sms)
If you can manage with plans with lesser inclusions, then the Vaya $7, $11 and $17 plans are the best around at the moment.
I get between 3Mbs to 6.5Mbs across different areas of Melbourne with Kogan so speed is not an issue for me. Vaya if you're in the rare Optus spots that give you > 7.2Mbs on 3G.
International calls is not a big deal. Just get a pay as you go VOIP account with Pennytel and use your 6Gb of data.
Vaya however does have the better cheap plans.
Well they have different coverage maps for one. Vaya uses the whole Optus 3G network whereas Kogan uses a bit under half of the Telstra 3G network. Vaya (Optus) has better inland coverage, especially in QLD. Kogan is technically restricted to 7.2mbs and Vaya isn't but thats a moot point given the average speeds you get on the Optus network.
That's all absolute garbage. I actually have both, and recently I did extensive travel outside of Sydney with a Vaya phone, a Kogan phone, and a Telstra phone.
The best was Telstra, followed closely by Kogan, and then distant last was the Vaya phone. Kogan does not use only half the Telstra network, it uses over 90% of it, and it shows. The Vaya phone would go 20-30 minutes without a signal on some isolated stretches of road, while the Kogan would only occasionally struggle when the Telstra phone was not. You get access to all next G sites except the government subsidised ones.
If you can tolerate Kogan's poor customer service (and that's a big if, I admit) then it trounces this Vaya offering.
You get access to all next G sites except the government subsidised ones
Source please.
I agree. Source? Cause thats not what I have been reading…
There is none as it's untrue.
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=2024665&p…
At any rate - I actually HAVE the service guys… like I said, only on regional roads would the Kogan Mobile powered phone occasionally lose reception vs the Telstra powered phone. Regional coverage still shat all over Vaya/Optus.
You can compare the mobile coverage maps and see for yourself.
Now you say:
like I said, only on regional roads would the Kogan Mobile powered phone occasionally lose reception vs the Telstra powered phone
But that's different to what you said before:
You get access to all next G sites except the government subsidised ones
It's more complex than the answer you've linked to in Whirlpool, and probably less coverage (more restrictive) than what is actually inferred in that post.
My first comment was my own experience travelling through regional NSW with access to Kogan, Telstra, and Vaya powered devices, the second was my understanding of why the coverage is different between Telstra Wholesale vs NextG - and I provided a link to where I read that.
Not sure what the problem is here.
Don't forget Kogan is using Telstra network
No contract doesn't really mean much when there is a $30 "disconnection fee."
(http://www.vaya.net.au/?option=Additional%20Fees%20and%20Cha…)
If you port out, there is no fee. Only if you disconnect without porting out your number.
Wow some of those Vaya fees are ridiculous such as if the payment is declined. I got the impression they were trying to be different to the other tel cos.Have to be very careful you don't get bitten by these fees.
Wow some of those Vaya fees are ridiculous such as if the payment is declined.
Who doesn't have a decline fee these days?
Not only that. Late fee $10, even greedy Branson from Virgin mobile doesn't do that to me. I sometimes pay late cause I simply forget due to the massive amounts of emails I get.
Just because a decline fee is common these days doesn't mean people won't notice this sort of BS, you'd expect from big corporations which have a stranglehold on the market. I for one, know it doesn't cost $10 to redo a transaction. This sort of "legal" scam leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
Branson doesn't own Virgin Mobile, Optus does.
Even better, more respect for Optus then for not changing those extra charges since I joined in 05. I hope your not trying to defend Vaya's idiotic fees, sure their plans are a great deal, but that doesn't somehow balance out with ridiculous surcharges.
Not even that legal if you've been paying attention to the 'penalty clauses' cases against the banks recently.
They were civil matters.
Does this plan offer 4G LTE coverage?
I still have problem checking my usage on Vaya website, any1 has the same problem???
'The use of non-standard tethering and data usage where a primary voice sim card has been removed from a mobile voice handset and placed into a Tablet device or Mobile Broadband Modem is not supported by Vaya and is charged as excess data usage outside of the data allowance of the voice rate plan.'
What the hell is 'non-standard tethering'?
"…where a primary voice sim card has been removed from a mobile voice handset and placed into a Tablet device or Mobile Broadband Modem is not supported by Vaya and is charged as excess data usage outside of the data allowance of the voice rate plan."
As someone who's on the Optus network (through a reseller) - avoid it! It's terribly over-subscribed, and I'd actually choose Vodafone over Optus network at the moment.
As someone who has many friends on the Optus network, I don't hear of any of them complaining about it.
Well it's a good thing your 'friends' experience is worth more than my own personal experience. The Optus network is terrible in and around Brisbane, coverage is fine, but data is slow and flaky. I have switched my wife from Optus to Kogan and the difference is night and day.
Whatever works for you, works for you.
I think in the end it really depends on your location when choosing a network.
Is anyone out there happy with vodafone coverage… seriously.
I recently switched over to Optus (thru a reseller) n life has become a lot simpler. My data connection works n i can receive calls. Most of my friends complain abt vodafone n its coverage.
May be its just my peronal experience n where I live n commute to.
I am, Vodafone is fine in Adelaide where I work and at my house :) Really depends on your location!
1) Is VAYA 4G ? (If so, is this 3G only Unlimited?)
2) Isn't KOGAN Unlimited plan $29 /month ?
1) No, Yes (but don't confuse 3G with data).
2) Yes
(Thanks a a a ). 3G with Data?
I was trying to make make it clear that data was not unlimited (maybe I just misunderstood the first question).
If I can get the first month free then it's worth it cause I basically just pay the $20 sim pack fee and get unlimited for a month.
If I can't get the first month free, then the $20 SIM pack fee is a deal breaker for me.
Vaya bills on calendar month so you might not have much remaining of this month. Though their 'one month free' is a little confusing.
i.e. You sign on, pay $20 setup, pay $29 for the month, they credit you $29 on your account, on the fifth of the next month they charge you a pro-rata amount for this month.
It seems a little to me like you're paying twice but I did get the credit so meh..just take note you'll be $49 out of pocket right at the start with this.
"It seems a little to me like you're paying twice but I did get the credit"
So then you're not paying twice as you've received a rebate and has thus been balanced out.
The rebate is a promotion, though. i.e. You don't normally get it..
Vaya said that's how postpaid works but it's been a while since I signed up for a postpaid acc..
Point me to where it states that the rebate is a promotion.
http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/92065
They've extended it for Feb. On the site:
"Available for FlexiPlan applications received form the 1st February 2013 to the 28th February 2013 and activated before the 28th February 2013 "First Month Free Access" means you will have a credit on your account equal to the value of the full monthly access fee of the plan that you choose."
My initial statement was wrong, though. They rearranged the order of payments and ended up not charging me anything beyond the $20 at first. Which's good.
Can anyone comment on the merits of this vs. Amaysim? Both seem to use the Optus network but this is $10/month cheaper
…And you get international SMS, MMS, calls (up to $100 of funny money for that).
Most people with Amaysim connect to their prepaid offer which means there's no prospect of spending more than you've be allocated. I guess there's always the risk of going over on a post-paid plan like this one from Vaya.
Thanks1
Attention: I remember you could not port your number from another carrier over, unless you do it when you set up your account. You have to apply for another sim if you want to do that later.
I currently have 2 month left on my contract therefore I am not able to port my number over. what a shame.
plus once off $20 Sim fee
I signed up "29 Month to Month" but they charged me $20. How did you get that fee waive?
You sign up for a 24 month contract and the SIM fee is waived.
Has anyone phoned up their call centre? Atrocious.
They say there's a call centre based in Brisbane, but every time I've phoned up it has gone overseas — poor line quality, but even worse, very poor English.
Something for you to consider before signing up.
every time I've spoken to them they've been Australian accented people.
I am sure many of their calls are outsourced.
entirely possible.
Give them a buzz now… overseas every time!
I'm curious, did you make any test calls?
Expired
Still works for me. Seems valid until the end of Feb.
Things I found out the hard way:
Any idea if they allow free downgrading from 17$plan to 11$plan???
Nope, that'd be $11 fee.
To all ozbargainers,DO NOT fall for Vaya trap. Why?
I signed up 2 accounts on 02jan,2013 paying $20.00 each for sim cards. For one $7.00 Flexiplan S account, My standard usage limit for Jan13 was wrongly displayed in Vaya system account login. I used $15.00 over that limit. Now, their invoice shows the standard usage limit for Jan13 was much less than displayed and hence charged for excess usage $31.02. The misinformation on Vaya site mislead me to believe that my excess usage is over by $15.00 only. I am happy to pay $15.00 excess usage but not $31.02. This is fault on Vaya system account display for everyone's first month. Be very careful.
Despite a call and several messages, no-one is contactable and no-one is willing to listen. Forget about admitting their fault. Customer service is very very bad. Irresponsible guys on phone with wrong attitudes and fake tones.
Regards.
I concur that customer service is atrocious.
The money you save in dollars you will pay for in stress in dealing with poor English speaking customer service reps who appear to have little interest in dealing with you issue, and who are intent on speaking over the top of you.
If you use Vaya then also download the My Usage app and monitor your usage with a button tap each day.
Yes the information is about 48 hours old.
But I have been using Vaya $11 plan for four months now - in Sydney - and very happy with the calls, data, customer service and monthly allowances.
I struggle to go anywhere near using all my data and calls allowances.
If you are a mobile chatterbox who must talk for hours then go unlimited.
If you can use a mobile to exchange basic needed information and hold the social banter for later then Vaya is a great choice.
I have no affiliation with the company other than as a satisfied customer who likes to give credit where it's due.
With all that for a flat $132 a year I'm very happy. Thanks Vaya.
The 29 dollar unlimited plan sign up fee of 20 dollars is removed if you sign up for 24 months
…yeah not to worry about that; -2GB relative to market not to mention wholesale _ fees grab ("postdated") will cement their fate. postpaid mightn't be worth the chase, tho come back when it's 19 dollar…& Welcome to ozbargain chap.
$10 cheaper.. is it permanently this price if you sign up for it?