" burner" phone for Aus and NZ

[muffin]

We have decided we would be bette off buying a throw-away phone for land use on our cruise and subsequent land trip of 10 days in NZ. Roaming charges on our iPhone are expensive. Can someone tell us where we can purchase such phones, and how much they are, and what services they can provide. would one phone do fo both Aus and NZ or would we needonein each country. Uses would be mainly making hotel reservations, restautant reservations, and requesting car rental pick ups etc. Pay phones would be an option, but in Canada, they are virtually non existent now. All info appreciated.

[Bodogbodog]

We call them "Pre-Paids" - you can buy the handset and a SIM - you can use the same handset in Aust and NZ but you will need to buy seperate Services and SIMs for each country to put into it

 

 

 

Those services can be voice and txt or include a data service if you want to get a smartphone - Android or Window Phone handsets are available for $100 upwards and you can set them up with your email and websites etc (suggest you try and use cloud services to store favourites etc)

 

 

 

Suggest you check out prepaid services as follows:

 

Australia - Telstra, Optus, Vodafone

 

New Zealand - Spark, Vodafone, 2 Degrees

 

 

 

There's are others as well but these are the main ones....

 

 

 

Once you're in country there are lots of retails stores run by the providers or their agents where you can buy the handset and service with relevant SIM - you can either but my a prepaid combo (be careful about whether it's locked to that particular carrier if you do though as you will need it unlocked when you move countries) - or buy a handset outright in which case it should be unlocked automatically

Edited January 9, 2016 by Bodogbodog

[sweetp12]

I can't answer for Australia but in NZ you can get cheap phones from $10 up. The place I would suggest is The Warehouse (google them to see the website which has the products) or a supermarket. There is both a Warehouse and a countdown supermarket 500m from the main airport terminal.

 

I think there might also be a vodafone shop in the airport terminal itself, they would specialise in this exact thing!

[GUT2407]

You can get cheapies at Coles or Woolworths (supermarket/grocery store) or Australia Post as others said also a prepaid sim card which you can but from the airport if you are flying in.

[muffin]

We now know how to handle this. tHanks. We cruise into Auckland so will not be at an airport until we leave later on. Thus, we will find an outlet and get set up. probably won't get one in Aus as we are mainly on the ship. It is only after the cruise we will have 10 days on our own where we think we may wish we has a phone. Appreciate the tips......sounds pretty easy to do.

[Bodogbodog]

We cruise into Auckland ....Thus, we will find an outlet and get set up

 

The terminal in Auckland is in the central city - literally. Just walk up Queen St and you will come across Spark and Vodafone outlets - they're much of a muchness in terms of Pre-paid offers and handset costs. There is also a Warehouse shop that will sell low cost handsets at 7 Queen St (they're sort of like a NZ version of Target/Kmart)

Edited January 9, 2016 by Bodogbodog

[Kiwi Kruzer]

You can get cheapies at Coles or Woolworths (supermarket/grocery store) or Australia Post as others said also a prepaid sim card which you can but from the airport if you are flying in.

 

Dick Smith will probably have some going real cheap soon...:eek:

[ozziepost]

Dick Smith in Australia are just about gone the company called in the receivers this week. Yep agree you might get some bargains as they clear the stock.

Edited January 9, 2016 by ozziepost

[GUT2407]

Dick Smith in Australia are just about gone the company called in the receivers this week. Yep agree you might get some bargains as they clear the stock.

 

Receivers in but a long way to go yet.

 

First they'll try and find a buyer while trying to trade out.

 

To my mind the directors must be a but nervous about insolvent trading, if not they should be.

 

And to be frank I'm not surprised I tried to buy something off them and was willing to go anywhere in the State to pick it up, I couldn't get an answer by email, on Facebook, in store, over the phone or online as to where had stock. With that sort of issue fixed they may yet survive.

[GUT2407]

Dick Smith will probably have some going real cheap soon...:eek:

 

Not sure they can go much lower than their recent fire sales.

[Greensteam]

Just make sure you have adequate identification when you go to purchase if bought in AUS. They won't just hand over a SIM unless you can prove who you are.

[Hawka]

covermore global sim

 

i had a sim from these guys i was lucky i got it with my travel insurance even if i had not it isnt too dear at that to get one , i set up a auto top up on it too so didnt need to worry on the top up bit was great just got the size for my phone the sim that was sent could be pushed out of card in size of sim needed

Edited January 10, 2016 by Hawka

[Aus Traveller]

Just make sure you have adequate identification when you go to purchase if bought in AUS. They won't just hand over a SIM unless you can prove who you are.

Take your passport and maybe a couple of other items of identification that show your name and address. Also have your driver's licence and anything else you have that has your name and address. The passport might be sufficient, but it is a good idea to have more than you need, not less. :)

[muffin]

tHanks for the additional sources. Have no doubt we can find one handily. Sorry to hear about a company going under, but does sound like theymprovide little service. Will not be going to them....too hard to get backup help ifsomething goes wrong. Sounds like we willbe front row centre off the ship...always fun. We are getting picked up by our car rental folks....then off to the north on the LEFT

side of the road! Actually wish we were flying in so we would be closer to a highway to get oriented on Abigail road with no pedestrians or traffic lights . We willbe fine...have done lots of driving onthe left over the years, but there is a small learning curve! My official job as navigator is to keep chanting our mantra for the first many negotiations in traffic . The mantra is this" keep tothe LEFT, keep to the LEFT, keep tothe LEFT!" Roundabouts are the worst .....we have been known to take two trips around to get the right exit upon occasion! Travelling is such fun!! Cheers m

[GUT2407]

Australia Post also offer a global SIM that looks like fair value.

[Hawka]

tHanks for the additional sources. Have no doubt we can find one handily. Sorry to hear about a company going under, but does sound like theymprovide little service. Will not be going to them....too hard to get backup help ifsomething goes wrong. Sounds like we willbe front row centre off the ship...always fun. We are getting picked up by our car rental folks....then off to the north on the LEFT

side of the road! Actually wish we were flying in so we would be closer to a highway to get oriented on Abigail road with no pedestrians or traffic lights . We willbe fine...have done lots of driving onthe left over the years, but there is a small learning curve! My official job as navigator is to keep chanting our mantra for the first many negotiations in traffic . The mantra is this" keep tothe LEFT, keep to the LEFT, keep tothe LEFT!" Roundabouts are the worst .....we have been known to take two trips around to get the right exit upon occasion! Travelling is such fun!! Cheers m

I've done that and I live in Australia lol can't get in right lane to turn left so in the right hand lane of round about so I do a right hand turn to the road I wanted

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Just make sure you have adequate identification when you go to purchase if bought in AUS. They won't just hand over a SIM unless you can prove who you are.

 

In NZ they just sell them over the counter. No ID needed.

[Hawka]

In NZ they just sell them over the counter. No ID needed.

 

seen them sold in Oz with out it too but when you activate sim thats when you need the id

[lucymorgan]

Are your iphones locked to your provider?

 

If not you could get a vodafone sim(s) or phone in Auckland (they are about 10 minutes walk from the Queens and Princess Wharfs along the main shopping street) and if you go there you can ask questions!

 

If they are locked you have some options:

- some providers will unlock the phones if you ask (in Aus if you are on a contract I believe they must do this)

- you can unlock yourself by searching google for how to do that (it may cost a couple of dollars to buy an unlock key

 

It depends whether you do a lot of international travel but having a vodafone Sim or phone can give you access to $5 international roaming per day (or 24 hours for postpaid) in over 50 countries so you could use the same phone potentially in NZ and Aus and in many other countries you visit in the future (vodafone is big in Europe). You can use your credit just the same as if you are at home. Investigate vodafone red sims for this option.

We tend to leave one phone off and use the other on shore as a personal hotspot for the rest of the family. With data, of course you can also use the phone for google maps etc which is handy if you want to research something whilst out and about.

 

Well worth investigating so you don't have to buy a phone in each country.

 

EDIT: actually they currently have an offer that gives free roaming in NZ (for an Australian sim). They may have the same in NZ for Australia roaming.

EDIT again: Here is a link http://www.vodafone.co.nz/roaming/ - sorry it looks like they only have it for postpaid plans in NZ

Edited January 12, 2017 by lucymorgan

[6666oz]

Looks like most has been posted already, but no need to buy a new phone if yours is unlocked and covers the latest technology, just buy a sim card for each country, if you are heading out of the big city in Australia your best chance of actually making or receiving calls is with Telstra , dont get sucked in with advertising that says "their brand X network covers 90% of Australians " that does not mean 90% of the country side.

[PerfectlyPerth]

The thread is 12 months old!

[lyndarra]

Hi Muffin, how did it go with the phone? Your experience may help others in the same situation.