daydreamer16 Posted April 19, 2023 #1 Share Posted April 19, 2023 Hi Our mobile phone carrier here in the US does not have an international plan. We are planning to be in Australia for 2 weeks & then a couple of cruises. I'd like to buy a cheap phone loaded with a bunch of minutes to use while in Australia & possibly cruise stops in NZ. We will be in Sydney for 4 days staying in the Rocks area. Can someone recommend a place to buy a mobile phone that can be loaded with minutes? Many thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d9704011 Posted April 19, 2023 #2 Share Posted April 19, 2023 18 minutes ago, daydreamer16 said: Hi Our mobile phone carrier here in the US does not have an international plan. We are planning to be in Australia for 2 weeks & then a couple of cruises. I'd like to buy a cheap phone loaded with a bunch of minutes to use while in Australia & possibly cruise stops in NZ. We will be in Sydney for 4 days staying in the Rocks area. Can someone recommend a place to buy a mobile phone that can be loaded with minutes? Many thanks! Where do you plan on calling? The US? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daydreamer16 Posted April 20, 2023 Author #3 Share Posted April 20, 2023 No, just local, I'd like to be able to make dinner reservations, confirm tours, emergency etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d9704011 Posted April 20, 2023 #4 Share Posted April 20, 2023 43 minutes ago, daydreamer16 said: No, just local, I'd like to be able to make dinner reservations, confirm tours, emergency etc. From a practical perspective, you're going to need separate SIMs for Australia and New Zealand. Can you go without the phone for the NZ portion of your travels? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yarramar Posted April 20, 2023 #5 Share Posted April 20, 2023 This one is so cheap, you could get another one in NZ. https://www.kmart.com.au/product/optus-x-start-3-smartphone-43184095/ You may need to pay to unlock it so you can reuse it in the US 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d9704011 Posted April 20, 2023 #6 Share Posted April 20, 2023 Gotta love KMart! They closed up shop in Canada years ago. I think I'd look at purchasing an Optus SIM upon arrival at SYD: https://www.optus.com.au/prepaid/traveller-sim#plans May be able to get a roaming package to use it in NZ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daydreamer16 Posted April 20, 2023 Author #7 Share Posted April 20, 2023 10 hours ago, d9704011 said: From a practical perspective, you're going to need separate SIMs for Australia and New Zealand. Can you go without the phone for the NZ portion of your travels? Yes, probably can, spending 4 days in Auckland & then a cruise. 5 hours ago, yarramar said: This one is so cheap, you could get another one in NZ. https://www.kmart.com.au/product/optus-x-start-3-smartphone-43184095/ You may need to pay to unlock it so you can reuse it in the US Great, will look into this! thanks for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yarramar Posted April 20, 2023 #8 Share Posted April 20, 2023 55 minutes ago, daydreamer16 said: Yes, probably can, spending 4 days in Auckland & then a cruise. If only in NZ for 4 days and if you get an Optus phone and or sim here, you could also buy this. https://www.optus.com.au/mobile/plans/international-roaming/prepaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andlep Posted April 20, 2023 #9 Share Posted April 20, 2023 You could buy an international prepaid sim card before you leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daydreamer16 Posted April 24, 2023 Author #10 Share Posted April 24, 2023 Thanks again, you guys are so helpful! Can't wait to go to Australia! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiggrbaby Posted September 8, 2023 #11 Share Posted September 8, 2023 Would I be able to purchase a sim card and use it in an old Droid phone that is no longer on a network? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yarramar Posted September 8, 2023 #12 Share Posted September 8, 2023 4 hours ago, tiggrbaby said: Would I be able to purchase a sim card and use it in an old Droid phone that is no longer on a network? Maybe, the phone must be capable of receiving the radio frequencies that our networks use. https://www.whistleout.com.au/MobilePhones/Guides/Will-my-phone-work-in-Australia-carrier-network-frequencies Google your phone model and "radio frequencies" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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