Australia Smart Phone Sim Card - Just got home, advice to offer

I just got home for a 4 week Australia trip, 4 Days in Sydney + 12 Days on Princess Diamond around Melbourne, Tasmania and New Zealand then back to Sydney to Rent a Harley for 3 days then off to Cairns to Snorkel/Dive the Great Barrier Reef.

Before I left the US I was Hungry for advice and information, So now that I am home, I will 'Pay it forward' with all that I learned.

First off,,, I wanted a Sim card to us in my Iphone and had lots of advice, well as I left the baggage area in Sydney, I say the Vadafone booth and stopped by,, had a great sale.. Plenty of phone time and 2 gigs of internet. After I got the Vodafone card, my friends said I screwed up and should have gotten a Telsta card - better coverage???? Well, I was all over Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania, Cairns, Brisbane and it worked Great. Never had an issue and only used 1 gig - and have $$ left over for calls... and it only cost $30 AU which came to about $24 US... Deal.

If your going to Australia - get ready to see high prices on just about everything. its just the way it is.. If you smoke... get ready... pack of marlboro cigarettes = $28 AU.. I do not smoke but I was Shocked at this... reason,,, national health ins - if you smoke, you gonna pay, lol

If you have any questions, email me and I will give you my cell and help all I can... Lots to see and do.

Just remember that tipping is not expected here as wages are much higher. Wait-staff and the like don't live on their tips. Sure, they'll accept a tip if it's offered but there's not an obligation like there is in the USA.

Also, sales tax (ie the GST) is included in the price. One thing that surprised me in stores in the USA was that I was charged more than the marked price in stores because tax was added at the register.

Oh, and be careful crossing the street, we drive on the left!

I agree,,

one thing I liked about Australia and New Zealand,, EVERYONE was so friendly and helpful

I rented a Harley for three days and a car in Cairns - driving was a blast... Only issue I had was in the car.. I kept hitting the windshield wipers instead of the turn indicator, LOL

If Australia was not 14 hours in a plane, I would love to go back

Glad you enjoyed Australia, and great idea to 'pay it forward'.

BTW, Hawaii is only 9-10 hours so maybe breaking the trip up may help with flight times.

I agree,,

 

one thing I liked about Australia and New Zealand,, EVERYONE was so friendly and helpful

 

I rented a Harley for three days and a car in Cairns - driving was a blast... Only issue I had was in the car.. I kept hitting the windshield wipers instead of the turn indicator, LOL

 

If Australia was not 14 hours in a plane, I would love to go back

Hey i live here and do it all the time, one car Jap one German, fortunately she only lets me drive the "Good Car" {Jap] once in a pink fit.

Your Vodaphone worked fine in all the major Australian city and regional areas but once out of those zones, Telstra becomes far more reliable. However, in New Zealand, Vodaphone is the main carrier.

Just so the Taswegans dont get upset, Tasmania is a state of Australia, not a separate country. I take it you visited Hobart.

Your Vodaphone worked fine in all the major Australian city and regional areas but once out of those zones, Telstra becomes far more reliable. However, in New Zealand, Vodaphone is the main carrier.

 

Just so the Taswegans dont get upset, Tasmania is a state of Australia, not a separate country. I take it you visited Hobart.

Yep the missus is with Vodafone 99.9% of the time all is fine, but she's away at school camp this week, has to borrow a phone of the kids with telstra or she can't nag me.:D

Hey i live here and do it all the time

Me too. :D

Me too. :D

What only get the good car once in a blue moon?;)

I just buy the scent trees that have a new car smell.:D

I agree,,

 

one thing I liked about Australia and New Zealand,, EVERYONE was so friendly and helpful

 

I rented a Harley for three days and a car in Cairns - driving was a blast... Only issue I had was in the car.. I kept hitting the windshield wipers instead of the turn indicator, LOL

 

If Australia was not 14 hours in a plane, I would love to go back

My Australian Model T Ford has the throttle lever on the left and the spark lever on the right. USA made cars are the other way around. I'm sure I'd have trouble driving an American T until I got used to it.

My Australian Model T Ford has the throttle lever on the left and the spark lever on the right. USA made cars are the other way around. I'm sure I'd have trouble driving an American T until I got used to it.

LOL, you know what they say about ford drivers.:cool:

What only get the good car once in a blue moon?;)

Of course, new cars are expensive.:p

Of course, new cars are expensive.:p

Yeah, I keep telling people that I drive a Model T because I can't afford a new car. :)

I have never bought a new car, and probably never will. I would rather buy a second hand one and go on a cruise or two.:D

I just got home for a 4 week Australia trip, 4 Days in Sydney + 12 Days on Princess Diamond around Melbourne, Tasmania and New Zealand then back to Sydney to Rent a Harley for 3 days then off to Cairns to Snorkel/Dive the Great Barrier Reef.

 

Before I left the US I was Hungry for advice and information, So now that I am home, I will 'Pay it forward' with all that I learned.

 

First off,,, I wanted a Sim card to us in my Iphone and had lots of advice, well as I left the baggage area in Sydney, I say the Vadafone booth and stopped by,, had a great sale.. Plenty of phone time and 2 gigs of internet. After I got the Vodafone card, my friends said I screwed up and should have gotten a Telsta card - better coverage???? Well, I was all over Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania, Cairns, Brisbane and it worked Great. Never had an issue and only used 1 gig - and have $$ left over for calls... and it only cost $30 AU which came to about $24 US... Deal.

 

If your going to Australia - get ready to see high prices on just about everything. its just the way it is.. If you smoke... get ready... pack of marlboro cigarettes = $28 AU.. I do not smoke but I was Shocked at this... reason,,, national health ins - if you smoke, you gonna pay, lol

 

If you have any questions, email me and I will give you my cell and help all I can... Lots to see and do.

Glad all went well with you for your phone, and you had a great time .........y'all come back now - ya hear :D (That's my best American accent) :p

daft question I am sure, so you just buy the sim card and put it in your existing phone?

daft question I am sure, so you just buy the sim card and put it in your existing phone?

short answer - Yes,

I use a Iphone 4 - right after you get your bags at the airport there was a booth for the Votafone - I Just gave them my phone and they did it for me,

Now, your phone NEEDS to be UNLOCKED - took a little bit of work but att walked me through it. When it was all done and I was ready to come home,,, I just took their Sim card out and put my old one back in, powered up the phone and all back to Normal.

Worked like a charm

daft question I am sure, so you just buy the sim card and put it in your existing phone?

Yep as long as your phone isn't network locked, and is 900/1800 3G 4G compatible.

Yep as long as your phone isn't network locked, and is 900/1800 3G 4G compatible.

thanks!!

If you need a lot of data, or only need to use it once every few days (for example, if you're on a cruise), I like Optus's $2 days. $2 gets unlimited calls, texts, and 500MB of data. Go over 500MB and they'll charge another $2 for the second 500MB (you can't go over $4/1GB in a day). Optus has pretty good coverage, they cover some places that Telstra doesn't but it's generally the other way around. For those in the US, they're somewhere between AT&T and T-Mobile.

Starting April, Boost (prepaid Telstra) will have a plan that costs $20 for 100 minutes, unlimited texts, and 1GB data. That's cheap for Telstra. This is the Verizon of Australian carriers.

Vodafone has decent prices. If you catch a sale, I've seen the $30 sims for $10 (I sometimes stock up on these good deals). Vodafone here is comparable to Sprint. Decent unless you're between cities or in a rural area.

If your going to Australia - get ready to see high prices on just about everything.

YES thats the Australia tax we have to pay for living here, at least 30% higher on the same item than in the states.

YES thats the Australia tax we have to pay for living here, at least 30% higher on the same item than in the states.

Yep but

1. Wages are generally higher

2. It's worth paying more 'cause it's Aus. .:D

Visiting Australia is like booking a suite. You pay more, a lot of what you get is the same as what everyone else gets for a cheaper price, but there are enough benefits to make it all worth while.

Just an update as were were there for a month over the holidays. We went with the Telstra card. Spent 30 AUD for what ended up being 7gb of data, 700 AUD credit on domestic calls, 200 AUD credit on intl calls and free texting..( which i did not do, my family used messenger as intl text i about 50c from the states)

I am glad to report that it work consistantly, it was fast and I only used less than half of the data and that was with using the phone as a GPS.

Very very easy and worth every cent!!