Best prepaid data pack in Oz?

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Hobchild

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#115777 6-Apr-2013 13:29

Ok so I'm off to Melbourne for a week on Thursday and just wanted to chuck a sim card in my Xperia Play for a week. Can anybody point me in the right direction of the best deal? Just looking for something for $20 with 250mb+ of data.

So far Virgin has the only pack I can find for under $20 http://www.virginmobile.com.au/prepaid-mobile-phones-plans/

Also does the $100 credit I get with that deal mean that I would get roughly another 50mb at 0.2c/KB?

Batman

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#794286 6-Apr-2013 13:39

$25 for 1gb.

I bought the $29 pack for 25 at cooled don't ask why just was

Wise

Send money globally for less with Wise - one free transfer up to NZ$900 (affiliate link).

Batman

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#794287 6-Apr-2013 13:40

stupid Swype COLES

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#794289 6-Apr-2013 13:42

and yes I was struggling to figure out what to do with the couple of hundred bucks that came with the pack ... made many overseas calls but could even use a quarter of that allocation

Hobchild

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#794307 6-Apr-2013 14:11

Well that's the thing isn't it. I wouldn't use all that either, but thanks for giving me a heads up about the cheaper price.

Journeyman

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#794316 6-Apr-2013 14:40

DON'T go to the Optus store at Melbourne Airport. The only have two pre-paid options and they are very poor value for money.

My understanding is that in Aus a pre-paid sim has to be registered. Either the people you buy the sim from will do it, or I believe you can do it over the phone. Just an extra hoop to jump though, basically.

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#794323 6-Apr-2013 15:08

best to get a virgin human to do it takes 3 mins

I bought from coles they had no virgin computer i was on the phone for more than 45 mins trying to activate and get the plan I wanted

ashnizzle

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#794326 6-Apr-2013 15:13

i was there in Jan and got the optus $2 days for unlimited data, txt and voice service but dont get it from the optus store at the airport. they rip you off big time.

they can also activate the sim card there and then for you too.

scottjpalmer

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#794330 6-Apr-2013 15:22

Amaysim sim costs 2bux from 7eleven or Dick Smith or Woolworths and you can get 1GB for $10.

sbiddle

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#794332 6-Apr-2013 15:28

If you're going for a week Amaysim is probably the best deal. I've used this myself for the last couple of years.

Just be aware of their 1MB rounding (which occurs on Optus and all their MVNO's). You'll chew through more data than your actual usage if you have data enabled on your phone all the time with lots of background stuff going on.

Just be aware of the ID requirements for buying SIM cards and registering them. This can take time.

Hobchild

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#794338 6-Apr-2013 15:38

Amaysim definitely sounds like the best option so far. I looked at their website it looks like you can register it online but what sort of ID requirements would I need?

Also does McDonald's in Australia offer free wi-fi like over here? That way I can register it online instead of over the phone.

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#794350 6-Apr-2013 16:35

passport or oz driver license

have an address ready a real one

a second contact name and number

you may not need all the above or you might

Hobchild

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#802851 20-Apr-2013 18:23

Well I'm back and I'd like to say a big thank you to everybody for steering me in the right direction. I got the Amaysim with 1gb data and it was more than helpful. You really don't realise how much you rely on smartphones until you can't use one.

Had a wee bit of trouble mind you, first you guys were right about the airport stores. The first shop I went to just didn't sell them even though they were listed on Amaysims website. I even showed them the address and asked if I was at the right place which they confirmed but as far as anyone knew they had never sold Amaysim sim cards in fact they didn't even sell top ups. The second shop had them but tried to sell me one of the packs with calls and txt's included for $40 and telling me that no mobile provider in Oz would offer only data and that I would only be able to top up the data after I purchased one of the packs. Got what I wanted from a nearby DSE in the end.

Had a bit of trouble registering it too but ended up getting hold of a lovely girl at the call center who was more than helpful. Then I had to get the internet settings sent to my phone this can be quite a task without having the internet, fortunately in Melbourne you're never far from free wifi.