Wilso16

Hi,

Just curious about the use of mobile phones in Australia. Are they as big business in the UK and can get good deals on them.
Also, I know that when I first get to Oz I won't be able to get a contract which is fine but once I can do you get a free phone and then upgrades every year?

Thinking of buying a crap pay as you go here before leaving and then just buying a sim card once we get there - is this easy to do?

daveandkathh

Hiya,
You can take ANY mobile phone, but it must be unlocked, then you just purchase a pay as U go sim card. I am with 3 at the moment and am going to be using them in Oz. as they are as big there as here. By the way, you are best off getting your phone unlocked by one of these phone "stalls" you see all over the place. Only cost me £5 to get mine done
TTFN
Dave

esperanza

Or alternatively there are free (or cheap) unlock codes that you can download off websites, if your phone is quite common and not brand new.

I was planning to just buy a phone out there, seeing as my handset over here is pants anyway. Is there a reason why you can't just get a contract phone straight away? (Am I being dense and missing something?)

Wilso16

I thought it would be the same here that you have to be in permenant work to get a contract phone - in which case I won't be straight off as just looking to temp for a couple of months.

esperanza

I didn't even know that was the rule here! Certainly didn't know that I would need a job before I could get a contract mobile.... Anyone else know anything about this?

Wilso16

Well they need to know that you can pay the bill - well that is the case here anyway! And also you won't have any type of credit rating.

Though I might be wrong on this!

esperanza

I've the impression that credit rating in Oz is less important than here in the UK.
Westpac have offered to pre-approve us for a mortgage based on the fact that my OH has a job to go to, in case we want to buy a house as soon as we arrive!

FluffyTheCampfireSlayer

We have just bought two Ozzie Vodaphone sim cards (PAYG) from eBay.

Do a search for Australian Sims and you will get results.

£10 each......$69 worth of credit free to use when you arrive!

Just chuck em into any unlocked mobile and she'll be sweet!

DrWho

It seems to work in a different way... they keep score of the bad things but not the good ones... And they seem to love driving licence numbers to run checks against... We had no problems getting all sorts of stuff set up... gas, electric, phone, broadband, foxtel... No questions or deposit... But for a mobile they want info on employment, pay, etc... I guess the networks have been burnt a little...

I think mobiles here are much more expensive than the UK... When we left we were with O2 on their 500 tariff at £20 per month for 500 minutes plus £5 for 100 text messages... Here there's still connection charges and the billing is advertised in 30 second slots not minutes...

Have a look at http://www.0044.co.uk/ for getting SIM cards before you go...

HTH

esperanza

Good link, thanks for that.
So as I don't have a job to go straight to, I can't get a contract phone?! Bugger!
Know what you mean about tariffs here - I have a brilliant old one with O2 (they stopped it years ago) which is £15 a month and includes 50min a day of calls and 600 texts a month. It's brilliant! My bill hardly ever goes over £20.
But then I suppose I won't know any one in Australia so who will I text and ring anyway?! (poor me!)

marco121068

Or alternatively wait until you get to Oz and pick up a PAYG Sim for $2.

esperanza

Sure there are cheap sims out there but I do think it might be nice to have one to take with me so that it's not another thing to sort out on arrival. I also like the idea of friends & family having the number before we go, and being able to text them straight away "we're here!"!!