Fried Rice

https://personal.optus.com.au/web/oc...&site=personal


Hi,

My other half is supposed to be on top of this, but i am going to take the bull by the horns. When we land we need a mobile phone sim card, we both have tr-band mobiles phones unblocked. I just do not understand the charges associated this plan?

I want to make calls to Australian land lines and mobiles up to around 300 minutes a month, i also need to recieve calls from UK land lines and UK mobiles at no charge to me? Is this plan alright? For this, its just, it seems complex the way they outline the costs?


Thanks for any help.

E3only

Optus is ridiculously expensive. Plus this is a 12 month contract.

For 300 mins you need somthing like a 49$ cap. Try 3 network. 3 to 3 is free 100-120 mins or something. Generally though - if you going to call extensively, then you will have to up your plan.

And receiving calls from UK or overseas has not charge to you.

Centurion

http://www.exetel.com.au/mobile_plans_capped.php

$40 a month, sim only and no contract length.

Whilst 3 is an option, be careful. If you stray from their coverage you roam onto the Telstra network and pay accordingly.

E3only

I have been on 3 for a while and although they can charge you on roaming it was not often that I was on roaming mode. Actually, never been charged even when one roaming. It actually is that they reserve the right to charge but they don't.

Plus - there network is pretty good so not many times would one roam.

Valid point tho..

scrubbedexpat020

http://www.phonechoice.com.au/index....plancalculator

silver

3's network is metro only, so you go out the city you will roam on to Telstra. On a contract they don't charge more for roaming, prepaid they do (or did).

To the OP, in Australia the deals are usually called caps in which you get more credit for a certain minimum spend (as opposed to the UK's free text's and minutes). Different way of doing broadly the same thing. Look at the per minute rate and work out what the cost is for 300 minutes and see if there is enough credit.

I would suggest looking in the mobile forums on www.whirlpool.net.au for more detailed info.

Fried Rice

Thanks guys,


What are your thoughts?



http://www.pennytel.com/au/index.jsp

PENNY SIM


PennySIM opens up new frontiers in mobile telephony -
cut your call charges to $0.

PennySIM is a simple, understandable mobile phone plan. There are no tricks, no hidden charges. Just $8 AUD per month plus these call charges:

$0 (yes, free) for calls to PennySIM to PennyTel numbers
Your PennyTel plan rate to SmartDial numbers (local or overseas)
Take advantage of your PennyTel plan rate using the Smart Dial Service (Local or International)
$0.08 call connection fee + $0.08 per 30 seconds (per second billing) to Australia landlines and mobile calls
$0.25 Per National SMS
$0.55 Per National MMS

What are your thoughts, any good?


$8 dollars a month

300 minutes per month

5 minutes a call = 60 calls?

60 times $0.08 call connection fee = $4.80

2 times $0.08 per 30 seconds = $0.16 per minute times by 300 = $48.00

$48.00 + $4.80 + $8.00 = $60.80


Jeez $60.80, i pay £10.00 per month here in the uk 300 free texts aswell!

silver

I think pennytel are good if you are going to dial international a lot. Also you could look at lebara mobile if you want to dial international.

You may want to consider a minumum spend a month to get a better deal, and you often get better rates on contract and these can go month by month if you bring your own mobile.

Just some other examples.

Telstra talk and text which is prepaid deal, gives access to the largest but probably most expensive network,

$40 recharge per month gives you

150 FREE SMS3
+
150 FREE voice mins3

+ you still get the $40 to spend on talk time + more texts (but the per minute rates are pretty expensive)

or

Virgin (uses Optus)

Prepaid cap recharge $45 gives $320 credit at 90c per min = approx 355 mins (or combination of texts + mins)

or

TPG $49

cap costs $19 gives $300 per month at 40c per call gives approx 750 mins (no counting flag falls etc.)

Also I would suggest comparing voda and three. All depends on how you use it...