We're going to be Aus (Victoria specifically) for the whole of August, and in an attempt to keep our phone bills down we were thinking about picking up some PAYG mobiles or SIMs (to go in some old mobiles we already have).

Any pointers or deals people know about?

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/

You will get all the goss on there!

Just some general pointers though - Telstra best coverage, worst prices. 3 just metropolitan areas.

Get your own phones unlocked in UK before you get here (the little man in the market is much more convenient than anything you will get here) then you can pop in an Aus sim and be on your way.

You can always pick one up before you leave by buying a card on ebay.co.uk. Just search australia sim card and up pop a heap <GBP10. Add to any unlocked SIM card and off you go.

Vodafone and Optus are probably the better ones value to coverage. 3 is ok but go outside the 3 zone and you will pay for it as they will roam telstra. Telstra is the best coverage and network hands down but you pay through the nose.

They actually require some form of ID here even if you want to buy just a PAYG mobile phone.
I think you are better off just to unlock your UK mobile back in the UK.

3 phones roam onto Telstra outside the metro area so shouldn't be an issue for most (unless you use data a lot)

3 requires you to have 3G phone that will use a usim.

We are off to Brisbane for August and are going to use a Vodafone UK sim.

If you ask for 'Passport' they have a roaming offer on this summer which allows you to ring the UK from Australia for normal UK rates.

We fly on 31st July, on that day we will put a Vodafone Freedom pack topup on the phone, that lasts 30 days and for £10 we will have 100 minutes of airtime plus 300 texts (you can pay more for even better bundles).

We can phone or text the UK at 20p minute but I can phone Mrs Avalook while she is in Oz with her UK sim for the same rate.

If I phone my son on his Oz number I pay a high rate so we have a spare phone for him with a UK sim to contact him on.

What a fab idea! Just looked on ebay and your right! Going to do this a week before I leave

Optus do a Sim card at the airport as you arrive - 20 bucks for 80 bucks value, and they do top-ups for 15 bucks, 50 bucks value or a 10 buck gives 50 minutes calling to the UK...on a mobile!!

Or you could do the Vodafone roaming deal in the UK - get a simcard, add 10 pounds, gives 50 pound value, text passport to a number (in the UK!!!) and you get UK rates for using a mobile to call home.

Either way, get your phone unlocked before you come.

I've just switched from PAYG to a plan that costs me $10 per month, and it gives me $130 of included calls

and No Minimum Contract Term or Connection Charge.

Who is it with? Hopefully got a more permanent address sorted out and looking for better rate plans.....

http://www.smspupmobile.com.au with Vodafone.

I've sent you a PM with details of an extra discount, but I can only give it to 10 people.

Also check out http://www.exetel.com.au/mobile_plans_capped.php

Rated very very highly by a lot of whirlpool users.

No contract cap plans.

eg $40 per month, $330 call credit, 200MG DATA and $0.75c call charges which is better than the big telco's contract plans.

Even the $10 per month is $75 of credit, 50MB of data.