has anyone researched this and can advise where the best value is? trying to save 3 hours of research time here....

Vodafone 365 days recharge and standard voice calls are 39c+35c connection fee PER 30 SEC

Flexi caps are are 88c+35c conection fee per MINUTE.


is this pretty much what I should expect from all of them?

You need to be a bit more specific as best value really depends on the ways you use the phone and what service you want (e.g. voice + data) use in regional areas, calling abroad, calling in network etc..

I would suggest looking at Lebara for cheap international calls (uses V'fone network).

For good prepaid cap packages you could look at Virgin. they have a free V2V thing (uses Optus network)

For Coverage look at Telstra (most expensive but best coverage by a long way using nextG/3G 850 handset but they also have the largest GSM coverage too).

+others too..

Trying looking on the forum on www.whirlpool.net.au

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

Lebara or Pennytel... Pennytel cheaper if you are making more than 30 calls per month.... Pennytels flagfall is 8 cents Lebaras is 20 cents.... Pennytel 16 cents per minute Lebara 20 cents to Australian phones but around 5 cents to UK land lines.... Although Pennytel is around the same price to UK landlines.

Whoops Pennytel dont do Prepaid, but they do have a no contract 8 dollar sim card...

That Vodafone "365 day plan" is perfect fo people who use a mobile only for incoming calls.
Annual cost = $30

However, if you want to make calls, place that at the bottom of your list.

I have one of the above,

And my daughter has a $10 per month plan that gives her $130 worth of calls at:
20c per 15 seconds + 30c flagfall
The cap includes calls to any Landline or Mobile in Australia, and some overseas destinations including UK.

Hence $10 pm = about:
120 x 1 minute calls
or
68 x 2 minute calls
or
520 texts

Useful for a teenager.

Who's that with ABC sounds perfect for my daughter!

Love

Rudi
x

I've had the details sent to your email address. Doing it that way, you get a Free Month (Value $10) if you were to go ahead.

Better than a kick in the teeth

What I like with it is the fact that I can check the usage online, and there is no fixed term. I can cancel without penalty at any time.

Example call costs:
02:18 $2.091 Standard Call to a Fixed Line
00:51 $1.000 Standard Call to a Fixed Line
00:17 $0.636 Standard Call to a Vodafone Mobile
00:20 $0.636 Standard Call to a Vodafone Mobile
00:45 $0.818 Standard Call to a Vodafone Mobile
+ 38 texts at 0.227 each
all plus GST
Total $15.20 in 10 days.... hmmm... she still has $114 of unused credit.

And I know the phone numbers of everyone she has called or sent texts to
And the SIM chip works with Vodafone locked handsets.

Lebara charge 10 dollars for 365 days credit at present.

They use the Vodaphone network.

What I've done with my 11 year old sons is, linked it to our Pennytel account so that he dials Pennytel, on a access number which comes up engaged. Pennytel calls him back.... thus far zero cost.... then at the prompt you enter any number you wish to talk to... costs 1.2 cents per minute to any landline, and 10.5 cents per minute billed by the second to any mobile. The most you can pay is 21 cents per minute if you call a mobile... no flagfall.... as you are getting charged the 10.5 cents for Pennytel to call your Lebara sim..... So for 2.30 mins to any mobile with this system will cost circa 52 cents. remember No flagfall. I'll probably switch to the 18 dollar per month Pennytel Plan at the end of this month. Which gives unlimited free call to any landline and overseas to the UK (and 70 other countries) plus 500 minutes or 150 calls to Mobiles. You can use this from any telephone you wish... Mobile or Landline, as long as you have it registered via the Net first. You can have as many family members as you wish connected to this system...IE: everyone in the family can use it.


http://www.pennytel.com/pennytel_compare.html



You can also insert speed dial numbers with the Pennytel system so it's not a slow and cumbersome as one would think.



All with historical data on our Pennytel account, so you can check all the usage.

The system is called ANI call back.

It's also one of the reasons why Pennytel are putting a rocket up all the telco's at present.

I'm interested in buying shares in them to be truthful. They are either going to become a very big company or get bought out.

Got to admit I'm not game to tell my 16 yo daughter about the Pennytel option yet, as she though we had very cheap mobile a while back, and spent 5 hours connected to a mobile to one of her freinds that was in crisis (ain't they always)..... Luckily it was on my IInet voip system and only cost me circa 30 bucks. I've got her phone barred at present as she is over her 49 buck per month three limit.... I'll probably have to bite the bullett and go with the TPG unlimited for her.... sort of insurance for parents in this day and age... 79 bucks per month unlimited everything Aus mobiles...SMS...MMS....International to the UK.... ... except overseas mobiles + 2 gigs of data... thats the part that worries me actually...... At least I'll never cop one of those 1000 dollar bills that you hear of parents getting... have to wait to her contract runs out.

Bit hard to keep tabs on a 16 year old.

I do worry about that, but mine seems to know the consequences if she does something like that....

She has $2,000 in her bank, that I can get at to pay any excess bills

Some of these plans get so complex though, it does my head in at times.

Ozzie mate,

You sound a great dad!

Thats funny.


Keith

Yes, I was shopping around for a new plan myself. Finally settled on this lot:

PlanetMobile

They have the most simple pricing structure I have seen:

What I like about them is that they have no concept of a minimum monthly spend like so many other providers do. So if you only spend $10 in the month, they only bill you $10. If it's $100, then that's what you get billed.

I don't make many voice calls, but do use a lot of texts and data, and I have found them to be very competitive compared to my old 3 Cap undecipherable, uncalculatable and uncomparable plan.


S

No, I don't like that one, at least not for my daughter....

That would end up costing her much more than $10 per month

But it doesn't sound to bad for myself... It might save me about $15 per year. I currently pay $30 I'll check that one out.