Working holiday in Australia: how to choose the right phone plan

In Australia, it is important to have a local phone number for things like applying to jobs and opening a bank account. And in this day and age, cellular data is also essential not just to travel, but even daily life.

In this article, we’ll tell you about mobile phone offers in Australia and how you can get connected while staying within budget.

Contents

1. Phone plans in Australia
2. A closer look at prepaid
3. Choosing a carrier
4. How to get an Australian SIM
5. Holafly: eSIM for international roaming
6. What to do about your phone plan from home
7. Internet access and coverage

1. Phone plans in Australia

There are three main types of phone plans in Australia:

1. Prepaid. You top up your account up front with a certain number of dollars and the operator deducts from your balance based on your actual usage (of data, minutes, and texts). When your balance is low, you top up again.
2. Postpaid without commitment (i.e. month to month). You select a package and pay the same amount every month. There is no fixed commitment, so you can end it at any time.
3. Postpaid with commitment (i.e. with contract). You select a package and sign a contract for 12 or 24 months. You pay the same amount every month. As a perk, the contract usually comes with a brand new device.

The most popular option for working holiday makers is number 1: prepaid. This is because it offers maximum flexibility and you pay for exactly what you use. There’s no monthly bill to deal with either, since charges are deducted automatically from your top up balance.

Option 2 (postpaid without commitment) is also a good choice as well if you consume a lot of data. You’ll just need to make sure you pay the recurring bills on time and to notify the operator before permanently leaving Australia. However, more paperwork will be required during registration compared to prepaid, especially as a Working Holiday Visa holder.

2. A closer look at prepaid

Most working holiday makers opt for prepaid SIM cards, as they are a practical way to adapt spending to lifestyle:

• If you’re doing fruit picking in a remote area, you likely won’t be using your phone very much.
• If you’re living in a city, are looking for accommodation or a job, and have a social circle, you may need your phone much more.

Prepaid offers can be used:

• Via plans: a combination of data (internet access), calls and SMS (often unlimited within Australia).
• Via pay-as-you-go, where you pay for data, minutes and SMS at a fixed rate (less cost-effective).

Credit can be valid for 7 days, 28 days or longer. Some prepaid offers are valid for 6 or 12 months if you are willing to load a bit more upfront to take advantage of a promotion. These are known as “long expiry” offers.

Prepaid offers generally start with a “starter kit”, with excellent deals on the first three recharges. However, once those three recharges have been used, the rates become less favourable. This is the main drawback of prepaid offers. However, if you don’t mind frequently changing phone numbers, doing so will allow you to get a new starter kit.

3. Choosing a carrier

Once you’ve decided which type of plan best fits your needs, you’ll need to choose a carrier. The three main carriers in Australia are:

• Telstra
• Optus
• Vodafone

Telstra is Australia’s largest mobile network and has the best coverage nationwide (see coverage map), which may be important if you are planning to spend time in the Outback. Optus also offers good nationwide coverage. Vodafone is best if you’re only sticking to big cities.

There are also many budget carriers that rely on the major carriers’ networks (indicated in parentheses). These include:

• Boost (Telstra)
• Belong (Telstra)
• Aldi (Telstra)
• Woolworth (Telstra)
• Amaysim (Optus)
• Yomojo (Optus)
• Dodo (Optus)
• Coles (Optus)
• Spintel (Optus)
• Southern Phone (Optus)
• Kogan Mobile (Vodafone)

You should browse the websites of a few carriers and see which packages are most suitable. The following pros and cons can help you guide you to either major carriers or budget carriers.

Major carriers:

• Pros: Larger selection of phone plans; access to network coverage almost anywhere in Australia (important if you plan on working in or travelling to remote places).
• Cons: More expensive.

Budget carriers:

• Pros: Competitive prices.
• Cons: Slightly less reliable network coverage in remote areas; smaller selection of plans.

4. How to get an Australian SIM

The process of getting a local phone number is pretty similar to that in other countries. Go to a carrier’s store and an associate will help you through the steps.

It’s best to bring your phone to Australia to avoid buying a pricey new device. Make sure your phone is unlocked, i.e. not tied to a specific carrier or contract back home.

As a foreign national, also make sure to bring your passport! This is because Australian law requires carriers to ask to see ID from clients to activate the line.

5. Holafly: eSIM for international roaming

Local SIM cards usually don’t include international roaming data. If you want to travel to other countries during your working holiday, travel eSIMs are a great solution.

Holafly is offering readers of pvtistes.net 5% off their unlimited data eSIM for use abroad. Learn more.

6. What to do about your phone plan from home

You probably already have a phone plan in your home country. Before heading to Australia, you could put your plan on hold, cancel it or upgrade to an international roaming package.

1. Put it on hold

If you’re going on a working holiday to Australia, putting your current phone plan on hold will save you from paying an unnecessary recurring expense. You may, however, still have to pay a smaller fee to keep your number. If you have the budget to do so, this is likely the best option, as you’ll likely need the same number again once you return home.

2. Cancel it completely

Another option is to simply cancel your plan. There is usually no fee associated with this, but the obvious downside is that you would lose your number forever.

Be careful if you are locked into a contract. Breaking a contract early usually incurs a penalty. Check with your operator on what your contractual obligations are.

3. Upgrade it to an international plan

It may be worth asking your carrier if they have any international options. If it’s not too expensive, this option would allow you to have an operational phone ready for use the moment you land in Australia.

The one big downside to this option is that some situations in Australia (like elsewhere) require a local phone number, especially when it comes to financial and banking services that send multi-factor authentication codes to a phone. A foreign number may not be accepted.

Another important example is in job applications: employers are usually hesitant to foreign numbers.

7. Internet access and coverage

Finding internet access in Australia can be a challenge at times—it’s a huge country and coverage can be patchy, especially outside the major cities.

Depending on your travel plans, you may need to prepare accordingly. For example, if you are planning to backpack nomadically in Australia, make sure to download offline maps on Google Maps before going offgrid.

Free wifi in Australia

Free wifi is not very common, but thankfully there are a few places where you should be able to connect:

• Libraries (free unlimited access)
• Cafés (unlimited and free access, excluding the price of drinks of course)
• Fast-food restaurants (free access for a limited time)
• Supermarkets and most major Australian retailers

On-the-go Internet access

If you need a reliable wifi connection or if you’re going to spend most of your working holiday on road trips, consider mobile broadband options.

Mobile broadband gives you access to high-speed Internet on a wide range of devices through a dongle, model or SIM card.

Telstra, Vodafone, Amaysim and Southern Phone offer mobile broadband data plans. You will have your own network to connect your phone, laptop, tablet, etc. Prices can seem rather steep but it’s the most reliable way to connect anywhere on your terms—even from your converted van!