Getting connected in Australia

Setting up your Australian phone

Often, the first thing you do once you land in Australia, is calling your family and friends and letting them know you safely arrived Down Under or updating your social media status. To do it though, you will need to get connected, setup your phone to work in Australia.

The best option for you is the one that allows you to do whatever you are looking to do with your phone, at the lowest cost.

You will have several options to consider: prepaid or post-paid, contract or month-to-month, using your old phone or buying a new phone, pay an one-off cost for your phone or have the cost of your phone covered in the monthly plan, bundle your phone in a plan including house internet and phone or keeping them separate, etc… As you can see, there are many options to choose from.

Pre-paid or Post-paid

Pre-paid means you already have your phone, old or new whatever it may be, and pay in advance for using your phone on a mobile service provider’s network, meaning you buy credit. When your credit is depleted, you can still receive calls but you can’t make any calls until you recharge your phone with credit. You are also at risk of losing the credit you have if you don’t use it within an assigned time period (e.g. 30 days).

A post-paid mobile phone plan is a contract that you sign, between you and the mobile network service provider, where you agree to pay a certain amount per month for a range of service provided.

There are a set of questions we recommend you ask your provider before signing a contract. The questions we recommend you ask are:

• Do you have good coverage in my local area where I will live?
• How long is the contract for?
• What is the minimum amount I will need to pay each month and what is the total amount I will pay over the agreed contract period?
• What happens when I have used up the included value for the month?
• Will the plan prevent me from going over the cap or can I still use the service and be charged extra for it?
• What are the excess usage costs if I go over my text, voice or data allowance?
• How much will I have to pay if I decide to end my contract early?
• Can I change my plan within your network within the contract period? If yes, will I have to pay anything to do it?
• What will it cost me to make phone calls, send text message and use data overseas?
• What does the warranty cover and how long is it for? (this question refers to your phone if you purchase it from your provider)
• Will bundling my phone save me money? (Bundling means putting your phone, mobile plan, house phone and house internet on the same contract)

Whether is your fault or not, you have legal rights that will help you solve your problems or make complaints about your phone or mobile service provider. The Australian Government Money Smart Advisory Service will show you the best way to solve your mobile phone issues.

* Credit to insiderguides.com.au