So you’ve arrived in New Zealand and can’t wait to start your next adventure. Your epic journey starts here and the next few months, year or perhaps two are going to be unforgettable, but before you start exploring the country there are a few things you’ll need - one of them is a phone number. You’ll need one to set up a bank account so that you can find a job, to stay in contact with all the new friends you’ll make and of course, to stay connected to social media... that’s the most important one right? Either way, it will make life much easier which means less time stressing about finding a wi-fi connection and more time having fun and making memories. This article was created to guide you through some of New Zealand’s service providers and to help you chose the best option for you.
We were lucky enough to have one of our New Zealand phone numbers before we even arrived; organised through a company called Czechkiwis in exchange for booking our flights through them. This meant we didn’t both have to order our sim cards online or go to a shop to pick them up - something that wouldn’t have taken long but it was one less thing for us to do... The best option for us at the time was SKINNY MOBILE, at least for the first couple of months.
Just like everywhere else, there are two main styles of phone contract - ‘pay as you go’ or ‘pay monthly’. It’s less hassle to to opt for the PAYG (prepay in NZ) package but generally rates will be much higher. For shorter stays this set-up is generally more suitable though as it offers more freedom. It’s also suitable if you don’t plan on using many minutes or data during your travels, data being the biggest contributing factor to the cost of a phone bill here.
The Pay As You Go (PAYG) options
2Degrees: A minute of each call within NZ and Australia will cost you $0.44, SMS $0.20 and 1 MB of data is $0.50.
Skinny: Skinny keeps the prices simple. For a minute of a call, one text message or per every MB, they will charge you $0.20.
Spark: If you choose Spark pay as you go plan you can make a call for $0.49 per minute, send a message for $0.20 and browse the internet for £1 per 10 MB.
Vodafone: Vodafone will charge you $0.30 per minute of each call, $0.10 per SMS and $0.20 per MB.
Data...
Let’s be honest, the real reason we are all comparing prices here is to see which network will give us the best value for money on data, right? If like us you prioritise data over minutes texts then you’ll be looking for monthly plans. In general, they offer much better value for money compare to the PAYG options.
There are quite a few, and trying to compare every option out there would be an extremely difficult task, so as the whole idea of this article is to make things easier for you, we’ve only included the most popular (and best) plans. Aren’t we nice? Don’t forget, all plans can be modified slightly with ‘add-ons’ which change frequently.
Monthly Plans
2Degrees
Weekly – not available Monthly - minutes and texts apply in New Zealand and Australia (and there are no fixed term mobile roll-over plans)
$19 (1.25 GB, 200 min, Unlimited texts) - Prepay
$29 (2.5 GB, 200 min, Unlimited texts) - Prepay
$30 (1.5 GB, 300 min, Unlimited texts + free Data Hour every day)
$40 (3 GB, 400 min, Unlimited texts + free Data Hour every day)
$49 (10 GB, 200 min, Unlimited texts) - Prepay
$55 (10 GB, Unlimited min, Unlimited texts + free Data Hour every day)
$70 (25 GB, Unlimited min, Unlimited texts + free Data Hour every day)
$85 (Unlimited min, Unlimited texts, Unlimited data + free Hotspot + add up to 3 numbers at $25 each) – for a group of four the total bill would be $160, which means each member should pay $40; for a group of three it is $45 per device. - This is the plan we currently have - as a group of four, this works best for all of us.
‘Free Data Hour’ was introduced as a limited-time offer which has since been extended and is valid until 2Degrees decides to finish this perk.
Skinny
Weekly – applies in New Zealand only
$5 (100 MB, 60 min, 750 NZ Texts
4-Weekly – minutes and texts apply in New Zealand and Australia
$9 (250 MB, 100 min, Unlimited texts)
$16 (1.25 GB, 200 min, Unlimited texts)
$26 (2.50 GB, 300 min, Unlimited texts)
$36 (4.50 GB, Unlimited min, Unlimited texts)
$46 (12 GB, Unlimited min, Unlimited texts)
$66 (30 GB, Unlimited min, Unlimited texts)
$70 (Unlimited data, Unlimited min, Unlimited texts)
Spark
Weekly – not available 4-Weekly – applies in New Zealand only
$19 (1.25 GB, 200 min, Unlimited texts)
$29 (2 GB, 300 min, Unlimited texts)
$49 (4 GB, 500 min, Unlimited texts)
4-Weekly (Data Value) – applies in New Zealand only; comes with 1GB of socialiser (FB, Twitter, Messanger and Spotify)
$20 (1.50 GB, $0.49/min, $0.20/text)
$40 (4.50 GB, $0.49/min, $0.20/text)
Monthly - minutes and texts apply in New Zealand and Australia (there are no fixed term mobile roll-over plans)
$39.99 (1GB, 300 min, Unlimited texts) – applies in New Zealand only
$59.99 (4GB, Unlimited min, Unlimited texts)
$79.99 (Unlimited data, Unlimited min, Unlimited texts)
$99.99 (Unlimited data, Unlimited min, Unlimited texts + add up to 3 numbers at $29.99 each) – for a group of four the total bill would be $189.96, which means each member should pay $47.49; for a group of three it is $53.33 per device.
** You may have heard about the free Wi-Fi spots from Spark all over the country? The truth is that although there are many of these around, and not just in the big cities either... what you probably haven’t heard is that the usage is limited to 1 GB a day. It is still quite an advantage but be aware of the limitations. **
Vodafone Weekly – not available 4-Weekly – minutes and texts apply in New Zealand and Australia
MyFlex Prepay – a variation of a 4-Weekly plan where you can choose the desired amount of data, minutes and texts. The prices range from $13 (250 MB, 50 min, 50 texts) to $49 (4 GB, 500 min, Unlimited texts).
Monthly – minutes and texts apply in New Zealand and Australia (there are no fixed term mobile roll-over plans)
$39.99 (2.50 GB, 300 min, Unlimited texts) - extra 2.5 GB for the first 6 months
$59.99 (10 GB, Unlimited min, Unlimited texts)
$79.99 (Unlimited data, Unlimited min, Unlimited texts)
Out of curiosity we compared MyFlex Prepay to the monthly plans and found out that with MyFlex Prepay you can get the equivalent of Vodafone’s cheapest monthly plan (2.50 GB, 300 min, Unlimited texts) for $34, saving $5.99 a month!?!?
Vodafone offers an endless social data pass, endless chat data and endless music data passes which can be purchased for 1 day, 7 days or 28 days. There are some exceptions to the ‘endless’ data however that are explained on Vodafone’s website.
Note that getting a SIM will cost you $2 (free if you order online from Spark along with a plan) and you can buy it in stores or order online.
If you are planning on being smart and using your phone as a hotspot, be aware that this is not actually legal in New Zealand. If you wish to do so, it is usually possible only on a limited amount of devices (for an extra charge) and with only certain plans (usually not unlimited). Internet in New Zealand is expensive.
In April 2019 2Degrees introduced their new unlimited tariff which also includes hot spotting! This is a good news not only for us backpackers but also the locals. 2Degrees made this offer even more irresistible by giving us the ability to create groups and get this plan for amazing $40 per month.
Well, that’s it! All the basics you need to know to help you make an informed decision and chose a good mobile service provider that suits you. Generally, each provider will offer some kind of bonus for switching to their network and have different seasonal discounts or perks. These only run for a limited time though and change regularly. If you’d like to know how we came to a decision... just keep reading.
Choosing a plan for us
As you already know, we both started with SKINNY plans. We were on a 4-weekly plan, initially trying to keep the cost as low as possible. We went for the $16 plan and decided that was similar to the other plans, yet the best value for money considering the amount of data included.
Comparing the same packages with different providers led us to SKINNY as on average they were $3 a month cheaper than the rest. In all cases, when considering data, SKINNY works out the cheapest (not considering promotional offers).
Eventually, as we started using our phones more for social media we ended up using the data and subsequently actually spending more money buying the data add-ons. Initially we were considering upgrading to a plan with more data, or finding an additional 2 people to create a group of 4 and joining the unlimited plan from SPARK. However, when 2DEGREES released their unlimited plan for groups, it became a no-brainer. We now all have unlimited data for $40 a month with good coverage. As for the additional 2 people... we simply asked people in Facebook groups and found a couple from Germany who were keen to jump on board with us.. after all, we’re all in the same boat right?
***Please bare in mind that this article hasn't been updated since: 12/07/2019***
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