Cell phone SIM card in New Zealand
 

My son will be spending 2 weeks in New Zealand and would like to get a SIM card so that he can use his cell phone there. He found this company:

http://www.telestial.com/view_product.php?ID=LSIM-NZ01

or his guidebook says that he can visit any Vodafone shop and get one for $35, which includes $10 of calls.

Which is the better option or is there something else someone can recommend?

On my recent visit, I purchased a 2degreesmobile sim card in a "dick smith electronics" store for $2 with $2 of credit. I also received a special 30 day pricing of 22¢ per minute.

The worst your son should have to pay is $5 for a sim card with $1 of credit and a call rate of 44¢ per minute [this includes calls back to the USA]. 2degrees also has a roaming agreement with Vodaphone so coverage is not a major issue.

Visit - http://www.2degreesmobile.co.nz/pricing for further details. I assume your son has an "unlocked" international cell phone.

"I assume your son has an "unlocked" international cell phone."

- and also, if it's a North American phone, that it can connect to one of the frequencies used in NZ.

For GSM phones NZ carriers (including 2degrees mobile) offer the international standard frequencies 900 and 1800 Megahertz. See www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_nz.shtml

In North America, GSM networks (where available) operate on different frequency bands, 850 and 1900 MHz. Quadband phones can be used on all 4 frequencies (international and North American); triband phones can handle 3 of those 4 (2 American + 1 international or 1 American + 2 international).

Anywhere you go, in some areas you may be able to usefully access one of the two available frequencies.

3rd generation (3G) broadband service is also available from Telecom NZ and Vodafone.

The fact that the US (with Canada and Mexico in its wake) adheres to its own standards is a constant problem for international travellers in both directions. To make matters worse, most American networks don't use GSM at all but a different standard, CDMA.

Thankfully, 3G services will supplant narrowband GSM/CDMA in the not too distant future, and some greater commonality seems to have been achieved. Not enough, but some.

You can also get a phone card rather than a cellphone simcard. They also have them at Dick Smith.

The prepaid throwaway phones aren't a good value there..start at $99 US.

Agree with mlgb - phone cards offer very low international rates, are widely available and can be used from any phone. The call quality may not be as good as regular telco networks (I assume they use internet transmission) but it's acceptable).

If your son will mainly be making a few calls back to you then the phone card is a good option, if he uses a pay phone he will be charged a one-time connect fee but the per minute fee will be much lower than a cellphone. If he calls from a house phone there shouldn't be a connect fee. The connect fees vary but a store like Dick Smith (I hate them actually and wish I wasn't mentioning them in particular, but they're everywhere) will have a comparison chart.

I just found this post. We will be a party of three who already own unlocked GSM phones for use when we travel outside the US. We are biking, and we are often separated, so the intent is providing a means to text things like "Meet you at the coffee shop on the corner of...." or simple phone calls.

I just assumed we would buy Vodaphone SIMs once we landed in Auckland. Since this 2 Degrees SIM price is so much lower, do those of you who live in NZ think that would be our better option? We will be in downtown Auckland one night and then in Christchurch one night before we head out for the open road.

There is a brand new product out call ed the NZ Holidaycard. It includes all your communication needs discussed above. The 2 degrees simcard ( 9 c for txt messinging and calls from 22c) TelstrClear international calling card ( rates from 5 c per minute from land lines) and it sets you up with internet access network of over 290 kiosks/hotspots. If your son is on holiday he might also enjoy the discounts they offer at attractions, activities and they have a competiton to win his airfare back.

I'm traveling to NZ next month and really like the idea of the 2 degrees $5 SIM. This may seem like a silly question, but how do you pay for your airtime then as a tourist? I'm assuming I would go over the $1 worth of credit.

In the past I've always used my US based GSM phone and paid the outrageous roaming charges. I'm not sure how it works when you have the country specific SIM. Can someone clue me in? =)

Thanks!

Add as much credit as you think you will use when you purchase the sim card [we were in NZ over 3 weeks and only used about 25NZ$ worth of airtime]. Per 2degrees mobile web site http://www.2degreesmobile.co.nz/storelocator , there are “over 12,000 locations across New Zealand where you can top up” if you need more.