We will be in Australia for 16 days (August 2008) and we are wondering whether it is better to get a cell phone or buy a phone calling card for use in Australia.

We aren't sure what the fees for a cell phone are. Is there a flat fee for the phone rental, does it include unlimited calls, etc?

We are able to get a calling card to call from Australia to the USA (Shout) but as I mentioned we would like one to call within Australia.

Can you change the SIM card in your mobile phone? That's what I have done when I go to the States, I have also used a "free-range" option (I think it might be called "global roaming&quot where I keep my existing phone and Australian number but have used whatever network is in the area, but that's more expensive.

Susan7, Did you know that Telstra does a great service whereby you text "M" to 101 and they call you back with your messages.

Like you, I just get a local SIM for my mobile/cellphone and swap over to my global roaming Australian SIM to check messages etc.

Saves gazillions as that Global Roaming sure isn't cheap.

Thanks Bokhara, I hadn't heard of that Telstra option, it might lure me back to them!

Telstra is probably the network to choose for overseas visitors to get the best nationwide coverage, I was surprised in Tasmania that my mobile (with Virgin) only worked in Hobart.

Virgin might have a similar facility, Susan ... I've always stuck to Telstra for land & mobile phones because I need country coverage & only want to have a single carrier to hiss at when things go wrong

Thanks Susan and Bokara
We thought about taking our cell phones with us and get a SIM card, but we thought it would be a hassel taking our chargers and having to take an adapter to plug it in.

We don't think we will need to make a lot of calls so we were wondering about getting a calling card. We heard for International calls (from Australia to USA) the best is a company called Shout.
And for calls within Australia the best is Honest.

Any thoughts on these or something else would be appreciated.
Thanks again

I would definitely buy a sim card when you get here - perhaps a calling card as well. You can buy a prepaid mobile with credit for around $90.00. A stand alone Sim card from Telstra will cost you $25.00 which gives you:

* New mobile number
* A GSM SIM card
* $25 of included credit and 6 months network access
* Connection to Telstra's Mobile GSM Network

If you are only visiting the major cities you will probably get a better deal with Vodafone or 3, but as mentioned they don't have the regional coverage of Telstra.

Now I wouldn't use it to call back to the US (use your calling card - buy one here - you will get up to 1000 minutes for $10) but you will find it very useful when travelling. It doesn't cost anything to receive calls, so you can give any friends/relatives the # as soon as you buy it.

There has been a lot industrial action at Qantas and many flights have been delayed. Having the mobile means you can call and let people/hotels etc know if you are delayed. Another thing, pay phones aren't always available.

Thanks, Sarvowinner for your advice - this is most helpful.
We'd planned to just have calling cards but we will most likely get the cell phone for the reasons you mentioned. We plan to do additional flying within Australia so the delays will add up I'm sure.

Sarvowinner makes some good points, nanabee; with the saturation of mobiles/cells in Australia, there are a lot fewer public phones.

I find the local SIM is invaluable for making local calls, and also for receiving them. Restaurants, hotels, tour operators, airlines & people you meet on your travels & want to meet up with again .... all need a phone contact for you and they're not usually too impressed at having to pick up the cost of an international call to reach someone who might just be a few blocks away.

Have a great trip.

nanabee, Australian mobile phone charges are relatively high, so keep an eye on call durations. National roaming however is a given, and the receiving party doesn't have to pay a call charge. You'll receive a local number starting with 04 - this is nationally uniform and not based on local area codes.

You can choose from a huge variety of calling cards, sold in all manner of shops - newsagents, Asian groceries, Australia Post offices etc. I can't recommend a particular card for calls to the US, but each card's rates to various countries is usually displayed prominently.

We got an ATT phone for just this reason, but you have to get it "unlocked" prior to leaving the US. You call them and they give you a code. Then you can buy the $25AUD SIM card and it works like a charm! We used the charger with an adapter we got at REI and it worked well. You don't need a transformer because it's already in the charger. We also got a calling card at Costco in the US to call places from here to give them our credit card number and to ask questions. We don't like to send the credit card number via email and we dont' have a fax. It also gives you the option to ask for any discounts or alternatives that might get you a cheaper room, tour, etc. The calling card was bought for our trip in 2004 and we had minutes left over for the trip in 2007 (and I think we still have some--all for $30USD and we used it a lot.) Although we brought both cell phones, we only put a SIM card in one and that was fine (I didn't use mine). We didnt' need to communicate with each other because we were always together!! The SIM card/cell phone was very very handy when arranging to meet Neil_Oz, he was able to text us as well as call us.
Sally in Seattle

I went to Sydney in March, went straight to Vodafone at the Bondi Junction Mall, and bought an Aussie phone for about $60 USD. Totally worth it. I used it to call my friends within Sydney and then it also came with about 2.5 hours of "free" talk time that I used to call the States. I go there almost every year if I'm lucky so I can use it again and just buy a new pre-paid SIM card if need be. I too have a small business so I really needed it, and now that I think about it I have to add it to the list of things I can write off for my taxes!!!!