Telstra has upped the ante on International Roaming – allowing users head to Euro Zone China, Fiji, Taiwan, in data packs.
Remember cursing pricey international roaming charges? Well, Telstra’s new $85 and $350 data packs data let you pre-purchase credit allowances that will cut the cost of web surfing abroad.
The telco has also upped the number of countries in which these packs can be used this week, adding: Greece, Spain, Italy, Fiji, Taiwan, Netherlands, Switzerland, the Slovak Republic and Hungary, to the list of roaming ready countries you can hit thanks to these new packs.
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Telstra’s new $85 and $350 data plans offer allowances of $450 and $2,250 respectively, to put towards international data roaming charges, available to post-paid mobile and mobile broadband subscribers.
This is on top of its existing $29 ($150 allowance) and $160 packs ($900). Other new higher priced packs now include $550 ($3,750), $1,050 ($7,500) and $1,800 ($15,000) designed for business travellers.
Users incur a once-off charge each time a pack is purchased. The packs are valid for 30 days but the bad news is Telstra will forfeit your remaining credit when the pack expires.
The International Roaming Data Packs and Data Plans customers must pay for any usage in excess of, or outside of, their data pack or data plan.
Roaming data packs and plans are now available for use in 25 countries: New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, USA, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates as well as the new countries as above.
Downloading 25MB worth of email at the pay-as-you-go rate in one session would normally cost $384.50 (including connection fee) but a new $85 pack will give travellers an allowance of $450 which more than covers the cost of this download, says Tim Webber, Director, Telstra Mobile.
“Increasingly people want to be able to access email, use business apps, get live maps, browse the web and social network when they’re overseas,” he says.
Telstra’s have also offered some other tips for roamers:
1. Get organised before you go. Before departing, check-in with your phone provider and make sure International Roaming is available where you’re going, your phone will work on the overseas network and you understand the charging. Telstra’s International Roaming website allows customers to build up a list of countries that they will be travelling to and see the costs associated with roaming in each country.
2. Evaluate your data needs. Streaming or downloading videos, music, games and apps while overseas requires data and can be costly. You can use handset settings to disable data access while you’re overseas, or choose an International Roaming Data Pack or Data Plan with an allowance included.
4. Stay protected. If your phone or mobile SIM card is lost or stolen, call your phone provider immediately. Your SIM card and phone should be PIN protected so it cannot be misused.
For more information on International Roaming, Telstra customers can head to: telstra.com.au/mobile-phones/international-roaming/
