PrePaidGSM > Operators > Australia > Telstra
Voice tariffs
| Prepaid | |
| Setup Fee for all calls |
All Calls Mo-Su 0-24 |
| AUD 0.30 € 0.15 |
AUD 0.78 € 0.39 |
Telstra prepaid friends
Recharge with a $40 e-voucher and use it for any prepaid services you like, plus you'll get another $260
of talk, text & picture messages to your 5 favourite numbers, on any network in Australia, anytime.
Unused credit expires after 30 days or if you recharge $40 again before 30 days.
Freedom
Every time you refill you can get free talk and text to your 5 favourite numbers, as follows:
- $30 to $49: 30 days
- $50 to $99: 50 days
- $100+: 100 days
When you select the Freedom offer and create your list of up to 5 Telstra numbers (your Freedom List)
you get 3 days of free talk and text to get you started. Then recharge $30 in one transaction to
extend your free talk and text.
Please Note: You must set up your Freedom List before you recharge to receive free calls and text.
Every Call
Talk for 5 minutes any time, any day to any network in Australia for just $1. Excludes some calls such as video calls, international, data, 1900, flat rate and premium services. Telstra's Fair Play Policy applies.
| Additional services and costs | |
| Video Calls (3G only) | AUD 1.10/min - € 0.56, plus AUD 0.30 set-up fee |
| Messaging | National SMS: AUD 0.25 - € 0.13 International SMS: AUD 0.50 - € 0.25 Picture/audio MMS: AUD 0.50 - € 0.25 Video and International MMS: AUD 0.75 - € 0.38 |
| Voicemail | Diversion: free Retrieval: AUD 0.60/min - € 0.30/min plus AUD 0.30 set-up fee |
| Data calls | Wap over GPRS: AUD 22.53/MB - € 11.42/MB (1KB increments) 3G surfing: AUD 2.00/MB - € 1.01/MB (1KB increments) Poketnews: AUD 0.30/message - € 0.15/message |
| International Roaming | available, see here |
| Debiting method | 30/30 |
| Top-Ups/credit, validity | AUD 20/25, 1 month AUD 30/30, 2 months AUD 50/50, 3 months AUD 100/100, 6 months |
Text Plus bundles
You can get some SMS bundles to any Australian network to be used within 30 days:
- $5: 30 SMS
- $10: 85 SMS
- $20: 180 SMS
- $50: 500 SMS
To buy them just send an SMS to 1257587 writing "PLUSx" with the number of dollars you choose
(5, 10, 20, 50) instead of 'x'.
Pics Plus bundles
You can get some MMS bundles to any Australian network to be used within 30 days:
- $5: 12 MMS
- $10: 25 MMS
- $20: 55 MMS
- $50: 150 MMS
To buy them just send an SMS to 1257587 writing "PICSPLUSx" with the number of dollars you choose
(5, 10, 20, 50) instead of 'x'.
Talk Plus bundles
You can get some talk minutes bundles to any Australian network to be used within 30 days:
- $5: 10 mins
- $10: 25 mins
- $20: 55 mins
- $50: 150 mins
To buy them just send an SMS to 1257587 writing "TALKPLUSx" with the number of dollars you choose
(5, 10, 20, 50) instead of 'x'.
Daily Text
You get 20 standard texts everyday to any Australian number for $1. Any Text Plus Pack credit are used first. Excludes some text such as to Premium SMS and SMS Chat. Unused free text forfeited each day. Telstra's FairPlay Policy applies.
1c Text
You can send 1c text to any Telstra mobile anytime. Excludes some text such as to satellite services. Any Text Plus Pack credit are used first. Telstra's FairPlay Policy applies.
Long life
When you join to a new prepaid Testra number and select the Long Life offer, a recharge for $30 or more will give you 12 months to use your credit and a recharge less than $30 will give you 6 months to use your credit. FairPlay Policy applies.
International Calls
| International Calls | ||
| Setup Fee | Mo-Su 0-24 | |
| Zone 1 | AUD 0.30 - € 0.15 | AUD 0.66 - € 0.33 |
| Zone 2 | AUD 0.30 - € 0.15 | AUD 0.88 - € 0.45 |
| Zone 3 | AUD 0.30 - € 0.15 | AUD 1.43 - € 0.72 |
International Calls Countries
Zone 1: United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Singapore
Zone 2: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands,
Philippines, Sweden, Switzerland
Zone 3: Belgium, Chile, Czech Republic, Israel, Poland, Solomon
Islands, South Korea, Thailand
For all other zones and rates click here.
Global Plus & Asia Talk bundles
You can get an international talk minutes bundle to selected countries to be used within 30 days:
- Global Plus: $20, 40 mins
- Asia Talk: $20, 60 mins
- Asia Max Talk: $20, 80 mins
To buy them just send an SMS to 1257587 writing "GLOBALPLUS20", "ASIATALK20" or "ASIAMAXTALK20".
Selected countries are as follows:
Global Plus: Austria, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia,
Ireland, Israel - Palestine, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand , Norway, Philippines,
Singapore, South Korea, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, USA, Vietnam
Asia talk: China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan,
Thailand, Vietnam.
Asia Max talk: China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand.
Where to buy
Starter kits are available in Telstra Shops as well as Australia Post, Tandy, Dick Smith and Harvey Norman stores. Prepaid packs are sold either with a phone (there are a variety to choose from) as well as a BYO SIM-only package.
More In-Depth Information from HowardForums, thanks to Jqr
| GOOD | BAD |
| Buying | |
Telstra prepaid SIM packages can be purchased from supermarkets, airports, newsagencies, convenience stores, fuel stations, Telstra shops, and many other places. Chances are you will be easily able to purchase one when landing at an Australian airport. Photo ID is legally required (an overseas passport will be fine), although some places have untrained employees who do not take/care about ID. Prepaid cards must be activated which normally involves just calling up a number on the phone. Recharges can be purchased online, as physical packs in many shops (i.e. supermarkets, convenience stores, etc) around Australia, at ATMs of certain banks, and credit card over the phone (Visa, Mastercard, Bankcard, AMEX, Diners club) |
none |
| Usage | |
The prepaid service uses the Telstra GSM network, Australia's largest GSM network overall, covering 98% of the population. The prepaid service offers SMS (25c) and MMS (75c). A special call rate during the hours of 9pm-7am applies, where other mobiles (any network, anywhere in Australia) can be called at a rate of 1c/minute, with 25c connection fee. Telstra Prepaid Plus accounts also have an ISP provided which can be dialed up with CSD from the phone providing a full Internet service. Voicemail is also available (5.5c/30 second deposits, 25c/30 second retrievals). There are no charges for receiving calls on Australian networks, and mobiles have their own area code, i.e. of the form 04xx xxx xxx, which means you can be called on that number anywhere in the country. Mobile-mobile rates are uniform, they do not depend on distance. You can also make overseas calls at reasonable prices, especially to places like the UK, NZ and USA. |
The regular call rates are quite expensive. |
| Tips & Tricks | |
none | |
| Final Thoughts | |
Telstra prepaid is a good choice if traveling to more remote areas of Australia (and you only have a GSM phone). It is probably the most expensive prepaid service though. Note: although Telstra uses GSM1800 in denser areas, the way the network is configured, with GSM1800 cells not having "visible" BCCHs, means a phone supporting the GSM1800 band but not the GSM900 band will not work anywhere on this network. | |
