Select the Best Phone Network for Your Trip to New Zealand
If you’re living in the 21st century, then you will need to get yourself a phone in New Zealand, should it be to connect with people along the way, plan and book your activities and accommodation, or look for a job to stay longer in the world’s most epic country. Here, we’ll look at the best phone networks in New Zealand.
Because New Zealand has a lot of cellphone network providers all with different and ever-changing offers, this guide focuses on a basic comparison and gives a general idea of pricing. We will go through three common scenarios based on common traveller cellphone uses to give you a general idea of the options that will be available to you when landing in New Zealand. Each scenario will have a price range by companies so you know what to budget for.
Make sure that you are familiar with the different cellphone carriers by reading our alternative Cellphone Networks in New Zealand guide. And have you checked Will Your Phone Work in New Zealand?
Who are the Phone Network Providers in New Zealand?
The main phone providers in New Zealand are Spark, 2Degrees and One NZ (formerly Vodafone), while Skinny and Warehouse Mobile are examples of two providers that use the network of one of the main New Zealand phone carriers. We compare prices of all of the phone networks and their SIM cards in the guide below.
© NZPocketGuide.comThe Best New Zealand Pay-As-You-Go Phone Plans
When you do not want to deal with bundles and/or you’re not planning on using your phone all that much, this is your most basic option. Going “pay-as-you-go” means that you will pay for each minute, text and Mb of data you use.
New Zealand Mobile Standard Rates Comparison
The standard rates (pay-as-you-go) for the most popular phone networks are:
- Spark: 30c per Mb / 49c per min / 20c per text
- 2Degrees: 50c per Mb / 49c per min / 20c per text
- One NZ: 50c per Mb / 49c per min / 20c per text
- Skinny: 40c per Mb / 40c per min / 20c per text
- Warehouse Mobile: casual Mb rates not available / 16c per min / 16c per text
Note that minutes and text prices are for calls and texts to New Zealand and, in some cases, Australian numbers.
New Zealand Prepaid Combos
Most “pay-as-you-go” options also come with the option to buy bundles of minutes, texts and data that will last between two weeks and a month. This can be a great option if you are planning to make a lot of phone calls for a month during a job search for instance.
© PexelsThe Best Phone Plans for Calls in New Zealand
For booking your next tour or accommodation or, if you’re on a working holiday, finding a job, you will likely need to make a few phone calls.
New Zealand Minutes Phone Plan Comparison
For this specific example, we have chosen offers for a minimum of 200 mins, unlimited texts and 1.25 Gb of data.
- Spark: 1.25 Gb / 200 mins / Unlimited texts / Price: $20/month
- 2Degrees: 1.5 Gb / 200 mins / Unlimited texts / Price: $19/month
- One NZ: 1.25 Gb / 200 mins / Unlimited texts / Price: $19/month
- Skinny: 1.5 Gb / 200 mins / Unlimited texts / Price: $17/month
- Warehouse Mobile: 1.25 Gb / 200 mins / Unlimited texts / Price: $15/month
Note that the minutes and text prices above are for calls and texts to New Zealand (and some for Australian) numbers, with the exception of Warehouse Mobile where minutes include calls to 14 international destinations.
© NZPocketGuide.comThe Best Phone Plans for Data in New Zealand
This option focuses on data, either to stay in touch with home using WhatsApp, Facebook or FaceTime or because you cannot get enough of our great content to plan your trip on the go. Keep in mind that there are no “Unlimited data” plans in New Zealand and that the average traveller only uses about 1.5 Gb of data per month. It is quite easy to find WiFi in New Zealand both at accommodations and on the go.
New Zealand Data Phone Plan Comparison
For this specific example, we have chosen a minimum of 60 mins, unlimited texts and 2 Gb of data.
- Spark: 2 Gb / 300 mins / Unlimited texts / Price: $30/month
- 2Degrees: 3 Gb / 300 mins / Unlimited texts / Price: $30/month
- One NZ: 2 Gb / 100 mins / Unlimited texts / Price: $23/month
- Skinny: 2.5 Gb / 300 mins / Unlimited texts / Price: $27/month
- Warehouse Mobile: 3 Gb / Unlimited calls / Unlimited texts / Price: $25/month
Note that the minutes and text prices above are for calls and texts to New Zealand (and sometimes Australian) numbers, with the exception of Warehouse Mobile where minutes include calls to 14 international destinations.
© PexelsThe Cheapest Phone Plans in New Zealand
A great option for the frugal; choose this if you are looking to get more bang for a few bucks. Being able to call from time to time and check the internet, if needed, are all included in this comparison. Most people with a basic phone (as opposed to a smartphone) will choose this option as most basic phones do not have much internet connectivity.
New Zealand Cheapest Phone Plan Comparison
For this specific example, we have chosen a minimum of 50 mins, 50 texts and 250 Mb of data.
- Spark: 2 Gb / 300 mins / Unlimited texts / Price: $30/month
- 2Degrees: 250 Mb / 100 mins / Unlimited texts / Price: $10/month
- One NZ: 250 Mb / 100 mins / 100 texts / Price: $13/month
- Skinny: 1.5 Gb / 200 mins / Unlimited texts / Price: $17/month
- Warehouse Mobile: 300 Mb / 100 mins / Unlimited texts / Price: $9/month
Note that the minutes and text prices above are for calls and texts to New Zealand (and sometimes Australian) numbers, with the exception of Warehouse Mobile where minutes include calls to 14 international destinations.
© UnsplashThe Best Phone Plans in New Zealand for Calling Overseas
Calling overseas is not included in most prepay plans in New Zealand (with the exception of some countries with Warehouse Mobile). As most of us choose to use services like Whatsapp, Skype, FaceTime, Viber or Facebook to call overseas. Calling using any of these apps will use your data rather than your minutes.
New Zealand Phone Networks International Calls Comparison
However, calling overseas via a traditional phone call can often work out cheaper than using data with the right network provider. Every phone carrier has a different “Overseas” minute add-on. For instance, Skinny offers 300 minutes to 20 selected countries for NZ$10 and Spark offers 200 minutes + 100 texts to 20 selected countries for $10.
Warehouse Mobile includes calling minutes for more than 14 international destinations in their packs and combos, including NZ, Australia, China, England, Scotland, Wales, the US (excluding Hawaii and Alaska), India, Canada, Germany, Israel, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Mexico, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea.
Should You Use Calling Cards to Call International Phone Numbers?
Calling cards are your final option for calling overseas. These can be purchased in convenience stores. They offer cheap calling rates to selected countries. This will still use your minutes on top of an extra small fee.
Calling Australian Phone Numbers from New Zealand
Calling Australia? Good news, most New Zealand networks include Australia in their “NZ minutes”!
© PexelsCellphone Network Glossary
In case you got confused, here are a few terms used in this New Zealand phone network comparison.
Cellphone Plan Terminology
Prepay: This is a type of phone plan that has no contract. You pay as much or as little in advance towards your phone bill. For more info on Prepay, read 5 Reasons to Choose a Prepay Plan.
Plan: It is a general term for the offer that you will be using to use your phone. It is often monthly but can also be weekly.
Pay as you go: Paying per text, call and data usage at a flat rate. It is the opposite of a “plan”.
Combo: It is a type of Prepay Plan. Each cellphone carrier offers multiple combos of their prepay offer to suit different needs. Combos are also known as “Bundles”, “Value Packs” or “Packs”.
Add-On: An Add-On is an extra small bundle added to a Combo to complement it. Let’s say that you are running out of data before the end of a month, you can get an Add-On of data to keep surfing our awesome website.
Mins, Texts and Data
Mb: Mb stands for Megabytes, this is the unit of measure for any data charge on a plan. If a plan includes 1 Gb of data, this is equivalent to 1000 Mb.
Mins: Mins stands for “Minutes”. This is the unit of measure for any call charge on a plan. If a plan includes 1 hour, this is equivalent to 60 minutes. Note that most mins mentioned above are minutes spent calling New Zealand numbers, not overseas.
Texts: These are text messages sent from one phone to the other. Be aware that picture texts are called MMS and do not fit in this category.
When are You Charged?
In New Zealand, you will only be charged a minute or a text when you are calling or texting somebody. You are not charged when receiving a phone call or a text.
More About the Best Phone Networks and SIM Cards in New Zealand
That’s it for our comparison of the best phone networks and SIM cards in New Zealand. For more information on what phone network to use when travelling, take a look at these:
- The Complete Guide to Cellphone Networks in New Zealand
- 10 Reasons to Choose a Prepay Phone Plan in New Zealand
- How to get Internet and WiFi in New Zealand
Finally, get all the advice you’ll need for a trip to Aotearoa in the 31 Tips for Travelling in New Zealand.
