Willow Aldi is quite easy to speak to once past the robots. I think by pressing 1 and then 3 I've been able to speak to staff fairly quickly within 5 minutes about activation problems. I hope they do have the starter packs back on line for those in states without stores.
I got that offer too and I wouldn't even consider it.
I have Amaysim on Optus as well, prefer Telstra network though.
We are with Amaysim as well - coverage in NW Tassie is spotty, but brilliant when in Melbourne. We are on pre-paid - hardly use the phones. For coverage, you can't beat Telstra, but they charge like wounded bulls. With Amaysim, we pay $10 for 3 months, and keep rolling over any extra - if there's $5 left, pay another 10, and you have $15 to use. With Telstra, it's 30 days for $10, and then you lose the lot.
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The Mobile Madhouse: me (Rosie), him (Troy), a kelpie, a kelpie-dingo, a husky & a rainbow lorikeet.
I have Amaysim on Optus as well, prefer Telstra network though.
We are with Amaysim as well - coverage in NW Tassie is spotty, but brilliant when in Melbourne. We are on pre-paid - hardly use the phones. For coverage, you can't beat Telstra, but they charge like wounded bulls. With Amaysim, we pay $10 for 3 months, and keep rolling over any extra - if there's $5 left, pay another 10, and you have $15 to use. With Telstra, it's 30 days for $10, and then you lose the lot.
The trick I suppose is to find a product that meets your personal usage pattern. If you can.
I don't use the mobile for internet stuff. So for me it's only about calls & SMS.
I change my Telstra plan to 'Long Life" ($1 charge) & then recharge. This gives me extended life of my credit. I usually choose a $ value recharge that gives me 6 months ... around $30.
I then change back to the 'smplicity' plan - another $1 charge - and my call cost rate falls to, I think, 15c/minute BUT THE LONG LIFE OF CREDIT REMAINS AT the 6 months or whatever.
Can't change back to simplicity this time until I use the 50 minutes free call time bonus that I got when I recharged. I think that you loose the bonus if you change plans.
All Telcos make their product offerings complex so that to make direct comparisons is difficult. I can assure you that this has always been a marketing tactic.
For broadband when on the road I wait for the Coles/Woolworth specials on Telstra broadband prepaid USB dongles. I don't initialise them until I'm on the road. The last two have been 3 gig for 30 days for $20 on the Telstra 3G network.