Best options for making cheap calls/text when overseas?

[clifford]

That really surprises me!

Apologies in advance if this is trying to teach to suck eggs, but is there an option in the app to turn on roaming?

I switched out of Optus to amaysim and unless you consciously turned on “roaming” via the app, the service won’t connect at all OS. As SYD+1 discovered on the first trip OS with amaysim! I turned mine on after Googling and then relaying the newbie advice…

Eggs duly sucked. I couldn't get the app to work as it didn't like being overseas. I was quite happy to pay Vodafone $5 a day for the privilege, but it flatly didn't want to take my money if I wasn't in Oz. Catch 22 really.

In my opinion, Vodafone is a heap of carp and I've now changed it to another provider. I also have a couple of phones with Amaysim, which is great.

 

[SYD]

Eggs duly sucked. I couldn't get the app to work as it didn't like being overseas. I was quite happy to pay Vodafone $5 a day for the privilege, but it flatly didn't want to take my money if I wasn't in Oz. Catch 22 really.

In my opinion, Vodafone is a heap of carp and I've now changed it to another provider. I also have a couple of phones with Amaysim, which is great.

Hmm, if you got as far as the $5 pd roaming fee the presumably “Roaming” was on!

Anyway, that’s a drag. I actually consider the cheapest Vodafone plan that provides $5 daily roaming as benchmark to compare options. It has a max number of days per year but lets you access your base package data etc. Optus is $5 but you can actually be charged more than once per day if you use a LOT of data or their system has a conniption - which is common and why I ditched Optus. Too unreliable trying to use roaming on demand. Telstra $10 pd still has me belly laughing. Who actually pays that?

 

[RooFlyer]

Who actually pays that?

Says sheepishly from under a bed ... me. I turn it on about once every 7-10 days to catch SMSs and voice mails, and to call family who can't come to terms with WhatsApp . I once turned it on in a non Telstra global roaming country (Barbados) but fortunately it actually thought I was in Jamacia (????) so when the charge appeared on my bill (not much, I switched it off as soon as I got the text about it being non roaming country), I was able to argue to take it off, as a mistake.

 

[serfty]

Optus is $5 but you can actually be charged more than once per day if you use a LOT of data or their system has a conniption - which is common and why I ditched Optus.

Not to mention the seeming random application of the $5 when you have not triggered any roaming resource of theirs. Each time took some effort to get recredited.

I now have given Optus the boot - had 4 services shared, it went to $55 + 3 x $43 per month with second service discounts, to Amayson 4 x $25 each 28 days (none of the services use as much as 5GB per month, not close to the 15GB).

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Optus prepaid too, roaming never seems to work, I had put in extra $ for roaming, and always "no signal".
Turned flight mode off, restarted device, nope, nothing, still no signal.
When I got back to Aus, did the same, and the signal came back, "Optus" it said with 5 bars.
But when I tried my 2deg, esim, there was a connection, and I was able to use Nzd$50 for roaming in 2.5 days.

 

[SYD]

Optus prepaid too, roaming never seems to work, I had put in extra $ for roaming, and always "no signal".
Turned flight mode off, restarted device, nope, nothing, still no signal.
When I got back to Aus, did the same, and the signal came back, "Optus" it said with 5 bars.
But when I tried my 2deg, esim, there was a connection, and I was able to use Nzd$50 for roaming in 2.5 days.

The Optus app also has a button to turn ON roaming. It won’t work unless you do.

Not entirely sure how Optus prepay goes with roaming charges however.