Optus (those on prepaid plans, yes, I know, rare...) to do with roaming overseas

[AustraliaPoochie]

Just merely putting money/buying a/into a roaming pack, is not enough to get access.
So many times, I had put so much money, on different occasions on trips to NZ, and had bought an Optus roaming pack, but never for the life of me, dont know why, but I never noticed, (maybe others do/did), that an Optus prepaid customer, has to "activate international romaing" in their Optus account.
Its always off, or deactivated, now I know where to look.
===
So, need to activate it, and then buy a roaming pack.
This this keeps that ph # contactable, important for 2fa when buying things.

 

[transpactraveller]

So just want to add to this as I found out recently, Optus prepaid roaming is fully disabled unless you have an active paid roaming add-on.

Even if you activate your roaming, it doesn't actually activate unless you buy a roaming back.

So with Optus prepaid you cannot just enable roaming to receive SMS while overseas for free (which you can do for free on most providers) you have to pay for a roaming pack or your phone will stay "no service" while overseas, and as soon as your roaming pack expires it goes back to "no service".

I will be porting as soon as my credit expires.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

They want our $$$.
Prepaid is so troublesome.
Lucky for those on post paid.

 

[SYD]

So just want to add to this as I found out recently, Optus prepaid roaming is fully disabled unless you have an active paid roaming add-on.

Even if you activate your roaming, it doesn't actually activate unless you buy a roaming back.

So with Optus prepaid you cannot just enable roaming to receive SMS while overseas for free (which you can do for free on most providers) you have to pay for a roaming pack or your phone will stay "no service" while overseas, and as soon as your roaming pack expires it goes back to "no service".

I will be porting as soon as my credit expires.

Look at amaysim - ironically Optus’s LCC - works really well. Post paid, and others have reported with pre-pay.

AFAIK, you don’t need a roaming bundle to receive SMS but the $20 / 12mth txt/mins pack is a no-brainer anyway.

 

[Lat34]

Look at amaysim - ironically Optus’s LCC - works really well. Post paid, and others have reported with pre-pay.

AFAIK, you don’t need a roaming bundle to receive SMS but the $20 / 12mth txt/mins pack is a no-brainer anyway.

Maybe we should SYD?

 

[Buzzard]

So just want to add to this as I found out recently, Optus prepaid roaming is fully disabled unless you have an active paid roaming add-on.

Even if you activate your roaming, it doesn't actually activate unless you buy a roaming back.

So with Optus prepaid you cannot just enable roaming to receive SMS while overseas for free (which you can do for free on most providers) you have to pay for a roaming pack or your phone will stay "no service" while overseas, and as soon as your roaming pack expires it goes back to "no service".

I will be porting as soon as my credit expires.

+1 and I are with Boost pre paid, $300/year. No problems so far receiving SMS overseas without a roaming pack.

 

[clifford]

the $20 / 12mth txt/mins pack is a no-brainer anyway.

I would have thought the $25 "The Works" pack was the better option, with 2GB data as well as text and voice. It's what I usually buy.

But YMMV.

 

[SYD]

I would have thought the $25 "The Works" pack was the better option, with 2GB data as well as text and voice. It's what I usually buy.

But YMMV.

It has the convenience factor having all roaming on the same SIM but they slash the talk mins/txt for that 2GB (which isn’t a lot over 12mths). I could burn through 2GB accidentally opening the “View from office” thread or a TR. all those massive pics files gobble up data.

I suppose you could buy the $20 “Small Talk” plus the $50 “Just GIGs” (6GB data) plans - they should stack.

Personally, I have an Eskimo eSIM (global plan - no expiry) as my primary roaming data. Buy them during a Sale. I supplement that with cheap local plans eg Frewie 1GB/7d/$1.