Plans & Data
Plans generally come with minutes, texts and data. For most people, the number of texts is pretty irrelevant. So normally minutes and especially data are the most important. There are also plans with only data, however they often have high additional charges if you ever need to make calls or send texts.
In addition, rollover plans are becoming more common, this means any unused minutes, data etc is ‘rolled over’ to the next month. Getting a high balance of rollover data/minutes can mean you’re able to switch to a lower cost plan with less data/minutes (check that it won’t impact your existing balance).
Prepaid Plans:
Prepaid plans mean you pay at the start of the period, and any additional charges can only be charged to the remaining credit balance you have remaining
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Post-paid Plans:
Post-paid means you pay at the end of the period for what you have used. These plans can also come with free or discounted phones as well, we have a guide here to learn more about these deals.
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Providers:
In NZ the three main providers with their own networks are: Spark, Vodafone and 2 Degrees.
In addition, there are other providers which use their networks. The main ones are Skinny (Spark), Slingshot (Spark) and Warehouse Mobile (2 Degrees).
You can also find a good comparison of coverage by provider at the link here.