Cheapest way to retain/divert personal mobile number to new work mobile number?

Lmyfeetarehappy on 12/03/2016 - 19:34
Last edited 12/03/2016 - 19:35

I received a work phone (iPhone 6S on Telstra) when I started my new job. It has a new mobile number which my friends and family call me on now.

My personal phone is an old Nokia 920 on a Telstra Small Plan paying $45 per month, currently out of contract. I don't the Nokia for data or outbound because the work phone is fully paid for and I use that instead.

I don't get many calls to my old number but would like to keep it 'active' and know when a call has come in. I thought I could set up a divert to my new work number but paying $45 a month is silly.

Does anyone have any recommendations on the cheapest way to keep my old number but have it diverted to the new one…and without having to keep my old phone powered up all the time?

Maybe a prepaid plan with an auto-divert at exchange level? If such a thing exists?

Thanks!

Mobile

Comments

  • nocure on 12/03/2016 - 20:03
    +4

    Grab an Aldi starter Sim or Vodafone 365 , port your old number then divert it to your work number.

  • RockyRaccoon on 12/03/2016 - 22:04
    +2

    The really really cheap way is for you to get one of the sims Bocure mentions above, then put as the voice mail message said rather slowly, , Hi this is MyFeetAreHappy and my new number is 555-444-3332 I'll repeat that etc

  • elusive on 12/03/2016 - 22:09

    If you really want diversions, keep in mind that most are charged by the minute. So if you have a lot of calls you're going to need to pay more.

  • eatwell365 on 13/03/2016 - 00:33
    1. most important is to check which network your spouse/GF/BF/best friends/parents/dog use. they are the ones most likely to call you, so ideally they can call you for free on the network of your private.
    2. virgin prepaid sim with sim 19 plan is pretty good, with reasonable cheap call rate. $19 lasts for 3 months, just to receive calls. hotspot your private.phone/iPad to your work if need. $2 sim + $19 = $21to start. international call rates are reasonable price. <$7 a month.
      there are cheaper network like Aldi as other has mentioned but all depend on whether you want family and friend to call you free.
    3. personally find easier to have two phones seperately. eg. 1. you may like peace and quiet on weekend and do not want to look at the work phone as often. 2. you can choose whether to pick up calls. 3. reflects more professionalism. 4. you have a phone to call home when you decide to work out of your work.
    4. many work phone now sync all your contacts in server. best to keep separatelay so you will not lose contacts when changing jobs.
  • DelhiBelly on 13/03/2016 - 10:21

    Calls diverted from personal number to work number will be charged by the minute.. OP will need to keep topping up credit on personal number. Also Vodafone doesn't allow to setup automatic call diversion on pre-paid numbers.

    I was in the same situation a few months ago. I decided to get a $40 plan on Vodafone (Samsung S5), gives me unlimited calls and 500 mb (+ 500 mb data share). Now I have diversion from personal number to work number and Mrs can use the data allowance under data share arrangement.

  • myfeetarehappy on 13/03/2016 - 18:02

    Thanks for your responses all.

    I get almost no calls on my old mobile number as my friends and family have the new number. I just want the old number to remain active in case of unexpected calls.

    Work is fine with personal call usage 24/7 and personal data usage also. I juggled two phones for a while but no one else at work seems to and it's a pain.

    The voicemail message advising of the new number (RockyRaccoon suggestion) may be the way to go because the old phone doesn't have to be on for it to work. Would prefer diversion though.

    Do the prepaid options from Aldi or Virgin allow auto-divert or do they require my old mobile to divert the calls?

    • RockyRaccoon on 14/03/2016 - 11:44
      +1

      You can divert on no answer or out of range (which to the network is the same as being switched off)

      However the advantage of you using the meassge to tell them your new number is that next time they call they know your new number, otherwise you will constantly be paying for the diversion of these calls. Not the OzB way!! :)

      To them it doesnt save anything as they are also paying for the call. The diversion doesnt maean they pay less because you are paying. You are both paying.

      • myfeetarehappy on 19/03/2016 - 11:26

        Does the Aldi Pay As You Go(365 day expiry)SIM divert on no answer or out of range?

        • retiredfeline on 19/03/2016 - 11:39

          Well I have Aldi PAYG on a phone that's off nearly all the time and when I power it up I sometimes get notification of missed telemarketer calls so yes it would divert on out of range. Not sure about no answer, maybe it's the same response.

        • Bystander on 19/03/2016 - 13:24

          Divert to VM? Yeah. Sadly none of the mobile operators email the VM like 3 and Voda used to.

  • Bystander on 15/03/2016 - 09:36

    Personally I'd go with the RockyRaccoon suggestion.

    Otherwise get a phone with dual SIM like this
    http://ulefone.com/products/power/features.html
    and use a $5 Aldi SIM for 12 months.

    • eatwell365 on 15/03/2016 - 23:39

      Or cheap Moto G 2nd gen with dual sim. But OP has a 6s - so unlikely.

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