[[telstra_pre-paid_starter_pack_guide]]

This is an old revision of the document!


A guide to using Telstra Prepaid Starter Packs

Given the changes by Telstra & suggestions by contributors, this will always be an ongoing project. Feel free to add factual information & experiences.

Note 26/01/2017 I feel that this is a very convoluted that has just been patched up over the years instead of actually being fixed up. I've made a mostly new wiki from scratch (though deeply inspired by the old wiki), however I'm going to leave it to the mods to choose whether they want to delete the old wiki. Until then, both wikis will remain on the same page. However, I'm terrible with formatting so if someone could fix that up that would be great. Thanks.

Current Sales

* Currently, there are no sales. However, a quick Gumtree search brings up a few results for about $15-$20.

Selecting the correct SIM Starter Kit

There are currently four types of Pre-Paid Starter Kits:

  • $30 Pre-Paid SIM Starter Kit (Mobiles)
  • $30 Pre-Paid SIM Starter Kit (Tablets)
  • $10 Pre-Paid SIM Starter Kit (Mobiles)
  • $2 Pre-Paid SIM Starter Kit (Mobiles)
  • $2 Pre-Paid SIM Starter Kit (Tablets)

The $10 Starter Kit is a promotional offer that includes 1GB of data, unlimited calls & texts, with 7 days expiry. Occasionally, Telstra will run a promotion where they will up the amount of data in these kits by 5GB, as they did for Christmas in 2016. There has never been a sale for the $10 Starter Kit.

All of the above are available as a Tri-SIM bundle; that is, each kit contains a single SIM which can be used as a Nano, Micro or Full-size SIM. The SIMs in the Mobile or Tablet Kits are identical, and can be activated on any offer. There is no difference aside from the packaging.

Generally:

  • Full-sized SIMs are used in older phones, Android tablets, and Mobile Broadband devices;
  • Micro SIMs are used in modern Android phones, iPad and iPad 2;
  • Nano SIMs are used in iPhones and newer iPads.

You should check which size SIM you require before popping the SIM out of its card.

Note that SIM adapters are available cheaply from sites such as eBay to enable Nano or Micro SIMs to be used in larger slots. However, phone manufacturers do not recommend this as it can cause damage to SIM slots. Use these at your own peril.

How to use the included credit on Google Play

There has been many changes to Telstra's prepaid offers in the past few months. The oh so good value Freedom Plus has now been grandfathered, which means that no new SIMs can be activated on this offer. However, this is how you can still get great value, even with the new changes.

1) Activate a SIM on the Simplicity offer. This can be a $2, $10 or $30 SIM starter kit. This will be the SIM where you spend all your credit from. We'll call this SIM 1. 2) Activate your $30 Starter's on Prepaid Plus. As of 26/01/2017, you still get $30 recharge credit doing this, it's just you can't use it for much whilst on Prepaid Plus. 3) Go to My Account or dial #100# and change your offer to Simplicity. Wait for the text from Telstra to confirm your offer has been changed. Make sure your data is off to avoid the 10c per MB charge on Simplicity. 4) Once you're on Simplicity, dial #100# and send credit your credit to SIM 1. 5) Once you've sent your credit to SIM 1, you can go and change back to Prepaid Plus. All your bonuses will still be there, and you can spend the credit from SIM 1.

This will mean you get 1.5GB of Anytime Data, 1.5GB of Night Data, $700 of Call Credit (Unltd Calls to Telstra Mobs), Unlimited text & $5 of Plus credit. The $5 Plus Credit can be [donated to charity](http://telcotogether.org/TextGiving/Charities.aspx) and you'll get a tax invoice texted to you so you can also claim tax benefit.

But, if you can be bothered doing all that, there is Beyond Talk, which will give you $30 of credit that you can do what you want with without any extra hassle, but it only comes with 200MB of data, 200 minutes of talk and 200 texts.

Notes: 1) You can only transfer $10 per day. So you can either keep the $30 starter on Simplicity for 3 days until you've transferred all credit to SIM 1, or just change offers every time you send a CreditMe2U. 2) You can only spend $500 per calendar month per service, so if your going to be spending more than this, you may need to repeat Step 1

How to use Telstra Credit on the Play Store

1) Insert the SIM that you want to be billed for your purchase into your phone or tablet. 2) Go to make a purchase in the Play Store or an app that support In App Purchases 3) Press the arrow next to your existing payment methods 4) Press 'Payment methods' 5) Scroll to the end of the list and select 'Enable Telstra Billing' 6) Continue with your purchase

From now on, that SIM should be associated with your Google Payments account and will show up with the rest of your payment methods when you make a purchase on the Play Store.

Notes 1) Telstra billing transactions are limited to $100 per transaction & $500 per calendar month 2) Refunds are really hit and miss. You might get your refund, you might not. If you don't, it's a long fight with Telstra to get it refunded. It usually ends in a conference call with you, Google & Telstra. Google confirms they sent the money back to Telstra, and Telstra manually applies a credit to your account.

Using Starter Kits for Calls, Text and Data

Selecting a Prepaid Plan

Users will need to consider their individual needs before selecting an offer. Note that, while every effort is made to keep this Wiki up-to-date, these offers change without notice. Check the Telstra website for up-to-date information.

The current offers, as of 26/1/17, are as follows:

Offer Inc. value Call rate SMS cost Data
Prepaid Plus $700, free calls to Telstra mobiles 39c + 89c/min Unlimited SMS 1.5GB + 1.5GB night (rolls over)
Simplicity $30 (60 day expiry) 0c + 15c/min 12c 10c/MB (per MB)
Long-life $30 (6 month expiry) 39c + 78c/min 29c $2/MB (per KB)
Beyond Talk $30 200 min free 200 free SMS $2/MB (per KB)

Data Pass II $0 No Calls or Text included 6GB of data

Selecting Prepaid Plus makes it harder to use the recharge credit on Google Play or to send it via CreditMe2U. More information about that under 'How to use the included credit on Google Play'.

Starter Kits can be activated at http://livechat.telstra.com, by calling 1258887 or going to http://telstra.com/activate

If you want a long expiry with low rates, activate on Long Life then change your offer to Simplicity. You'll get a 6 month expiry with the low rates of Simplicity.

Scheme for Cheap Calls

This strategy originates from alvian's post. It is known to work with the Cap Encore, the Freedom Plus and the Beyond Talk offers, and the current Prepaid Plus offer provided you temporarily switch the offer.1) For those willing to suffer a bit of extra hassle, it provides excellent value.

Read this wiki on the full glorious detail, in particular the “Popular Options” section. http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/telstraprepaid

  1. Buy a bunch of discounted Starter packs.
  2. Activate the Kit with your favourite number, or port in from another provider. This will be “Main SIM”.
  3. Activate Main SIM on the Long Life offer, to get 6 months' credit expiry.
  4. After Main SIM is activated, immediately switch plan to Simplicity for the cheap call rates.2) Make sure to restart your device before using any data or making calls, to ensure the cheaper rates take effect.
  5. Link Main SIM to your Telstra MyAccount.
  6. If you only have one phone, remove Main SIM and keep it in a safe place. If you have another phone, keep Main SIM in it to receive calls & SMS.
  7. Activate a second Starter Kit on Beyond Talk, to receive the included calls, SMS, and data.
  8. Over 3 days, send the second Kit's credit to Main SIM. You can use any CreditMe2U methods. (Quick shortcut: dial #100*1*5*‹recipient's mobile number›*‹dollar amount between 1 and 10›#)
  9. After 28 days, or when you have used up the credit on the second SIM, remove the second SIM.
  10. Repeat from Step 7.

Every 6 months, switch Main SIM to Long Life and recharge with a $30 voucher. This will extend the credit expiry for 6 months. After recharging, immediately switch Main SIM back to Simplicity for cheap rates. Alternatively, you can time CreditMe2U transfers to continually extend recharge credit expiry to 14 days. Another option (credit to BrucefromAustralia) is to port Main SIM's number to a $2 sim from another network,3) then back to a new Starter Kit. This avoids the cost of the $30 recharge, although you will lose any accumulated credit on Main SIM.

Should you run out of cheap Starter Kits, simply use Main SIM until a deal comes up.

Modification for Prepaid Plus Offer

A workaround of temporarily switching your offer to Simplicity, or Long Life, and then transfer the $30 credit with CreditMe2U over 3 days has been stopped!

As of May 2017 transferring from Prepaid Plus to Simplicity or Longlife no longer transfers any Credit!

How to do a CreditMe2U

CreditMe2U instructions

  • Online m.telstra.com from your device
  • Dial on phone: #100#, select 1-RECHARGE, then 5-CreditMe2u, enter phone number to transfer to, then dollar amount 1-10 (Quick shortcut: #100*1*5*‹recipient's mobile number›*‹dollar amount between 1 and 10›#)
  • Text the word “transfer” to 125 88 88 and following the prompts
  • Call or chat to manually transfer: 125 88 80 (May be told you can only do this once, but not so) Handy for larger transfers or if can't be done other ways.

CreditMe2U is not available on Prepaid Plus.

As of May 2017 transferring from Prepaid Plus to Simplicity or Longlife no longer transfers any Credit!

All credit and bonuses will reappear when you get back on Prepaid Plus. Remember, you can only change your offer 10 times per year.

Other Tips, Benefits and Features

Cheap credit

eBay has banned the sale of CreditMe2U. So your only options are to wait for a sale on Starter Kits or buy from Gumtree.

Rollover

With the exception of Prepaid Plus, only recharge credit will roll over. On Prepaid Plus, data allowances and call credit will roll over once only. So Month 1's credit may be used in Month 1 or Month 2, but not Month 3.

Credit or allowances which have been rolled over remain in separate “buckets”; older credit will be used first.

Managing Multiple SIMs

Telstra's MyAccount provides an easy way to manage multiple SIMs. During the activation process, you will be given the option to activate using your My Account details. This provides a central location to check balances and expiry dates for multiple SIMs. There does not appear to be a limit on the number of SIMs on one account.

SIMs with expired credit remain active for about 6 months. These make handy disposable numbers for things like online signups, selling on Gumtree, etc. Old numbers can be removed by contacting Live Chat.

Discount Offers

Links

Telstra "Our Customer Terms". This is the authoritative document for all of Telstra's products and offerings.

Whirlpool Telstra Pre-Paid Wiki - highly recommended alternative Wiki. Much of this Wiki's information is drawn from that Wiki.

Whirlpool Telstra Starter Pack deals forum

Planhacker for advice on different plans on different networks

List of all those cheap Telstra deals on OzBargain

Ozbargain category:Mobile

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can the credit (or accumulated credits) from the starter pack be use to unlock a Telstra prepaid phone? A: Yes.

Q: Which Starter Kit should I buy? A: Either of the $30 kits (tablet or mobile) will work. There is no difference between them other than packaging.

Q: Can I use the Data Pass offer in a phone? A: Yes! In fact, a cheap Android 4G phone which can be used as a wireless hotspot is often cheaper than a 4G dongle. You can even receive calls and SMS messages on the Data Pass plan, although you can't make calls or send messages.

Q: Can I use the Prepaid Plus offer in a mobile broadband device? A: Yes. You may also be able to send SMS messages if your device is compatible.

The Old Wiki

All $30 Telstra Pre-Paid SIM Starter Kits include $30 of credit. Due to the way in which some of Telstra's Pre-Paid mobile offers are structured, this can effectively be used twice. For example, activating a $30 kit on the Beyond Talk plan will provide access to the bonuses associated with that offer (i.e. the included calls, texts and data usage) as well as $30 of recharge credit. Recharge credit can be used in a variety of ways, depending on the user's aims. For example, it can be used to make purchases through the Google Play Store, buy extra calls, SMS or data, or to buy international calls and data. Since Starter Kits are often heavily discounted,4) smart users can extract great value for money. This Wiki originated as a forum post and is designed to help users get the most out of these offers.

Although recent changes to Telstra's Pre-paid offers have removed some of the benefits for new users, there is still great value to be had.

Mobile users can swipe information boxes to read full contents. To link to this Wiki in a comment, copy & paste: [Telstra Pre-Paid Starter Pack Guide](https://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/telstra_pre-paid_starter_pack_guide)

Current Offers

This section lists some current special offers which may be of use to OzBargain members. Note that it will not necessarily be up-to-date; check the latest deals for up-to-date information.

Current Offers

  • Currently, there are no big stores selling these starter kits. However, if you look hard you may be able to find some deals on Gumtree or the Ozbargain Classifieds.

Expired Offers

  • 5GB Bonus when activating a Telstra Pre-Paid Mobile or $30 Starter Kit on the Freedom Plus offer. Had to activate before 25/1/16.

Selecting the correct SIM Starter Kit

There are currently four types of Pre-Paid Starter Kits:

  • $30 Pre-Paid SIM Starter Kit (Mobiles)
  • $30 Pre-Paid SIM Starter Kit (Tablets)
  • $2 Pre-Paid SIM Starter Kit (Mobiles)
  • $2 Pre-Paid SIM Starter Kit (Tablets)

All of the above are available as a Tri-SIM bundle; that is, each kit contains a single SIM which can be used as a Nano, Micro or Full-size SIM. The SIMs in the Mobile or Tablet Kits are identical, and can be activated on any offer. There is no difference aside from the packaging.

Generally:

  • Full-sized SIMs are used in older phones, Android tablets, and Mobile Broadband devices;
  • Micro SIMs are used in modern Android phones, iPad and iPad 2;
  • Nano SIMs are used in iPhones and newer iPads.

You should check which size SIM you require before popping the SIM out of its card.

Note that SIM adapters are available cheaply from sites such as eBay to enable Nano or Micro SIMs to be used in larger slots. However, phone manufacturers do not recommend this as it can cause damage to SIM slots. Use these at your own peril.

Using Credit to purchase at Google Play

One of the best features of the Telstra Pre-Paid Mobile offers is that recharge credit can be used to make purchases on the Google Play Store and Windows Phone Store. This section explains how to get the best value from this feature.

See www.telstra.com.au/latest-offers/google-play for more information.

As Freedom Plus has now been grandfathered, this is how you can get the best value from a $30 Starter Kit.

1) Activate your $30 kit on Prepaid Plus

Note: 26/09/2016 - Telstra Prepaid Plus has been updated. Adding a $30, $40, $50 recharge to your account no longer adds any credit to your account. You get calls, data and sms, and some “Plus Credit” which is used for international calls - but nothing that you can use on the Google Play Store (unless you have some credit to roll-over.)

Note: 27/09/2016 - It is still possible to use a Telstra starter pack to make Google Play purchases. They are frequently half price eg. here. This thread has some more information on how to make Google Play purchases using Telstra starter packs.

As of May 2017 transferring from Prepaid Plus to Simplicity or Longlife no longer transfers any Credit!

Setting up Carrier Billing

  1. Insert your SIM into an Android device.
  2. Browse to an app, book, music etc. to purchase on that device.
  3. Select “Payment Methods”.
  4. Select “Bill my Telstra Account”. The Play Store will then attempt to verify carrier billing via your mobile number, name and postcode. NB: If you have more than one SIM in the phone, it may use the wrong mobile number to verify via SMS with Telstra, fail, and cost you one SMS. Disable the non-Telstra SIM before this step.
  5. Accept the Agreement (after having read it, obviously…).

What to do with Credit

There are a number of ways to extract value from the Play Store. Obviously, purchasing books, movies, music and apps is a big one. However, recharge credit can also be used to pay for In App Purchases (IAPs), which often carry over onto other platforms. For example, users can subscribe to Microsoft Office 365 through the Play Store, effectively getting a subscription for “free”. Google Play Music All Access subscriptions can also be purchased using recharge credit.

A more detailed (though by no means complete) list of ways to spend credit is available on Whirlpool.

Notes

  • The Play Store may use your Google balance as a default payment method. Check the payment method before each purchase.
  • If you end up with more than one “Bill to my Telstra account” when purchasing through the Play Store, simply visit http://wallet.google.com/ then select “payment methods” and delete everything that isn't your current SIM phone number.
  • Carrier billing is limited to $100 per transaction.
  • Although the Play Store offers the ability to obtain a refund within 24 hours of purchase, this does not work for carrier billing. The app, and your credit, simply disappear.
  • Call 1800 801 920 to test your number.

Using Starter Kits for Calls, Text and Data

Selecting a Prepaid Plan

Users will need to consider their individual needs before selecting an offer. Note that, while every effort is made to keep this Wiki up-to-date, these offers change without notice. Check the Telstra website for up-to-date information.

The current offers, as of 4/9/16, are as follows:

Offer Inc. value Call rate SMS cost Data
Prepaid Plus $700, free calls to Telstra mobiles 39c + 89c/min Unlimited SMS 1.5GB + 1.5GB night (rolls over)
Simplicity $30 (60 day expiry) 0c + 15c/min 12c 10c/MB (per KB)
Long-life $30 (6 month expiry) 39c + 78c/min 29c $2/MB (per KB)
Beyond Talk $30 200 min free 200 free SMS $2/MB (per KB)

Setup

Starter Kits can be activated over the phone, or by visiting www.telstra.com/activate. More details are in the Kit.

Changing Plans to get greater benefits

For long access period with low costs - Activate Starter Pack as LONGLIFE & change to SIMPLICITY. (6 months access, low cost calls, SMS. & DATA)

As of May 2017 transferring from Prepaid Plus to Simplicity or Longlife no longer transfers any Credit!

Using Starter Kits for Data Only

This section is for users wishing to extract the most data from their service. Note that the SIMs from Starter Kits can be used in a phone acting as a wireless hotspot, or a dedicated Mobile Broadband device. There are several different types of these devices, and many different models. Before buying a device, ensure that it is capable of operating on the correct frequencies and bands for the Telstra network.

Further information on these offers is available in the Whirlpool thread.

Selecting a Pre-Paid Plan

Users needing only data will gain most value by activating their Kit as a Data Pass. This yields 3GB per pack, as well as $30 recharge credit. Although the Data Pass offer is a data-only service, it is still possible to receive calls and SMS messages when the SIM is placed in a compatible device.

Users needing both calls and data are best off with Prepaid Plus.

Setup

Starter Kits are activated the same way for Data Pass as for other Pre-Paid offers. Simply phone Telstra or visit www.telstra.com/activate.

Note that it is not possible to port an existing number to a Data Pass using online activation; however, some users have reported success using Online Chat.

Data Rates

Current (as at 22/1/16) data rates are as follows:

Amount Data Expiry
$10 1GB 3 days
$20 2GB 7 days
$30 3GB 30 days
$50 5GB 365 days
$140 16GB 730 days

Using Recharge Credit on the Data Pass Offer

Unlike other offers, Data Pass does not allow users to transfer recharge credit via CreditMe2U. It will therefore be unsuitable for some users' needs. However, credit can be used on Google Play (see below - forthcoming). It can also be used for extra data, at the exorbitant rate of $2 per MB. It is therefore advised that users monitor their data usage, or may risk chewing through their recharge credit.

OLD Pre Paid Broadband rates

OLD Ipad rate for those on “grandfathered” service not available for new connections.

Previous Data-Only Offers

This is only of historic interest, unless you were on a “grandfathered” iPad plan before 1/7/14. See whirlpool - Telstra mobile broadband discussion.

Those remaining active on the iPad Plan since before 1/7/14 are able to recharge or top up credit with creditme2u at 0.98c/MB rate.

Activating after the “grandfathering” cut off date, you are charged at 5c/MB. (After transferring $10 with CreditMe2u, rate was not changed. Showed $10 was worth 1GB, but credit was exhausted after just 200MB!)

OLD Pre Paid Broadband rates

OLD Ipad rate for those on “grandfathered” service not available for new connections.

Scheme for Cheap Calls

This strategy originates from alvian's post. It is known to work with the Cap Encore, the Freedom Plus and the Beyond Talk offers, but not Prepaid Plus from May 2017 provided you temporarily switch the offer. For those willing to suffer a bit of extra hassle, it provides excellent value.

Read this wiki on the full glorious detail, in particular the “Popular Options” section. http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/telstraprepaid

  1. Buy a bunch of discounted Starter packs.
  2. Activate the Kit with your favourite number, or port in from another provider. This will be “Main SIM”.
  3. Activate Main SIM on the Long Life offer, to get 6 months' credit expiry.
  4. After Main SIM is activated, immediately switch plan to Simplicity for the cheap call rates.5) Make sure to restart your device before using any data or making calls, to ensure the cheaper rates take effect.
  5. Link Main SIM to your Telstra MyAccount.
  6. If you only have one phone, remove Main SIM and keep it in a safe place. If you have another phone, keep Main SIM in it to receive calls & SMS.
  7. Activate a second Starter Kit on Beyond Talk, to receive the included calls, SMS, and data.
  8. Over 3 days, send the second Kit's credit to Main SIM. You can use any CreditMe2U methods. (Quick shortcut: dial #100*1*5*‹recipient's mobile number›*‹dollar amount between 1 and 10›#)
  9. After 28 days, or when you have used up the credit on the second SIM, remove the second SIM.
  10. Repeat from Step 7.

Every 6 months, switch Main SIM to Long Life and recharge with a $30 voucher. This will extend the credit expiry for 6 months. After recharging, immediately switch Main SIM back to Simplicity for cheap rates. Alternatively, you can time CreditMe2U transfers to continually extend recharge credit expiry to 14 days. Another option (credit to BrucefromAustralia) is to port Main SIM's number to a $2 sim from another network,6) then back to a new Starter Kit. This avoids the cost of the $30 recharge, although you will lose any accumulated credit on Main SIM.

Should you run out of cheap Starter Kits, simply use Main SIM until a deal comes up.

For those of you who activated on the $30 Prepaid Plus offer, you will have a $30 Recharge Credit in your account that seems to do nothing. Previously Telstra allowed this $30 credit to be transferred via CreditMe2U using the above steps, but this loophole was closed in late 2016. As a workaround, you need to temporarily switch your offer to one of Beyond Talk, Simplicity, or Long Life, and then transfer the $30 credit with CreditMe2U over 3 days. After the day's transfer is done, you can switch back to Prepaid Plus and continue using the SIM. (Don't worry, your Prepaid Plus Call Credit, Plus Credit, and data allowance are preserved.) Switching back and forth does not matter because Telstra allows 10 switches a year, but you will discard the SIM card after 28 days anyway. (Quick shortcut for switching offer: dial #100*3*2#)

As of May 2017 transferring from Prepaid Plus to Simplicity or Longlife no longer transfers any Credit!

Transferring credit with CreditMe2U

(This does not transfer credit out from SIM on Data Pass or Prepaid Plus from May 2017)

Recharge credit may be transferred between Pre-Paid SIMs, or from a Post-Paid account to a Pre-Paid SIM. For Pre-Paid SIMs, there is a transaction limit of $10 per day and a fee of 25c for each successful transfer. There are several reasons why transferring credit can be useful:

  • It can be used to keep credit from Starter Kits in one account for more convenient use
  • Each successful transfer extends the expiry date of all recharge credit on the recipient SIM to 14 days
  • Those on grandfathered offers can maintain their old rates while using cheap credit from Starter Kits.

Steps

  1. Visit m.telstra.com. Note that this must be done either from the device itself, or from a device tethered to it (for mobile broadband devices). You must use cellular data, which is unmetered on this site.
  2. Click “recharge”
  3. At the bottom, click “CreditMe2U”
  4. Enter the phone number of the mobile you'd like to transfer credit to
  5. Enter the amount of credit you'd like to send
  6. Confirm your request
  7. The recipient will be sent an SMS once the transfer has been made.

Transfers can also be made by dialing #100# or texting “transfer” to 125 88 88 and following the prompts. Alternatively, Live Chat can do manual transfers. It has been reported that some agents are willing to transfer more than $10, waive the transfer fee, or add more than 14 days' expiry. This will be on an individual basis.

How to do a CreditMe2U

CreditMe2U instructions

  • Online m.telstra.com from your device
  • Dial on phone: #100#, select 1-RECHARGE, then 6-CreditMe2u, enter phone number to transfer to, then amount 1-10 ($)
  • Text the word “transfer” to 125 88 88 and following the prompts
  • Call or chat to manually transfer: 125 88 80 (May be told you can only do this once, but not so) Handy for larger transfers or if can't be done other ways.

Other Tips, Benefits and Features

Cheap credit

A way to get cheap credit when starter packs are not on sale is to buy the credit of Ebay, most times its alot cheaper than its real value, ie. $7 will get you $10 credit and $13 will get you $20 credit and so on. Most sellers even send the credit almost instantly.

Rollover

With the exception of Prepaid Plus, only recharge credit will roll over. On Prepaid Plus, data allowances and call credit will roll over once only. So Month 1's credit may be used in Month 1 or Month 2, but not Month 3.

Credit or allowances which have been rolled over remain in separate “buckets”; older credit will be used first.

Managing Multiple SIMs

Telstra's MyAccount provides an easy way to manage multiple SIMs. During the activation process, you will be given the option to activate using your My Account details. This provides a central location to check balances and expiry dates for multiple SIMs. There does not appear to be a limit on the number of SIMs on one account.

SIMs with expired credit remain active for about 6 months. These make handy disposable numbers for things like online signups, selling on Gumtree, etc. Old numbers can be removed by contacting Live Chat.

Discount Offers

Links

Telstra "Our Customer Terms". This is the authoritative document for all of Telstra's products and offerings.

Whirlpool Telstra Pre-Paid Wiki - highly recommended alternative Wiki. Much of this Wiki's information is drawn from that Wiki.

Whirlpool Telstra Starter Pack deals forum

Planhacker for advice on different plans on different networks

List of all those cheap Telstra deals on OzBargain

Ozbargain category:Mobile

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can the credit (or accumulated credits) from the starter pack be use to unlock a Telstra prepaid phone? A: Yes.

Q: Which Starter Kit should I buy? A: Either of the $30 kits (tablet or mobile) will work. There is no difference between them other than packaging.

Q: Can I use the Data Pass offer in a phone? A: Yes! In fact, a cheap Android 4G phone which can be used as a wireless hotspot is often cheaper than a 4G dongle. You can even receive calls and SMS messages on the Data Pass plan, although you can't make calls or send messages.

Q: Can I use the Prepaid Plus offer in a mobile broadband device? A: Yes. You may also be able to send SMS messages if your device is compatible.

Feedback / Suggestions For Improvement

As some may not be used to changing a Wiki collaboratively, you can also leave comments/notes below for others to help improve it. Thanks.


Leave comments below...


. as per https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/153381 the google play credit process is only available if the SIM is installed in the device, not via WIFI. are there any WIFI alternatives ?

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CONTRIBUTERS

cdaddy

BrucefromAustralia

A short history of this Wiki...

It grew out of a deal by cdaddy. We had discussed all the different options using Telstra Starter Packs. A MOD requested it become a Wiki. cdaddy put together an outline of Plans & SIM types, which still remain, although changed.

Brucefromaustralia fleshed that out, added an index, and 'managed' the wiki until 19/6/15, when I left in disgust at personal attacks & criticisms. The wiki will endure. Many have contributed already & others will make it far better. So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (DNA)

xavster

aroryo

samlor

lukian

redhaze1

magicmoose

0p

1) See below for detail.
2) , 5) The two benefits combine and this loophole is what makes Telstra Long Life+Simplicity so popular.
3) , 6) Free SIMs are available from Lyca Mobile.
4) $15 is fairly common, but prices have gone as low as $1!