Ever wondered how you can travel overseas for a while yet keep your phone number active at home? It’s not ideal having to memorise a new phone number, especially if your original number was cool and memorable. And it can be downright expensive to keep an active phone plan going if you’re not going to use it. So, what do you do? Whether you’re travelling, just wanting to keep an active ‘burner’ phone in the drawer for when you need it or if you want a super low-fuss phone plan to use, read on to find out how to store or save your number for up to a year.
Prepaid plan offers you might like
The following table shows a selection of sponsored SIM Only plans on Canstar Blue’s database with links to referral partners.
 |
1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $15) SIM Only Prepaid
|
45GB Data/month |
$15.00 Cost/month |
Go to site |
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1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $20) SIM Only Prepaid
|
50GB Data/month |
$20.00 Cost/month |
Go to site |
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1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $15) SIM Only Prepaid
|
40GB Data/month |
$15.00 Cost/month |
Go to site |
How to keep your mobile number
Storing or saving your number may sound like a mysterious proposition but the fact is it is dead simple. Arguably the easiest way to do this to save your number for a ‘rainy day’ is to choose a low-cost, 365-day prepaid SIM. This means that you can port to this plan, inject minimal money into it and let it sit for 365 days – or up to a year.
Keeping your mobile number with Amaysim
All of Amaysim’s plans are on a prepaid basis, and a $10 ‘PAYG’ (pay as you go) SIM card with nominal rates for calls, texts and data will last 365 days. You don’t need to add any credit onto it, so essentially the plan can cost as little as $10 for the entire year. If you want to use up that credit, rates are:
- 15c per minute talk.
- 15c per SMS, and 49c MMS.
- 7.2c per megabyte of data, or add-on 2GB for $15
Beyond that, the flexibility is yours for the taking. Amaysim operates on the Optus 4G Network and customers can pick up an easy SIM in-store at Coles, Woolworths and other locations or purchase online. Be wary that if you have $0 credit remaining, your SIM could deactivate after a set period – the credit won’t expire for a year, however.
The following table shows all published Amaysim prepaid plans from Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of advertised standard cost, lowest to highest. Use our comparison tool to see a wider range of plans from other providers. These are products with links to referral partners.
Keeping Your Mobile Number with ALDI Mobile
If you thought the Amaysim option was low-cost, you may want to cast your eyes to ALDI Mobile. The cut-price German supermarket chain also has mobile plans, and all are super easy to recharge.
- All SIM card purchases require a $5 entry fee, which also counts as credit.
- This is ordinarily used as backup credit for if your plan runs out, but once you’ve got this $5 credit, it lasts for 365 days.
If you buy a SIM in-store, you don’t need to load any plans onto it; just pay your $5 and port your number and you’re on your merry way. Once again, be mindful of $0 credit balances; having a SIM card with $0 balance may mean your plan is deactivated after a while. ALDI Mobile SIM cards can be purchased in-store at ALDI supermarkets; you can also of course purchase it online.
The following table shows all published ALDI Mobile prepaid plans from Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of advertised standard cost, lowest to highest.
Other 365-Day SIM Providers
There are quite a few other providers that offer cheap PAYG plans that last up to 365 days. Some even have variable rates of 45-180 days, so if you’re not travelling for a year or otherwise needing a year’s worth of storage, these could be a good option.
- Generally, the cheapest rate tends to be about $10, though the longer your expiry, the more you’ll probably pay.
Keep an eye out for providers such as Vodafone, Telstra and Optus here. These ‘Big 3’ carriers all offer some form of long-expiry PAYG plans.
| Brand | Features | Max Data**/billing period | Advertised Cost^^/billing period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
min. cost $40 over 365 days |
PAYG | $40 | Go To Site |
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Long Life Plus $70
min. cost $70 over 365 days |
N/A | $70 | |
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My Prepaid Long Expiry $60
min. cost $60 over 365 days |
N/A | $60 | |
| **^^View important information | ||||
Is it possible to get a longer expiry than one year?
Unfortunately, not really. The longest expiry periods are 365 days, which means if you plan on leaving your phone number for longer than a year, you may need to recharge if you’re still overseas. Still, $5-$10 to keep your phone number? That sounds like a fairly small price to pay for convenience.
- Remember that telcos may deactivate your service if your credit balance is left at $0, meaning you will probably need to keep some credit on the plan.
Another bonus is that cheap prepaid SIM cards are usually available in-store, through Woolworths, Coles, ALDI supermarkets, Officeworks, 7-Eleven and more. No matter what you do with your phone number – it’s not our business – it’s handy to know you can store your number for up to a year for a relatively small price.
Photo Credits: shutterstock.com
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