1. It’s unlimited
The key benefit, to unlimited plans, is their predictability. There’s nothing worse than going over your cap or bundle allocation and getting a huge bill. Amaysim’s plan is genuinely ‘all you can eat’ for calls and text in Australia for a predictable $44.90 per month.
For voice and text in Australia, the Amaysim plan offers unlimited use – and all for $44.90. Of course, the plan is subject to fair usage but unless you’re talking 24 x 7 – so long as your needs are those of a legitimate Australian Consumer, you’ll be fine.
Unlimited is a word that you need to be really careful with in the Telco industry. The regulator in Australia, the TIO ( Telecommunications Ombudsman ) watches the phone companies like a hawk every day. However, there is no word they scrutinize more closely than when a mobile phone company puts unlimited on one of its products. Phone companies have exploited the word and used it to mislead people in the past. To have that badge these days, a plan needs to be genuinely, 100% unlimited, no catches.
The fact that Amaysim are allowed to use ‘Unlimited’ next to it’s $44.90 plan consistently, should reassure you that it really is exactly what they say it is – unlimited.
2. You get 5GB of data!
The $44.90 Amaysim plan includes 5GB of data. That’s a lot of data. I use a lot of data on my mobile. I stream the news on the way in to the WhatPhone office, I download tonnes of email from a variety of accounts every day with attachments. I use my mobile as a tethered modem all the time to update the WhatPhone site with the articles I’ve written. And I go nowhere near 5GB of data a month.
Data users are typically broken in to 3 ‘types’. See if you recognise yourself.
Low users
They know who they are. They hardly surf and when they do, it’s a couple of times a month for a short amount of time. These people can get away with 500 MB of data or less.
Medium users
They don’t know what they use ( this might be you ! ) Average iPhone usage is around 1GB per month. For other smart phone users, it’s slightly less.If you’re a medium user, you have nothing to fear if you have 5GB of data a month on your mobile !
High users
They know who they are and they know what data they use. The top 20% of iPhone / other high end Smartphone users will go over 1.5GB – 2GB of data.
You’d have to be in the top 1 per cent of mobile phone users to go over 5GB of data. If that’s not you, you probably know it and now, you can sleep easy that you’re not going to blow this allowance!
3. Amaysim use the Optus network
Everyone knows that Telstra have the best network. It’s probably not as much better than the alternatives as you think ( you can read about that here )
But Telstra’s is the best. However, most people agree ( and the industry stats are consistent with the fact that ) that not far behind Telstra, in terms of network quality is Optus. Amaysim are an MVNO, a Mobile Virtual Network Operator. That means they use Optus’ network and provide their own customer care, pricing and SIMs to customers.
To you, that means you get the $44.90 Unlimited Plan – which is much better value than any of the Optus plans but you get it on the Optus networks. It’s the best of both worlds.
4. Award winning customer service
Amaysim’s Customer Service Is Great. I put my girlfriend on the plan 6 months ago with an old WhatPhone phone. I asked her for her thoughts on the service and she said she loved it ! The call center is based in Australia and they even send you an email whenever they debit your account ! But it’s not just her.
- Money Magazine have awarded Amaysim Plans as “Best of the Best”
- Canstar Blue have rated Amaysim with “Most Satisfied Customers”
Roy Morgan run a regular, monthly survey of Australian consumers and they consistently award Amaysim with Best Phone Company Satisfaction. Amaysim have 100% Australian Customers Service.
It’s certainly not always the case but I have had a couple of specific situations where I have called customer services overseas and been met with someone whose accent was so strong, I couldn’t understand them. Having their Customer Service in Australia means that’s less likely to happen with Amaysim.
Of course, the best customer service is one you never have to call ! And the feedback we’ve had at WhatPhone from the friends and family member s we recommend this plan to is that it just works, no dramas !
5. You can bring your own phone
The $44.90 plan from Amaysim is a SIM only or ‘BYO’ ( Bring Your Own ) option. A SIM only is a plan where you just get the network services that the telcos sell – no ‘free’ device.
In the last 12 months, SIM Only has really taken off in Australia. Increasingly, people don’t want to wait for the end of their 2 year contract before they can get a new phone. They want a new phone whenever they want a new phone and the flexibility to decide for themselves. In many cases, they can get one cheap from overseas, eBay or take a hand-me-down phone from a family member. SIM only allows people to upgrade when they want, not when the telcos want.
And if, at some point, you decide you’ve had enough and that Amaysim is not the best deal for you, you can cancel and go somewhere else.
6. Nano SIMs are now available from Amaysim
For a long time after the launch of the iPhone 5, Amaysim really struggled to get Nano SIMs for the $44.90 plan.
Luckily, Amaysim have fixed that now. That means, if you’re one of the roughly 50% of all mobile phone buyers in Australia who buy an iPhone 5, you’ll be able to get yourself a $44.90 Unlimited Plan Nano SIM and chat to / text your friends as much as you want to.
7. Award winning plans
Money Magazine has awarded them five times for having the best Unlimited and As You Go plans in Australia.
8. Keep your number or get a new one
The most common question in every phone shop in Australia, when people are starting to think about changing the network they’re with, is ‘Can I Keep My Number’ ? The simple answer is, if you take the Amaysim $44.90 plan – you can.
9. No contract means flexibility
The Amaysim $44.90 plan comes with no required commitment. No contract.
In the telco industry, this type of charging mechanism is called an On Account plan. In fact, it’s no more of a commitment to the Amaysim company than a prepaid SIM is. You sign up, activate online and you give them your details – credit card or bank account. Then they charge you every month for the service. But you can cancel any time.
Unlike prepaid, you’ll never run out of credit when you need it most. It’s also a bit more ‘grown up’ – prepaid is mostly for younger people. And unlike a contract, if you want out, that’s fine. Give them a ring and end the contract or just cancel the renewal – again, online. There will be no termination fees, no arguments, you’re done.
10. There are no hidden charges
Some of the phone companies do include calls to 13 & 18 numbers in their caps. Some don’t. Some include them above a price threshold ( for example, Vodafone Australia include ‘free’ calls to 13 & 18 numbers above a $65 per month commitment. )
With Amaysim, the answer to this difficult question is clear and reassuring. 13 & 18 numbers are included in the unlimited calls allowance. One of the things that really catches people out ( and lands them with big bills ) is that they buy a cap and it doesn’t include 13 numbers or 18 numbers. Then they have to call one of them when they’re out and about and they end up on call to a call center for 45 minutes getting charged an outrageous out of cap rate for it ! Not with Amaysim !
Things to remember
If you go outside of Australia and call then you will be charged for that.
As with all plans, we recommend that you read the terms and conditions before you sign up. Just because we love the Amaysim $44.90 plan doesn’t mean it’s necessarily right for you !
But – if you are an average person and you decide this is the right plan for you then you are very unlikely to get a shock when your bill lands in your email tray – ever again !
It’s rare that we are as clear cut about a product on WhatPhone. However, with this Amaysim Review, it’s become clear to us. Amaysim really stands out. As usual, if you have feedback or questions, why not drop us a line through the ‘get in touch’ section of our site. We’d love to hear from you.