Roaming with Wireless Nation
We know that our customers love to travel and roam around the world. To help you avoid unexpected charges on your bill, please review the following information about your international mobile phone needs before you head abroad.
Also, it’s important to note that our portable WiFi modems do not function outside of New Zealand, even with a local SIM card. Please read on to find out more about using your Wireless Nation mobile phone outside of New Zealand.
How does roaming work? Roaming allows you to use your Wireless Nation mobile phone plan in select foreign countries using our roaming packs. Check out our handy dropdown list below to find out if your destination has a roaming pack!
When you arrive in another country, you’ll receive a text message letting you know if roaming packs are available. If not, ‘Rest of the World’ casual roaming rates apply. These casual roaming rates are very expensive (easily stacking up to hundreds or thousands of dollars). We strongly recommend purchasing a local SIM card or using local WiFi (in your hotel, cafes, etc.) if roaming packs are not available.
Where are you travelling to?
What do you need to think about before you head abroad?
The length of your trip and data usage
If you are going overseas for a month or more, or anticipate a lot of data usage, then a local SIM card will suit you best in lieu of casual roaming or a roaming pack.
What if my handset does not connect overseas?
If you are experiencing issues connecting to mobile networks overseas, please see this help article.
What are the roaming best practices outside of New Zealand?
The specifics of roaming can vary depending on the country you’re visiting. However, it is important to keep an eye on your data, text, and minute usage to avoid unexpected charges. You can do this through our website utilising MyHub.
Our auto-buy roaming packs
For your convenience and to protect you from huge casual roaming charges where roaming packs are available, our system adds roaming packs automatically, if you are in a roaming pack supported country. This helps prevent expensive casual roaming charges. You can find the cost for each roaming pack and which countries they are available in, in our mobile rate card.
- A roaming pack costs $39.62 and comes with 2GB of data, 300 incoming mins, 300 outgoing mins and 300 texts and is valid for 14 days. Another roaming pack is added automatically after 14 days, or prior, if any of the four components runs out.
- You will continue using the same roaming pack when moving from one roaming pack country to another roaming pack country.
- Roaming usage records can take hours or even days to show in MyHub (as overseas networks are sometimes delayed to send these records to us). Most mobile phones offer functionality to count and show you how much mobile data was used.
- Roaming packs cannot be cancelled or refunded after purchase.
How do I stop roaming?
To avoid unexpected roaming charges, you can take a couple of simple steps.
- Before you head overseas, remember to disable the roaming setting on your mobile phone.
- Alternatively, you can contact us, and we’ll gladly disable the roaming features on your account before you travel.
Roaming on cruise ships and in-flight on aeroplanes
Roaming on cruise ships and in-flight can be very expensive. Here’s what you need to know:
What about cruise ships?
On cruise ships and planes, ‘Rest of the World’ casual roaming rates apply. Avoid using your phone or data in these situations, as charges will be extremely high. Most cruise ships offer WiFi packs which are the better option for you.
Should I use my mobile or data during a flight?
Most airlines offer WiFi on their flights. This is a more affordable way to stay connected than using our roaming. We do not recommend using your Wireless Nation mobile data while on an aeroplane.
We’re here to help!
If you have any questions about roaming, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re always happy to help you stay connected while you travel and prevent any unforeseen extra charges.