NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Business / Personal Finance

Diana Clement: Top tips for the best mobile and data deals

Diana Clement
By Diana Clement
Your Money and careers writer for the NZ Herald·Herald on Sunday·
18 Feb, 2017 04:00 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

One way to save on cellphone charges is to not have one, another is to shop around to find the cheapest prices. Photo / 123RF

One way to save on cellphone charges is to not have one, another is to shop around to find the cheapest prices. Photo / 123RF

Diana Clement
Opinion by Diana Clement
Diana Clement is a freelance journalist who has written a column for the Herald since 2004. Before that, she was personal finance editor for the Sunday Business (now The Business) newspaper in London.
Learn more

Talk isn't cheap.

In the 21st century we text, talk and suck data 24/7.

Some households spend an eye-watering hundreds of dollars a month on mobile/landline/broadband costs.

It's true that each minute, text or megabyte (mb) of mobile or gigabyte of home data we consume is cheaper than it used to be.

It's just that we're doing so much more of it.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

So here are some tightwad tips for getting control around your telephony spend:

Knowledge is power

If you want the best deal then you need to understand your own use and behaviour patterns.

For example, I call Australia regularly and switched to using my mobile phone for this purpose because I had 100 "free" New Zealand and Australian minutes per month, saving up to $100 a year.

An annual review of your telecom use really pays dividends.

Shop around

I roll my eyes at people who think that their provider or plan is the "best".

Discover more

Opinion

Diana Clement: KiwiSaver break really not as good

28 Jan 04:00 PM
Opinion

Diana Clement: Read insurance fine print

04 Feb 04:00 PM
Opinion

Diana Clement: Cupid fails on money shot

11 Feb 04:00 PM
Opinion

Slimming down viewing costs

26 Feb 07:17 PM

The best package depends on each individual's circumstances.

Some people need a pile of data, texts, or calls and others virtually none.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Or like me they love rollover minutes and data.

Others like one plan that they can share with family members, or a plan that allows them to phone their home country for free.

Don't limit yourself to just Spark, Vodafone and 2Degrees, although they all have a huge range of deals.

Slingshot and other broadband providers also offer mobile. Skinny and the newer SkinnyDirect, both owned by Spark, are two separate services that offer some pretty competitive low cost packages.

If you're a very low user who benefits from pay-as-you-go then Warehouse Mobile only charges 4c a minute for calls, 2c for texts and 6c per mb of data.

Just beware of "free" phone deals which are invariably expensive. See http://tinyurl.com/expensivebutfree

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Check the extras

Some people can't face switching or want mobile, broadband and landline with one provider.

They may even want pay TV, Spotify and electricity rolled in, although it's hard to compare apples with apples if it's all in one package.

Even if you don't want to switch providers, it's essential to dig deep into your existing provider's website to ensure you're on the best deal for you.

That often means adding "value packs" where you pay a fixed monthly fee for a certain number of calls, texts and megabytes or overseas minutes.

Beware of "fair usage" policies on so-called unlimited packages.

Seek help

If you don't want to do your own numbers in a spreadsheet contact the call centre or post on the company's social media pages to get them to analyse your spend and suggest a better combination of package and extras.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

There are also online comparison engines such as WhistleOut.co.nz for mobile and Glimp.co.nz for broadband/landline.

They compare a variety of providers, some I'd never heard of.

Perks

There are so many perks available that I could fill half this newspaper listing them. So do check.

Spark, for example, has "Socialiser", which is free data for social media use.

Just lately there have been a lot of introductory offers on broadband and mobile, although be aware that you'll be signing up for a minimum period.

Vodafone and 2Degrees have deals for students and/or under 25s.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Restrict background data

Mobile phones chew through data by updating apps whenever they feel like it.

On Android there is a setting that allows you to restrict background data.

That means non-essential updates only happen when your phone is connected to Wi-Fi.

On Apple, look for the Background App Refresh settings.

You can also choose mobile packages that cut off once usage goes over a certain limit.

When this happens customers can buy another chunk of calls/texts/data easily.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The advantage is they're doing it with their eyes open and not getting bill shock from expensive pay-as-you-go charges.

Spend control apps

Look for tools from your provider that allow you to view and control your use.

There are also third party apps that compress our data usage or toggle the Wi-Fi on and off.

I use Smart Wi-Fi Toggler, which turns my Wi-Fi on automatically when I get home or in a range of hotspots I've used before.

Onavo Extend is a popular app for saving data.

Also, it's easy to save call charges by using WhatsApp, Viber, WeChat and others when connected to Wi-Fi.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Break your smartphone addiction

Do you really need to call? Could you text, or wait to send an email when you're back on Wi-Fi?

Ironically there are even apps to stop smartphone addiction such as Offtime and BreakFree.

Finally, sometimes the best option is a downgrade - not an upgrade.

If you're not using all the calls/minutes/data on your mobile or home broadband/landline package shop around.

Don't be scared of going pre-paid.

Most such packages automatically roll over these days so you'll never need to top up manually.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Personal Finance

Premium
Opinion

The Ex-Files: Should we put our family home in a trust?

12 May 02:36 AM
Business|personal finance

Why weddings are growing in cost - and how to save on your big day

11 May 05:00 PM
Premium
Opinion

Mary Holm: Is there a pot of gold waiting for those who invest in non-bank deposits?

09 May 05:00 PM

One tiny baby’s fight to survive

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Personal Finance

Premium
The Ex-Files: Should we put our family home in a trust?

The Ex-Files: Should we put our family home in a trust?

12 May 02:36 AM

OPINION: Seek independent legal advice. Trusts can complicate asset division.

Why weddings are growing in cost - and how to save on your big day

Why weddings are growing in cost - and how to save on your big day

11 May 05:00 PM
Premium
Mary Holm: Is there a pot of gold waiting for those who invest in non-bank deposits?

Mary Holm: Is there a pot of gold waiting for those who invest in non-bank deposits?

09 May 05:00 PM
Premium
‘Rip-off’: App developer and Consumer say fees will stifle open banking

‘Rip-off’: App developer and Consumer say fees will stifle open banking

08 May 11:00 PM
Connected workers are safer workers 
sponsored

Connected workers are safer workers 

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP