New Zealand Travel Sim Cards: The Best Sim Card for Travellers

There are a few New Zealand Travel SIM cards on offer, making it tricky to decide on which provider to go with. It’s great that there are multiple options, but knowing what to go for is essential for your phone habits.

Additionally, I’ve broken down some of the key features that you may like to look out for and displayed some tips for travelling. Moreover, these will give you a good idea of things you need to consider before purchasing and how to get yourself set up and ready for travel.

Let’s dive into everything you need to know so that you are ready to travel New Zealand with the appropriate SIM card.

Please note: Prices will likely fluctuate, and the companies may promote specific deals. In order to get updated pricing, be sure to check on each of the company’s websites.

How to Choose a Travel Sim for New Zealand

There are a couple of things that you’ll want to put into consideration when choosing a sim card for New Zealand. Some of the key points that you need to keep in mind include:

Data coverage
Length of plan
Pricing
Text and calls
Amount of data
Top-up options

Above are just a few of the key factors that you may like to keep in mind when it comes time to purchase a sim card. Be sure to take note of these factors and apply them to what you’re looking for in a SIM card.

What Are the Companies That Offer Travel Sim Cards in New Zealand?

There is a range of mobile service providers from which you can purchase a travel SIM card. Moreover, a few of these companies include Spark, One (Vodafone) and 2degrees.

For the most part, these are the main companies that travellers tend to go with on a trip to New Zealand.

Note: If you are flying from Australia, have a look into what your provider offers. For example, Telstra offers international roaming to New Zealand for $5 AUD per day including 1GB of data. If you’re only in New Zealand for a short period of time, this might be worth looking into.

How to Change a Sim Card

Firstly, you need to ensure that your phone is unlocked. And, I’m not talking about the typical unlocking of your password. A locked phone is a device that can only be used with the original service provider.

In order to get the phone unlocked, you will need to talk to the mobile provider and it’s usually a simple process to break free from the network.

Be sure to check that your phone is unlocked so that you can use SIM cards from anywhere in the world on your device.

Next up, you need to physically change the SIM card. For the most part, when purchasing the SIM, the new provider will put it in for you so that you don’t need to worry about doing it yourself. However, if you have to do it, I recommend bringing the piece that comes with your device to pop out the SIM card.

Finally, simply swap the SIM cards over and you should be good to go! Should you have any issues, be sure to contact your provider immediately to troubleshoot the problem.

The Best New Zealand Travel SIMs

I’m going to go ahead and display a range of options from multiple companies so that you can be assured that you’re making the right decision based on your needs.

Definitely have a look into each of them, and check out the company’s websites in case they have some offers or have changed their services.

Note: All prices are listed in New Zealand Dollars.

2Degrees

2degrees has some awesome offers, and while they aren’t technically labelled as ‘travel SIMs’, they can definitely be used for that purpose.

There is a huge range of prepaid SIMs that you can choose from, so you can get a small deal or a large deal to suit your needs perfectly!

Not to mention, all of these deals offer carryover data which is great if you are staying in the country for a while. And, the largest deal is a bargain in comparison to some of the smaller deals. Therefore, it’s great for those of you that need to make use of lots of internet.

$10 for 30 Days with 250MB of Data
$19 for 30 Days with 1.5GB of Data
$30 for 30 Days with 3GB of Data
$60 for 30 Days with 15GB of Data
$85 for 30 Days with 120GB of Data

Check out the options from 2degrees here.

One

One is a tried and true data service and they offer a great range of New Zealand travel SIM options. Moreover, you can collect these SIM cards at any of the airports and stores around the country.

One is the new rebranding from Vodafone. They are the same provider, they have simply changed their name recently.

$29 for 30 Days with 2GB of Data
$49 for 60 Days with 10GB of Data
$69 for 60 Days with 40GB of Data
$99 for 60 Days with 100GB of Data

Check out the options from one here.

Spark

Spark is one of the most popular options for travel SIM cards in New Zealand. There are a few great options and they’re all at the standard pricing and include great service.

3G is the most widely accessible network over the vast majority of New Zealand and with plenty of spots in the popular and mainly-visited locations offering 4G service.

Finally, 5G is available in all of the larger main towns and cities.

$29 for 3 Months with 2GB of Data
$49 for 3 Months with 10GB of Data
$79 for 3 Months with 50GB of Data

Check out the options from Spark here.

Which Is the Best Phone Sim in New Zealand?

In terms of coverage, pricing and mobile data, the best travel phone SIM in New Zealand is 2degrees. Moreover, the options are great and it’s a reliable network to travel with.

Thousands of visitors make use of this network and have loads of great things to say about it. So, I’d recommend checking out this SIM card on your trip to New Zealand.

Alternatively, the second best option seems to be Spark. Moreover, they have great coverage and some awesome options for packages.

Wrapping Up

So there you have it, some of the best travel phone SIMs from New Zealand. I hope this guide has offered you some ideas on SIMs that you could purchase and has helped you to make an informed decision on which provider to choose.

If you plan on sticking to the cities, all of the networks will work just fine. However, if you’re thinking of heading off the beaten path and taking a road trip around the country, you may need to go with a slightly more expensive option.

Nonetheless, all of these SIM cards will do the trick! Finally, if you’d like to learn more about New Zealand, be sure to check out this section of my blog. It will be jam-packed with travel guides, itineraries and the best places to visit! Happy reading!