Which cell phone provider? Bank?

[mighty mouse]

Hi, all.

I've done some research into what bank we'll be opening accounts with, as well as what cell-phone provider to use, but I was curious as to others thoughts on this? I plan on visiting different banks and the 2 major cellphone carriers once we arrive, but nothing beats opinions from others who have already set these up. So tell me all, the good, the bad, and the ugly!

[vixxann]

Hi
I'lll start this off with my own personal experience and opinion
we bank with BNZ and have had no issues at all - the Total money account system works well for us and we have our mortgage with them too. Great service at all branches we have visited. Flexible and have arranged top-ups etc when we've needed them. All good.
No experience of other banks so cannot comment how they compare.
Phones...
I was with vodafone NZ but have since moved to 2degrees. Am now on pay as you talk (no plan) and it works out best for me $19 a month gets me 30 mins of calls, 300mb of data and 300 texts as this is the package that suits me best with my android phone. There are other options. Service has always been good. I live in Cambridge, Waikato but travel around North Island and have (so far) only struggle with a signal when we travelled around the East Cape which I thought was understandable!
hope this helps

[wiseboy22]

I would agree with 2degrees! They are by far the cheapest! They do 9c international text messages, compared to 25-40c with other operators!

[girlwithanewf]

We have one contract with Vodafone, otherwise we have pay-as-you-go with top-up vouchers from 2 degrees for a phone we only use when it's necessary.

Bank-wise, we use BNZ, great online banking system allowing you to transfer money between accounts and pay bills, both monthly and one-off. There is a tendency to pay for things in shops here with EFTPOS debit cards, and bills tend to be all paid online by transferring money to the relevant bank account. It's all very easy.

[lin]

We use National Bank and no problems - easy online banking, great service. (http://www.nationalbank.co.nz/person...z/default.aspx)

I think there is another thread on the forum that discusses the different banks, just don't ask me where! Most of the big banks have migrant services & will help you set up an account before you arrive.

Haven't a clue about mobiles - OH's on Vodafone (for work), I'm on Telecom but no idea if I'm getting good value. Thinking I might check out 2degrees now though...

[mighty mouse]

I was looking mostly between kiwibank and bank of new zealand - but it seems as though people are quite happy with BNZ, so we're leaning toward that currently.

[kiwieagle]

Hi, all.

I've done some research into what bank we'll be opening accounts with, as well as what cell-phone provider to use, but I was curious as to others thoughts on this? I plan on visiting different banks and the 2 major cellphone carriers once we arrive, but nothing beats opinions from others who have already set these up. So tell me all, the good, the bad, and the ugly!

We use BNZ and it's fine. I must disclose that my FIL is a retired BNZ bank manager so my husband has had the same account since he was a child and just added me on when we moved over. My sister in law, who is also American, uses BNZ and has found that when she returns to the USA that BNZ has a lot of fees and whatnot for overseas use. If you keep money in the USA, you won't have to worry about that.
Cell phone service here is pretty pricey. I don't know many people that actually talk on their cells the way we do in the states. On the other hand, we use 2degrees and 20 bucks lasts us around a month just texting and doing the occasional, from the grocery store, "Honey, do you want the Stoke Amber or Dark" call.

[benandclare]

ASB and Vodafone here

[praskiwi]

Hiya,

I'm on ANZ and using a Vodafone post paid plan ($55/month) for my smart phone :-).

Being a medium data user, the average work calls & SMSes amount to 100mins/month & 100sms/month. The plan comes with 3GB data, 120 mins, 2500 sms and mms as entitlements with lot of paid add-ons as well.

In my opinion, I am finding both of them good for the last 6 years. It all depends on your needs basically, Good luck!!

cheers!

[edw123]

Westpac for me. Very accomodating for the person moving overseas, superb customer service, lots of branches everywhere.

As for phones, it depends whether you are bringing one with you. If you are, 2 degrees is a no brainer (quite simply - it's the cheapest but pretty much has as much coverage as anywhere).

If you AREN'T bringing a phone, well, unless you want a very basic phone/cheap smartphone, you'll have to use Telecom. Every other provider is ludicrously expensive.

On a $100 per month plan (all networks give approx same deals), you get an old LG Optimus on 2 degrees, something like a Samsung Galaxy Ace on Voda - and an Iphone 4s on Telecom. They also did the Galaxy SII for the same price in Jan. In fact, I presume Telecom have bought too many Iphones (not surprising - Apple set the price and the volume, and there's no negotiation), as their current prices for all models are easily the cheapest around - much cheaper even than the UK's cheapest provider, 3 mobile.