Telstra $10 Accelerate Plan (Satphone) Warning!

Hello

Has always been the case when using "normal" telstra sims in satphones (well at least the various $10 plans) - once the sim card is registered as being in a sat phone (i.e. when you insert sim and turn sat phone on) you will get slugged for all incoming calls and texts even if phone is turned off (and even if you take the SIM out of the phone).

What you need to do when not using the sat phone is to place the SIM back in a "normal" phone and turn it on so that it is then registered on the normal network again - you will then not be charged for incoming calls/texts....but wait there's more - this needs to be done at the start of the billing period before you make any outgoing calls (not halfway through a billing period when you have made some calls) otherwise you will get charged twice for all calls you have made on the Sat Phone as they get registered as being made on both networks as separate entities.

Sounds complicated but if you only use it a few months of the year its not a drama (for me at least.). I leave the sim in an old iPhone and only put in the Sat Phone when considered necessary.

Cheers
Greg

I have had the same. Its not just overseas calls, Any wrong number caller. will drive up the costs.

As Greg says you can put the sim in a normal phone, Though this is harder now with different SIM sizes,

The other way is to go online or call Telstra and trun international roaming off. Then turn it on again when you go away.

Selling it and hiring one when you need it might be a (better) cheaper option for you based on the fact it has been sitting in the cupboard for 6 months.

Otherwise have a look at Pivotal, as I've outlined previously in another thread.

Cheers, Baz - The landy

Yes that happened to me a while back..forgot to take the sim out.
No worries as Telstra could clearly see my monthly bill pattern and refunded me the amount, particularly as all of the calls were from the same number and only a few seconds.

Hi Shaker......Had the same problem although my satphone had been on the shelf for twelve months, with both the battery and sim card removed.----like you I continued getting small additions to my $10 plan and didn't bother about it until it got a bit too continuous to avoid. My local Telstra agent tried several times to solve the issue but to no avail--(the Telstra HQ kept saying they'd fix it but alas you can guess the result)----so my local lass in the shop simply changed my phone number, and so far all seems to be fixed------------PS..I hope you still retain your $10 account, as I believe they won't offer them anymore......................... .....Cheers...SapperD

You could do what I do and just hire a "sim card only" ,for the month your off the grid. I use Landwide ,he will post a sim card out ,just before I leave.