A few weeks back we discussed the issue with requiring a mobile number to sign up for online services. This topic seems to have struck a chord with many of you, so we thought we’d look at what it would take to just give in and get an inexpensive mobile plan.
In short, you can actually get a SIM with a phone number for around $10 AUD with 365 days data included. Most people can afford that, and and if you’re going to be using WiFi, laptops or other non-mobile devices to access these services, then the (limited) data inclusions don’t matter.
Before we jump into the plans, let’s recap the problem we’re trying to solve.
In short services like Telegram, WhatsApp, Duo, Signal and more all require you to have a phone number to connect to their service. While you can get a temporary SIM and use it to sign up, some service require re-authorisation using SMS for new devices, and if you don’t keep that number ongoing, it’s possible to one day lose access to your own account, and you don’t want that.
As such, what we need is an inexpensive way of keeping a phone number on an ongoing basis. However, we don’t want any data or phone calls, it’s just to receive SMS authentication for online services.
So with those criteria in mind, what we are looking for is a Pay As You Go plan with a long recharge limit.
We found 2 plans that meet that criteria for $10 to $15, from providers amaysim and Aldi Mobile respectively. Both offer 365 day recharge periods. Amaysim uses the Optus 4G network and Aldi Mobile uses the Telstra 4G and 3G networks. Check out the plans below.
How do these plans look to you? Are they enough for you to give in and provide a mobile number to register for online services?
Duncan, what are the current cheapest smartphones available for outright buy, to insert these SIMs into?
I have been on the Aldi Mobile Family Plan for a few months now, and everything has been awesome.
Good to know. I’ve been wanting a second spare phone number for online use and testing etc, for ages, but the cost put me off. I might get the Aldi sim.