Source
r/travel•
ChilliPC

Need some extra advice on Bank/Phones for a WHV to Australia from UK

Question

I will be travelling to Australia on WHV in the new year and was wondering what methods you guys recommend when transferring money (did you take a travel card with money on it or just use your normal bank card until you setup an Australian account?). My current bank lets me use my card for up to 3 months but has a £25 fee on every withdrawal and has a harsh exchange rate.

I'm also curious how you went about setting up a phone contract and what I should look for/avoid. I am currently on Vodafone in the UK and I looked into setting up an account for when I get over there as they have Vodafone in Australia but they said it wasn't possible.

Finally what insurance cover would you recommend, I've looked into this but there are so many different types available I don't know which would be best for me.

Edit: Extra Question, I plan on working but haven't found anywhere prior to flying, how much money do you think I will need to take in order to survive before I find a job?

Posted Dec 22, 2016, 6:19 PM UTC · edited

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thisisrosiec•

Money: I just brought my Canadian debit + credit cards and used them until I started working and getting paid into my Aussie account. That being said, I don't have a transaction fee on my credit cards, so it wasn't a problem to use them normally. If it's going to charge you a crazy fee, it might be worth making a one-time large withdrawal and then depositing it in your Aussie account.

Phone: Do you own your phone, or are you paying it off on your contract? If you own it, get it unlocked, then buy a pay-as-you-go sim card in Australia. If you're still paying it off, then I'm not sure how this works. Once you get here, I recommend Telstra if you're planning on spending time outside of the cities. I've found their coverage pretty decent, and the payg prices are reasonable.

Savings: I think the 5000 AUD that immigration can technically ask you to show proof of is a good benchmark. You could certainly bring less, but that will keep you going if you don't find work/find a job that turns out to be terrible. Also, I found that spending more than a month exploring before working made settling down into a job a lot easier.

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ChilliPCOP•

Ok thanks! How much do you find your self spending on average per day/week/month/anything? :)

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thisisrosiec•

My average when I was in cities and staying in hostels was about 80$/day, but I was eating out at least one meal a day, and going to some paid attractions.

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