GoTalk offers prepaid SIMs with a mix of calling options for both local and international calls.
Having operated in the Australian mobile market for more than 20 years, GoTalk has carved out a successful niche for itself by offering a variety of prepaid plans tailored to different communication needs.
From unlimited national talk plans to low-rate international plans, GoTalk offers more choice than most other prepaid providers in Australia.
Using Vodafone's 4G network, GoTalk offers both pay-as-you-go prepaid plans with a variety of call and text rates as well as a pair of capped-usage plans. GoTalk SIM-card starter packs can be purchased online or at various retail stores throughout Australia.
GoTalk prepaid plans
GoTalk offers four distinct prepaid plans: Anytime, MAX, Straight Talk Plus and Aussie:
- GoTalk's Anytime plan is aimed at budget-conscious Australians who mostly make calls to landline numbers within the country. Calls to Australian landlines are charged at 0c/min with a 29c flagfall.
- GoTalk's MAX plan is designed for those with friends and family overseas. Along with discounted international call rates, the MAX plan includes 0c calls to China, Malaysia and Singapore during the off-peak hours of midnight to 11AM AEST.
- GoTalk's Straight Talk Plus plan strikes a balance between GoTalk's other pay-as-you-go plans, with 15c national landline and mobile calls plus discounted international call rates to select countries.
- GoTalk's Aussie plans are more in line with other modern prepaid offerings, packing unlimited national calls and texts along with a quota of monthly data. Two Aussie plans are available: one with 2GB of monthly data and the other with 4GB of monthly data.
The three pay-as-you-go GoTalk plans expire after 90 days, while the GoTalk Aussie plans last for just 30 days.
Beyond the call rates, GoTalk charges a flat 5c/MB for mobile data on its Anytime, MAX and Straight Talk Plus plans. If you use up all the included data on either of GoTalk's Aussie plans, you'll also be charged at that same 5c/MB rate for any excess data you use.
How does GoTalk compare?
Because GoTalk offers both pay-as-you-go prepaid plans as well as capped plans, it can compete on two different fronts in the mobile market. Its pay-as-you-go plans, for instance, go up against similar offerings from Vodafone, Telstra, amaysim and Hello Mobile.
Here's how the most common rates compare between those five providers:
| GoTalk Straight Talk Plus | Vodafone Prepaid 365 Plus | Telstra Prepaid Simplicity | amaysim As You Go | Hello Mobile Supa | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard national landline call | 15c/min + 35c flagfall | 20c/min + 0c flagfall | 15c/min + 0c flagfall | 15c/min + 0c flagfall | 0c/min + 30c flagfall |
| Standard national mobile call | 15c/min + 35c flagfall | 20c/min + 0c flagfall | 15c/min + 0c flagfall | 15c/min + 0c flagfall | 12c/min + 30c flagfall |
| Standard national text | 15c | 20c | 12c | 15c | 10c |
| Data | 5c/MB | 2c/MB | 10c/MB | 15.4c/MB | 5c/MB |
| Maximum expiry | 90 days | 365 days | 180 days | 365 days | 90 days |
The above comparison uses GoTalk's Straight Talk Plus plan for simplicity, but if you're mostly interested in cheap landline calls with the Anytime plan or low-cost international calls with the MAX plan, you can reduce the rates even further.
Regardless, GoTalk proves quite competitive even against big-name providers like Vodafone and Telstra. The only area where GoTalk falters is its expiry – Vodafone, Telstra and amaysim all offer 180 days or more before you need to recharge compared to GoTalk's 90 days, which can be especially useful if you're an infrequent caller and prefer to set and forget your mobile balance.
How do GoTalk's Aussie plans compare?
GoTalk's capped Aussie plans face significantly stiffer competition than its pay-as-you-go plans. Telstra, OVO, amaysim and Boost Mobile all offer similarly-priced plans with higher data caps, with amaysim beating out the GoTalk Aussie 30 inclusions at the much-lower price point of $20 a month:
The Aussie 40 plan is even more outmatched, with its 4GB of monthly data trounced by the 8GB+ offered by many competing plans:
Why should you consider GoTalk?
If you're looking for a highly-competitive, capped prepaid plan, you'll probably want to give GoTalk a miss. On the other hand, if it's a low-rate pay-as-you-go plan you're after, GoTalk has the goods.
With three distinct pay-as-you-go plans targeting different types of phone users, you can choose the plan that best suits your particular needs – there's no reason to pay for discount international rates if you never call overseas. Best of all, you can switch between GoTalk's different pay-as-you-go plans any time you recharge, so if you suddenly find yourself with a long-distance buddy in America, you can change your phone plan accordingly.
GoTalk customers also enjoy free five-minute calls to any other GoTalk mobile number, which can be handy if you have friends or family already signed up to the telco.
GoTalk prepaid recharge options
To get started with GoTalk, you'll first need to purchase a GoTalk SIM card. You can either order one from the GoTalk website or pick one up from a variety of Aussie retailers.
Once you've done that, you have three options for recharging:
- In-store: You can purchase GoTalk prepaid recharge vouchers from a number of Aussie retailers including 7-11, Australia Post, Coles and Woolworths
- Online: Visit www.gotalkmobile.com.au to recharge online with your credit card
- Phone: Call 126 467 from the same mobile your GoTalk SIM card is in and follow the prompts
