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Roaming Policy

This Roaming Policy describes roaming service specific terms. Spark General Terms and Mobile & Wireless Terms also apply to your use of the roaming service.

For current roaming rates and products, please select your destination in the Spark app or on our International Roaming pages.

General roaming tips

  • Roaming relies on the use of overseas telecommunications networks that we don’t control. We can’t therefore provide any guarantees about the quality of roaming services. If a fault happens while you're travelling please contact the Spark Roaming helpdesk on +64 3 371 0866 or roaming@spark.co.nz, so that we can discuss the issue with the local network in your roaming destination.
  • New Zealand rates don’t apply when roaming. The charges that apply to roaming services are in addition to any other charges which apply to your mobile plan.
  • The storage, treatment and transfer of personal data will be subject to the privacy regulations of your destination country and they may be different from those in New Zealand. Check with the individual roaming carrier provider about their privacy practices.
  • Pay Monthly Roaming voice billing relies on the billing files to be sent from the carrier partner and processed by our billing systems. This means, Pay Monthly Roaming voice usage meters and alerts can be three to four days behind. We encourage you to track your call usage using the call record feature in your mobile, and ensure you have a second roaming pack purchased as back up if you intend to make or receive a lot of calls.
  • Prepaid customers will receive a charge for any voicemails deposited in their voicemail box while roaming, even if their device is switched off. This is charged at the standard per min rate for receiving calls while roaming.
  • To retrieve a voicemail while overseas you will be charged the standard per minute rate for an outgoing call in the country you're in unless you have an active roaming pack.
  • If you choose not to purchase a roaming pack for an eligible country, or once a pack’s allowance has been consumed or the pack has expired, you will revert to casual rates until another pack is purchased.
  • If you visit a destination that’s not covered by Spark's roaming packs, you’ll pay casual rates. Use the destination selector in the Spark app or at the top of the Roaming page to find the specific prices.
  • All roaming charges are listed in New Zealand currency and include GST.
  • Charges listed for incoming and outgoing calls while roaming are charged per minute (you pay the full minute rate for each minute or part minute).
  • Text messages to and from New Zealand-based premium numbers while roaming will be charged at the standard New Zealand rate for those premium members.
  • Text messages when roaming:
    • There’s no charge for receiving a person-to-person text
    • One standard text message is 160 characters. Texts over 160 characters (including spaces) count as more than one standard text. For example, a 200 character text would be charged as two texts.
    • Note: Emojis use 90 characters in a text message. This means you’ll be charged the standard rate (or use 1 text allocation) for each text message up to 70 characters in length if it contains an emoji, for each recipient.
  • When roaming, sending or receiving a picture/MMS message is charged at the standard data roaming rate for the country you're in or deducted off the data allocation of the roaming pack. You'll also be charged the standard Spark rate for sending a picture/MMS message.
    • Sending or receiving picture texts, MMS or videos will incur extra charges as they’re not included in roaming packs. If they're sent using a data application (for example, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, email) they’ll consume data from your pack, or incur casual data charges if you don’t have a pack.
    • Prepaid: If you send a picture message to a Spark mobile or any email address, it's $0.20 per message per recipient. If you send a picture message to another mobile network, it's $0.50 per message per recipient.
    • Pay Monthly: If you send a picture message to a mobile on any network or any email address, it's $0.50 per message per recipient. If you send a video message to a mobile on any network, it's $1 per message per recipient.
  • Websites or apps that are zero-rated (don't use your data allocation) while in New Zealand are charged at the standard data roaming rate for the country you're in or deducted from a roaming pack if you have one. The Spark app is zero-rated while roaming.

Not sure how much data you need?

  • Data usage depends on what device is used and how much time is spent online. Roamers may get an idea of their potential mobile data requirements when travelling by looking at mobile data they use when in New Zealand. Some devices allow you to see how much mobile data you have used in the last month, including how much data different applications have used.
  • Roamers should be aware that faster mobile networks will use more data than slower ones. For example a device may use more data on a 5G network compared to a 4G or 3G network, especially for things like high-definition video.
  • A roamer's usage may vary depending on several factors, including, but not limited to; the model of the device, the device settings, the network being used, and application settings.
  • A roamer's usage may change when travelling. For example, a roamer may spend more time looking at maps.
  • Roamers can take steps to reduce their data usage when roaming, these steps may include:
    • Using local Wi-Fi networks to avoid using mobile data.
    • Turning off mobile data when it is not required – Find out how to turn mobile and roaming data on or off in the mobile device help section. Search for your device and follow the instructions provided. Go to device help
    • Enabling data saving settings in applications where they are available.
    • Avoiding streaming videos and music.
    • Disabling background data services in a device or applications.
  • Roaming packs which have included allowances (in eligible countries) may provide more certainty for roamers and, depending on how much data the roamer uses, may be more cost effective than casual data.

Roaming pack information

  • The Roaming Pack and Roaming Data Pack is activated at first roaming use in eligible destinations and will expire 14 days after the next New Zealand midnight, after the first roaming use or full consumption of the pack inclusions.
  • The Australia Daily Roaming pack is activated at first roaming use in Australia and will expire 24 hours after the first roaming use or full consumption of the pack inclusions.
  • You can buy and have more than one Roaming Pack, Australia Daily Roaming Pack or Roaming Data Pack at a time, if you need more allocations.
  • Each Roaming Pack and Roaming Data Pack's inclusions can be used in one or more of the listed eligible destinations. See eligible roaming destinations
  • The Australia Daily Roaming pack's inclusions can be used in Australia only.
  • Allowances aren't valid within New Zealand, or in other roaming destinations (including cruise ships or flights).
  • The incoming calling allowances allows customers to receive calls on their mobile without incurring casual roaming rates.
  • Roaming pack allocations cannot be shared. The data, text and call allocations can only be used from the mobile number they're purchased for.
  • Roaming Pack and Roaming Data Pack: The outgoing calling allowance is for calls to any number anywhere in the world (i.e. it doesn't have to be to a number in an eligible country) within eligible countries as well as calls to any country around the world and to the voicemail connected to the mobile number with the Roaming Pack and Roaming Data Pack.
  • Australia Daily Roaming Pack: The unlimited outgoing call allowance is for person to person calls to New Zealand and Australia numbers only and to the voicemail connected to the mobile number with the Australia Daily Roaming Pack. Calls to any other destination are charged at the casual rate of $0.56 per minute. The unlimited outgoing text allowance is for texts to New Zealand and Australia person to person numbers only. Texts to any other destinations are charged at the casual rate of $0.92 per text. Spark fair use policy applies
  • Premium numbers (1800, 1900, 0800) are excluded from the calling allowance and will be charged at casual rates specific to the country you are in.
  • The included texts allowance is for sending texts to numbers within both eligible and non-eligible destinations.
  • Picture messaging/MMS and non-person to person text are excluded from text allowance and will use data from the pack, or at casual data rates if there's no data allocation remaining.

Auto Buy Roaming

  • Auto Buy Roaming is a way to avoid casual roaming rates for eligible countries. Once you turn it on you don't need to do anything on arrival. You can enable Auto Buy Roaming by signing into your MySpark account or in the Spark app. Use the MySpark link that follows to go straight to the Mobile settings page where you can turn on Auto Buy Roaming. Go to MySpark settings
    • Customers who have opted into Auto Buy Roaming will have their selected roaming pack automatically purchased and activated on first roaming usage in an eligible country, and additional pack(s) applied subsequently after full consumption of any roaming pack inclusion or when the current pack expires. Customers may manually purchase an additional roaming pack at any time.
  • The Roaming Pack, or Roaming Data Pack that expires first will be consumed first. If you don't have another roaming pack after this roaming pack has been used, casual roaming rates will apply. This doesn't apply if Auto Buy Roaming is enabled, in which case a new roaming pack will be purchased and activated.