2degrees Mobile Review

Updated 20 January 2021

What is 2degrees like for the average mobile customer? Our research team has taken a closer look to find out the plans, coverage, pros, cons, pricing and roaming options to see what’s what. It has been more than ten years since 2degrees launched in New Zealand with promises of cheaper rates and better service. Is 2degrees the best mobile network choice? Our guide covers:

Want to share your experience with 2degrees? Email our research team.

2degrees Mobile Prepay Plans

2degrees currently offers seven plans, split into monthly and fortnightly, that include data and minutes (to New Zealand and Australia), priced from $10/month (250 MB, 100 minutes) to $40/month (4 GB, Unlimited minutes). Benefits include:

Included minutes can be used to call New Zealand and Australian landline and mobile numbers.
Unlimited free calling to any 2degrees mobile number
Unlimited texts to NZ and Australia:
Free Data Hour every day - 2degrees offers 1 hour free mobile data every day only available from their Data Clock app. Customers need to go into the app every day to redeem their hour. See further details here.
Hotspot functionality included at no extra cost, so other devices can connect connect to your mobile and get online.

Be aware: Any unused Carryover minutes and data rolls over to the next month, up to one year, providing the Carryover Combo remains active. Customers have a maximum of 3 months 'holding period' after the Carryover Combo period ends. If the plan is not renewed, all Combo accrued carryover minutes and data will expire.

2degrees Prepay Summary:

Overall, if you’re looking for an affordable pay-as-you-go deal that matches your data and calling needs that is both flexible and reliable, 2degrees delivers.
The rates and plans are standard and mirror those offered by Spark and Vodafone, although for irregular phone use, the packages from Skinny Mobile and Warehouse Mobile can deliver better value.
The plans are structured to match your pay schedule, so you can pay your mobile plan when you get paid, either monthly or fortnightly.

Compare 2degrees Prepay

2degrees Mobile Pay Monthly Plans

2degrees offers a number of monthly plan options, with something to suit anyone who regularly uses their phone for data and/or calls. The plans are all open, meaning there is no fixed-term contract. Better yet, 2degrees encourages plans connecting two, three or four people to one account to use data allowances collectively. If you have outgrown prepay or want better value for money on data, one of 2degrees' monthly plans could provide the solution.

Benefits:

Basic individual plans offer data allowances starting at 4GB/month, pricing from $40/month. Their 'Unlimited' data plans is $85/month.
If you're part of a family or group of friends looking for better value monthly plans, 2degrees allow customers to share one allotment of data and enjoy unlimited phone calls within New Zealand and to Australia. The plans start at $40 (based on two people sharing), and all plans allow hotspot and tethering. 2degrees explains the package in more details here.
All plans allow tethering/hotspot use, meaning you can use your phone (and the data allowance) to connect other devices to the internet. As a comparison, Spark and Vodafone require unlimited plan customers to buy hotspot use as monthly add-on service.
All monthly plans include unlimited minutes and texts to both New Zealand and Australia numbers.
You can buy a new phone and spread the cost over 1-3 years, interest-free. Our Phone selection summary below explains the options in detail.
You can share data with up to 5 other people, so long as they are 2degrees customers,

What to watch out for:

Roaming plans are not competitively priced when compared to Vodafone and Spark - read our roaming guide. If you're planning to travel overseas, buying a local SIM card will most likely be significantly cheaper than paying 2degrees' roaming data prices.

Compare 2degrees Pay Monthly Plans

Network coverage

2degrees promotes that its mobile network "covers over 98.5% of the population. Where 2degrees doesn't have its own network, it has an agreement with Vodafone to use its service. Independent data, which we present below, confirms the wide coverage 2degrees offers. If you're in Auckland or any other main city or town, chances are you'll receive a constant 4G signal.

But, before going any further, the best idea is to see if where you live, where you work and other places you spend regular time in are covered by 4G. Visit the 2degrees network coverage map and insert your address, and cross-check using this tool to make sure you're covered.

4G is as good as it gets in New Zealand, and no network has made any announcement regarding 5G, as it is subject to government legislation and regulatory approval. You can read more about 5G here.

2degrees' 4G Network as at April 2019

Phone selection

2degrees recognises that the majority of New Zealanders looking for a new phone want an Apple, Samsung or Huawei. This is reflected in on 2degrees' website and its 60 stores around New Zealand.

2degrees also offers low-cost brands, including Alcatel, MobiWire and OPPO. As is the case with any mobile network, new phones come with the following terms, conditions and optional extras:

Interest-free terms (most of the time): 2degrees offers 12, 24 and 36 months interest-free deals. What you pay is the total cost of the phone, the plan and an initial deposit (minimum $29, but you can put down as much as $499), divided by the number of months you select for the plan. For example, if your phone was $1,200 and you selected a plan costing $50 per month, your monthly cost would be $150 ($1,800 total cost, divided by 12 months).
Cancel a plan and you'll owe the balance left to pay on the phone: If you downgrade your plan, transfer it or leave 2degrees altogether, you will have to repay the balance of the phone. For example, if you are 6 months through a 12-month plan and the phone originally cost $1,200, you'll need to pay $600 immediately to terminate.
Phone insurance: 2degrees does not offer phone insurance, leaving Cove Insurance as the only specialist option. Read our phone insurance guide for more details.

In a single test using Facebook Messenger, 2degrees Support suggested it would take two business days to respond to a simple question.

Customer service

Like Spark and Vodafone, 2degrees has a comprehensive online support system, which includes phone support. Unlike Spark and Vodafone, however, it's not 24/7, and there is no online chat via the 2degrees website.

Instead, customers are directed to call 200 (or 0800 022 022) between 8am and 10pm, Monday to Sunday. While 2degrees invites customers to use Facebook Messenger, our single test chat received an automatic response that a human reply would arrive in 2-business days.

The best way to avoid any chance of issues with 2degrees, or any service provider in general, is to get your quote or package inclusions in writing, make sure you understand the package in detail and put a limit on your account so bills can't get out of control.

Should you run into any problems over the service you receive, 2degrees sets out detailed information about making a complaint.

2degrees Roaming options

2degrees offers a number of roaming options, with durations from 3 to 30 days and allowances up to 2 GB. For further details, read our mobile data roaming comparison guide. 

Australia:

Plans from $15 for 225 MB (valid for 3 days) to $60 for 2 GB, (valid for 30 days)

Globetrotter Pack options, all include unlimited texts and outgoing calls to the roaming country and NZ:

$20 for 225 MB (valid for 3 days) - only available for Canada, Ireland, UK, US, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu and PNG, monthly customers only.
$30 for 500 MB (valid for 7 days)
$55 for 1 GB (valid for 14 days)

Globetrotter Destinations include: Australia, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Fiji, Hong Kong, India (excluding Jammu & Kashmir), Ireland, Italy, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, UK, USA, San Marino and Vanuatu.

Additional data: For included destinations, business and monthly customers pay $0.10 per MB, while prepay customers pay $0.50 per MB. Visit the following links for full details of charges to monthly plans and prepay plans.
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Renewal: All 2degrees Roaming Packs are one-off and do not auto-renew, and days of use are based on NZ standard time. For example, if you purchase a Pack at 9:00am on 1 January NZ standard time the Pack is valid until 11:59pm on 8 January standard NZ time.

2degrees in the news

2degrees appears in the media frequently, but rarely for anything to do with mobile plans, prices and services. However, in April 2019 2degrees announced a more generous 'unlimited' data plan. It also permits tethering and hotspot - Vodafone and Spark charge for this as an optional extra.
Recent media reports announced that 2degrees is profitable, despite being a relatively new entrant to the New Zealand mobile sector and investing heavily in infrastructure. This could suggest price stability, continued investment in technology and new benefits being introduced.

Conclusion

2degrees offers a number of options for customers looking for fast 4G data and calling perks. Benefits include:

Prepay Plans - The cheapest data and minutes prepay plan is $10 and the most expensive is $70 with data carryover. They also offer an Unlimited NZ Data prepay option for $85. All allowances are valid for one month. Standout features include free, unlimited calls to other 2degrees numbers, one free hour of data every day for carryover plans and hostpot functionality on all plans free of charge.
Monthly Account Plans - all plans let you tether and hotspot, including the unlimited plan. Every data and voice plan comes with a decent number of minutes (200+).
New phones with $29 deposits - You can buy a new phone and spread the cost over 1-3 years, interest-free. You will be billed for your plan and phone all in one every month.
4G New Zealand-wide - 2degrees promotes that their mobile network "covers over 98.5% of the population, with 4G widely available and plans for 5G underway.

The only, or at least the most significant limitation, is the roaming options. The data is expensive, and there are few countries covered with 'affordable' rates. A local SIM may be a better option for any customer heading overseas for at least a couple of weeks. Read our data roaming guide.

5 Must-Know 2degrees Facts and Tips

2degrees' 'Unlimited data' package is the most 'unlimited' offered in New Zealand

2degrees' unlimited data plan slows down after 40 GB, which is superior to Vodafone and Spark's 22 GB threshold. Better still, 2degrees is the only network to allow tethering and hotspot use without being charged an add-on fee. The price is $5/month above Vodafone and Spark, but the benefits and savings are worth much more.

Prepay credit expires after 365 days without exception

Money loaded on a Prepay account remains available for 365 days, unless otherwise stated. The minimum top up amount is $20.

2degrees doesn't offer the freebies Spark and Vodafone do

Monthly plans from established networks are heavy on perks, 2degrees offers very few perks when compared to other providers.

2degrees accepts all forms of payments

2degrees accepts credit cards, debit cards, automatic payments and you can pay by cash or EFTPOS at any 2degrees store. You can also send cheques to their head office.

2degrees no longer offers Trade Ups

2degrees has discontinued the option to Trade Up, only customers who bought their phones on or before the 31 January 2020 might be eligible to turn in their phones when the 12 or 18 month period is reached. Full details can be found here.

Making a Complaint about 2degrees to the TDR

Telecommunications Dispute Resolution (TDR) deals with complaints from consumers about any product or service provided by their telecommunications company. As a 2degrees customer, you have the right to make a complaint. It's a free and independent service, but you will need to follow their process to progress a complaint.

Before you complain, you'll need to raise the issue with 2degrees directly

2degrees is a member of TDR, but you will need to raise a complaint with their customer service first.
Once you have done this, you must wait for a response.
2degrees will respond, but if you are unable to agree with their response and your complaint becomes deadlocked, after six weeks have passed you can raise a complaint with the TDR.

The process of complaining with TDR is outlined here. Their helpful FAQs describe what you can expect, and present case studies about recent complaints about telecommunication companies in general. The process is impartial, and once a decision is made, 2degrees will (usually) abide by the ruling should it be in the wrong.

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