New Zealand has three mobile networks (2degrees, One NZ and Spark) and several smaller brands that resell capacity on them, such as Skinny on Spark’s network. This page sets out each provider’s published plan prices and data allowances so you can compare them against your own usage. It doesn’t recommend a provider: which plan fits depends on how much data you use, where you use it and whether you want prepay or a monthly account.
Lowest listed price: Skinny's $8 4-week prepay plan (250MB data)
Lowest listed pay monthly price: 2degrees $35/month (3GB carryover data)
Unlimited max-speed data: Skinny $75 per 4 weeks, One NZ $88/month
Spark: its website blocks automated checks, so its prices aren't listed here
Plans Compared by Price
Prices checked 14 October 2026 on each provider’s own plan page. Skinny’s plans are prepay and renew every 28 days (13 renewals a year); 2degrees and One NZ plans below are pay monthly (12 bills a year). The yearly column is the plan price times 12 or 13. Prices include GST. Rows are ordered by yearly cost.
| Provider | Plan | Data | Price | Cost over a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skinny | $8 | 250MB | $8 per 4 weeks | $104 |
| Skinny | $13 | 1GB rollover | $13 per 4 weeks | $169 |
| Skinny | $17 | 2GB rollover | $17 per 4 weeks | $221 |
| Skinny | $22 | 3GB rollover | $22 per 4 weeks | $286 |
| Skinny | $27 | 4GB rollover | $27 per 4 weeks | $351 |
| 2degrees | $35 Carryover | 3GB carryover | $35/month | $420 |
| One NZ | Lite Plan | 3GB max speed (capped) | $40/month | $480 |
| Skinny | $40 Endless | 10GB max speed, then reduced speed | $40 per 4 weeks | $520 |
| 2degrees | $45 Carryover | 6GB carryover | $45/month | $540 |
| One NZ | Endless Starter | 6GB max speed, then reduced speed | $50/month | $600 |
| Skinny | $50 Endless | 40GB max speed, then reduced speed | $50 per 4 weeks | $650 |
| 2degrees | $55 Carryover | 15GB carryover | $55/month | $660 |
| 2degrees | $65 Carryover | 80GB carryover | $65/month | $780 |
| One NZ | Endless Plus | 50GB max speed, then reduced speed | $73/month | $876 |
| Skinny | $75 Unlimited | Unlimited max speed (fair use) | $75 per 4 weeks | $975 |
| One NZ | One Plan | Unlimited max speed (fair use) | $88/month | $1,056 |
Sources: Skinny prepay plans, 2degrees Pay Monthly, One NZ Pay Monthly. Plans change often; check the provider’s page before you sign up.
On Skinny’s Endless plans and One NZ’s Endless plans, data keeps working after the max-speed allowance runs out, but at a maximum of 1.2Mbps. 2degrees lets you keep unused carryover data for up to 12 months, and Skinny’s rollover data on the $13 to $27 plans lasts 12 months from purchase while the plan keeps renewing.
Provider Notes
2degrees
2degrees runs its own network. Its Pay Monthly range is four Carryover plans from $35/month (3GB) to $65/month (80GB), plus an Unlimited plan; the Carryover plans include a free hour of unlimited data each day through its Data Clock app. Prepay plans are on a separate page.
One NZ
One NZ (formerly Vodafone NZ) runs its own network. Its Pay Monthly plans run from the $40/month Lite Plan (3GB, capped) to the $88/month One Plan (unlimited max-speed data). Its Prepay Plus plans start from $10 a month.
Skinny
Skinny is Spark’s budget brand and says it is “powered by Spark’s network which reaches 98% of Kiwis”. Its plans are prepay, renewing every 28 days, from $8 (250MB) to $75 (unlimited max-speed data).
Spark
Spark runs its own network and sells prepay and pay monthly plans. Its website blocks the automated browser we use to check prices, so its current plans aren’t listed in the table; see Spark’s own site for them.
What Most People Actually Need
Many people pay for more data than they use. Before choosing a plan, check your actual mobile data use for the last three months in your provider’s app or your phone’s settings.
As a rough guide (not measured figures):
- Light use (messaging, email, maps): a few GB a month
- Moderate use (some video calls and streaming away from home): around 8 to 15GB a month
- Heavy use (daily video, gaming, hotspotting): 20GB or more a month
Wi-Fi offloading: if you have broadband at home and Wi-Fi at work, most of your data use happens on Wi-Fi and doesn’t count against your mobile allowance. Your phone’s usage screen separates mobile data from Wi-Fi.
The Savings Case
Because Skinny bills every 4 weeks, its yearly cost is 13 times the plan price; a monthly plan costs 12 times. Using the prices in the table above:
| Current plan | Compared with | Yearly cost now | Yearly cost after | Annual saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $65/month (12 bills) | $35/month (12 bills) | $780 | $420 | $360 |
| $88/month (12 bills) | $40 per 4 weeks (13 renewals) | $1,056 | $520 | $536 |
| $45/month (12 bills) | $17 per 4 weeks (13 renewals) | $540 | $221 | $319 |
A smaller plan only saves money if its data covers your use: going over an allowance means buying add-ons, and on capped plans data stops until you do.
Coverage by Network
| Area | What to check |
|---|---|
| Main city centres | All three networks cover them; 5G is live in parts of some cities |
| Regional cities and towns | Check each network’s coverage map for your suburb |
| Rural areas and highways | Coverage differs most here; check the maps for the places you travel |
| Remote tramping and back-country areas | No network covers everywhere; some networks offer satellite texting on eligible phones |
Brands that resell a network get that network’s coverage: Skinny uses Spark’s. For how the three networks compare, see Spark vs One NZ vs 2degrees.
Prepay, SIM-Only, eSIM and Switching
- Prepay or pay monthly: prepay plans are paid up front and renew on a cycle (often 28 days); pay monthly plans are billed to an account. The trade-offs are in prepay plans compared.
- SIM-only: if your phone is paid off, a SIM-only plan avoids paying for a handset in your monthly bill. See SIM-only plans compared.
- eSIM: the main networks support eSIM on compatible phones; setup steps are in the eSIM NZ guide.
- Keeping your number: your new provider handles the port; the steps are in the SIM-only guide’s switching section.
Key Questions When Comparing Plans
1. Where do you use your phone? If you live or travel outside main centres, compare each network’s coverage map for those places before comparing price.
2. Is your phone still being paid off? A plan that includes handset repayments costs more each month than a SIM-only plan with the same data. Once the handset is paid off, compare SIM-only prices.
3. Do you need 5G? 5G is in parts of some cities. If you’re outside a 5G area or have a 4G phone, it makes no difference.
4. How much data do you actually use? Check the usage screen in your provider’s app. A plan sized to your real use costs less than one sized for the most you might ever use.