Top 3 Phones & Plans for grey nomads

Grey nomads are seniors who have decided to spend their well-earned post-work life exploring. COVID-19 has meant that much of that exploration is now happening within Australia (and sometimes staying within your own state), giving these lucky seniors the opportunity to see everything this country has to offer.

Whether you’re preparing to roam the country, or just want to be able to stay in touch with friends while exploring your hometown, the right mobile phone and plan can add a lot to your quality of life. Here are some things to consider to make sure you get the best one for you.

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Choosing The Right Phone

There is so much choice out there that it can be easy to feel a little overwhelmed, so let’s start at the basics: what is most important to you? If you don’t feel especially confident with technology, it could be worth getting the same brand or model of mobile phone as someone in your life who is both tech-savvy and willing to help. Or maybe consider that Apple offers classes on how to use Apple features and devices, and has a handy service called AppleCare, which comes with phone support, so there’s always someone at the other end of the line to answer your questions.

Another thing to consider is whether you might benefit from accessibility features. Apple’s iPhones have some really amazing features, including a LiDAR sensor. That sounds really techy, but it’s a sensor that bounces light off things to tell you your distance from them, which is utilised by the vision-impaired community to move around independently (and measure things). iPhones also have a cool feature where, when paired with Apple AirPods (Gen 2), you can use the phone as a microphone for your headphones and turn on noise cancelling, so you can more easily hear the conversation on the other side of the table and turn down the background noise. It’s perfect for folks who aren’t yet ready for hearing aids, but perhaps have trouble hearing the conversation in busy locations.

Another reason to go for the iPhone is that it’s compatible with the Apple Watch, which is an amazing smartwatch that can help you stay active, and alert someone if you have a heavy fall and don’t immediately get up (which should get any overly anxious children off your back for a little while). The Apple Watch also has an ECG sensor built-in, designed to alert you to unexpected high or low heart rate instances, atrial fibrillation and low cardio fitness notifications. The Apple Watch comes with a three-month trial of Apple Fitness+, Apple’s fitness streaming program, which offers lots of workouts that can be done from anywhere, including classes for people aged 60+, designed by an instructor who worked with Jane Fonda in the 1980s.

Of course, if a smartphone isn’t your jam, you can keep it simple with a feature phone like the Opel Mobile BigButton M 4G, which will make calls and send texts.

“If you don’t feel especially confident with technology, it could be worth getting the same brand or model of mobile phone as someone in your life who is both tech-savvy and willing to help.”

Choosing The Right Plan

If you’re exploring everything Australia has to offer, you’re going to need to go with the telecommunication company that covers the most of Australia, and that’s The Good Guys Mobile Plans from Telstra. You want to be able to video call from the highest mountains and call a mechanic in the middle of the desert.

After that, you need to work out how much data you think you’ll use. To help you understand what that means, head in-store to The Good Guys to discuss your options in person with our helpful team. The Good Guy’s current plans are super simple, and easy to move between. All of them also include unlimited calls and texts to regular numbers in Australia, along with an allotment of international calling minutes.

Most people are probably going to be more than fine with the base-level 60GB $49 plan, available in-store at The Good Guys, but if you need a bit more, you can double that allotment to 120GB for $69 a month*.

If you don’t really think you’ll use much data, or you’re just getting the Big Button phone for emergencies, you could go pre-paid instead and only get what you need. Chat to someone in-store about which option is right for you.

What To Look For

• A company with good tech support and good online FAQs so you can take advantage of all the features.

• A phone that caters to any accessibility needs you might have.

• Compatibility with any accessories you might want to use.

• A mobile provider with the coverage you need.

• Good dust and water ratings (IP68 is best) for your adventure.

• Hearing aid support.

• A mobile phone with good reliability.

What To Avoid

• Phones that don’t have the specific features you need.

• Not getting enough data.

• Poor durability.

• Tiny buttons you can’t read.

• Getting a mobile phone that’s too expensive if you’re likely to lose it (whether due to adventure or forgetfulness).

• 2G and 3G phones – the 3G spectrum is being turned off in 2024, and 2G won’t work anymore.

Shop The Options

For ease of use and simplicity, the Opel BigButton M 4G Mobile is hard to go past. However, if you’re wanting a smartphone with easy readability, look for larger screens and adjust the font size in settings.

Tech savvy seniors absolutely shouldn’t go past the iPhone 14 Pro Max It’s packed full of tech features, incredible cameras, and great accessibility features (including the LiDAR sensor), so it’s ready for you, however you need it to be.

If you’re wanting to take your phone on an adventure, look for any phone compatible with an Otterbox case, like the iPhone SE. Water resistance and being rustproof is great, but if you’re likely to drop your phone onto tiles or into a bath, or down a hiking trail, you’ll need a case to take that impact.

Whatever choice you make – and whichever plan you need, The Good Guys is your one stop shop for mobile phones, plans and mobile accessories. Head in store and chat to the friendly mobile team to find out about all your options.

*All plan prices correct at time of publishing. Prices subject to change.