Skinny Mobile New Zealand Review: Cheaper 5G Access (+Speedtests)

There are not many places, let alone countries, that I consider to be magical.

But New Zealand might be the exception – it is a magical country.

And it is hard to explain the feeling to someone who never visited it (and I could not understand what people were talking about when they tried explaining it to me).

Just like Australia, which is my hub for 2022, New Zealand had strict border restrictions.

Luckily, they were all lifted in October 2022.

This was an excellent opportunity for me to visit New Zealand because all the mobile operators, including Spark, have been rolling out their 5G NR network during COVID times.

And you know I have to try out 5G NR networks when they are available to prepaid customers (as they are with Spark!).

When I was in New Zealand, I tested five New Zealand SIM cards, including Skinny Mobile, four travel eSIMs & one travel SIM card to be used here.

I went to three cities (or two if you do not consider Lower Hutt to be an independent city… even though it has its own council) on North Island (worry not, I will do tests on South Island in 2023 or 2024).

I did more than 35 speed tests with each SIM card and (travel) (e)SIM (card) – going to tourist attractions and off the beaten track so that you can have a solid idea of how each SIM card or eSIM performs depending on your style of travel.

So I spent about 500 NZD for my New Zealand SIM card review series – yeah, I am crazy 🤪.

But I have to tell you that New Zealand is expensive in terms of data.

In Oceania, only Tokelau, Tuvalu & the Solomon Islands have a higher cost of data rates – and those are all very remote (small) island nations.

Australia, the largest country in Oceania, has the second-lowest rates (behind Fiji) – and all the locals complain data is expensive (I do not blame them… they do not know better 🤪).

Skinny Mobile, a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO), uses the network of the largest mobile operator: Spark.

Spark is the largest and oldest mobile operator in New Zealand (which was known as Telecom a very long time ago).

But as I always say, the largest does not automatically equal the best.

And MVNOs often perform worse than the mobile operator on its network.

Is that the case with Skinny Mobile?

I can only make such a conclusion by (extensively) testing Spark and Skinny Mobile against its competition.

And in the case of New Zealand, that would be One NZ (formerly Vodafone) and 2degrees, but also a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) called Warehouse Mobile (2degrees MVNO).

And as (travel) (e)SIM (cards) are also becoming rapidly popular, I also tried out Airalo (Nzcom – can be used in New Zealand only & Discover Global – can be used in 85+ countries), Holafly & Nomad + Orange Holiday World (from Holiday SIM Card)

Yeah… I went all out! But in this review, I will mostly focus on Skinny Mobile.

Let's get started, shall we?

Original publication: 21st of December 2022. Last updated: 18th of February 2023.

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Table of Contents

Who is Skinny Mobile?

Skinny Mobile, sometimes referred to as just Skinny, is a Spark sub-brand/Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO).

It is a youth-focused brand. However, anyone, including the elderly, can get Skinny Mobile SIM cards 🤪.

In New Zealand, you have three mobile operators and two MVNOs offering prepaid services easily accessible to tourists:

• Spark New Zealand
• One NZ (formerly Vodafone New Zealand)
• 2degrees New Zealand
• Skinny Mobile
• Warehouse Mobile

As you know, I tested the other three mobile operators + one MVNO during my stay in New Zealand. You can read them here: Spark, One NZ (formerly Vodafone) & 2degrees + Warehouse Mobile.

Let's talk about Spark's coverage first, because Skinny Mobile uses its network, after these quick frequency details:

• 2G: shut down since 2012
• 3G: 850 MHz
• 4G/LTE: 700 MHz (Band 28), 1800 MHz (Band 3), 2100 MHz (Band 1), 2300 MHz (Band 40) & 2600 MHz (Band 7)
• 5G NR: 2100 MHz (n1) & 3500 MHz/3600 MHz (n78)
• VoLTE: Yes
• VoWiFi: No

Here you have Skinny Mobile's APN settings:

• Name: Data
• APN: wapaccess.co.nz

Note: leave anything not mentioned above untouched.

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Skinny Mobile Coverage + My Experience

You can have a mobile operator providing you 1 Gbps download speeds.

But it will be useless if it covers only one street in New Zealand.

So, how is Spark's coverage, which Skinny Mobile uses?

Regarding general availability, Spark has the best availability, with an availability score of 99.2%. Ahead of 2degrees (98.7%) and One NZ (formerly Vodafone – 98.2%).

But with a score of more than 98%, all New Zealand mobile operators have excellent availability anyway.

When looking at 5G NR availability, Spark has the worst availability (5.3%). Behind One NZ (5.8%) and 2degrees (6.2%).

Compared to most western nations, New Zealand started rather late with its 5G NR rollout, which is why the scores are so low.

So far, I have been talking about coverage from other reports but what was my coverage experience with Spark and Skinny Mobile?

It was excellent, honestly – I had nothing to complain about.

5G NR was widely available in Auckland and Wellington, but not in Lower Hutt/Hutt City.

And unlike Australia, where Telstra and Optus have 5G NR reception basically anywhere in the big cities, not all of Auckland and Wellington CBD was covered by Spark's 5G NR network.

But reception was still alright when on the road and on trains (although you should not expect reception when passing tunnels, like on the Johnsonville Line in Wellington – great views on this though!).

Below is Spark's coverage map produced by Speedtest:

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How to Get a Skinny Mobile SIM Card (or eSIM) & Prices

Now that you have a basic understanding of Skinny Mobile and the telecom market in New Zealand, it is now time to talk about how to actually get a Skinny Mobile SIM card.

Because Skinny Mobile is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO), it does not have any stores you can visit.

However, Skinny Mobile is directly owned by Spark, and you can get Skinny Mobile SIM cards in some Spark stores.

Unlike most countries in Oceania, I do not recommend visiting a Spark store to get a Skinny Mobile SIM card.

Well, it is not that I discourage it; it is just not required.

That is because New Zealand does not have a SIM card registration scheme, unlike most Oceanian countries.

That means you can pick up a SIM card from a reseller, like Countdown, New World & PAK'nSAVE, and it will be good to go without having to show your passport in person or register it online.

I got my Skinny Mobile SIM card from the Countdown Store at Auckland Airport Shopping Center (AKL).

But did I not write an in-depth guide about SIM cards sold at Auckland Airport (AKL)?

Yes, I did (and you should read it), but Skinny Mobile SIM cards are not sold there, unfortunately.

Well.. not anymore – you could buy the Skinny Mobile Travel SIM in the past at Auckland Airport and Wellington International Airport (WLG), but that was pre-COVID days.

So, how do you get to this shopping center that is not inside Auckland Airport?

If you do not mind walking for about 15 to 20 minutes or taking bus 38 (towards Onehunga and getting off at stop New Zealand School of Tourism and then walking for about five minutes), you will arrive there.

There I got my Skinny Mobile Starter pack for 5 NZD and got no credit (which is the standard in New Zealand).

Disclaimer: the SIM card prices mentioned in the review were current when I was in New Zealand – the offering and prices may have changed since then. To see Skinny Mobile's current starter packs, check out my New Zealand SIM card buying guide

I will list all the prices in NZD (New Zealand Dollar).

To convert NZD to your currency (let's say AUD – Australian Dollar) with up-to-date exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.

Okay, hold on for a second… why does Skinny Mobile have a tourist SIM card (NZ Travel SIM) if they are not sold at airports?

Honestly… good question… but that SIM card is sold at one airport: Queenstown Airport (ZQN) from Paper Plus in the arrivals/departures hall.

And the I-SITE tourist information center called SkyCity in Auckland also sells these SIM cards (but I totally forgot about this one 💀 – it used to be sold at Princess Wharf, which has been shut down permanently, I have been told).

Anyway, the following Skinny Mobile NZ Travel SIM cards are available:

Price	Data	Local Minutes 1	International Minutes 2	Local SMS 1	Validity
28 NZD	2 GB	200 minutes	200 minutes	200 SMS	30 days
48 NZD	6 GB	200 minutes	200 minutes	200 SMS	60 days
88 NZD	20 GB	N/A	N/A	N/A	60 days

¹ also to Australia
² to Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Fiji, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, the United Kingdom & the United States

Anyway, let's say you arrive at Auckland Airport, want to get a Skinny Mobile SIM card, but do not want to go to Auckland Airport Shopping Center.

In that case, you go to Auckland CBD by train (via bus to Puhinui Station), and there is a Spark store across Britomart Station (basically Auckland's central station) called Spark Commercial Bay and one on Queen Street (the main shopping strip in Auckland) selling Skinny Mobile SIM cards.

And you can also get Spark SIM cards from electronic stores (JB HiFi & PB Tech), gas stations (BP, Caltex & Z) & grocery stores (Countdown, New World & PAK'nSAVE).

[IMG]

Okay, that is enough talk about SIM cards – what about the new and sexy eSIM technology?

Skinny Mobile does not have eSIMs yet, and it does not seem to have any plans for them yet.

If you do not care about calling or texting, getting a travel eSIM from Airalo, Holafly, or Nomad can be an option if you really want to use an eSIM.

The links above will get you to my in-depth reviews of those eSIMs.

But if you want a quick comparison of the travel eSIMs I recommend for New Zealand, you should read my New Zealand eSIM comparison guide – I also drop a few discount codes for you 😏.

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Skinny Mobile Plans, Bundles & Offers

Skinny Mobile has four data-featured prepaid plans:

• Weekly Prepay Mobile Plans (combo)
• 4-Week Prepay Mobile Plans (combo)
• Data Binge (short-term unlimited data)
• Data Add-Ons (as the name implies)

All Skinny Mobile plans can be activated by texting the Activation Code to 2424.

Disclaimer: these were the available plans at the time I was in New Zealand – the offering may have changed since then (including whether 5G NR is available to prepaid customers or not). To see Skinny Mobile's current plans, check out my New Zealand SIM card buying guide (which gets updated regularly – at least four times a year).

I will list all the prices in NZD (New Zealand Dollar).

To convert NZD to your currency (let's say AUD – Australian Dollar) with up-to-date exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.

Weekly Prepay Mobile Plans

The Weekly Prepay Mobile Plans are combo bundles with data (with 5G NR access), minutes & SMS.

Weekly Prepay Mobile Plans can be activated by texting the Activation Code to 2424:

Price	Data	Local Minutes	Local SMS	Validity	Activation Code
5 NZD	100 MB	60 minutes	750 SMS	7 days	BUY WEEKLY
20 NZD	10 GB 1	Unlimited 2	Unlimited 2	7 days	BUY20PLAN

¹ 10 GB high-speed data, then unlimited @ 1.2 Mbps
² also to Australia

Unused data and minutes will roll over when your plan auto-renews or when you renew your plan before it expires.

To disable auto-renewal, text STOP to 2424.

4-Week Prepay Mobile Plans

The 4-Week Prepay Mobile Plans are combo bundles with data (with 5G NR access), minutes & SMS.

4-Week Prepay Mobile Plans can be activated by texting the Activation Code to 2424:

Price	Data	Local Minutes 1	Local SMS 1	Validity	Activation Code
9 NZD	250 MB	100 minutes	Unlimited	28 days	9PLAN
16 NZD	1.25 GB	200 minutes	Unlimited	28 days	16PLAN
26 NZD	2.5 GB	300 minutes	Unlimited	28 days	26PLAN
36 NZD	4.5 GB 2	Unlimited	Unlimited	28 days	36PLAN
46 NZD	12 GB 2	Unlimited	Unlimited	28 days	46PLAN
70 NZD	40 GB 2	Unlimited	Unlimited	28 days	70PLAN

¹ also to Australia
² 4.5/12/40 GB high-speed data, then unlimited @ 1.2 Mbps

Unused data and minutes will roll over when your plan auto-renews or when you renew your plan before it expires.

To disable auto-renewal, text STOP to 2424.

Data Binge

The Data Binge bundles are unlimited data options from 10 minutes (0.50 NZD) to 12 hours (4 NZD). They can be purchased as standalone data plans.

Data Binge can be purchased on the Skinny Mobile app or by texting DATABINGE to 2424:

Price	Data	Validity
0.50 NZD	Unlimited	10 minutes
1 NZD	Unlimited	1 hour
2 NZD	Unlimited	4 hours
4 NZD	Unlimited	12 hours

Do note that Data Binge cannot be paused when activated.

You can, however, purchase multiple Data Binge at a time, which will run after each other.

Data Add-Ons

The Data Add-Ons are, as the name implies, data add-ons. They cannot be purchased as standalone plans.

Data Add-Ons can be activated by texting the Activation Code to 2424:

Price	Data	Validity	Activation Code
4 NZD	200 MB	7 days	BUY DATA200
8 NZD	600 MB	7 days	BUY DATA600
10 NZD	1 GB	28 days	BUY DATA1GB
15 NZD	2 GB	28 days	BUY DATA2GB
30 NZD	5 GB	28 days	BUY DATA5GB

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Skinny Mobile Top-Up, Recharge & Balance Check

Skinny Mobile top-up vouchers are sold in (some) Spark stores, grocery stores, corner shops & electronics shops throughout New Zealand.

To top up your Skinny Mobile SIM card, text TOPUP VoucherCode to 2424.

For example, if your voucher code is 123456, you would text TOPUP 123456 to 2424.

You can also recharge online with (international) debit and credit cards.

You may have to try multiple times or use a different debit or credit card (if you have those) if your initial top-up request gets denied – the New Zealand mobile operators officially only accept NZ-issued cards. Still, you may be lucky (like me after several tries) – do not try virtual (single-use) cards, though – they will not work.

Text BAL to 2424 to check your Skinny Mobile balance.

You can also top up and check your balance on the Skinny Mobile app (Android/iOS).

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Skinny Mobile Speed Test Results (in Auckland, Lower Hutt/Hutt City & Wellington)

Alright, now it is time to talk about the speeds you can expect with Spark (read: Skinny Mobile) after covering all the other essential topics like coverage.

But before I share my 37 speed test results in Auckland, Lower Hutt/Hutt City (part of Greater Wellington) & Wellington, I want to set the stage first and make a small comparison with Spark's competition.

Spark is regarded by Speedtest as the slowest mobile operator in New Zealand in Q3 2022.

With a median download speed of 59.51 Mbps, Spark is behind One NZ (formerly Vodafone – 62.97 Mbps) and 2degrees (63.81 Mbps).

The same applies when looking at 5G NR speeds; Spark is the slowest with a median download speed of 307.21 Mbps, behind One NZ (342.45 Mbps) and 2degrees (479.71 Mbps).

The fastest mobile download speed can be found in Hamilton, with a median download speed of 96.39 Mbps.

Auckland, Christchurch & Wellington have median download speeds of around 60 Mbps (62.03 Mbps, 75.22 Mbps & 64.35 Mbps, respectively)

And of course Hamilton was the city I did not go to on this trip 🫠.

As of somewhere in early 2022, the Big Three (Spark, One NZ & 2degrees) allow prepaid customers to use 5G NR free of charge, regardless of the plan you choose.

And Spark was nice enough to extend this to Skinny Mobile too.

So I have plenty of 5G NR results to share with you.

[IMG]

I did speed tests with the Speedtest app in three cities on North Island.

So I will go city to city, allowing you to just read the results of the city/cities/state you plan to visit.

For reference, I consider an average download speed of 25 Mbps and an average of 10 Mbps upload speed fast enough.

Preferably, download speeds should be 100 Mbps+ on 4G/LTE… but we are not there yet 🗿.

But why these averages?

A download speed of more than 25 Mbps is enough to video stream content @ 4k resolution.

Social media sites that allow for live streaming, like Facebook Live, recommend an upload speed of at least 10 Mbps.

So, that is why – but that does not mean that a download speed of less than 100 Mbps excited me 😏.

But Australia spoiled… everything slower than 300 Mbps is slow now 🤣.

Anyway, you will also see that some of the results are in red, green, underlined, or in italics.

Underlined results are on 5G NR, while results in italics are on 3G.

The results in green represent that that result was the fastest download or upload speed of all the New Zealand mobile operators (Spark, One NZ, 2dgrees, Skinny Mobile & Warehouse Mobile).

The results in red are the opposite; they are the slowest of them all.

With all of that out of the way, let's see how Skinny Mobile performed in Auckland, Lower Hutt/Hutt City & Wellington.

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Skinny Mobile Speed Test Results in Auckland

Auckland, or Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland's Māori name), is New Zealand's largest city.

It is often confused with being the nation's capital, but that would be Wellington (which I visited too on this trip).

The main gateway to New Zealand is through Auckland Airport, so there is a big chance you will visit the city – even if you do not plan on staying.

Anyway, as I am not a regular travel blog, I do not have must-sees for you for Auckland (that would be a blog on its own 🤪), but I am sure you will not be bored in this city.

Let's see how Skinny Mobile performed in Auckland:

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Skinny Mobile Speed Test Results in Lower Hutt (Hutt City)

Lower Hutt, or Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai (Lower Hutt's Māori name), is one of the four cities part of the Wellington metropolitan area (or Greater Wellington).

The reason why I separated Lower Hutt, administrated by Hutt City, from the Wellington results is (1) I did quite some tests in Lower Hutt and (2) most mobile operators, including Spark, do not have 5G NR access in Lower Hutt (yet), while Wellington does have 5G NR.

Should you visit Lower Hutt? You could – the nature is stunning there.

And being in Hutt Valley, also referred to as The Hutt, is remarkable too (if you can go on one of the hiking trails, you should!).

But if all of that sounds too boring to you, you can go to Queensgate Shopping Center, which may be the largest shopping mall in greater Wellington.

Let's see how Skinny Mobile performed in Lower Hutt:

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Skinny Mobile Speed Test Results in Wellington

Wellington, or Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington's Māori name), is New Zealand's capital.

It is the third-largest city in the country (behind Auckland and Christchurch).

While I believe Wellington is more exciting than Australia‘s capital, Canberra (yes, not Melbourne or Sydney), it is certainly not New Zealand's most exciting city.

It does remind me a little bit of Melbourne, Australia… but significantly smaller (and with way fewer trains 🗿).

Let's see how Skinny Mobile performed in Wellington:

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My Overall Experience with Skinny Mobile – Is It Any Good?

I would recommend Skinny Mobile, and it would be one of my top recommendation for anyone wanting to buy a New Zealand SIM card.

Getting a Skinny Mobile SIM card is easy because many resellers sell them.

And once you insert your Skinny Mobile SIM card into your phone, activation is quick.

With one of the best 4G/LTE availability and reach, you will have reception almost everywhere in New Zealand (but do not expect any coverage around and in the mountains).

The same can be said about Spark's 5G NR network, but it is not as extensive as One NZ (formerly Vodafone)'s.

Skinny Mobile's data-featured prepaid plans are expensive by regional standards.

However, Skinny Mobile's plans are (significantly) cheaper than Spark itself while offering basically full access to Spark's network – even 5G NR access (up to 15 NZD).

And because of this, I am not sure why you would get a Spark prepaid SIM card instead of Skinny Mobile (but Spark's NZ Travel Packs can be cheaper if you stay in New Zealand for more than a month).

I also had fast speeds with Spark, especially on 5G NR, which is available for free for prepaid customers too.

Taking all 37 speed tests into account, I had an average overall download speed of 138.02 Mbps and a median download speed of 69.25 Mbps with Skinny Mobile.

When looking at upload speeds, I had an average upload speed of 30.76 Mbps and a median upload speed of 25.68 Mbps with Skinny Mobile.

As expected, Skinny Mobile's 5G NR speeds were significantly faster than 4G/LTE (313.82 Mbps average download speed on 5G NR vs. 65.83 Mbps on 4G/LTE).

With extensive coverage, relatively cheap data-featured prepaid plans (compared to its competitors) & fast speeds, there is nothing crazy to complain about Skinny Mobile.

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New Zealand SIM Card Reviews

As mentioned earlier, I also tried out Spark, One NZ (formerly Vodafone), 2degrees & Warehouse Mobile when I was in New Zealand.

You should read those reviews too.

>>> Spark Review | One NZ (formerly Vodafone) Review | 2degrees Review | Warehouse Mobile Review <<<

Later, I will make a comparison post of the five New Zealand SIM cards I tried… but that will take a while (I have many reviews of other countries that I still need to write, so they are prioritized).

But you can still make an educated purchased after reading the New Zealand SIM card reviews.

I also tried out various travel eSIMs + a travel SIM card that work in New Zealand: Airalo (Nzcom & Discover Global), Holafly, Nomad & SimOptions + Orange Holiday World (SIM card).

You should also read those reviews.

>>> Airalo Nzcom New Zealand eSIM Review | Airalo Discover Global eSIM Review | Holafly New Zealand eSIM Review | Nomad New Zealand eSIM Review | Orange Holiday World Travel SIM Card in New Zealand Review <<<

Check out my reviews page if you want to read all the other reviews I have written, including other Oceanian SIM cards.

New Zealand SIM Card Buying Guide

There are four other SIM cards to choose from in New Zealand besides Skinny Mobile.

I analyze and discuss them in-depth in my New Zealand SIM card buying guide.