Sure, unlimited talk and text is all well and good (if pretty standard), but these days data is the real deal-breaker. Whether you’re video calling or streaming, Googling, TikToking, gaming or simply social-media scrolling, you need ample data to go the distance.
It’s therefore no surprise that connectivity and endless data plans have become the core focus of telcos’ offerings.
However, while unlimited data phone plans mean you’ll never be without data, there are often speed caps involved:
- Nova and Skinny cap speeds on all their plans once you hit your allotted data limits
- 2degrees, One and Spark cap speeds, but also offer more expensive truly unlimited max-speed plans
- Mighty Mobile and Rocket Mobile take a different approach and permanently limit data speeds on their cheaper plans, offering unlimited data at max speeds only on their most expensive plans
- Electric Kiwi‘s unique approach is to allow you to level up through additional data limit tiers over the course of a month
In the following guide, we take a look at the range of endless data plans on offer from:
Plus we explore the data speeds you can expect, and some of the key terminology and what to keep in mind when shopping around for an endless data mobile plan. All prices correct as of 05/12/24.
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2degrees’ endless data prepaid plan
2degrees has one prepaid unlimited data plan:
| Plan | Data | Talk & Text | Cost (monthly) |
| Endless Data | Endless – 1.2Mbps speed cap after 120GB | Unlimited NZ/OZ | $85 |
2degrees’ endless prepaid plan also offer:
- Free data hour – choose an hour every day, with all data used during that time free (capped max speed at 40GB p/m)
- Hotspotting – max data limits applies
- 5G – plan is 5G ready
2degrees’ endless data pay monthly plan
2degrees has one pay monthly unlimited data plan.
| Plan | Data | Talk & Text | Cost |
| Endless Data | Endless | Unlimited NZ/OZ | $80 |
2degrees’ Endless Data plans also offer:
- Shared data – 50GB of data to share with other 2degrees phone users each month
- Hotspotting – free, with no limits
- 5G – plan is 5G ready
Group -plans
You can add five extra members on 2degrees’ $80 pay monthly Endless Data Plan for $40/month.
Electric Kiwi
Electric Kiwi’s mobile plans deliver unlimited data, capped at download speeds of of 1.2Mbps once you hit one of five data caps. The plans are unique because once you hit your data cap, if you don’t want your data speed slowed to 1.2Mbps, you can opt to move up to the next data tier. You can do this manually through the Electric Kiwi app, or do it automatically. If you opt to increase your data limit, the daily cost of your plan rises accordingly.
However, whatever data/price tier you end up on by the end of the month, when the next billing cycle comes around (there are 12 per calendar year), your plan automatically resets back down to the 5GB $1.30/day plan.
If there are two linked plans, both receive a discount of 15c per day, and if you link three or four plans that saving increases to 30c per day:
| Plan | Cost for 1 Plan | Cost for 1/2 Plans | Cost for 3/4 Plans |
| 5GB | $1.30/day ($39.54/m) | $1.15/day ($34.98/m) | $1/day ($30.42/m) |
| 10GB | $1.60/day ($48.67/m) | $1.45/day ($44.10/m) | $1.30/day ($39.54/m) |
| 20GB | $1.90/day ($57.79/m) | $1.75/day ($53.23/m) | $1.60/day ($48.67/m) |
| 30GB | $2/day ($60.83/m) | $1.85/day ($56.27/m) | $1.70/day ($51.71/m) |
| 100GB | $2.10/day ($63.88/m) | $1.95/day ($59.31/m) | $1.80/day ($54.75/m) |
Plan features:
- Endless data – all plans have endless data till max speed limit, then reduced to 1.2Mbps
- Talk & Text – unlimited NZ/OZ
- 5G – plans are 5G ready
- Hotspot – included with all plans
Mighty Mobile’s unlimited data plans
Mighty Mobile has three mobile plans that offer unlimited data. While all plans deliver unlimited data, its cheaper plans have capped speeds.
| Plan | Data | Talk & Text | Cost (monthly) |
| Fast Plan | Unlimited data capped at 10Mbps | Unlimited NZ/OZ | $40 |
| Faster Plan | Unlimited data capped at 50Mbps | Unlimited NZ/OZ | $50 |
| Fastest Plan | Unlimited max speed data | Unlimited NZ/OZ | $80 |
Mighty Mobile’s plans all offer hotspotting. And there’s also the option to pay for 365 days upfront, which earns extra savings:
- Fast Plan: $399/365 days ($33.25 p/m)
- Faster Plan: $499/365 days ($41.58 p/m)
- Fastest Plan: $799/365 days ($66.58 p/m)
Nova’s unlimited data plans
Nova offers unlimited mobile plans that feature four different max data speed caps, from 5GB to 40GB. It also offers discounts for bundles and group plans:
| Plan | Data | Talk & Text | Cost (monthly) |
| 5GB | Endless – 1.2 Mbps speed cap after 5GB | Unlimited NZ/OZ | $39 |
| 10GB | Endless – 1.2 Mbps speed cap after 10GB | Unlimited NZ/OZ | $49 |
| 20GB | Endless – 1.2 Mbps speed cap after 20GB | Unlimited NZ/OZ | $59 |
| 40GB | Endless – 1.2 Mbps speed cap after 40GB | Unlimited NZ/OZ | $69 |
- Hotspot – included with all plans
- Bundle and save – save extra $10 per person per month by bundling with power/gas/broadband
Group plans
Add up to five more people to your plan for only $39/month per person.
→ More info: Cheapest Shared Endless Data Plans in NZ
One’s endless data pay monthly plans
One has three Endless data plans. Its cheaper plans come with a speed cap, while its most expensive One Plan has no speed restrictions:
| Plan | Data | Talk & Text | Cost (monthly) |
| Small | Endless – 1.2 Mbps speed cap after 5GB | Unlimited NZ/OZ | $45 |
| Medium | Endless – 1.2 Mbps speed cap after 15GB | Unlimited NZ/OZ | $65 |
| One Plan | Uncapped Endless | Unlimited NZ/OZ | $85 |
One’s Endless Data plans also offer:
- 5G – plans are 5G ready
- Hotspot – included with all plans
- International texts and calls – 250 txts and 50 mins to 20 intl. destinations on Medium & One plans
- One NZ rewards
Group plans – One allows you to add up to three companion plans at a discount:
- Medium plan: add up to three companion plans for $35 p/m per plan
- One plan: add up to three companion plans for $40 p/m per plan
→ More info: Cheapest Shared Endless Data Plans in NZ
Rocket Mobile’s unlimited data plans
Like Mighty Mobile, instead of having max-speed data caps, Rocket Mobile’s cheaper plans have their data speeds permanently capped.
While the cheapest plan, Rocket Starter, isn’t fast enough for video streaming, it’s fine for light internet usage, and all the other plans are quite fast enough to watch Netflix in HD!
| Plan | Data Speed | Talk/Text | Hotspotting | Cost (monthly) |
| Rocket Starter | Unlimited: at 2Mbps | Unlimited NZ/OZ | 10GB | $30 |
| Rocket | Unlimited: at 10Mbps | Unlimited NZ/OZ | 20GB | $40 |
| Rocket Plus | Unlimited: at 40Mbps | Unlimited NZ/OZ | 20GB | $45 |
| Rocket Max (5G ready) | Unlimited: no speed cap | Unlimited NZ/OZ | 40GB | $70 |
Group plans
Rocket Mobile has a unique approach to its group discounts. Any Rocket Mobile customer can invite other Rocket Mobile users to join their group (members can leave at any time) and earn a group discount.
Rocket Mobile’s group discounts are available on all but its Starter plan:
- $5 p/m off for Rocket and Rocket Plus plan members
- $20 p/m off for Rocket Max plan members
Skinny’s unlimited data pay weekly plan
Skinny has one plan on a pay-weekly basis
| Plan | Data | Talk & Text | Cost |
| 10GB | Endless – 1.2 Mbps speed cap after 10GB | Unlimited NZ/OZ | $20 |
Skinny’s unlimited data 4-weekly plans
Skinny’s plans are charged four weekly, instead of monthly, like the other providers on this list. This means you’ll make 13 (52 weeks ÷ 4) payments in one calendar year, instead of 12 monthly payments.
| Plan | Data | Talk & Text | Cost |
| 10GB | Endless – 1.2 Mbps speed cap after 10GB | Unlimited NZ/OZ | $40 |
| 20GB | Endless – 1.2 Mbps speed cap after 20GB | Unlimited NZ/OZ | $50 |
| 80GB | Endless – 1.2 Mbps speed cap after 250GB | Unlimited NZ/OZ | $70 |
Skinny’s Endless Data plans also offer:
- Hotspotting – max data limits applies
- 5G – plans are 5G ready
Spark’s endless data prepaid plan
Spark has one prepaid unlimited data plan:
| Plan | Data | Talk & Text | Cost (monthly) |
| Endless Data | Endless – 1.2 Mbps speed cap after 80GB | Unlimited NZ/OZ | $81 |
Spark’s endless data pay monthly plans
Spark’s has four endless pay monthly plans:
| Plan | Data | Talk & Text | Cost |
| Endless Plan | Endless – 1.2 Mbps speed cap after 5GB | Unlimited NZ/OZ | $45 |
| Endless Plan | Endless – 1.2 Mbps speed cap after 75GB | Unlimited NZ/OZ | $65 |
| Endless Plan | Endless – 1.2 Mbps speed cap after 150GB | Unlimited NZ/OZ | $75 |
| Endless Plan | Uncapped Endless | Unlimited NZ/OZ | $90 |
Spark’s Endless Plans also offer:
- Entertainment – free Spotify Premium ($18.99) on Uncapped Endless plan; $7 discount on prepaid and 150GB plans; $1.90 (10%) discount on 5GB and 75GB plans.
- Hotspotting – max data limits applies
- Unlimited Endless – offers 200 mins and 100 texts to 19 countries.
Group plans – Spark’s Team Up allows up to four additional people to sign up to Spark’s two most expensive endless plans for a discounted rate:
- 150GB endless: add companions for $40/m each
- Unlimited endless: add companions for $45/m each
→ More info: Cheapest Shared Endless Data Plans in NZ
Which plan should you sign up for?
Of course, this depends on your phone usage. However, as long as you don’t sign up for a fixed-term plan, it’s easy to shop around and swap plans and/or providers if your needs change.
If you want truly unlimited max-speed data, there are five choices:
- Rocket Mobile: $70 p/m
- 2degrees: $80
- Mighty Mobile: $80 p/m
- One: $85 p/m
- Spark: $90 p/m
Of these, Rocket Mobile has the best price, which gets even better if you apply the group discount, reducing the cost to $50 per month per person.
Also, 2degrees allows you to add up to five group plans for $40 p/m per plan, and with Spark you can add up to five group plans for $45 p/m per plan – meaning average prices drop the more people you add.
And although Spark is the most expensive, for that price you do get free Spotify Premium ($18.99), which is great value, and a $7 discount on each companion plan.
Ultimately, the best plan for you has to suit your budget and your data needs. So before you make a choice, it’s a good idea to review your recent data usage to ensure you don’t end up paying for more data than you need.
Note: Prices correct at time of writing (05/12/24). Further information on pricing can be found at individual provider websites. This should be used as a starter guide and not considered an actual quote.
Endless Data Speeds
As we mention above, endless data plans might offer unlimited downloads, but on most plans speeds are often capped, usually to speeds of around 1.2Mbps, once a data limit is reached. While this limit is fast enough for streaming music and surfing the internet, it’s not suitable for video streaming or video calling:
- Netflix recommends a download speed of 3Mbps per stream for playing SD-quality TV shows and movies, 5Mbps for HD and 25Mbps for UHD
- Skype recommends that HD video calling download/upload speeds are 1.5/1.5Mbps
Overall, 1.2Mbps is a crawl compared to average 4G speeds. According to the latest research from Opensignal, which analyses global phone network speeds, the average download speeds available on the three big mobile networks in NZ are:
Average 4G download speeds
- One: 61.9Mbps
- Spark: 58.3Mbps
- 2degrees: 51.1Mbps
Average 5G download speeds
- 2 degrees 5G: 343.1Mbps
- One 5G: 313.7Mbps
- Spark 5G: 262Mbps
Key terms to help you compare endless data mobile plans
Some terms you’ll likely come across include:
- Open-term plan – is a plan with no fixed-term contract commitment (such as a 12- or 24-month commitment). This means that while you pay monthly, you can exit or change your plan at any time without incurring a cancellation fee.
- Endless data – as advised above, this is a mobile plan that comes unlimited phone data. However, typically, it comes with a maximum speed data allocation, with internet speeds reduced (but unlimited) once this allocation has been exhausted (typically to 1.2Mbps).
- Hotspot – this allows you to wirelessly share your smartphone’s internet connection with other devices, as if it’s a wi-fi modem. Some providers may cap your hotspot data usage or charge an additional monthly fee to use hotspotting.
- Unlimited talk and text – typically applies to standard New Zealand and Australian numbers. However, keep in mind that not all numbers will be covered.
- Group plans – usually comprise a primary plan (which customers initially sign up for), with the option to then add companion plans (often up to five additional plans) for a discounted rate. The more companion plans added, the lower the per-person cost per billing period.
- MB/GB – data allowances are measured in MB and GB. It is worthwhile weighing up how much data you require from one month to the next, and whether reduced speeds will suffice.
- Mbps – stands for megabits per second, which is the measurement of your internet speed. Average 4G/5G mobile speeds can vary depending on a range of factors, but keep in mind that reduced speeds of 1.2Mbps will be significantly slower.
- Auto-renew – some mobile plan add-ons will auto-renew, meaning they’ll automatically be added to your bill each month. Remember to cancel the add-on if you’re purchasing it as a one-off.
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About the author of this page
Bruce Pitchers is the Content Manager at Canstar New Zealand. An experienced finance reporter, Bruce has three decades’ experience as a journalist and has worked for major media companies in Australia, the UK and New Zealand, including ACP, Are Media, Bauer Media Group, Fairfax, Pacific Magazines, News Corp and TVNZ.
Bruce started his career as an entertainment journalist before turning his pen to sport and fitness content, working for some of Australia’s leading sports magazines. Bruce then moved his focus to the world of finance and worked as a freelance writer and editor for The Australian Financial Review, the NZ Financial Markets Authority and major banks and investment companies on both sides of the Tasman.
In his role at Canstar, he has been a regular commentator in the NZ media, including on the Driven, Stuff and One Roof websites, the NZ Herald’s Cooking the Books podcast, Radio NZ, and Newstalk ZB.
Away from his desk at Canstar, Bruce spends many hours creating and editing puzzles for magazine and newspaper titles in the USA and Australasia, including Woman’s Day and New Idea. To that end, he is the co-author of the murder-mystery puzzle book 5 Minute Murder.
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