Vodafone

Next time you venture across the ditch you won't need to worry about taking your smartphone, with news that Vodafone is offering free roaming for Australians visiting New Zealand.

Promising that Australians will be able to "roam like home," any Vodafone Red or SIM Only customer that uses Vodafone's $5 Roaming deal when they travel will have that AU$5 fee waived when they're in New Zealand, allowing them to make calls and use data as they would at home.

When it launched in mid-2013, Vodafone's $5 Roaming offer marked a major departure from traditionally exorbitant roaming fees charged by telcos. Instead of being billed for overseas use by the minute or by the megabyte (and being charged handsomely for that privilege), customers could use the same call and data allowances included in their Australian plan for just AU$5 per day.

Now, it won't even cost you a fiver if you head to New Zealand.

With more than a million Australians travelling to NZ every year, the move has the potential to win over plenty of customers, and with an established network across the Tasman it's also an easy step for Vodafone.

While the deal is only available until December 2016, we're hoping Vodafone also sees the long-term sense in keeping free roaming in New Zealand. According to the telco's chief marketing officer Loo Fun Chee, cheaper roaming is certainly something high on Vodafone's agenda.

"Many Australians travelling overseas continue to be denied the right to use their phones like they would at home, and are instead spending their holiday downtime searching for free WiFi or worse still, paying excessive mobile roaming rates," she said. "This is something Vodafone is working hard to change."

The announcement from Vodafone came off the back of more international deal-making for the telco today, with news that it has partnered with Qantas to offer frequent flyers rewards for switching providers.

According to Vodafone, Qantas Frequent Flyers will now be able to earn up to 15,000 Qantas Points by connecting, renewing or upgrading to a new 24 month Qantas Red plan with the telco. The points are allocated on a sliding scale depending on the value of the plan, and double points are available (up to 15,000 points) if you sign up, renew or upgrade online.

More details on the deal can be found on the Qantas website.