Choice! Vodafone waives its $5 a day roaming fee in New Zealand

Did you know that New Zealand is the number one international destination for Australians traveling overseas? Me either. But apparently it's true, and Vodafone is using that statistic to entice customers with a pair of announcements today.

The more interesting bit of news is the fact that Vodafone is running a 12 month trial, starting today, which will see Vodafone waive the $5 a day roaming fee for post-paid customers traveling to New Zealand.

That means that any Australian Vodafone customer heading to the Shaky Isles will be able to use their phone exactly like they do at home, without fearing exorbitant roaming charges, and without having to pay a cent more than usual.

When they arrive, they'll be able to enjoy Vodafone New Zealand's 4G network, while using their own data allowance and phone inclusions, including unlimited calls.

Since 2013, Vodafone customers on Vodafone Red plans have been able to enjoy their phone inclusions for $5 a day while overseas. While customers will still have to pay the $5 daily fee in any of the other supported countries, the move to waive the fee for New Zealand visitors is going to benefit a huge number of international travelers.

Would you like points with that?

The second announcement Vodafone made today is a strategic partnership with Qantas, that will see new (or renewing) customers given the option of claiming up to 15,000 Frequent Flyer points by signing up to an eligible post-paid plan.

You need to sign on to a $80 phone plan or a $45 SIM-only plan or higher in order to receive the points, which are delivered as a lump sum up front.

The $80 plan (or $45 SIM-only plan) nets 4,000 Qantas points, the $100 plan ($60 SIM-only) will give 5,000 points and the $130 plan ($85 SIM-only) gives 7,500 points.

However, if you sign up online Vodafone will double the points to 8,000, 10,000 and 15,000 respectively.

• Compare Vodafone plans here