Tax File Number

Upon arrival, we recommend immediately applying for your Tax File Number (TFN); this is necessary to work. The TFN takes around 21 days to get processed and you cannot get paid until you have it, so it is best to get it out of the way quickly. Life hack: after two weeks you can usually call them and they will be able to give you your TFN, even if you haven’t received it in the mail. Apply for your TFN here.

Phone Plan

Next, head on over to Optus, Vodafone or Telstra to get your new Australian phone plan. These cell providers can be found all over the big cities. If your phone is already unlocked before you leave America (meaning it’s paid off in full), you can easily insert your new sim card into your regular phone.

Each of the above providers offers cheap monthly phone plans ranging from AUD $25 to $50, depending on the amount of data, calls and texts you select. We recommend buying a monthly limit to save money. You can always add more data during the month by calling your provider. Public wifi is widely available.

Banking

Finally, to avoid overseas currency charges and to get paid easily, it’s best to open an Australian bank account. Commonwealth and ANZ are the two largest and most convenient banks (especially in Victoria) and setting up an account is incredibly easy. Just go into any branch office (try to pick one close to your hostel because that will be your main branch) with your passport and a copy of your visa. They get hundreds of travelers coming in every month so just explain what you’re doing and they will take care of nearly everything. Commonwealth and ANZ also have easy-to-use online banking and ATM locations all over. You will also likely hear the term superannuation when opening your account so get to know what exactly a superannuation is before going in and save yourself the confusion. It basically serves as a pseudo-retirement fund that you can only access once you have left Australia for good.

If for some reason you don’t want to open an Australian bank account (which you really should), many U.S. banks offer no fee travel credit cards. Bank of America’s Travel Rewards card is one that doesn’t charge for overseas transactions.