TCC's UCall plans, from an hour to a month
The Tonga Communications Corporation's prepaid page lists data plans in pa'anga. At the time of checking, TOP 1 bought 400 MB for one hour, TOP 3 bought 1 GB for one day, TOP 4 bought 1 GB for two days, TOP 10 bought 2 GB for seven days and TOP 15 bought 5 GB for 30 days. Larger plans ran from TOP 20 for 7 GB to TOP 100 for 50 GB, each valid 30 days, and the page says these plans are available only to customers with a UCall normal SIM card.
TCC also lists a Night Owl plan of TOP 2 for 15 GB or TOP 5 for 50 GB valid for seven hours from 11pm to 6am, to be subscribed between 11pm and 1am, and a Student SIM range available only with a student SIM. Local voice is cheap but limited: a TOP 1 voice plan gives 60 minutes for 24 hours for UCall-to-UCall use only. The page does not describe a visitor SIM, its price or identification, so ask at a TCC outlet.
Setting the APN and topping up
TCC's FAQ tells customers who cannot get online to check their APN settings. It says to create a new APN named tccwap, with tccwap as the username and a password given on the page, then switch mobile data on and choose a plan through *120#, option 1 Prepaid Plans then option 3 Data Plans. If data still fails, turn mobile data off for ten seconds, reboot and then call the toll-free line 0800222.
Top-ups are possible with voucher cards from retail stores, online through a top-up service, from vouchers printed at ANZ bank ATMs or at TCC outlets, and the balance is checked by dialling *120# and choosing Check Balance. A phone bought overseas sometimes needs the APN entered by hand, so do this at a TCC outlet if the connection does not start.
Digicel's Prime bundles and Kava Night data
Digicel Tonga's bundle page lists all-in-one prepaid plans: a daily plan at $5 with 2 GB plus 1.5 GB of bonus data for particular services and 50 minutes off-net, a weekly plan at $15 with 5 GB plus 4.5 GB bonus valid 7 days, and a monthly plan at $30 with 12 GB plus 12 GB bonus valid 30 days with 300 off-net minutes. Short data-only bundles ran from $1 for 300 MB for an hour to $15 for 3 GB for 14 days, with monthly data of $50 for 22 GB and $70 for 70 GB.
The page also lists Kava Night plans of $4 for 40 GB or $6 for 100 GB for use between 11pm and 6am. These are bargains only for someone online at night, but they are an inexpensive way to download maps or updates in the early hours. The page does not describe a visitor SIM, so we make no claim about one.
Entry, onward ticket and customs declarations
The UK Foreign Office says British visitors can stay up to 30 days, with a free visa issued on arrival, and that a passport must be valid for at least six months. Border officials may ask for an onward or return ticket, proof of sufficient funds, which bank statements can provide, and confirmed accommodation. You must declare valuables worth 500 pa'anga or more and all plant, animal and food products, and complete a customs declaration for cash or travellers' cheques above 10,000 pa'anga.
A phone or laptop worth more than the declaration threshold counts, so check how it is valued before you fly. Rules vary by nationality, so use the Tongan High Commission for your own case.
Ferries, Sunday and swimming with whales
The UK Foreign Office says Tongan ferries do not follow normal safety regulations and are often overloaded, that road travel after dark is discouraged because of poor lighting and livestock, and that the cyclone season normally runs from November to May but cyclones can occur throughout the year. It adds that earthquakes and volcanic activity can happen at any time and trigger tsunamis.
It says Tongan society is deeply conservative and religious and that visitors should respect Sunday observance, and warns that swimming with whales without authorisation can carry penalties of up to 18 months in prison. Use a licensed operator for whale encounters. We found no official coverage data for the outer island groups, so if you take a boat to Ha'apai or Vava'u, tell your host the sailing plan and download maps first.
Emergency numbers
The UK Foreign Office gives 911 as the general emergency number for ambulance, fire and police in Tonga, with 999 for fire, 922 for police and 933 for an ambulance. TCC's plans include voice minutes, though limited to UCall numbers, so test a call to a local number after you activate a plan. Our Tonga plan page offers data before you arrive.
Networks our Tonga plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Tonga, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- Digicel5G