What are the best phone plans for travelling overseas?

Australians are a travelling bunch. We love getting out there and exploring the world – probably because we’re so isolated on our very own continent, and we feel like there’s so much beyond our own backyard. Chances are you know someone, whether it’s a friend or family member that has just been overseas or is planning their next big trip.

But no matter your dream destination, you’ll need a good travel SIM card for your mobile phone, without breaking the bank. In this article, Canstar Blue reviews mobile phone plans for travelling from Australia, to help you enjoy your trip without fear of bill shock when you return home.

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What are the best mobile phone plans for roaming?

All the big carriers offer roaming, and overseas-specific call rates. It’s worth keeping an eye out for Optus, Telstra and Vodafone, but note that Woolworths Mobile also offers travelling plans, as does Australia Post with its travel SIM card.

(Source: Respective company websites)

These rates above are generally ‘pay as you go’, except for Vodafone’s ‘$5 a day’ option, as well as Telstra’s $5 or $10 deals. The USA was also used as a yardstick, commonly found in ‘Zone 1’ countries – which includes countries most likely to be visited by Aussies.

Roaming is generally the most convenient option, as your provider basically does all the legwork and you can keep using your number. There are several ways to go about it. Simply taking your existing phone plan overseas can easily see you rack up big bills if you use your phone in the same way that you would at home – you’ve no doubt heard the horror stories about Aussies returning home to phone bills in the thousands.

Beyond PAYG roaming, there are a few options to consider when taking your mobile phone overseas:

• Roaming packs
• A travel/global SIM card
• A phone plan

Generally, this list can be considered in order from the most convenient to least convenient. Consequently, convenience can also mean extra costs. One thing is for sure – these options all beat using dodgy free Wi-Fi in a cafe that is both slow and a security risk.

Roaming Packs

You can purchase roaming packs from the major providers ahead of time. However, smaller carriers may charge differently, so it pays to check with your own provider first.

Telstra international roaming

To use global roaming with Telstra, you’ll have to activate the roaming feature through the Telstra app, and then purchase a travel pack. Beyond that, Telstra has also introduced the ‘International Day Pass’, which basically lets you access your current plan overseas for either $5 or $10 a day.

• New Zealand can be accessed from $5 a day.
• Other countries are $10 a day, with most popular countries available such as the US, Canada, Brazil, China, much of Europe and Asia.
• Each day pass includes unlimited talk and text, and 500MB of data with a 24-hour expiry.
• If you exceed 500MB in a day, you’ll be automatically charged $10 for an additional 1GB to use over 30 days.

Below is a list of Telstra’s SIM-only mobile plans, meaning that the $10-a-day feature is an additional charge on top of these plans.

For prepaid users it’s a bit of a different story. You’ll need to add an International Roaming Browse Plus Pack, with prices and data inclusions below:

• 100MB data pack: $29 (30 day expiry)
• 300MB data pack: $85 (30 day expiry)
• 600MB data pack: $160 (30 day expiry)

For roaming, Telstra has ramped up value in the postpaid space, but prepaid users may struggle to see value in these high prices.

Optus international roaming

Besides the ‘pay as you go’ (PAYG) rates, you can plan ahead and purchase an Optus Roaming Pass for an extra $10 a day on top of your existing postpaid phone plan.

This pass gets you unlimited talk and text, with 1GB of data in eligible countries, which includes the USA, Canada, New Zealand, along with most of Europe and Asia. These packs can be activated on ‘My Account’ online, or through your Optus app on your mobile phone. You’ll be automatically charged $10 for each day you use your phone, or if you exceed 1GB data use in a 24-hour period.

Below is a list of Optus’ SIM-only postpaid plans. Keep in mind that the $10 per-day Optus Roaming Pass is an additional charge.

The above table covers rates for postpaid users, but if you’re a prepaid user, Optus also has you covered. It’s a bit different however, as you’re basically charged as PAYG rates, which are taken from your balance, with rates available on the Optus website. You can add on Extras Credit which applies to international roaming.

However, if you’re a Prepaid Epic Data or Epic Value customer, you’ll be able to choose the Data Roaming add on for $20 over 14 days. This gives you access to 10GB of roaming data to use in mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, the UK and USA.

Regardless of what kind of plan you’re on, you can track your usage during your trip through the Optus app and online, to make sure you’re not coming back to a painful bill.

Vodafone international roaming

Arguably with the most competitive roaming options out of the big three, Vodafone has popularly flaunted its ‘$5 a day’ roaming charge for a while now. But what do you get for $5 a day?

Quite simply, you get what’s included in your plan – think of the $5 charge like a password to unlock your plan’s usefulness overseas. This applies to 80 countries, which includes the USA, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, much of South America and Asia, plus almost all of Europe.

The $5 roaming should already be activated on existing Vodafone plans, so it should be ready to use when you travel to eligible destinations. It’s also worth noting that if you’re on any of the postpaid plans where you can continue using your data at a capped speed once you go over your top-speed data inclusion, that $5 roaming will only use your Max Speed data. If you go over your data inclusion while roaming, you’ll be charged for extra data.

The below shows all published Vodafone  SIM only plans from Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard cost from lowest to highest. The $5 roaming charge can be added onto these plans through the Vodafone app or website.

Prepaid users also get access to roaming on the Vodafone network, and can simply recharge by texting particular codes to a certain number:

• 3 days, $25: 100MB, 30 minutes of calling, 30 SMS OR 200MB data only
• 7 days, $35: 250MB, 60 minutes of calling, 60 SMS OR 500MB data only

Once you’ve exhausted these allowances, you’ll be charged the PAYG rates. However, keep in mind that the countries where you can use prepaid roaming is more limited than the $5 roaming  for postpaid services. Currently roaming is only available in the USA, Canada, Brazil, Chile, South Africa, New Zealand and a smaller range of Asian and European countries.

Travel and Global SIM Cards

These exist in prepaid form, which makes them easy to insert into your unlocked phone and only pay for what you need! There are several private operators that provide travel SIM cards:

Australia Post TravelSim

Arguably the most popular of the travel SIM cards is the ‘TravelSim’ brand operating through Australia Post. It costs $25 and includes $5 starter credit and free express shipping or you can select the $50 option which includes two SIM cards with $30 of credit and 1GB of Euro data split between the SIM cards. The rates are relatively low rates from 25c for a megabyte of data, per minute of calling or per text and these rates apply to 200+ countries. The SIM card fits all phones and tablets.

You’ll get 24/7 customer service with a smartphone app to control and monitor your use, recharge and troubleshoot. It also includes offline mapping for handy navigation and free TravelSIM to TravelSIM texts, making it easy to keep in touch with your travelling companions if you go exploring in different places.

If you’re travelling to Europe, this might be one of the easiest roaming SIM cards to set up. There are three European data packs that you can add on with cheaper data rates, which includes 1GB, 3GB or 5GB options — it’s ideal if you’re travelling to more than one of the eligible European destinations.

If this sounds like the right travel SIM to you, it could also be a convenient way of setting up your travel money card, exchange cash and get a travel SIM all in one spot!

Brand	Features	Max Data**/billing period	Advertised Cost^^/billing period
	$25 Starter Pack $5 credit with optional top up – 25c text/calls/megabyte to 190 countries min. cost $25	1GBMax Data**/billing period	$25Advertised Data^^/billing period
	$50 Value Pack $30 credit with optional top up – 25c text/calls/megabyte to 190 countries Includes 2 prepaid SIM cards, each with individual numbers $30 credit and 1GB data is split between SIM cards min. cost $50	1GBMax Data**/billing period	$50Advertised Data^^/billing period
View all mobile plans listed on Canstar Blue			**^^View important information

Woolworths Mobile Travel SIM

Update: As of 30 September, 2020, Woolworths Mobile is no longer offering the Global Roaming Data SIM to customers. However, Woolworths Mobile subscribers can add a range of roaming add-ons to their existing Woolworths phone plans. 

Woolworths Mobile also has an international roaming add-on for SIM and phone plan customers. These add on packs offer different inclusions over a different length of time. Starting at $7 for 150MB of data to use in one day, expiries also include 5, 10, and 15 days. For $25 for a 5-day add on, you’ll get 1GB of data, 60 minutes of calls and 60 SMS. For $50 you’ll get a 10-day add on with 2GB of data, 150 minutes of calls and 150 SMS, while $75 will get you 4GB of data, 240 minutes of calls and 240 SMS to use over 15 days.

These add-ons are available to use in 63 different countries including Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, The UK and USA.

Brand	Features	Max Data**/billing period	Advertised Cost^^/billing period
	1 Day Roaming Add On 150MB roaming data for 63 countries 30 minutes of calls, 30 SMS min. cost $7 for 1 day expiry	150MBMax Data**/billing period	$7Advertised Data^^/billing period
	5 Day Roaming Add On 1GB roaming data for 63 countries 60 minutes of calls, 60 SMS min. cost $30 for 5 day expiry	1GBMax Data**/billing period	$30Advertised Data^^/billing period
	10 Day Roaming Add On 2GB roaming data for 63 countries 150 minutes of calls, 150 SMS min. cost $50 for 10 day expiry	2GBMax Data**/billing period	$50Advertised Data^^/billing period
	15 Day Roaming Add On 4GB roaming data for 63 countries 240 minutes of calls, 240 SMS min. cost $75 for 15 day expiry	4GBMax Data**/billing period	$75Advertised Data^^/billing period
View all mobile plans listed on Canstar Blue			**^^View important information

What about a phone plan from the country I’m visiting?

It’s hard enough having to wrap your head around the huge range of providers in Australia alone, but going overseas can make your head spin with all the phone plans on offer when you’re travelling. Not to mention any language barriers, and it can be quite daunting trying to decipher what the SIM pack is saying in a language you don’t understand. Buying a native prepaid phone plan in the country you’re visiting can require some footwork, but the work can pay off as you’ll often be able to get more value for your money.

Prepaid plans are the way to go, as with postpaid plans you’ll most likely need to supply an address, ID check and a local credit card. With prepaid, you can recharge with minimal fuss and enjoy straight away.

New Zealand

This is an easy one. Simply compare prepaid phone providers using our sister site – Canstar Blue NZ.

• You can compare phone plans.
• Expect 1GB of data plus generous call minutes and unlimited texts for under NZD $30 a month.

New Zealand has markedly less providers than Australia, but you will be afforded similar value.

USA

There are five massive mobile networks in the United States: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and US Cellular. Verizon is the largest in terms of subscriber base, but all offer strong plans. Just like Telstra, Optus and Vodafone do in Australia, all five operate physical stores and popping in to one of these stores is a good way to get yourself a prepaid phone plan.

• Keep in mind that 7/11 stores also stock a range of prepaid plans that may prove to be pretty solid value.
• Keep up with the US lingo: ‘wireless’ and ‘cellular’ are synonymous with ‘mobile’.

As you’d expect, these five providers are a little more expensive than the USA’s raft of Mobile Virtual Network Operators, but some US MVNOs are pretty obscure and you’ll really need to do your homework here, as they often aren’t found in-store.

One thing to be aware of: US networks Verizon, Sprint, and US Cellular all operate on CDMA technology, which means your Australian smartphone may not be compatible with their service. If you’re planning to stick a US SIM card in your device, you may need to check with your intended carrier first to ensure you’ll be able to access talk, text and data.

Canada

Like the USA, there are five network operators in Canada: Rogers, Telus, BCE and Shaw. Much of what you can get on a mobile phone plan in Canada is province dependent; one network might operate only in Alberta, but not in British Columbia for example.

Going with any of the bigger telcos will be a safe bet though, with an expansive network of stores across most provinces. You can expect plans with 1GB of data and unlimited talk and text for no less than CAD $40 with the big providers. Anything over 10GB could easily cost over CAD $100 — Canada is considered to have some of the most expensive phone plans around.

Prepaid plans are generally much dearer than what’s available in Australia, but there are some cheaper MVNOs available in various department stores, and prepaid SIM cards are often available in convenience stores as well.

UK & Europe

There are four network operators in Great Britain – EE, O2, Vodafone and 3. There is also a huge array of MVNOs, some with funny names like ‘giffgaff’. While undoubtedly these MVNOs may provide solid value, the ‘Big 4’ provide reliability and convenience.

Most of the providers offer pretty solid value, and you can expect upwards of 10GB of data with 1000 minutes & 1000 texts for £20 a month or thereabouts. But keep in mind that the AUD to GBP exchange rate could make it sound cheaper than it is!

It should be noted that most UK plans also operate in most continental European countries as normal with no roaming charges. Though not all your data allowance may be used overseas; for example, you may only find you can use 8GB out of a 10GB phone plan. Nevertheless, it’s still a very handy inclusion.

Being that many flights from Australia to Europe land in the UK, it’s very easy to pick up a UK prepaid SIM and continue on to continental Europe. Each of the four carriers have a range of store locations spanning most of the UK and you’ll likely be able to pop into one and walk out with a prepaid plan any time.

Prepaid plans in other countries

As for other countries, it starts to get a little trickier. The safest bet is selecting a roaming option, but if you’re willing to do the homework and legwork yourself, then you should be able to nab a very cost-effective deal. Sticking to major providers is also a safe bet in terms of reliability and convenience. MVNOs – while often providing more value for your money – can be hard to find without retail stores and you’ll might need to order online first, which can extend the time you spend waiting for mobile phone coverage instead of enjoying your holiday.

Mobile phone roaming: Is it worth it?

Traditional mobile phone roaming where you simply take your phone overseas with no forward planning or SIM card change is obviously very convenient, but the costs can also add up. Expect minute-long phone calls to cost over $1 a minute, a simple text to cost at least 50c and the data charges can really add up. You may want to think twice about turning mobile roaming on, and only using it in case of emergencies.

Beyond that, there are a handful of providers supplying ‘travel packs’, but these too can be quite expensive. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the cheapest options also tend to be the most annoying to acquire. A native phone plan in the country you’re visiting can be the most cost effective, but finding the right one can be both time consuming and confusing.

No matter what route you choose, it is undeniable that having mobile phone access overseas is handy and a good safety tool. If you’re willing to pay for convenience, then roaming presents a good option to enjoy your holiday with minimal fuss.

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