The best international data roaming plans in Australia

The best international roaming plans don't have to be that good to beat the alternative. Overseas flights may be expensive, but have you looked at the price of international roaming? If your provider only supports pay-as-you-go roaming, you could be looking at over $1,000 per gigabyte. 

While it’s possible to stay connected or reliant on public WiFi (or an eSIM) for your data needs while abroad, being able to use your local SIM can be a lot more convenient.

If you need help picking out the best international roaming plan that won't break the bank, we've got you covered with this round-up of the more affordable postpaid and prepaid options in Australia. 

Maybe your Australian provider isn't offering great value on international data roaming. Maybe the country your visiting doesn't either. Thankfully, there are a few solutions for smartphones compatible with eSIM that you can purchase and connect with no matter where you are in the world. 

Customers on Telstra Upfront mobile plans can access Telstra roaming under the International Day Pass system. 

This will cost you $10 for each day you are overseas, and your money will get you a 1GB international data allowance. If you're roaming in New Zealand, this drops to $5 per day.

If you go over your daily 1GB, you'll be stung with an extra $10. This will get a further 1GB, which can then be used over the following 30 days whenever you go over your initial daily allowance. 

You'll also get unlimited talk and text as part of the Telstra roaming International Day Pass, but you'll pay $0.75 for each MMS you send while overseas.  

Telstra roaming currently works in over 70 destinations. If you're outside of an eligible destination and on an Upfront, you won't be able to use your service. You'll need to get an Australian prepaid SIM.

If you're a prepaid customer looking to take advantage of Telstra roaming, things are slightly different. Instead of a single add-on, you've got three travel packs to choose from.

• $10 for 400MB of data, 15 texts and 15 minutes of calls with 3-day expiry
• $15 for 2GB of data, 25 texts and 25 minutes of calls with 7-day expiry
• $25 for 4GB of data 50 texts and 50 minutes of calls with 14-day expiry

Telstra prepaid international roaming is also only available in a smaller selection of 35 destinations.

If you rely on Telstra international roaming without paying for one of the provider's day passes or roam with Telstra in a country not covered by the day pass then you'll be subject to a Pay As You Go rate that varies from country to country but is generally a lot more expensive than the alternative.

Roaming data consumed in this way is charged at $3 per MB, which can add up quickly. The rates for calls, texts and other inclusions are less predictable but typically communicated via an SMS from Telstra upon your arrival.

For a sense of how much Telstra roaming charges might cost you, check out this  breakdown of the approximate hourly data-usage ranges of popular streaming services:

If you're an Optus customer on a postpaid Optus Choice Plus, Optus Plus Family or Optus Plus Kids plan, you can also roam for $5 per day using Optus Roaming Pass. 

Your $5 will get you 5GB of data with a 24-hour expiry. Alternatively, you can pay $35 upfront and get 35GB. These roaming offers can be activated through the My Optus app. 

There is one catch, however. Optus' roaming add-on only works in the following Zone 1 destinations:

Optus Choice postpaid plans don't offer roaming to Zone 2 countries. Select legacy postpaid plans from Optus offer expensive Pay-As-You-Go roaming rates to Zone 2 countries, but not its current suite of postpaid plans. 

Global roaming may not be cheap, but Vodafone postpaid mobile plans have one of the more simple and affordable offers on the market. Vodafone's International Roaming deal costs $5 per day and gives you access to your regular plan allowance while travelling overseas. 

Unlike other telcos, you don't have a separate data allowance while roaming overseas. You'll just use the data from your regular inclusions that you use in Australia. If you're on a 80GB plan, that gives you 80GB to play with when travelling. However, if you do go over your included allowance, you will be charged $5 for every extra gigabyte used. 

The $5-per-day charge will only be added to your bill on days when you use data, make a call, or send a text. 

Note that you can only use $5-per-day roaming for up to 90 days of the calendar year. If you're planning to spend more time overseas, a local SIM will probably be a better option. 

Vodafone also offers roaming for prepaid plans. $5 gets you 200MB for one day, $15 gives you 750MB for three days, and $35 gets you 2GB for seven days. While this still works out to be $5 per day and are an improvement over pay-as-you-go rates, they're still pretty poor value. 

felix is a rare MVNO that actually has a good international roaming offer. While most smaller providers offer poor value packs, expensive pay-as-you-go rates or simply don't offer roaming, felix's roaming add-on costs just $20. 

Your $20 gets you 4GB of international data, 100 texts, and 100 minutes of talk. Better yet, it has a 365-day expiry. If you're the kind of traveller that can sniff out public WiFi where ever you are, 4GB could be enough for your entire international getaway. But if you go over your 4GB allowance, you can always buy another pack.

felix mobile's roaming offer doesn't cover as many countries as what you get on Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone: it only works in 40 destinations. You should be fine for most popular countries, however. 

felix is unique in that it only has a single mobile plan with unlimited data. You'll pay $35 per month, but your data is capped to speeds of 20Mbps - both domestically and overseas. That should still be fast enough for most online activities, even streaming video. 

felix is powered by the Vodafone network. 

Amaysim is another MVNO that's recently made its move into the international roaming space. The provider now offers four travel packs for Amaysim customers looking to stay connected while overseas.

These are as follows:

• $20 for 100 mins of calls and 100 texts with 365-day expiry
• $25 for 1GB of data, 50 mins of calls and 50 texts with 365-day expiry
• $50 for 5GB of data with 365-day expiry
• $70 for 5GB of data, 100 calls, 100 texts and 365-day expiry

Amaysim is powered by the Optus network. 

A total of 90 different destinations are covered here, with a full list available on the Amaysim website.

Tangerine recently gave its international roaming options an overhaul. The provider now offers a total of three travel-oriented add-ons for customers looking to keep in touch while they wander abroad, but those add-ons are now much better value than previous efforts.

These are as follows:

• $35 for 5GB of data, 30 mins of talk, 30 texts with 7-day expiry
• $55 for 10GB, 60 mins of talk, 60 texts with a 14-day expiry
• $60 for 3GB, 300 mins of talk, 300 texts with 3-day expiry

Tangerine is powered by the Telstra network. 

A total of 64 different destinations are covered here, with a full list available on the Tangerine website.

More and Tangerine are sister companies. As a result, one provider's recent update to international roaming has been matched by the other. More currently offers two add-ons for Aussie tourists.

As you can see below, these are identical to the travel add-ons offered by Tangerine.

• $35 for 5GB of data, 30 mins of talk, 30 texts with 7-day expiry
• $55 for 10GB, 60 mins of talk, 60 texts with a 14-day expiry

More is powered by the Telstra network. 

A total of 64 different destinations are covered here, with a full list available on the More website.

Kogan Mobile didn't used to offer international roaming, but now it does. The budget-friendly MVNO has a trio of travel add-ons for short terms stays abroad. These are as follows:

• $10 for 1GB of data, 50 mins of talk, 50 texts with 1-day expiry
• $25 for 2GB of data, 100 mins of talk, 100 texts with 3-day expiry
• $45 for 5GB of data, 150 mins of talk, 150 texts with 7-day expiry

Kogan is powered by the Vodafone network. 

A total of 30 different destinations are covered, with a full list available on the Kogan website.

Belong isn't just one of the cheapest Telstra MVNOs out there, it's also one of the few that offers international roaming. That said, those who are signed up with this particular provider aren't exactly spoiled for choice.

At the time of writing, there's only one roaming add-on available from Belong:

• $30 for 3GB, 150 minutes of talk, unlimited SMS with 15-day expiry

In Australia, Belong is powered by the Telstra network. Abroad, it offers roaming in over 30 destinations. You can find the full list on the Belong website.

Woolworths' Everyday Mobile customers has more to offer than just the ability to save on groceries. Compared to other Telstra MVNOs like Belong, the provider boasts a generous spread of international roaming options. Even if these aren't the best value roaming packs available, there are a lot of them.

At the time of writing, there are four international roaming add-ons available from Woolworths' Everyday Mobile:

• $7 for 150MB, 30 mins of talk, 30 texts with 1-day expiry
• $30 for 1GB, 60 mins of talk, 60 texts with 5-day expiry
• $50 for 2GB, 150 mins of talk, 150 texts with 10-day expiry
• $75 for 4GB, 240 mins of talk, 240 texts with 15-day expiry

In Australia, Everyday Mobile by Woolworths is powered by the Telstra network. Abroad, it offers roaming in up to 67 destinations. However, those who sign up for the $7 add-on will only get access to sa smaller selection of 30 countries instead of the full 67.

You can find the full list on the Everyday Mobile website.

In addition to its status as one of the best-value MNVOs for those who want a cheap phone plan with international calls, Lebara also has a number of international roaming add-ons. However, these aren't necessarily going to be the optimal option when it comes to longer stays abroad.

At the time of writing, there are two international roaming add-ons available from Labara:

• $15 for 500MB, 15 mins of talk, 50 texts with 2-day expiry
• $50 for 2GB, 90 mins of talk, 200 texts with 5-day expiry

In Australia, Lebara is powered by the Vodafone network. Abroad, it offers roaming in up to 50 destinations. You can find the full list on the Everyday Mobile website.

No matter what provider you go with, roaming costs add up quickly. On Optus and Vodafone, a week of using your phone overseas will cost you $35. On Telstra, you're looking at a minimum of $70 (unless you're in New Zealand). 

If you really need to keep your local number to be contactable while away, you've really got no choice but to pay the telcos their blood money. But if you're going away on a holiday and don't care about having access to your local number, a local SIM can often be the better choice than a travel-friendly phone plan.

If you're staying for over a week, local SIMs at your destination should typically cost less than what you'd pay in roaming fees. This will naturally vary from destination to destination, but it's definitely worth doing the math before you commit to spending a whole lot of money on roaming.