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Most mobile plans in Australia come with unlimited calls to numbers within the country, but what if you need to call overseas?
We analysed nearly 400 plans in Finder's database and found that only 44% of SIM-only plans in Australia come with some form of international calls or text allowance included – that's less than half of all mobile plans.
So if you're looking to call friends or family overseas, make sure you've got a plan that gives you enough inclusions so that you're not racking up costly international charges.
The best mobile plan for international calls really depends on which countries you plan on calling. We've gone with the below plan as our best pick, but feel free to view more plans further down on this page to find one that may be better suited to your needs.
amaysim is a solid provider if you're looking outside of the major brands. Its plans come with decent data but also come with included international calls and texts to 28 countries. That means you can call these countries for free without having to worry about paying for extra charges. The list of countries includes China, Indonesia, New Zealand, the UK, the US and Japan.
Picking the best plan for international calls will largely depend on what countries you want to call. There are a few countries that are almost always part of international inclusions, like New Zealand, US, UK or India, but you can always check what's included on the provider's website.
Here are some other things to consider when picking a plan for international calls:
Unlimited calls vs capped amounts
If you don't call overseas very often but still want the option, international minutes might serve you better. Plans with minutes are often cheaper than those with unlimited inclusions.
International SMS/texts
While calls are always supported, texts may not be. Consider whether you need them, or if you can use a messenger app instead like WhatsApp, Viber or Skype.
Calls to international landline/mobile
Many international inclusions are restricted to "standard" landline numbers. Check whether calls to mobiles are included.
While "cheap" means different things to different people, we think phone plans under $30 a month qualify as being pretty cheap, especially if they come with international calls included. The table below lists plans from Finder partners that are under $30 and come with either unlimited calls or call credit to selected countries.
There are 2 tabs you can switch between, from unlimited calls to call credit, but remember that "unlimited" calls are only to included countries, not to all countries. You can see which countries are included in a plan by clicking "more details" and then "international rates".
We chose 10 of the most common international call destinations for Australians and compared the rates charged by the big 3 carriers so you can get an idea of which one offers the best value for the countries you're looking to call.
These are the call rates offered by the big 3 on their SIM-only plans.
| Country | Telstra | Vodafone | Optus |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | $1.03 | $0.20 | $0.72 |
| Brazil | $1.58 | $0.50 | $1.95 |
| UK | $1.13 | $0.20 | $0.78 |
| US | $0.44 | $0.10 | $0.35 |
| Malaysia | $1.09 | $0.20 | $0.96 |
| India | $2.18 | $0.10 | $1.44 |
| China | $1.72 | $0.10 | $1.38 |
| Japan | $1.31 | $0.50 | $0.90 |
| Germany | $1.31 | $0.20 | $0.85 |
| Canada | $0.64 | $0.10 | $0.48 |
Overall, prepaid international call rates are cheaper than on SIM-only plans. We looked at the regular prepaid plans from the big 3, rather than their long expiry options for the international rates below.
| Country | Telstra (Pre-Paid Complete) | Vodafone (Combo Plus) | Optus (Epic Data) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | $0.10 | $0.08 | $0.10 |
| Brazil | $0.30 | $0.20 | $0.20 |
| UK | $0.10 | $0.08 | $0.10 |
| US | $0.10 | $0.03 | $0.10 |
| Malaysia | $0.10 | $0.04 | $0.10 |
| India | $0.10 | $0.03 | $0.10 |
| China | $0.10 | $0.02 | $0.08 |
| Japan | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.10 |
| Germany | $0.15 | $0.05 | $0.10 |
| Canada | $0.10 | $0.03 | $0.10 |
It's pretty clear that if you're planning to call overseas with pay as you go rates, Vodafone has the cheapest on offer, no matter which country you're calling. Telstra's postpaid rates for calling mobiles in most countries are extremely high.
These days, there are many providers that include unlimited international calls to certain destinations in their plans, or let you pay a little extra for those inclusions. Boost Mobile and Lebara stand out with generous international inclusions on almost all of their plans, while other popular providers like Kogan Mobile and Woolworths Mobile don't even have them as an option.
Here are the providers with international calls that we'll be covering in the next section. Click on a provider if you're interested to see which plans it offers with international calls:
Providers can change which countries are included in their plans at any time. We've done our best to be accurate on this page, but you can always check the provider's website for an up-to-date list of included countries.
Vodafone splits its international inclusions into 2 separate groups: Zone 1, with 20 countries mostly in Asia and Europe, and Zone 2, which includes a whopping 70 more. More expensive plans have more minutes, with included international calls starting at just 100 minutes to Zone 1 on the $45 Red Plus plan.
For prepaid offerings, you can get a few hundred minutes to each zone for $40 and up on a 35-day expiry period. Vodafone also has international talk add-ons available for plans and prepaid, where you pay around $10 to get call credit for certain countries.
Every Optus SIM-only plan from $49 a month and up comes with generous international inclusions, with free landline calls and texts to 35 countries. These include a large number of Asian and European countries.
Its prepaid offerings are a little less far-reaching, with its pricier Epic Data plans providing calls to 15 destinations. The cheaper recharges involve a couple of hundred international minutes, instead.
If you want, you can pay an extra $5 to get 300 minutes for calling 30 countries as an "extras credit" add-on.
If you're looking for overseas calls, Telstra surprisingly doesn't offer a lot. Some of Telstra's Pre-Paid Complete plans come with international call minutes to 20 Zone 1 countries and 30 Zone 2 countries.
You can add an unlimited calling pack to postpaid plans for an extra $10 per month. This provides unlimited calls and SMS to standard numbers in 21 countries. Prepaid plans can use included or purchased Extras Credit to make international calls as well.
Overall, though, Telstra is not a stellar option for international calls.
