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International roaming isn't restricted to postpaid plans alone — many prepaid plans come with the option for you to take your handset overseas and get service. Be aware that most of these providers will charge you pay-as-you-go (PAYG) rates which are far more expensive than making calls or sending texts in Australia.
We go through what you need to know in regard to prepaid roaming and include up-to-date roaming rates for five of the most popular places Australians travel to: China, India, New Zealand, the UK and the US.
Telstra has drastically simplified its roaming in recent years into a one-size-fits-all model. With Telstra, you will automatically be charged $10 a day ($5 in New Zealand) if you use your service overseas in 1 of 70 countries. You'll get unlimited standard calls and SMS, as well as 500MB of data.
After you've exceeded your data cap, you'll be charged $10 per extra 1GB of data you use. If you're not in an included country, you'll get charged PAYG rates as per the following table.
China | India | New Zealand | United Kingdom | United States | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Make or receive calls | $3.50/min | $3.50/min | $1.50/min | $2.00/min | $3.00/min |
Send SMS | $0.75/SMS | $0.75/SMS | $0.75/SMS | $0.75/SMS | $0.75/SMS |
Cost of data | $3.00/MB | $3.00/MB | $3.00/MB | $3.00/MB | $3.00/MB |
There are a couple of options when it comes to roaming on an Optus prepaid plan. If you're on any prepaid plan, you can buy a $20 Data Roaming pack which gives you 14 days of 10GB for use in 10 countries. There's also a $10 Travel Credit pack that gives you $10 to use on international talk, text and data roaming.
Outside of this, you'll be charged at international roaming rates that are the same no matter which plan you're on. Charges will be subtracted from your prepaid credit on Long Expiry or Daily Plus. You'll have to buy $10 or $20 of Extras Credit on Epic Value or Epic Data to access roaming.
China | India | New Zealand | United Kingdom | United States | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Make or receive calls | $1.00/min | $1.00/min | $1.00/min | $1.00/min | $1.00/min |
Send SMS | $0.50/SMS | $0.50/SMS | $0.50/SMS | $0.50/SMS | $0.50/SMS |
Cost of data | $0.50/MB | $0.50/MB | $0.50/MB | $0.50/MB | $0.50/MB |
With a Vodafone prepaid plan, you can purchase 1 of 3 roaming packs for $5, $15 or $35. Expiry periods range from 1 to 7 days, data from 200MB to 2GB, 25 mins to 200 mins of standard incoming and outgoing calls and 30 to 300 SMS. These prepaid roaming add-ons only apply in 80 countries.
Otherwise, you will be charged international roaming rates that depend on the country you're in. Charges will be deducted from your prepaid credit based on your usage.
China | India | New Zealand | United Kingdom | United States | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Make or receive calls | $1.00/min | $1.00/min | $1.00/min | $1.00/min | $1.00/min |
Send SMS | $0.75/SMS | $0.75/SMS | $0.75/SMS | $0.75/SMS | $0.75/SMS |
Cost of data | $1.00/MB | $1.00/MB | $1.00/MB | $1.00/MB | $1.00/MB |
Some mobile providers have extra roaming options on their prepaid plans beyond simple PAYG rates deducted from your credit. Here are a couple:
Roaming on a prepaid plan could come in handy in emergency situations if you need a hit of Internet while you're out and about. Just remember to turn your roaming off right after you use your phone or it'll keep incurring charges.
But if you're planning to use your mobile plan quite a bit while you're overseas, using a prepaid plan and paying often outrageous roaming rates is not always the best idea. You're likely to end up spending quite a lot of money on roaming without realising it. Fortunately, there are alternatives. We have a guide if you're interested. Consider these options instead if you're looking for a more budget-friendly way to use your phone while travelling:
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I am a retired Aussie and travel constantly.
Up to now I’ve used one prepaid Lebara phone for each country.
Somebody recently gave me a smart phone, so I’d like to investigate having a single plan – probably based in Sydney – for worldwide use.
I realise this will cost more, but the convenience of just one phone might make this worthwhile.
I’d really welcome any suggestions.
Hi Parispete,
Thanks for reaching out.
Most travel SIMs sold in Australia are designed to work in multiple countries, but the way they charge for services can vary widely depending on where you’re travelling and the services you wish to access. You may compare roaming plans and charges on this page and see which one suits you best. Alternatively, you may also forgo using global roaming and purchase a travel pack from your mobile carrier. You can check this page for more data pack and SIM card options.
I hope this has helped.
Cheers,
Liezl