# International roaming from Australia: what Telstra, Optus and Vodafone charge > Australia’s big three carriers charge a daily fee to use your phone overseas: Telstra A$10 a day in most countries (A$5 in New Zealand and the Pacific), Optus A$5 or A$10 depending on your plan, and Vodafone A$5 on top of your plan. The fee starts automatically when you use data, send a text or make or answer a call. Source: https://simkit.app/international-roaming/australia · Carrier prices checked 2026-09-28 · 7 min read · By SimKit Every Australian carrier lets you use your phone overseas, and every one charges for it. This page puts their prices side by side, shows what a week away costs on each, and explains the one setting that stops a surprise bill. ## What is international roaming? When your phone leaves Australia, it connects to a local network that has a deal with your carrier. That is roaming. Your carrier pays the local network and charges you, usually as a daily fee that starts the moment you use your phone. Data roaming is the data part of it, and it is where most of the cost sits. ## What each carrier charges Postpaid prices for Japan, Bali, the US, the UK and most of Europe. ### Telstra A$10 a day A$5 in New Zealand and the Pacific 2GB of data, unlimited standard calls and texts. Starts automatically [Telstra roaming →](https://simkit.app/international-roaming/australia/telstra) ### Optus A$5 or A$10 a day Depends on your plan Plus plans: 5GB for A$5. Other plans: 1GB for A$10. Both with standard calls and texts. Automatic on Plus plans [Optus roaming →](https://simkit.app/international-roaming/australia/optus) ### Vodafone A$5 a day On top of your plan Your plan’s own data, calls and texts, for up to 90 days a year. Starts automatically [Vodafone roaming →](https://simkit.app/international-roaming/australia/vodafone) ### amaysim, Boost, ALDI and others Packs from A$5 Or pay as you go 11 smaller carriers, each with its own packs and rates. Usually opt in [Compare smaller carriers →](https://simkit.app/international-roaming/australia/other-carriers) ## What a week away costs Daily fees add up. Here is a 7-day trip on each carrier’s main option, next to a SimKit eSIM with the same 2GB a day and SimKit’s cheapest plan with enough data for the week. | 7 days in | Telstra Day Pass 2GB a day, calls and texts | Optus Roaming Pass Other plans: 1GB a day, calls and texts | Optus Daily Roaming Plus plans: 5GB a day, calls and texts | Vodafone $5 Roaming Your plan’s own data, calls and texts | SimKit day pass 2GB a day, data only | SimKit data plan Cheapest with 7GB+, data only | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Japan | A$70 | A$70 | A$35 | A$35 | [A$33.49](https://simkit.app/esim/japan/unlimited) | [**A$13.10**](https://simkit.app/esim/japan) 10 GB, 30 days | | Bali (Indonesia) | A$70 | A$70 | A$35 | A$35 | [A$28.98](https://simkit.app/esim/indonesia/unlimited) | [**A$13.10**](https://simkit.app/esim/indonesia) 10 GB, 30 days | | United States | A$70 | A$70 | A$35 | A$35 | [A$26.40](https://simkit.app/esim/united-states/unlimited) | [**A$16.90**](https://simkit.app/esim/united-states) 10 GB, 30 days | | United Kingdom | A$70 | A$70 | A$35 | A$35 | [A$18.68](https://simkit.app/esim/united-kingdom/unlimited) | [**A$12**](https://simkit.app/esim/united-kingdom) 10 GB, 30 days | | New Zealand | A$35 | A$70 | A$35 | A$35 | [A$30.27](https://simkit.app/esim/new-zealand/unlimited) | [**A$21.30**](https://simkit.app/esim/new-zealand) 10 GB, 30 days | | Fiji | **A$35** | A$70 | **A$35** | **A$35** | [A$63.11](https://simkit.app/esim/fiji/unlimited) | [A$42.70](https://simkit.app/esim/fiji) 10 GB, 30 days | All prices in AUD for 7 consecutive days of use. Carrier prices are the daily fee times 7, before any extra data. Carrier passes include calls and texts; SimKit plans are data only, and your Australian SIM stays on for texts. SimKit prices are live. Lowest price in each row in bold. In Japan, for example, a week on Telstra’s Day Pass is A$70. The same 2GB a day on a SimKit eSIM is A$33.49, and a fixed plan with enough data for the week costs less again. ## What starts the daily charge Telstra, Optus and Vodafone all treat the same things as a day of use. ### Using any data Starts the fee Including apps refreshing in the background. ### Making or answering a call Starts the fee A two-minute call from home costs a full day’s fee. ### Sending a text Starts the fee One message is enough to start the day. ### Receiving a text Free Free on all three, so bank codes and one-time passwords still reach you. ## How to keep your number without paying for roaming Most phones sold in the last few years hold two lines at once. Your Australian SIM stays in the phone for calls and texts, and a travel eSIM handles data. Four steps, all done at home: 1. **Check your phone takes an eSIM and isn’t locked.** Dial \*#06#: if you see an EID, it has one. Our [eSIM compatible phones list](https://simkit.app/esim-compatible-phones) covers the rest. 2. **Install your travel eSIM on Wi-Fi before you fly.** A SimKit plan only starts when it first connects at your destination, so installing early costs nothing. 3. **Turn data roaming off for your Australian line.** Leave the line itself switched on so texts still arrive. On iPhone: Settings › Mobile Service › Your main line › Data Roaming 4. **When you land, pick the eSIM for mobile data.** Turn data roaming on for that line only. [How to use an eSIM](https://simkit.app/how-to-use-an-esim) walks through it on iPhone, Samsung and Pixel. Receiving a text doesn’t cost anything on Telstra, Optus or Vodafone, so bank codes and one-time passwords still reach you. Answering a call does start the daily fee, and so can listening to voicemail, because that is a call too. Let calls go to missed, and call back on WhatsApp, FaceTime or Messenger over the eSIM’s data. > **Tip:** Turning data roaming off stops data charges only. If you’d rather not risk a fee from an answered call either, switch roaming off for the whole service in your carrier’s app. Incoming texts may stop too, so do it only if you don’t need them. ## When roaming is the better deal A travel eSIM is cheaper for most trips, but not every one. Roaming can win when: - **You’re going to New Zealand or the Pacific with Telstra.** The Day Pass is A$5 a day there, and eSIM data in Fiji and the smaller islands is expensive. - **You’re on an Optus Plus plan and use a lot of data.** 5GB for A$5 is hard to beat if you need more than 2–3GB a day. - **You need to make a lot of phone calls** on your Australian number. SimKit plans are data only. For everyone else, the numbers above do the arguing. ## Sources Carrier prices are from each carrier’s own website, checked 2026-09-28. SimKit prices are live, in AUD. SimKit is not affiliated with any carrier named here. - [Telstra: International roaming](https://www.telstra.com.au/international-roaming) - [Telstra: International Day Pass Critical Information Summary](https://www.telstra.com.au/help/critical-information-summaries/personal/mobile/international-roaming/international-day-pass) - [Optus: International roaming](https://www.optus.com.au/mobile/plans/international-roaming) - [Optus: Daily Roaming explained](https://www.optus.com.au/support/answer/optus_daily_roaming_explained_20237) - [Vodafone: International roaming](https://www.vodafone.com.au/mobile/international-roaming) - [Vodafone: International roaming support](https://www.vodafone.com.au/support/plans/international-roaming) ## Questions people also ask ### What is data roaming? Data roaming is when your phone uses a mobile network in another country, through an agreement between that network and your Australian carrier. Your carrier charges you for it, usually as a daily fee. A travel eSIM avoids roaming charges by giving you a local data plan instead. ### Is international roaming on by default? Usually, yes. Telstra, Optus (on Plus plans) and Vodafone postpaid services roam automatically, and the daily fee starts the first time you use data, send a text or make or answer a call overseas. Prepaid services generally need a roaming add-on first. ### Does receiving a text cost anything overseas? No. Telstra, Optus and Vodafone all say receiving an SMS does not trigger their daily roaming fee. Answering a call does, and so can voicemail, so a received text is the one thing your home SIM can do for free abroad. ### Should I turn off data roaming when I travel? On your Australian SIM, yes, unless you are paying for your carrier’s roaming pass. Leave the SIM switched on so you still receive texts, turn data roaming off for that line, and use a travel eSIM for data. Data roaming must be on for the travel eSIM’s line. ### Is a travel eSIM cheaper than international roaming? For most trips, yes. A week of 2GB a day in Japan costs A$70 on Telstra’s Day Pass and roughly half that on a SimKit eSIM, and a fixed-data plan is cheaper again. Roaming can be the better deal in New Zealand and the Pacific on Telstra, or for heavy data users on an Optus Plus plan. ## Roaming by carrier - [Telstra roaming](https://simkit.app/international-roaming/australia/telstra): Day Pass prices by zone, what triggers a charge, and how to switch it off. - [Optus roaming](https://simkit.app/international-roaming/australia/optus): Daily Roaming vs the Roaming Pass, prepaid add-ons, and how to avoid charges. - [Vodafone roaming](https://simkit.app/international-roaming/australia/vodafone): How $5 Roaming works, the 90-day limit, prepaid add-ons, and how to turn it off. - [Other carriers](https://simkit.app/international-roaming/australia/other-carriers): amaysim, Boost, ALDI Mobile, Belong, Kogan, TPG, Dodo, felix, Lebara and more.