Telstra is the only big carrier that prices roaming by zone. The same Day Pass costs twice as much in Tokyo as it does in Auckland. Here is what it costs, what sets it off, and what the same trip costs on a travel eSIM.
Telstra International Day Pass prices
The Day Pass is how Telstra postpaid plans roam. You pay for each day you use your phone overseas.
| Zone | Price | Each day includes | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | A$5 a day | 2GB data, unlimited standard calls and texts | New Zealand, Fiji, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu |
| Zone 2 | A$10 a day | 2GB data, unlimited standard calls and texts | 80+ destinations, including Japan, Indonesia, the US, the UK, Europe, Thailand, Singapore and India |
| Zone 3 | A$10 a day | Unlimited standard calls and texts, no data | Jamaica, Gibraltar, Guernsey and Jersey (Upfront plans only) |
Use more than 2GB in a day and Telstra offers a Data Top-Up: another 2GB for A$10, valid for 31 days. Outside Day Pass destinations, current Upfront plans have no pay-as-you-go roaming, so it’s Wi-Fi only.
When Telstra charges you
Telstra’s Critical Information Summary says roaming and the Day Pass are switched on automatically for every mobile plan. A day is charged the first time, in an eligible destination, that you:
- use any data, including apps updating in the background
- make or answer a call
- send a text
Receiving a text doesn’t trigger it. Telstra also warns that on a dual-SIM phone, either number can run up roaming charges, so the setting on each line matters.
What a week away costs on Telstra
The Day Pass for seven days, against a SimKit eSIM with the same 2GB a day and SimKit’s cheapest plan with at least 7GB.
| 7 days in | Telstra Day Pass 2GB a day, calls and texts | SimKit day pass 2GB a day, data only | SimKit data plan Cheapest with 7GB+, data only |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | A$70 | A$33.49 | A$13.10 (lowest) 10 GB, 30 days |
| Bali (Indonesia) | A$70 | A$28.98 | A$13.10 (lowest) 10 GB, 30 days |
| United States | A$70 | A$26.40 | A$16.80 (lowest) 10 GB, 30 days |
| United Kingdom | A$70 | A$18.68 | A$11.90 (lowest) 10 GB, 30 days |
| France | A$70 | A$21.90 | A$13.10 (lowest) 10 GB, 30 days |
| New Zealand | A$35 | A$30.27 | A$21.20 (lowest) 10 GB, 30 days |
| Thailand | A$70 | A$28.98 | A$15.40 (lowest) 10 GB, 30 days |
| Fiji | A$35 (lowest) | A$63.11 | A$42.50 10 GB, 30 days |
| Singapore | A$70 | A$28.34 | A$17.10 (lowest) 10 GB, 30 days |
| India | A$70 | A$33.49 | A$29.50 (lowest) 10 GB, 30 days |
In Zone 2, which is nearly everywhere Australians travel, a SimKit eSIM costs about half the Day Pass or less for the same daily data. In New Zealand, Telstra’s A$5 Zone 1 price is close to ours, and in Fiji it’s the cheaper option.
Telstra prepaid roaming packs
Telstra Pre-Paid doesn’t use the Day Pass. You buy an International Roaming Pack instead, and it starts as soon as you buy it, so Telstra suggests buying it when you arrive.
| Pack | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| 3 days | A$10 | 400MB, 15 minutes, 15 texts |
| 7 days | A$15 | 2GB, 25 minutes, 25 texts |
| 14 days | A$25 | 4GB, 50 minutes, 50 texts |
The packs work in 38 destinations, which include Japan, Indonesia, the US, the UK and France but not Italy, Spain or Vietnam. Minutes count calls you make and receive.
How to turn off Telstra roaming
In the My Telstra app: Your mobile servicethenExtrasthenInternational Roaming, then switch the Day Pass or roaming off. Do it before you fly. To keep receiving texts, leave roaming on and turn off data roaming on the phone instead, as below.
How to keep your number without paying for roaming
Most phones sold in the last few years hold two lines at once. Your Telstra SIM stays in the phone for calls and texts, and a travel eSIM handles data. Four steps, all done at home:
- 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 covers the rest.
- 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.
- Turn data roaming off for your Telstra line. Leave the line itself switched on so texts still arrive. On iPhone: SettingsthenMobile ServicethenYour main linethenData Roaming
- When you land, pick the eSIM for mobile data. Turn data roaming on for that line only. 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.
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.
Telstra roaming or a travel eSIM?
Stay on the Day Pass for a short trip to New Zealand or the Pacific, or if you’ll be on the phone a lot. Anywhere in Zone 2, a travel eSIM gives you the same data for less, and an answered call won’t cost you A$10. Compare Optus and Vodafone, or see every carrier side by side.