# Telstra international roaming: Day Pass prices and the cheaper option

> Telstra charges A$10 a day to roam in 80+ destinations including Japan, Bali, the US and Europe, and A$5 a day in New Zealand and the Pacific. Each day includes 2GB of data plus unlimited standard calls and texts. The Day Pass starts automatically the first time you use data, send a text, or make or answer a call.

Source: https://simkit.app/international-roaming/australia/telstra · Carrier prices checked 2026-09-28 · 6 min read · By SimKit

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](https://simkit.app/esim/japan/unlimited) | [**A$13.10**](https://simkit.app/esim/japan) 10 GB, 30 days |
| Bali (Indonesia) | A$70 | [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$26.40](https://simkit.app/esim/united-states/unlimited) | [**A$16.80**](https://simkit.app/esim/united-states) 10 GB, 30 days |
| United Kingdom | A$70 | [A$18.68](https://simkit.app/esim/united-kingdom/unlimited) | [**A$11.90**](https://simkit.app/esim/united-kingdom) 10 GB, 30 days |
| France | A$70 | [A$21.90](https://simkit.app/esim/france/unlimited) | [**A$13.10**](https://simkit.app/esim/france) 10 GB, 30 days |
| New Zealand | A$35 | [A$30.27](https://simkit.app/esim/new-zealand/unlimited) | [**A$21.20**](https://simkit.app/esim/new-zealand) 10 GB, 30 days |
| Thailand | A$70 | [A$28.98](https://simkit.app/esim/thailand/unlimited) | [**A$15.40**](https://simkit.app/esim/thailand) 10 GB, 30 days |
| Fiji | **A$35** | [A$63.11](https://simkit.app/esim/fiji/unlimited) | [A$42.50](https://simkit.app/esim/fiji) 10 GB, 30 days |
| Singapore | A$70 | [A$28.34](https://simkit.app/esim/singapore/unlimited) | [**A$17.10**](https://simkit.app/esim/singapore) 10 GB, 30 days |
| India | A$70 | [A$33.49](https://simkit.app/esim/india/unlimited) | [**A$29.50**](https://simkit.app/esim/india) 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 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 service › Extras › International 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:

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 Telstra 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.

## 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](https://simkit.app/international-roaming/australia/optus) and [Vodafone](https://simkit.app/international-roaming/australia/vodafone), or see [every carrier side by side](https://simkit.app/international-roaming/australia).

## 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)
- [Telstra: Upfront Mobile Access Plan Critical Information Summary (2026)](https://www.telstra.com.au/help/critical-information-summaries/personal/mobile/mobile-plans/telstra-upfront-mobile-access-plan-2026)
- [Telstra: Pre-Paid international roaming](https://www.telstra.com.au/mobile-phones/prepaid-mobiles/international-roaming)

## Questions people also ask

### How much is Telstra international roaming?

On postpaid plans, the International Day Pass is A$10 a day in 80+ Zone 2 destinations (including Japan, Indonesia, the US, the UK and Europe) and A$5 a day in Zone 1 (New Zealand, Fiji, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu). Each day includes 2GB of data and unlimited standard calls and texts.

### Is Telstra international roaming automatic?

Yes. Telstra’s Critical Information Summary says international roaming and the Day Pass are automatically enabled on all mobile plans. You are charged for a day as soon as you make or receive a call, send a text or use data, including background data, in an eligible destination.

### What happens when I use my 2GB of Telstra roaming data?

Telstra offers a Data Top-Up of 2GB for A$10, valid for 31 days. On Upfront plans you are sent an SMS and choose whether to buy it; on older plans it can be added automatically.

### Does receiving a text trigger the Telstra Day Pass?

No. Telstra says receiving an SMS will not trigger your Day Pass. Making or answering a call, sending a text or using any data will.

### How do I turn off Telstra international roaming?

In the My Telstra app, open your mobile service, go to Extras, then International Roaming, and switch roaming or the Day Pass off. You can also turn off data roaming for the Telstra line in your phone’s settings, which stops data charges but not call charges.

### Can I use a travel eSIM with a Telstra phone?

Yes, as long as the phone supports eSIM and is not locked to Telstra. Keep your Telstra SIM on for texts, turn data roaming off for that line, and select the travel eSIM for mobile data.

## Roaming by carrier

- [Roaming from Australia](https://simkit.app/international-roaming/australia): Every Australian carrier’s roaming price, side by side, with the cost of a week away.
- [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.