Optus international roaming: Everything you need to know

Dylan Crismale - Digital Content Editor

Last updated 09 January 2026

Contents

In this Optus international roaming guide:

Optus postpaid international roaming
Optus prepaid international roaming
Optus international roaming alternatives
How do I turn on international roaming on my Optus plan?

Not all those who wander are lost, but the ones who aren’t lost probably have access to Maps on their phone. Most of us would be lost without access to our phones when we’re home, let alone travelling overseas. That's why you're going to want to have your international roaming ready to go before you board that flight.

With all that Optus international roaming has to offer, the days of hefty international usage charges may soon be over. Regardless of whether you’re on a postpaid or prepaid plan, there's an Optus roaming pack to keep you connected overseas.

Optus postpaid international roaming

Customers on one of Optus' postpaid Choice Plus plans can get the Optus Daily Roaming add-on for $5 per day.

For $5 each day customers get 5GB of data as well as unlimited talk and text.

You can get an international roaming add-on with the following Optus postpaid plans:

#1	Optus	Optus $60 Optus Choice Plus Plan 100GB data Optus 5G in selected areas (exc NT) with a 5G device Deal: $39/mth and 100GB/mth for first 12 months, then 60GB/mth and $60/mth or as notified. New services. Ends 12.11.26. Terms apply. $39.00/mth Min. cost $39 Go to Site	$39.00/mth Min. cost $39	Go to Site
#2	Optus	Optus $69 Optus Promo Plan 360GB data Optus 5G in selected areas (exc NT) with a 5G device Deal: Get up to $10/mth SubHub credit to use on your favourite subscriptions for 12 months. T&Cs apply. $69.00/mth Min. cost $69 Go to Site	$69.00/mth Min. cost $69	Go to Site
#3	Optus	Optus $70 Optus Choice Plus Plan 240GB data Optus 5G in selected areas (exc NT) with a 5G device $70.00/mth Min. cost $70 Go to Site	$70.00/mth Min. cost $70	Go to Site
#4	Optus	Optus $90 Optus Choice Plus Plan 480GB data Optus 5G in selected areas (exc NT) with a 5G device SubHub: Receive up to $20/mth SubHub credit when you have an active SubHub account with subs greater than $0. T&Cs apply $90.00/mth Min. cost $90 Go to Site	$90.00/mth Min. cost $90	Go to Site

Optus' international roaming add-on is available in the following Zone 1 countries:

Afghanistan
Albania
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bonaire
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil
British Virgin Islands
Bulgaria
Cambodia

Canada
Cayman Islands
Chile
China
Colombia
Cook Islands
Croatia
Curacao
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Estonia
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Polynesia

Georgia
Germany
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guam
Guernsey
Haiti
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Ireland

Isle of Man
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jersey
Kazakhstan
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg

Macau
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Monserrat
Montenegro
Morocco
Myanmar
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
New Caledonia

New Zealand
Northern Marianas
Norway
Pakistan
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation

Samoa (Western)
San Marino
Serbia
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
St Kitts and Nevis
St Vincent and the Grenadies
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan

Tajikistan
Thailand
Timor
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Turkey
Turks and Caicos
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
US Virgin Islands
Vanuatu
Vatican City (Holy See)
Vietnam

If you use up the 5GB within 24 hours then Optus will automatically add another 5GB roaming pass to your plan and you will be charged a further $5.

You can't use Optus Daily Roaming in Zone 2 destinations. For connectivity, you could go with an option like a travel eSIM.

Zone 2 destinations primarily consist of countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Central and South America. You can use Optus' international roaming rates finder to check your destination.

Optus prepaid international roaming

There are different options for Optus prepaid plan customers like those on Flex Plus plans.

Prepaid customers have the choice between four prepaid roaming packs:

Pack	Price	Inclusions
1-day expiry	$5	25 mins, 50 texts, 1GB
14-day expiry	$25	50 mins, 50 texts, 5GB
28-day expiry	$45	100 mins, 100 texts, 10GB
186-day expiry	$75	100 mins, 100 texts, 15GB

These packs are available for use with Zone 1 countries. Outside of those locations, you'll need to pay daily roaming rates. We'd advise against this, as you'll typically get charged $1 per MB, which works out to be over $1,000 per GB.

You can check Optus' prepaid roaming rate finder for more information.

Here are Optus's prepaid plans you can add an international roaming pack to:

Optus international roaming alternatives

Optus international roaming offers are pretty good, at least for postpaid customers.

Vodafone has a similar $5 roaming add-on but it allows you to use your local inclusions while overseas. If you're signed up for a Vodafone plan with 50GB, for example, you can access that same allowance while abroad.

Telstra's international roaming options are more expensive starting at $5 per day for postpaid customers which gets you 2GB to use. However, this add-on only offers connectivity in a handful of Zone 1 locations. Most travellers will likely end up having to shell out for the $10 Roaming Day Pass instead, which offers on-the-go connectivity in over 80 destinations.

Meanwhile, Telstra’s prepaid prices start at $10 for 400MB with a three-day expiry compared to Optus' prices, which are $5 for 1GB with a one-day expiry.

Here are the cheapest postpaid plans from Vodafone and Telstra:

$58 Small SIM Only Plan

65GB data
Vodafone 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices
Deal: Includes $13/mth off plan fees for first 12 months when you stay connected to this plan. Ends 29.10.26. T&Cs apply.

$45.00/mth

Min. cost $45

Go to Site

$45.00/mth

Min. cost $45

Go to Site

$84 Essential Upfront SIM Plan

180GB data
Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices
Deal: Get $10 off for first 12 months on new Upfront Essential Mobile Plan. New services only. Ends 05.10.26

$74.00/mth

Min. cost $74

Link not supplied

$74.00/mth

Min. cost $74

Link not supplied

Gone are the days where only the big three telcos had decent international roaming options. Smaller telcos such as amaysim, Belong, felix and Tangerine all have decent options.

Here's a quick look at how their best value roaming add-ons compare:

Roaming add-ons from smaller providers

Provider	Data	Talk	Text	Expiry	Cost	Countries
felix	4GB	100 minutes	100 texts	1 year	$20	40+
amaysim	9GB	100 minutes	60 texts	1 year	$70	120+
Belong	3GB	150 minutes	Unlimited	15 days	$30	45+
Tangerine	10GB	60 minutes	60 texts	14 days	$55	65+

Here are the cheapest SIM-only plans from each of these providers:

#1	Tangerine Telecom	Tangerine Telecom 30GB 5G Mobile SIM 30GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Uses parts of Telstra’s 5G and 4G mobile networks Deal: 50% off plan fees for 4 months - $15/mth for 4 months then $30/mth. Offer available until withdrawn. $30.00/mth Min. cost $15 Go to Site	$30.00/mth Min. cost $15	Go to Site
#2	felix mobile	felix mobile felix 25GB Mobile Plan 25GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps On the Vodafone 5G/4G Mobile Network Deal: Get 50% off your first 3 mths when you switch to felix. $15/mth for first 3 mths, then $30/mth. Use promo code FELIX50. T+Cs apply $30.00 Per 1 Month Renewal Go to Site	$30.00 Per 1 Month Renewal	Go to Site
#3	amaysim	amaysim UNLIMITED 15GB Plan 15GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Optus 5G in selected areas with 5G devices ex. NT $30.00 Per 28 Day Renewal Link not supplied	$30.00 Per 28 Day Renewal	Link not supplied
#4	Belong	Belong 25GB Mobile Plan 85GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Uses parts of Telstra’s 5G and 4G mobile networks Deal: Includes 60GB monthly bonus data for first 12 months when you activate your new service by 04.11.26. T&Cs apply. $34.00/mth Min. cost $34 Link not supplied	$34.00/mth Min. cost $34	Link not supplied

If you don't want to base your decision to sign up for a telco on the merits of its international roaming add-ons then you might consider other options. You could pick up a local SIM at your destination or even a travel eSIM.

If you're after a local SIM, you can check out our guides for a few specific destinations.

Our travel guides

If you're headed to a particular country, we've got a whole host of travel guides that cover specific destinations. In them, we look at the best Australian SIMs for when you're overseas, as well as other options for the country in question.

eSIM has been a game changer for getting connected while travelling .So long as you have an eSIM-compatible phone, you won't need to bother finding a physical SIM at a shop when you land. You can easily download an set up an eSIM over WiFi. You can do it on arrival or better yet prior to departure so you can have mobile data the moment you arrive at your destination.

Reputable eSIM providers include Airalo, SIMCorner and Jetpac.

How do I turn on international roaming on my Optus plan?

Roaming is automatically activated in eligible destinations by default. When you land and your phone connects to a local cell tower you'll get a confirmation text from Optus to let you know that roaming is active.

You can check the status in the My Optus App following these steps:

Open My Optus app
Click the Services tab
Select the relevant service
Scroll down to Add-ons and find the Daily Roaming section
If Daily Roaming is switched on you should the word "Active" beside it

If you don't want to use Optus' Daily Roaming you'll need to turn on Aeroplane mode in device settings and turn on your WiFi to connect to a network. Or you can switch out your SIM. If you have a dual SIM phone or eSIM you can turn off your Optus SIM temporarily via device settings.

Dylan Crismale

Digital Content Editor

Dylan Crismale is a Digital Content Editor at WhistleOut, has been writing for almost a decade across a variety of Australian publications. He previously worked as a writer at Finder covering energy, internet and mobile plans. Dylan is passionate about finding the best deals to save people money and educating people about tech. When he's not sat at his desk Dylan loves working out, bingeing TV and hanging out with friends.

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