International travel is back on! Can you smell the air of the Amalfi Coast? Hear the bustle of Seminyak Square? Taste that in-flight meal? Feel the sting of international roaming prices?
Yeah, that last one hurts. Roaming rates can rack up faster than you realise, but there are viable solutions from each major telco (and one smaller one) to help combat that international phone bill.
$5 roaming with Vodafone
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#1
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Vodafone
$58 Small SIM Only Plan
$45.00/mth
Min. cost $45
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#2
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Vodafone
$68 Medium SIM Only Plan
$50.00/mth
Min. cost $50
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#3
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Vodafone
$78 Large SIM Only Plan
$55.00/mth
Min. cost $55
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If you haven’t heard of Vodafone’s $5 roaming then be ready to have your mind blown. For years, and still to this day Vodafone has been offering you all of your usual plan inclusions when you go overseas for just an extra $5 per day. If you have 40GB per month to use in Australia, then you have 40GB to use internationally too. It is a deal that is hard to beat.
The $5 per day charge will only be added to your bill on days where you make a call, send a text, or use data overseas. You can use $5 roaming for up to 90 days of the calendar year.
This offer is available with every Vodafone SIM only plan, and because the plans are contract-free you can sign up for the month of your holiday and leave as soon as you get home.
To see which countries are covered check Vodafone’s full list of countries here.
$20 for 4GB with felix
felix, a prepaid provider operating on the Vodafone network will give you 4GB and 100 mins talk and 100 texts for just $20. This add-on has a one year expiry so it could last you a couple of trips if you’re not a heavy data user. The catch is that your data speeds will be capped to 20Mbps.
Offering just one plan, felix is the first Australian provider with an “unlimited” data plan, where you can use as many GB as you want per month but with a constant speed cap of 20Mbps. This plan operates as a Subscription service which is ultimately prepaid. You’ll sign up for auto renewals but you can opt out at any time.
felix's roaming isn't as broadly available as options from The Big Three: it only works in around 40 destinations. Most popular countries are covered, however.
$1 per GB or 24 hours with Optus
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#1
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Optus
$60 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$39.00/mth
Min. cost $39
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#2
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Optus
$69 Optus Promo Plan
$69.00/mth
Min. cost $69
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#3
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Optus
$70 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$70.00/mth
Min. cost $70
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#4
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Optus
$90 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$90.00/mth
Min. cost $90
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Optus postpaid customers can use the Optus Roaming Pass which gets you 1GB or 24 hours (whichever comes first) for $10. If you go over your 1GB allowance, you'll be billed another $10 which will restart the 24-hour clock. Once it ticks over you, you'll forfeit any unused data. The pass also comes with unlimited talk and text.
You can only use Roaming Pass in Zone 1 countries, if you go out of that Zone you’ll get stung with PAYG prices which are around $1.50 per minute of talk, $0.50 per SMS and $1 per mb of data
Telstra's $10 for 500MB
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#1
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Telstra
$84 Essential Upfront SIM Plan
$74.00/mth
Min. cost $74
Link not supplied
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#2
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Telstra
$74 Basic Upfront SIM Plan
$74.00/mth
Min. cost $74
Link not supplied
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#3
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Telstra
$99 Premium Upfront SIM Plan
$84.00/mth
Min. cost $84
Link not supplied
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Telstra travellers can use an International Day Pass that gets you 500MB of data to use each day. You’ll pay $10 a day unless you’re in New Zealand in which case it drops to $5. It isn’t the best deal but if you exceed the 500MB you’ll get charged an extra $10 for 1GB which can be used over the next 30 days.
International Day Passes come with unlimited talk and text, and MMS will set you back $0.75 a message. Check the 80 available destinations here.
Anula Wiwatowska
Offsite Editorial Lead | Instagram
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