Overseas travel is a great way to see the world, experience different cultures, and partake in some amazing food, but one way to ruin the fun would be a big unexpected roaming charge at the end of your trip.
If you set up your phone correctly, it’s easy to avoid charges that would otherwise add to the expense of your trip.
I’ve gathered information from the major Australian telcos to find out what exactly incurs a charge and to find out a few workarounds to help you avoid any unexpected fees.
What incurs a charge?
Generally, Aussie telecom companies will charge you for making or receiving a call, sending a text message, or using any mobile data while overseas. Some even charge you just for being connected to a tower overseas.
Phones sometimes use small amounts of data in the background, like notifying of an email or delivering a news alert, so it’s pretty easy to accidentally get charged.
To avoid this, switch off mobile data in your phone’s settings for that SIM card, or keep the phone in flight mode until you reach wifi coverage.
How to set up your phone
If your trip will last more than a few days, it’s often much more cost-efficient to get set up on local prepaid or a travel SIM – and with eSIM options available, it’s easier than ever.
Some destinations even have telco stores in the airport to streamline getting set up with a local network. This is great if you need additional help to activate the SIM or eSIM.
You’ll also want to set up unconditional call diversion to voicemail – this means your Australian carrier gets the call and redirects it to Australian voicemail before it ever travels internationally, avoiding call charges.
Remember to keep your phone set to Flight Mode during the flight, and remember to switch off mobile data for your Australian SIM to avoid getting an automatic charge when you land.
International eSIM options
Before leaving, you should check what options are available at your destination to get a local prepaid data or phone plan and compare it against your expected roaming costs from your Aussie telco. In most cases you’ll be able to get more data for less cost on a local option.
The most affordable options tend to be data-only – these are widely available and less expensive than plans that include a phone number. They’re a great option if you mainly rely on apps like Messenger, WhatsApp, or others for communication.
Plans vary by country, but most popular destinations are well served.
Canada is a bit restrictive, requiring a Canadian address or an IMEI number before provisioning so a travel eSIM is a better option. Airalo or Jetpac are good options.
Japan is one of the easiest countries to get an eSIM, with a multitude of eSIM options available from MVNOs like Sakura Mobile or travel options.
Europe is well covered with plans from travel-focused vendors like Airalo serving over 30 countries on a single plan – great if you’re travelling through multiple countries.
China is a notable exception and fairly complicated – most international eSIMs don’t work reliably due to the Great Firewall and it might be tricky to access your typical websites and services. Holafly is one of the most popular options for China.
How to set up eSIM
eSIM is a really flexible option for international travel. It lets you get connected on a local phone plan without needing to find a physical store from which to get a SIM card – instead you just activate it on the phone.
Most countries and most modern phones support the technology, but there are a few caveats and exceptions – so make sure to check beforehand to avoid being caught out.
Depending on the carrier, you could receive an internet link, a QR code, or even manual information and instructions. Many carriers also support app activation, which is by far the smoothest option – just install the app, buy the eSIM, and follow the instructions to activate right away.
One of the most common activation methods is QR code – the carrier will email or display a QR code after you purchase the plan, and you scan it on your phone to activate the eSIM. Most phones can scan this into the eSIM settings from a screenshot, so you don’t need a second device to activate.
You can also use manual entry, typing in a long address plus an activation code – this is commonly provided as a fallback option for the QR code.
The key thing to remember is that travel eSIMs will only work on unlocked devices. Devices purchased directly from Telstra, Optus, or Vodafone are sometimes locked to the carrier – so remember to get your phone unlocked before departure.
Australian carriers are required by law to unlock devices bought on a plan for free – but it can take a bit of time, so don’t get caught out. Prepaid handsets often incur a fee if you haven’t had the device for long.
iPhone
Head into your Settings app, go to Mobile, then find the Add eSIM option. From here, you can use a QR code, or enter details manually.
Alternatively, you can take a screenshot of the QR code provided, then long-press on it in the Photos app to scan it and activate the eSIM.
Android
This varies by manufacturer, but generally you’ll just be able to search Add eSIM in your settings app to find the option. Typically, Samsung, Google Pixel, and other high-end Android devices support eSIM.
Many devices are also able to scan QR codes from the photos app, so it’s best to give that a go before you go to the trouble of manually entering details.
Both
By far the easiest method to activate is if you’re using a travel-specific eSIM like Airalo – just install the app on your platform, follow the instructions and activation happens seamlessly.
Once you’ve got your SIM card active at your travel destination, you’re ready to go – use its data for communication, navigation, and other needs while keeping your Aussie SIM’s data and roaming disabled to avoid fees.
Optus Roaming
Optus is a tricky telco to work around for roaming, and they gave me some conflicting information. A spokesperson told me that the moment your phone pings an international tower, you’ll be charged for roaming – but it’s unclear whether this is the case with mobile data switched off.
That means that, officially, the safest way to avoid being slugged with a roaming fee is to simply not use your Optus SIM at all.
However, Optus says it doesn’t inherently charge for receiving SMS. In a practical sense you’ll need to connect to a tower to receive it – so there’s no realistic way to receive 2FA codes or bank messages without being charged.
To work around this, try to set up your accounts on an authenticator app instead.
When Optus charges you for roaming, it’s typically $5 to $10 per day for most countries and on most plans. Prepaid plans start at $5 per day as well. Both options have very limited data access.
Unfortunately, Optus disables wifi calling while roaming overseas, so you cannot avoid charges this way.
Vodafone Roaming
Vodafone was able to confirm that its plans incur roaming charges only when mobile roaming is used – that is, making or receiving a call, sending an SMS, or using mobile data. If you switch off mobile data in your SIM settings you shouldn’t be charged for roaming.
Receiving an SMS does not inherently incur a charge, so you can keep your phone active but switch off mobile data and use unconditional voicemail diversion to avoid being charged.
This way you can still receive 2FA and bank text messages without incurring the roaming rate.
Vodafone’s roaming rate is simple – $5 per day in addition to your plan fees on the days you roam allows you to use your plan inclusions overseas – that means you can use the full extent of your plan data.
Unfortunately, Vodafone explicitly disables wifi calling while overseas, so you cannot use it to dial back to Australia or to check your voicemail.
Telstra Roaming
Telstra is flexible but has some sneaky charges that you’ll need to know about.
Charges for an active roaming “Day Pass” can reach as high as $10 per day for just 2GB of data and unlimited calls and texts – an amount that’s easily surpassed by the majority of local prepaid eSIMs at travel destinations.
It’s worth noting that even receiving a voicemail to your MessageBank can incur a charge while you’re roaming – so you’ll definitely want to set up unconditional call forwarding before you leave.
A Telstra spokesperson confirmed that having your phone switched on doesn’t inherently incur a roaming charge – it’s only when you use data or services when you’re charged a roaming fee. Email services, cloud backups, and location services are all ways your phone could consume data automatically.
Luckily, receiving an SMS does not trigger your Day Pass – that means you can leave data switched off and divert all calls to another number – otherwise you risk getting charged.
Interestingly, Telstra doesn’t geo-block wifi calling, so you could still dial into Telstra voicemail or to an Australian number over wifi without incurring an international roaming charge. To ensure you’re not charged, try keeping your phone in Flight Mode with wifi active while making the call – most modern phones let you do this.
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