eSIM in Australia: providers, eSIM plans and travel eSIMs

How an eSIM works

Your phone has a small chip that can hold one or more SIM profiles. When you buy an eSIM plan, the provider gives your phone a profile to download, which tells the phone which network and number to use. Most phones can store several eSIM profiles and use one or two at a time, which is what makes dual-SIM on a single phone possible.

Providers deliver the profile in one of three ways. Telstra, for example, lists all three: scanning a QR code, "carrier activation" where the phone offers to install the eSIM and you confirm with a code, and activation inside the provider's app. ALDI Mobile, Everyday Mobile from Woolworths, Lebara and Kogan email a QR code; amaysim, felix and Optus use their apps.

Which providers support eSIM

We checked each provider's own eSIM page. Conditions vary, so read the notes.

Is my phone eSIM compatible?

Most recent iPhones, Google Pixels and Samsung Galaxy flagships support eSIM, and some newer iPhones have no physical SIM tray at all. Many budget Android phones still take a physical SIM only. The simplest check is your phone's settings: if there is an option to add an eSIM or a mobile plan, it supports eSIM. Several providers, including TPG and iiNet, publish compatible device lists.

The phone must also be unlocked for the network you are joining, and it must support 4G Voice over LTE, since 3G has closed. A phone that is eSIM capable but locked to another carrier will not install a different carrier's eSIM.

ID checks still apply

An eSIM bought online is still a mobile service, so the same identity rules apply. For a prepaid eSIM, the provider must verify your identity before activating the service under the ACMA's prepaid ID Determination. Telstra's prepaid eSIM checkout, for example, accepts an Australian passport, driver's licence, Medicare card, or an international passport or ImmiCard. Postpaid eSIMs go through the provider's normal account and credit checks.

Moving an eSIM to a new phone

Because an eSIM cannot be pulled out and put in a new phone, moving it means asking the provider to issue a new profile for the new phone. Most do this in their app. It counts as a SIM swap, and under the ACMA's Customer Identity Authentication Determination 2022, SIM swaps are a high-risk transaction that needs multi-factor authentication. That protects you: SIM swaps are a common route for scammers trying to take over a number.

Before you wipe or trade in an old phone, make sure the eSIM has moved and works. If the old phone is lost, contact the provider to have a new eSIM issued.

eSIMs for visitors and travellers

Many people searching for an eSIM in Australia are visitors. A visitor can buy a prepaid eSIM from an Australian provider, but must pass the same ID check; an international passport is commonly accepted. Lycamobile notes its eSIM must be activated in Australia.

There are also data-only travel eSIMs sold by international companies, which give you data on an Australian network but usually no Australian phone number. They suit short trips where you only need maps and messaging apps. For Australians heading overseas, see our international roaming guide, which compares roaming packs with local and travel eSIMs.

Travel eSIMs for Australians going overseas

A travel eSIM gives you local data overseas while your Australian number stays on the phone. Set it up like this:

• Check the phone is unlocked before you buy. Apple says an iPhone has to be unlocked to use another provider's eSIM; on an iPhone, Settings, General, About shows "No SIM Restrictions" if it is.
• Make the travel eSIM your data line. On an iPhone, go to Settings, Mobile Service, Mobile Data and choose it; on a Google Pixel, Settings, Network and Internet, SIMs, Mobile data. Google notes only one SIM can be the default for data.
• Keep your Australian line on for calls and texts, such as bank verification codes, with data roaming off for that line. Apple warns that if you keep both lines on, you might still incur roaming fees from your home line, so check your provider's roaming terms before you go.
• Your messaging apps keep working. Apple says you can keep using FaceTime, iMessage and other apps that make internet calls or send messages while a travel eSIM carries the data.
• The roaming rules still protect your Australian line: your provider must text you the maximum roaming prices when it starts roaming, and must bar roaming within 24 hours if you ask. See international roaming plans.
• Know what you're buying. Apple notes that plans from local providers at your destination often include a local phone number, while worldwide travel eSIMs are prepaid data plans that cover many countries.

eSIM pros and cons (the downsides)

The trade-offs are mostly about convenience:

• Pro: activation in minutes with no card to post or collect.
• Pro: two numbers on one phone, such as a work and personal number, or a local eSIM when travelling.
• Pro: nothing to lose or damage, and a thief cannot pull the SIM out to use in another phone.
• Con: moving to a new phone takes a step with the provider rather than swapping a card.
• Con: not every provider supports it on every plan or device (TPG, iiNet and Dodo exclude wearables).
• Con: if your phone breaks and you need the service in another phone quickly, a physical SIM is easier to move.