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International roaming lets you use your Australian number and plan overseas on a partner network. You have four main options: a roaming pack or day pass from your provider, pay-as-you-go roaming at your plan's standard overseas rates, a local SIM or eSIM bought at your destination, or a data-only travel eSIM. Pay-as-you-go roaming is usually the most expensive, and the ACMA's advice is to avoid it.
Australian law limits the damage if you do roam. Under the ACMA's International Mobile Roaming Determination 2019, your provider must text you within 10 minutes of your phone starting to roam with the maximum prices, send spend alerts, and stop roaming within 24 hours if you ask. This page explains each option, what the rules require, and what to do if you get a big bill anyway.
By Better Rate Mate Editorial Team ยท Last reviewed
Prices change often and vary by destination, so this compares how each option works rather than what it costs. Your provider's roaming page and the plan's Critical Information Summary have current rates.
| Option | How it works | Keeps your number? | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roaming pack or day pass | Your provider charges a fixed daily or per-trip price for an allowance in listed countries | Yes | Which countries are included; whether a daily charge is triggered by any use, even a background app |
| Pay-as-you-go roaming | You pay your plan's overseas rates per minute, text and megabyte | Yes | The highest cost option; data charged per MB adds up fast |
| Local SIM or eSIM at the destination | You buy a prepaid service from a local network | No (a local number), unless your phone takes two SIMs | Local ID rules; you may miss calls and texts to your Australian number |
| Data-only travel eSIM | You buy a data allowance for one or more countries from a travel eSIM seller | Your Australian SIM can stay in the phone with roaming off | No local number for calls; check the phone is unlocked and eSIM capable |
| Wi-Fi only | Turn off mobile data and roaming and use Wi-Fi for messaging and calling apps | Yes, but with roaming off you may miss calls and texts | Public Wi-Fi security; some apps still use mobile data if it is on |
The Telecommunications Service Provider (International Mobile Roaming) Determination 2019 has applied since 1 July 2020. It requires providers to:
Most providers offer daily passes or packs for a trip. Many day passes are charged only on days you use the phone overseas, and on some plans any use, including a background app update, counts as a day. Packs for a trip give a fixed allowance for a set number of days. Your provider's list of included countries matters: a cruise, a stopover or a country outside the zone can fall back to pay-as-you-go rates.
The ACMA advises checking charges before using your phone on a cruise ship. At sea your phone may connect to the ship's own network, which is charged differently from land networks and may not be covered by your roaming pack. Use flight mode at sea unless you have checked the rates.
A few steps before and during the trip prevent most roaming bills:
Contact your provider first, explain what happened and ask for the charges to be reviewed. Check whether you received the arrival message and spend alerts the rules require; if you did not, say so. If paying the bill would cause hardship, the ACMA says to ask about the provider's financial hardship help, which every provider must offer under the Financial Hardship Standard 2024.
If you cannot resolve it, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman handles complaints for free. The TIO asks you to raise the problem with your provider first, and says skipping that step adds five days to your case.
On a longer trip, a local prepaid SIM or eSIM from the destination is usually the cheapest way to get data. A dual-SIM phone lets you keep your Australian number active for texts (such as bank verification codes) while using the local service for data. Turn data roaming off on the Australian line so it does not use data by mistake.
Your phone must be unlocked to use another network's SIM or eSIM. Check this before you leave: see our eSIM guide for how eSIMs work and which Australian providers support them.
Your provider has agreements with overseas networks, so your phone connects to a partner network when you arrive. You are charged either under a roaming pack or day pass you have bought, or at your plan's pay-as-you-go overseas rates.
Yes. Under the ACMA's roaming rules your provider must send a free message within 10 minutes of your device starting to roam, listing the maximum charges for calls, texts and one megabyte of data, and how to stop roaming.
Turn off data roaming in your phone's settings, or ask your provider to bar roaming on your service. The provider must stop roaming within 24 hours, for no more than $1 by phone and free through its website.
Often, especially on longer trips, but you lose your Australian number unless your phone takes two SIMs. A roaming pack is simpler for short trips where you want your usual number.
Contact your provider and ask for a review, noting whether you received the required arrival message and alerts. Ask about financial hardship assistance if you need it, and take an unresolved complaint to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, which is free.
Many prepaid brands offer roaming packs or add-ons, but not all include roaming by default. Check your provider's roaming page before you travel.
Phone cover and medical cover overseas are separate questions. Our travel insurance guide covers what a policy pays for lost or stolen phones and medical costs abroad.
