Telstra international roaming: Everything you need to know

Alex Choros - Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor

Last updated 17 February 2026

Contents

In this Telstra international roaming guide:

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

There's a lot to consider if you're planning a trip overseas, but one of the most important things you need to remember is connectivity. Even on the best-planned vacation, accidentally taking your phone out of flight mode at the wrong time could inadvertently cost you an arm-and-a-leg.

So if you're a Telstra customer planning on bailing on Australia for a bit, here's everything you need to know about Big T's international roaming options.

Telstra international roaming

Telstra customers on an Upfront plan can roam overseas in over 80 countries using the telco's "International Day Pass" system.

You'll pay $5 per day when travelling in Zone 1 for 2GB of data, which covers Fiji, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu.

This jumps to $10 per day for Zone 2 destinations, which covers most other eligible roaming countries. This includes most of Europe and Asia, the United States, the UAE, South Africa, and more. You can see a full list of countries on the Telstra website.

Note that there are still a small number of Zone 3 destinations that Telstra's $10 per day roaming allows for talk and text, but without data. These include Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jamaica, and Jersey.

If you exceed your daily 2GB allowance in Zone 1 or Zone 2, you'll be charged $10 for a 2GB top-up. This comes with a 31-day expiry, and can be used on each day overseas where your initial 2GB is exceeded.

Telstra roaming also includes unlimited talk and text, but MMS is billed at $0.75 per message.

Telstra's daily roaming inclusions expire at midnight Australian time (AEST or AEDT, depending on the time of year), rather than midnight in your destination. This is worth keeping in mind if you're trying to avoid going over your allowance.

These Telstra Upfront plans are all compatible with Day Pass international roaming:

#1	Telstra	Telstra $74 Basic Upfront SIM Plan 50GB data Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Get $37/mth off your first 4 months on a new Upfront Mobile Plan. New services only. Ends 30.11.26. T&Cs apply $74.00/mth Min. cost $24 Link not supplied	$74.00/mth Min. cost $24	Link not supplied
#2	Telstra	Telstra $84 Essential Upfront SIM Plan 180GB data Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Get $42/mth off your first 4 months on a new Upfront Essential Mobile Plan. New services only. Ends 30.11.26. T&Cs apply $84.00/mth Min. cost $42 Link not supplied	$84.00/mth Min. cost $42	Link not supplied
#3	Telstra	Telstra $99 Premium Upfront SIM Plan 300GB data Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Get $50/mth off your first 4 months on a new Upfront Premium Mobile Plan. New services only. Ends 30.11.26. T&Cs apply $99.00/mth Min. cost $49 Link not supplied	$99.00/mth Min. cost $49	Link not supplied

Telstra prepaid international roaming

Telstra customers with a prepaid plan will need to purchase a roaming pack to use their service when travelling overseas. These packs start at $10 and can last up to 14 days.

Each pack has fixed inclusions - a certain amount of data, talk, and text. After you run out, you'll need to buy a new pack. Here are Telstra's prepaid roaming packs:

Pack	Price	Inclusions
Three-day expiry	$10	15 mins, 15 texts, 400MB
Seven-day expiry	$15	25 mins, 25 texts, 2GB
14-day expiry	$25	50 mins, 50 texts, 4GB

Note that the expiry on these packs starts from when you purchase the pack, rather than when you start using it. As such, you should wait until you're overseas to buy a Telstra prepaid roaming pack.

These packs work in 38 countries. These include New Zealand, the United States, many countries in Europe, Hong Kong, China, Japan, India, and Indonesia. You can find the full list on Telstra's website.

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

#1	Telstra	Telstra $44 Pre-Paid Mobile 65GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Includes 45GB activation bonus for first 3 recharges, 20GB from your fourth. Activate by 15.02.2027 $44.00 Per 28 Day Renewal Link not supplied	$44.00 Per 28 Day Renewal	Link not supplied
#2	Telstra	Telstra $54 Pre-Paid Mobile 35GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Get 105GB on activation only (35GB + 70GB activation bonus), then 35GB. Activate by 15.02.2027 $54.00 Per 28 Day Renewal Link not supplied	$54.00 Per 28 Day Renewal	Link not supplied
#3	Telstra	Telstra $64 Pre-Paid Mobile 45GB data at download speeds up to 250Mbps 4GX on the Telstra Mobile Network Deal: Get 110GB on activation only (45GB + 65GB activation bonus), then 45GB. Activate by 15.02.2027 $64.00 Per 28 Day Renewal Link not supplied	$64.00 Per 28 Day Renewal	Link not supplied
#4	Telstra	Telstra $74 Pre-Paid Mobile 80GB data Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Get 160GB on activation only (80GB + 80GB activation bonus), then 80GB. Activate by 15.02.2027 $74.00 Per 28 Day Renewal Link not supplied	$74.00 Per 28 Day Renewal	Link not supplied
#5	Telstra	Telstra $200 Pre-Paid Mobile Plan 160GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Includes 80GB bonus data on activation or first recharge, 80GB on future recharges. Activate by 15.02.2027. $200.00 Per 6 Month Renewal Link not supplied	$200.00 Per 6 Month Renewal	Link not supplied
#6	Telstra	Telstra $395 Pre-Paid Mobile Plan 345GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Get the $395 Pre-Paid Mobile SIM for $349 + incl. 165GB bonus data on activation or first recharge. $349.00 Per 12 Month Renewal Link not supplied	$349.00 Per 12 Month Renewal	Link not supplied

Telstra international roaming alternatives

Much like Telstra's mobile plans, its international roaming offers are pretty pricey. In general, you'll be paying $10 per day, which is double what Optus and Vodafone charge.

Vodafone’s international roaming add-on tends to be considered the gold standard for overseas connectivity on postpaid plans. You'll pay $5 per day for each day you're overseas, which lets you use any of your local inclusions while travelling. If you have a 60GB plan in Australia, for example, this means you'll keep tapping into the same allowance while overseas.

Optus also charges $5 per day for roaming on postpaid plans, but this gets you 5GB. The data has a 24-hour expiry and does not rollover.

Here are the cheapest postpaid plans from Vodafone and Optus:

#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	Vodafone	Vodafone $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 16.11.26. T&Cs apply. $45.00/mth Min. cost $45 Link not supplied	$45.00/mth Min. cost $45	Link not supplied

Many smaller providers now also offer prepaid international roaming add-ons. felix mobile, amaysim, Belong, and Tangerine have solid options.

We've compared their best value packs below:

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+

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

#1	felix mobile	felix mobile felix Unlimited Mobile Plan Unlimited data at download speeds up to 40Mbps On the Vodafone 5G/4G Mobile Network Deal: $20/mth for first 6 mths. Reverts to $40/month. Use promo code UNL40. Ends 30.11.26. T&Cs apply $20.00 Per 1 Month Renewal Go to Site	$20.00 Per 1 Month Renewal	Go to Site
#2	Tangerine Telecom	Tangerine Telecom 15GB 5G Mobile SIM 15GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Uses parts of Telstra’s 5G and 4G mobile networks Deal: Bundle your mobile and nbn plans on the same account to get 10% off your mobile SIM-only plan fees. T&Cs apply. $30.00/mth Min. cost $30 Go to Site	$30.00/mth Min. cost $30	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 Deal: Save $19 for first renewal when you sign up by 11.12.26. New online services only. $30.00 Per 28 Day Renewal Go to Site	$30.00 Per 28 Day Renewal	Go to Site
#4	Belong	Belong 25GB Mobile Plan 50GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Uses parts of Telstra’s 5G and 4G mobile networks Deal: Includes 25GB monthly bonus data for first 12 months when you activate your new service by 30.11.26. T&Cs apply. $34.00/mth Min. cost $34 Link not supplied	$34.00/mth Min. cost $34	Link not supplied

Another option to consider is purchasing a local SIM in the country you're visiting or travel eSIM.

In terms of local SIMs, we've put together destination specifications guides for a number of countries. Check them out below.

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.

In terms of eSIM, the technology has made it easier than ever to stay connected when overseas. If you've got an eSIM-compatible phone, you don't need to waste time finding a physical SIM when you get to your destination. You can just download an eSIM before you even leave, meaning you'll have mobile data as soon as you land.

Airalo, Jetpac, and SIMCorner are all solid options for buying a travel eSIM.

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

If you have a Telstra postpaid or Upfront plan, you'll need to activate international roaming using the My Telstra app. To do so, follow these steps:

Log in
Select Service
Select your Mobile service
Tap on Extras
Go to International Roaming
Activate International Day Pass (Upfront or eligible postpaid plan) or International Roaming (prepaid or other postpaid plan)

Day Pass can take up to two hours to become active but both Day Pass and standard PAYG rate roaming will send you a text when they are ready to use

If you have a prepaid service, you'll need to ensure you have an active recharge and enough credit to purchase a roaming pack. Purchasing a prepaid roaming pack through the My Telstra app will activate it immediately but it can still take up to 10 minutes to connect to a new overseas network.

You'll also want to make sure you have global roaming enabled on your mobile device. On iOS, you'll want to follow these steps:

Open the Settings app
Tap Mobile
Tap Mobile Data Options
Toggle Data Roaming to On

On Android, follow these steps:

Open the Settings app
Tap Network & Internet
Tap Mobile Network
Toggle Roaming to On

There may be some slight variance in these steps depending on what version of Android your device is running.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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