Telstra international roaming. The rates, fees & how it works

Back in the day, using your phone abroad was either impossible or very costly, with high international rates if your provider let you access a partner network at all. Now international roaming is more accessible and for much lower costs, but varies by provider.

If you’re with Telstra, and you are travelling overseas soon, you may be wondering if you can use your sim while you’re there. Keep reading to learn if it's possible.

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Telstra International roaming. What is it and how does it work

Telstra international roaming is a service available to eligible Telstra customers to use their Australian sim to text, call and use the internet while travelling abroad.¹

International roaming packages are available with Telstra

Telstra offers their customers a few ways to use their sim overseas. They can choose from the international day pass packages, a pay-as-you-go option and prepaid roaming packs. We’ll go through these different options below in more detail.

International Roaming Day Pass¹

The international day pass is for customers that have an Upfront phone plan with Telstra. The packages are based on three zones that share 70 eligible countries that roaming can be used in and each zone has their own associated pricing.

Pay-As-You-Go¹

For those that are travelling to a country outside the three zones or are not on an Upfront Phone Plan, there is a Pay-As-You-Go option for over 200 destinations worldwide. The costs for using the PAYG service are higher than the international day pass packages.

Prepaid International Packs¹

For those that like to pay for things ahead of time, there is also the option to buy a prepaid roaming plan through the My Telstra App. This option is available in 35 countries, and best purchased once arrived at the destination.

Do you get internet data & coverage Internationally with Telstra roaming

Whether or not you have access to data and internet coverage using your Telstra sim abroad will depend on your destination, and how much you’re willing to spend on using your local sim overseas. Here's a breakdown of your options.

What is the cost to use Telstra service abroad

Generally, international roaming can get expensive using your Australian sim, especially if you choose to use the PAYG option with Telstra.

Although this option is available across more destinations worldwide, Telstra recommends buying a local sim if travelling within a destination not eligible for the day pass roaming or prepaid plans.¹ Let’s compare these two other options now.

Telstra international roaming fees with a prepaid package

There are three prepaid plans that are good for those who like to follow a strict budget while travelling. The packs are as follows.²

Plan	Valid for 3 days	Valid for 7 days	Valid for 14 days
Price	$10	$15	$25
Data allowance	400 MB data allowance	2 GB data allowance	4 GB data allowance
Messages and Call allowance	15 SMS or MMS to send 15 minutes worth of calls	25 SMS or MMS 25 minutes of calls	50 SMS or MMS 50 minutes of calls

As seen on 26 May 2023

If you use all your data, messages or call minutes by the expiry day of your chosen plan, you can purchase another pack through the My Telstra app at any time.²

Telstra international roaming fees using an International Day Pass package

The packages are broken up into three zones with data, messages and call allowance differing per zone. They are as follows.¹

Day Pass zones	Zone 1	Zone 2	Zone 3
Price	$5 a day	$10 a day	$10 a day
Data allowance	1 GB a day	1 GB a day	No data allowance
Messages and calls	Unlimited calls and messages	Unlimited calls and messages	Unlimited calls and messages

As seen on 26 May 2023

If you use up all your data allowance during activated day pass day, you can top up your data for $10 per 1 GB which will be valid from 31 days from your top up.¹

How do you activate roaming with Telstra

You can activate either a Day Pass Roaming package or prepaid pack directly through the My Telstra App as it does not happen automatically. The steps to do activate a day pass are as follows:¹

1. Open your My Telstra App
2. Go to My services tab
3. Click on Extras and then international Roaming
4. Toggle Day Pass on if it isn’t already

For the prepaid packs, your allowances will activate immediately once you have purchased it, so doing it before you leave Australia is not recommended.¹

Destinations eligible for international roaming with Telstra

Now we’ll go through the countries available to roam on either the Day Pass or a prepaid plan.

You can use a day pass package across 70 countries. These include¹:

Zone 1 Countries	Zone 2 Countries	Zone 3 Countries
New Zealand	Europe & UK Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Isle of Man Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russian Federation Serbia Slovak Republic Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom (Scotland, Northern Ireland & Wales) Ukraine Asia Bangladesh Cambodia China East Timor (Leste) Hong Kong India Indonesia Japan Malaysia Philippines Singapore South Korea Sri Lanka Taiwan Thailand Vietnam North, Central and South America Argentina Brazil Canada Chile Guatemala Mexico Panama USA Middle East, Central Asia & Africa Armenia Bahrain Egypt Israel Kazakhstan Nigeria Qatar Saudi Arabia South Africa Turkey UAE South Pacific Fiji Nauru Papua New Guinea Solomon Islands Tonga Vanuatu	Gibraltar Guernsey Jamaica Jersey Malta Peru Samoa

As seen on 26 May 2023

For the prepaid plans, you can buy a plan when you land in any of the following 35 destinations.²

Europe & UK	Middle East & Africa	Asia	South Pacific	The Americas
Austria Croatia Czech Republic Denmark France Germany Greece Hungary Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Sweden United Kingdom	Israel Qatar Turkey	China Hong Kong India Indonesia Japan Malaysia Philippines Republic of Korea Singapore Sri Lanka Taiwan Thailand	Fiji New Zealand Papua New Guinea Vanuatu	Canada U.S.A.

As seen on 26 May 2023

As mentioned, if you are travelling to a country that is not listed above, you can choose to PAYG when you use your phone, or buy a local sim in your destination.¹

How to track roaming usage with Telstra

You’ll be able to track your usage through your My Telstra App, through My Telstra on any browser or through Telstra My Plan Manager on your mobile if you have it downloaded.²

What to keep in mind before you travel.

You should be aware that your Telstra Day Pass plan can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours to activate. Each time you activate your day pass, it is valid for 24 hours.¹ If you do turn off your roaming before the 24 hours is up, you will still be charged for the 24 hour period.³

Contacting Telstra

If you do have any questions for Telstra before or when you’re overseas, you can contact them by:

• 13 22 00 from within Australia
• +61 439 12 5109 from overseas

You can also message Telstra support directly in your My Telstra App.

FAQs about international roaming with Telstra

Here are a few other things that can pop up when using an international roaming plan that can be useful to know.

What is VoLTE International Roaming¹

VoLTE stands for Voice over LTE network. This means that you’ll be able to make calls over a 4G network when overseas, given your device has VoLTE roaming capabilities. Some countries still allow for calls over a 2G or 3G network, but many countries have stopped these coverage levels.

Making emergency calls while abroad¹

If you ever need to make an emergency call when overseas, it’s important to have a device that has VoLTE emergency capabilities. If you do not have this, you will not be able to make emergency calls.

What communication services can you use while abroad with this Telstra¹

What Telstra services you can use while abroad will depend on where you are travelling to. Generally you will have access to data, calls and message services at varying costs.

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Sources:

1. Telstra International Roaming
2. Telstra Prepaid roaming packs
3. Telstra Int Day pass info

Sources checked on: 29 May 2023