Optus international roaming: Everything you need to know

By Dylan Crismale

Last updated 04 September 2024

Contents

In this Optus international roaming guide:

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

Not all those who wander are lost, but the ones who aren’t lost probably have access to Maps on their phone. Most of us would be lost without access to our phones when we’re home, let alone travelling overseas. That's why you're going to want to have your international roaming ready to go before you board that flight.

With all that Optus international roaming has to offer, the days of hefty international usage charges may soon be over. Regardless of whether you’re on a postpaid or prepaid plan, there's an Optus roaming pack to keep you connected overseas.

Optus postpaid international roaming

Customers on one of Optus' postpaid Choice Plus plans can get activate the Optus Daily Roaming add-on for $5 per day.

For $5 each day customers get 5GB of data as well as unlimited talk and text.

You can get an international roaming add-on with the following Optus postpaid plans:

#1	Optus	Optus $55 Optus Choice Plus Plan 50GB data Optus 5G in selected areas (exc NT) with a 5G device $55/mth Min. cost $55 Go to Site	$55/mth Min. cost $55	Go to Site
#2	Optus	Optus $65 Optus Choice Plus Plan 200GB data Optus 5G in selected areas (exc NT) with a 5G device $65/mth Min. cost $65 Go to Site	$65/mth Min. cost $65	Go to Site
#3	Optus	Optus $79 Optus Promo Plan 360GB data Optus 5G in selected areas (exc NT) with a 5G device Deal: Get up to $10/mth SubHub credit to use on your favourite subscriptions for 12 months. T&Cs apply. $69/mth Min. cost $69 Go to Site	$69/mth Min. cost $69	Go to Site
#4	Optus	Optus $85 Optus Choice Plus Plan 400GB data Optus 5G in selected areas (exc NT) with a 5G device SubHub: Receive up to $20/mth SubHub credit when you have an active SubHub account with subs greater than $0. T&Cs apply $85/mth Min. cost $85 Go to Site	$85/mth Min. cost $85	Go to Site

Optus' international roaming add-on is available in the following Zone 1 countries:

Albania
Argentina
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil
Bulgaria
Cambodia
Canada
Chile

China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Estonia
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Polynesia

Georgia
Germany
Greece
Greenland
Guam
Guernsey
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Ireland

Isle of Man
Israel
Italy
Japan
Jersey
Kazakhstan
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg

Macau
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Myanmar
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand

Northern Marianas
Norway
Pakistan
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation

Samoa (Western)
San Marino
Serbia
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan

Tajikistan
Thailand
Timor
Tonga
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
US Virgin Islands
Vanuatu
Vatican City (Holy See)
Vietnam

If you use up the 5GB within 24 hours then Optus will automatically add another 5GB roaming pass to your plan and you will be charged a further $5.

On some older Optus plans you're restricted to the option of the Optus Roaming Pass. The Roaming Pass is essentially the same as the option for Choice Plus customers with a 24 hour expiry but you pay $10 for 1GB data and unlimited talk and text. It also covers you for Zone 1 countries.

You can't use Optus Daily Roaming in Zone 2 destinations. Optus recommends using WiFi. With certain older postpaid Optus plans you'll have to pay, pay-as-you-go rates.

Zone 2 destinations primarily consist of countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Central and South America. You can use Optus' international roaming rates finder to check your destination.

Optus prepaid international roaming

There are different options for Optus prepaid plan customers like those on Flex Plus plans.

Prepaid customers have the choice between two prepaid roaming packs:

Pack	Price	Inclusions
1-day expiry	$5	100 mins, 100 texts, 1GB
7-day expiry	$35	700 mins, 700 texts, 7GB

These packs are available for use with Zone 1 countries. Outside of those locations you'll need to pay daily roaming rates.

You can check Optus' prepaid roaming rate finder for more information.

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

#1	Optus	Optus Optus Prepaid $35 SIM 40GB Speed capped at 150Mbps Optus 5G in selected areas (exc NT) with a 5G device Deal: 40GB on first 3 recharges before 28/04/25 for new services only. Note plan changes from 28/4/2025. Fair Go Policy and T&Cs apply. $35 Per 28 Day Renewal Go to Site	$35 Per 28 Day Renewal	Go to Site
#2	Optus	Optus Optus Prepaid $45 SIM 60GB Speed capped at 150Mbps Optus 5G in selected areas (exc NT) with a 5G device Deal: Get unlimited data, every weekend when you stay connected with AutoRecharge. Fair Go Policy and T&Cs apply. $45 Per 28 Day Renewal Go to Site	$45 Per 28 Day Renewal	Go to Site
#3	Optus	Optus Optus Prepaid $55 SIM 80GB Speed capped at 250Mbps Optus 5G in selected areas (exc NT) with a 5G device Deal: Get unlimited data, every weekend when you stay connected with AutoRecharge. Fair Go Policy and T&Cs apply. $55 Per 28 Day Renewal Go to Site	$55 Per 28 Day Renewal	Go to Site
#4	Optus	Optus Optus Prepaid $160 SIM 130GB Speed capped at 150Mbps Optus 5G in selected areas (exc NT) with a 5G device Deal: 130GB on first 3 recharges within 3 years, then 80GB. New services only. Speed caps apply. T&Cs apply. $160 Per 186 Day Renewal Go to Site	$160 Per 186 Day Renewal	Go to Site
#5	Optus	Optus Optus Prepaid $320 SIM 280GB Speed capped at 150Mbps Optus 5G in selected areas (exc NT) with a 5G device Deal: $230 for 1st recharge, then reverts to standard in-market price. Ends 27.04.25. T&Cs apply. $230 Per 365 Day Renewal Go to Site	$230 Per 365 Day Renewal	Go to Site

Optus international roaming alternatives

Optus international roaming offers are pretty good, at least for postpaid customers.

Vodafone has a similar $5 roaming add-on but it allows you to use your local inclusions while overseas. If you're signed up for a Vodafone plan with 50GB, for example, you can access that same allowance while abroad.

Telstra's international roaming options are more expensive starting at $10 per day for postpaid customers which gets you 2GB to use. Its prepaid prices start at $10 for 400MB with a three-day expiry compared to Optus' prices which are $5 for 1GB with a one-day expiry.

Here are the cheapest postpaid plans from Vodafone and Telstra:

$49 Small SIM Only Plan

100GB data
Vodafone 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices
Deal: Get 100GB for $39 (incl. 50GB bonus + $10/mth off) on the $49 Small plan. T&Cs apply.

$39/mth

Min. cost $39

Go to Site

$39/mth

Min. cost $39

Go to Site

$65 Basic Upfront SIM Plan

50GB data
Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices
Deal: Get your first 3 months device protect on Telstra, then $10/mth.

$65/mth

Min. cost $65

Link not supplied

$65/mth

Min. cost $65

Link not supplied

Gone are the days where only the big three telcos had decent international roaming options. Smaller telcos such as amaysim, Belong, felix and Tangerine all have decent options.

Here's a quick look at how their best value roaming add-ons compare:

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	90+
Belong	3GB	150 minutes	Unlimited	15 days	$30	45+
Tangerine	10GB	600 minutes	60 texts	14 days	$55	65+

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

#1	amaysim	amaysim UNLIMITED 10GB Plan 10GB data at download speeds up to 100Mbps On the Optus 4G Plus Mobile Network $22 Per 28 Day Renewal Link not supplied	$22 Per 28 Day Renewal	Link not supplied
#2	Tangerine Telecom	Tangerine Telecom 12GB Mobile SIM 12GB data at download speeds up to 100Mbps Uses part of the Telstra 4G Mobile Network Deal: Bundle your mobile and nbn plans on the same account to get 10% off your mobile SIM-only plan fees. T&Cs apply. $23/mth Min. cost $23 Go to Site	$23/mth Min. cost $23	Go to Site
#3	felix mobile	felix mobile felix 25GB Mobile Plan 25GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Vodafone 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Get 50% off your first 3 mths when you switch to felix. $12.50/mth for first 3 mths, then $25/mth. Use promo code FELIX50. T&Cs apply $25 Per 1 Month Renewal Go to Site	$25 Per 1 Month Renewal	Go to Site
#4	Belong	Belong 25GB Mobile Plan 25GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Uses parts of Telstra’s 5G and 4G mobile networks $30/mth Min. cost $30 Go to Site	$30/mth Min. cost $30	Go to Site

If you don't want to base your decision to sign up for a telco on the merits of its international roaming add-ons then you might consider other options. You could pick up a local SIM at your destination or even a travel eSIM.

If you're after a local SIM, you can check out our guides for a few specific destinations.

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.

eSIM has been a game changer for getting connected while travelling .So long as you have an eSIM-compatible phone, you won't need to bother finding a physical SIM at a shop when you land. You can easily download an set up an eSIM over WiFi. You can do it on arrival or better yet prior to departure so you can have mobile data the moment you arrive at your destination.

Reputable eSIM providers include Airalo, SIMCorner and Jetpac.

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

Roaming is automatically activated in eligible destinations by default. When you land and your phone connects to a local cell tower you'll get a confirmation text from Optus to let you know that roaming is active.

You can check the status in the My Optus App following these steps:

Open My Optus app
Click the Services tab
Select the relevant service
Scroll down to Add-ons and find the Daily Roaming section
If Daily Roaming is switched on you should the word "Active" beside it

If you don't want to use Optus' Daily Roaming you'll need to turn on Aeroplane mode in device settings and turn on your WiFi to connect to a network. Or you can switch out your SIM. If you have a dual SIM phone or eSIM you can turn off your Optus SIM temporarily via device settings.