Data roaming means using your current phone plan in a foreign country. Mobile data is part of your plan, and you may pay large fees for using it outside Australia.
👇 How to turn on roaming for iOS and Android
If you’re going to use data roaming, you need to check a few things first. For example, does your plan support data roaming? How much data will you need? What are the costs involved?
Let’s take a look. You’ll need to look up your plan provider to see if data roaming is included and the cost. It might be charged by the amount you use, or it could be a flat daily rate.
How much data you need depends on where you’re travelling. If you’re staying at an accommodation or going on a cruise with Wi-Fi, you may only need as much as you would normally use at home. Just remember you might need to use maps on your phone more, which can chew up data!
If you think you’re going to be streaming movies or using a lot of data, you’re better off using a local phone plan, which we’ll explain below.
We’ve included instructions for turning on data roaming further down as well.
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Why would you use data roaming if there are other, cheaper options?
The term data ‘roaming’ is used because it allows you to roam the planet using your usual phone number. You’ll automatically connect to local networks and you don’t have to worry about switching phone plans at each destination. Any fees are charged to your usual plan.
It’s simple, sure, but it can also be expensive.
Before you set off, check your current plan for its international roaming charges and switch to a more competitive one if you need to.
Many plan providers have decent rates for data roaming. We’ve compiled plans with data roaming that you can easily compare. For instance, these providers include data roaming options in their plans:
| Felix | $20 add-on with 365-day expiry. 4GB data in over 40 countries. |
| Amaysim | Choose from 4 levels of roaming ($20 to $70) with 365-day expiry. Up to 9GB data in over 90 countries. |
| Boost | Choose from 3 levels of roaming ($20 to $40) with 365-day expiry. Up to 5GB data in over 42 countries. |
| TPG | Once international roaming is activated via My Account, TPG will charge an amount to increase your Prepaid Balance to $500 to cover the cost of international roaming usage. Any unused funds are credited back after deactivation. |
| Circles.Life | Pay $15 for 1GB/day, or $30 for 5GB/month. Renews automatically until you deactivate the add-on. |
| Tangerine | Choose from 3 roaming packs from 3GB to 10GB ($35 to $60) with 365-day expiry. Can be used in over 60 countries. |
| Moose Mobile | Add on a $15 roaming pack with 1GB data for 24 hours in Zone 1 countries. Zone 2 countries may attract different roaming rates. Moose requires a $200 prepayment; any unused payment is returned once you’re home. |
| iiNet | Data used overseas is charged at $0.5 per MB. iiNet suggests using a local eSIM rather than its own roaming facility. |
| Optus | 5BG data daily from $5 per day in over 100 countries. |
| Telstra | Choose from various packs depending on your plan. A prepaid international roaming pack offers 400MB to 4GB data for 3 to 15 days ($10 to $25, depending on the data amount). Telstra also offers a Day Pass for 2BG for $5 or $10, depending on the country. |
| Vodafone | Paay $5 per day to use your current data plan overseas. If you run out of data, additional data is charged at $5 per GB. |
Or, you can look at buying a local SIM or eSIM and avoiding data roaming charges altogether.
Alternatives to data roaming: local SIMs and eSIMs
With data roaming, you access the internet using a network that isn’t the one you use at home (our networks are Telstra, Optus and Vodafone). That’s why data roaming charges are higher than your data cost in Australia.
Many travellers buy a SIM plan from a local network once they’re overseas. It’s much cheaper, although you won’t be able to use your usual phone number. Have friends and family contact you via apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Zoom instead.
One of the easiest ways to access an overseas plan is via eSIM, which doesn’t require a physical SIM card. You can purchase and download it before you leave, and it will automatically activate when you arrive.
We’ve covered the best eSIM’s for travelers here, including global plans that work in multiple countries.
How do you activate data roaming?
Follow these steps to turn on data roaming for Android or iPhone. You’ll also need to activate it in your plan’s app.
For Android phones:
- Go to your Settings App, scroll down to the “Network & Internet” settings, and then select the “Mobile Networks” option.
- This will bring up a screen where you’ll find a “Roaming” option with a toggle beside that you need to turn on.
Note that this setting differs from one device to the next, but this layout is quite common. If you can’t carry out this sequence you might need to look up the steps on the the manufacturer’s website.
For iOS devices:
- Go to Settings > mobile data > turn on iPhone data roaming.
- If you’re using a U.S. device, look for “cellular” instead of “mobile data”, scroll down to the “Network & Internet” settings, and then select the “Mobile Networks” option.