Two weeks on a $10-a-day roaming pass costs $140. The cheapest 10GB, 30-day travel eSIM for the same trip cost between A$14.20 (Thailand) and A$32.67 (Europe) when we checked — 4 to 10 times less. The exception is the Pacific: Telstra charges $5 a day in New Zealand and Fiji, and a week in Fiji on Telstra ($35) costs about the same as the cheapest eSIM (A$35.51).
Checked · Roaming prices from Telstra, Optus and Vodafone’s own roaming pages; eSIM prices from Airalo, Saily and Nomad’s own destination pages; US$ converted at the RBA rate for 30 October 2026 (A$1 = US$0.7040).
Cost of staying connected, by destination
The Telstra column shows the cost of a 7-day / 14-day trip if you use your phone every day. The other carriers charge the same in all ten destinations: Optus $10 Roaming Pass $70 / $140, and Optus Daily Roaming or Vodafone $5 Roaming $35 / $70. eSIM columns show one 10GB plan valid for 30 days, which covers either trip. Bold is the cheapest eSIM for that destination. All in Australian dollars.
| Destination | Telstra Day Pass, 7 / 14 days | Airalo 10GB | Saily 10GB | Nomad 10GB | Telstra 14 days vs cheapest eSIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bali (Indonesia) | $70 / $140 $10 a day |
A$29.83 US$21 |
A$31.24 US$21.99 |
A$26.99 US$19 |
5.2× 2.7 days of Telstra |
| Japan | $70 / $140 $10 a day |
A$25.57 US$18 |
A$25.55 US$17.99 |
A$22.73 US$16 sale |
6.2× 2.3 days of Telstra |
| United States | $70 / $140 $10 a day |
A$31.96 US$22.5 |
A$32.66 US$22.99 |
A$18.47 US$13 |
7.6× 1.8 days of Telstra |
| New Zealand | $35 / $70 $5 a day |
A$34.09 US$24 |
A$34.08 US$23.99 |
A$25.57 US$18 |
2.7× 5.1 days of Telstra |
| Thailand | $70 / $140 $10 a day |
A$15.63 US$11 |
A$15.61 US$10.99 |
A$14.20 US$10 |
9.9× 1.4 days of Telstra |
| Vietnam | $70 / $140 $10 a day |
A$25.57 US$18 |
A$25.55 US$17.99 |
A$24.15 US$17 |
5.8× 2.4 days of Telstra |
| United Kingdom | $70 / $140 $10 a day |
A$26.99 US$19 |
A$26.97 US$18.99 |
A$24.86 US$17.5 |
5.6× 2.5 days of Telstra |
| Europe (regional plan) | $70 / $140 $10 a day |
A$44.03 US$31 |
A$51.12 US$35.99 |
A$32.67 US$23 |
4.3× 3.3 days of Telstra |
| Singapore | $70 / $140 $10 a day |
A$22.73 US$16 |
A$22.71 US$15.99 |
A$19.89 US$14 sale |
7.0× 2.0 days of Telstra |
| Fiji | $35 / $70 $5 a day |
A$69.60 US$49 |
No 10GB plan (largest: 5GB, US$29.99) |
A$35.51 US$25 |
2.0× 7.1 days of Telstra |
Optus Daily Roaming ($5 for 5GB a day) is only on Choice Plus, Plus Family, Plus Promo and Qantas plans; other eligible Optus postpaid plans get the $10 Roaming Pass (1GB a day). Vodafone $5 Roaming uses your plan’s own data allowance, then charges $5 per extra 1GB, and is capped at 90 days a year. Nomad’s Japan and Singapore 10GB plans were on sale when checked (normally US$18 and US$16). Europe compares each provider’s regional Europe plan with roaming in a single European country; the eSIM plans each cover a different list of countries.
Key findings
- A fortnight on a $10 pass costs $140; the eSIM costs A$14–A$33. In the eight destinations where Telstra charges $10 a day — and in all ten on Optus’s $10 Roaming Pass — the cheapest 10GB eSIM was 4.3 times (Europe) to 9.9 times (Thailand) cheaper over 14 days.
- An eSIM pays for itself in one to four days. The cheapest 10GB eSIM cost the same as 1.4 days (Thailand) to 3.3 days (Europe) on a $10-a-day pass. Japan breaks even at 2.3 days: A$22.73 for Nomad’s 10GB plan against $70 for a week on Telstra or Optus.
- The Pacific is the exception. Telstra’s Zone 1 Day Pass is $5 a day in New Zealand and Fiji. A week in Fiji costs $35 on Telstra and A$35.51 on the cheapest 10GB eSIM (Nomad); Airalo’s Fiji 10GB plan (A$69.60) costs as much as two weeks of Telstra roaming, and Saily sells no 10GB Fiji plan.
- $5-a-day plans narrow the gap but rarely close it. On Optus Daily Roaming or Vodafone $5 Roaming a week costs $35. The cheapest eSIM still undercut that in nine of ten destinations, by A$2.33 (Europe) to A$20.80 (Thailand). Over 14 days ($70) the eSIM was cheaper everywhere.
- Nomad had the cheapest 10GB plan in all ten destinations on the day we checked (two of them sale prices). Airalo and Saily were usually within a few cents of each other.
The roaming packs we compared
| Carrier & pack | Price | Data | Calls & SMS | Who gets it | Our 10 destinations | Source (checked 1 November 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Telstra International Roaming Day Pass | $5/day Zone 1 $10/day Zone 2 | 2GB a day; extra 2GB for $10 | Unlimited standard calls and SMS | Telstra postpaid and Upfront plans | NZ and Fiji are Zone 1; the other eight (incl. most of Europe) are Zone 2 | telstra.com.au/international-roaming |
| Optus $10 Roaming Pass | $10 per 24 hours | 1GB; a new $10 pass starts automatically after 1GB or 24 hours | Unlimited standard talk and SMS | Selected Optus postpaid plans | All ten are Zone 1 | optus.com.au/mobile/plans/international-roaming |
| Optus Daily Roaming | $5 per 24 hours | 5GB; another 5GB for $5 if you run out | Unlimited standard talk and text | Choice Plus, Plus Family, Plus Promo and Qantas plans | All ten are Zone 1 | optus.com.au/mobile/plans/international-roaming |
| Vodafone $5 Roaming | $5/day extra | Your plan’s included data; then $5 per 1GB | Your plan’s inclusions | Eligible Vodafone plans; max 90 days a year | All ten listed as eligible | vodafone.com.au/mobile/international-roaming · destination list |
Without a pass, pay-as-you-go roaming is far dearer: Telstra lists $3 per MB of data and Optus and Vodafone $1 per MB. Pre-paid roaming packs are sold separately and are not compared here.
What roaming gives you that an eSIM doesn’t
The price gap is real, but it is not a like-for-like product. Before you switch, know what you give up:
- Your own number. Roaming keeps your Australian number live for calls, texts and bank verification codes. The eSIM plans compared here are data-only; you can keep your Australian SIM switched on for incoming texts alongside the eSIM, but check your carrier’s rules so that receiving calls or using data on it doesn’t start a daily charge.
- More data per day. Telstra includes 2GB a day and Optus Daily Roaming 5GB a day, so a week on Telstra carries 14GB against the eSIM’s 10GB. If you use more than about 1.4GB a day, choose a larger eSIM plan and compare again.
- Zero set-up. Roaming switches on when you land. An eSIM needs a compatible, unlocked phone and a few minutes to install before you fly — see does my phone support eSIM?
How we got these numbers
Roaming: we read each carrier’s published daily pass price, inclusions and destination list from its own roaming page on 1 November 2026. A 7-day or 14-day trip assumes you use your phone (data, a call or a text) every day, which triggers the daily charge each day. Days when you don’t use your phone at all generally aren’t charged, so a lighter trip costs less; check your carrier’s terms. We did not include top-ups beyond the daily allowance, pay-as-you-go rates or pre-paid packs.
eSIMs: we read the price of each provider’s 10GB, 30-day plan from its own destination page on 1 November 2026 (for Europe, its regional Europe plan). Airalo and Saily list in US dollars; Nomad lists in US dollars and also shows its own A$ price. To compare like with like, we converted every US$ price at the Reserve Bank of Australia’s rate for 30 October 2026, A$1 = US$0.7040. Most Australian cards add a foreign transaction fee of around 3% to US-dollar purchases, which is not included; it does not change any ranking on this page.
Scope: we compared the three eSIM providers Traviva links to. Other providers on our destination pages are sometimes cheaper. Prices change without notice, and sale prices end; confirm on the provider’s own page before you buy. Nothing on this page is estimated: where a plan doesn’t exist (Saily 10GB in Fiji), we say so.
Sources: Telstra · Optus · Vodafone · Vodafone destinations · RBA exchange rates · eSIM prices from each provider’s destination page, linked in the table. All checked 1 November 2026.
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Questions about the method or the raw figures: [email protected].
Roaming questions Australians ask
Is international roaming or a travel eSIM cheaper for Australians?
For most trips, the eSIM. On 1 November 2026 a two-week trip on a $10-a-day pass (Telstra's Day Pass in Zone 2 destinations, or Optus's Roaming Pass) cost $140, while the cheapest 10GB, 30-day eSIM from Airalo, Saily or Nomad cost between A$14.20 (Thailand) and A$32.67 (Europe) in the eight destinations we checked where Telstra charges $10 a day.
How much does Telstra international roaming cost in 2026?
Telstra's International Roaming Day Pass costs $5 a day in Zone 1 (New Zealand, Fiji and five other Pacific destinations) and $10 a day in Zone 2 (including Indonesia, Japan, the USA, the UK and most of Europe). Both include 2GB of data a day plus unlimited standard calls and SMS. Extra data is $10 for 2GB. Prices from Telstra's roaming page, checked 1 November 2026.
When is roaming worth it instead of an eSIM?
On very short trips, in New Zealand and Fiji where Telstra charges $5 a day, and when you need your own Australian number for calls and texts. The cheapest 10GB eSIM costs about the same as 1.4 to 3.3 days on a $10 pass, so roaming wins only on trips shorter than that. In Fiji, a week on Telstra ($35) costs about the same as the cheapest 10GB eSIM (A$35.51).
Going somewhere on this list? Each destination page compares more providers and plan sizes: Bali · Japan · USA · New Zealand · Thailand · Vietnam · UK · Europe · Singapore · Fiji.
Traviva earns a commission if you buy an Airalo, Saily or Nomad eSIM through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. We earn nothing from Telstra, Optus or Vodafone, and commissions play no part in the figures above. How we’re paid.