Roamly vs Telstra roaming
What a trip really costs on each, for Australian travellers. Prices checked 19 September 2026.
Telstra's International Roaming Day Pass is the simplest thing you can do before a trip: you do nothing. It switches on by itself the first time you use your phone overseas, keeps your number, and gives you 2 GB a day plus unlimited standard calls and texts. It also charges you for every single day you use it.
At $10 a day in Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and the USA, a fortnight away costs $140 before you have bought a coffee. The same fortnight on a Roamly 10 GB plan is under $25 in every one of those destinations. Roamly is data only, but calls and messages in iMessage, FaceTime, WhatsApp and Messenger all run on data, and the next section explains how to keep your Australian number as well.
What a trip costs
Telstra charges by the day, so the longer you’re away the more it costs. A Roamly plan is one price for the whole trip. Here’s the same trip both ways.
| Destination | Roamly | Telstra, 7 days | Telstra, 14 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | A$19.4510 GB, 30 daysA$120.55 less | A$70.00A$10.00 × 7 | A$140.00A$10.00 × 14 |
| Japan | A$18.4510 GB, 30 daysA$121.55 less | A$70.00A$10.00 × 7 | A$140.00A$10.00 × 14 |
| Thailand | A$14.3010 GB, 30 daysA$125.70 less | A$70.00A$10.00 × 7 | A$140.00A$10.00 × 14 |
| Vietnam | A$21.3010 GB, 30 daysA$118.70 less | A$70.00A$10.00 × 7 | A$140.00A$10.00 × 14 |
| USA | A$24.5010 GB, 30 daysA$115.50 less | A$70.00A$10.00 × 7 | A$140.00A$10.00 × 14 |
| New Zealand | A$26.4010 GB, 30 daysA$43.60 less | A$35.00A$5.00 × 7 | A$70.00A$5.00 × 14 |
The saving shown is against a 14-day trip. A Day Pass includes up to 2 GB a day plus unlimited standard calls and SMS, and charges $10 for each extra 2 GB. That is a lot more data than most travellers use, which is why this table uses our 10 GB plan. If you would genuinely use 2 GB every day, the gap narrows.
What you give up, and what you don't
A Roamly eSIM is data only, and that matters less than it sounds. Much of the world already calls and messages over data: WhatsApp alone has more than 3 billion users a month. iMessage, FaceTime, WhatsApp and Messenger all work on a Roamly eSIM just as they do at home, with no per-minute or per-text charges. What a Day Pass adds is your Telstra number for ordinary calls and texts, with unlimited standard calls and SMS included, which helps when you need to ring a number that isn't on an app.
And if you want your number too, you usually don't have to choose. Almost every phone sold in Australia in the last few years holds two SIMs at once, so you can leave your Telstra SIM in for your number and run the Roamly eSIM alongside it for data. The catch is worth knowing: roaming and the Day Pass are switched on by default, and the charge triggers on use, with background data alone enough to start a day. So turn roaming data off on the Telstra line before you land. Receiving a text does not trigger it, but making or taking a call without a pass is charged at pay-as-you-go rates of $1.50 to $5.00 a minute depending on the country.
At a glance
What it costs
Roamly
One price for the whole plan, paid up front in AUD.
Telstra
$5 a day in New Zealand and 6 other Oceania destinations, $10 a day in 80+ others, charged on each day you use it.
Data
Roamly
3 GB to 50 GB for the whole plan, with no daily cap imposed by Roamly.
Telstra
2 GB a day on current plans, then $10 for each extra 2 GB. Unused data doesn't roll over. Some older plans get 200 MB a day instead.
Calls and texts
Roamly
Over data, in iMessage, FaceTime, WhatsApp and Messenger. No number of its own, so keep your Australian SIM in for ordinary calls and texts.
Telstra
Unlimited standard calls and SMS included. MMS, video calls and premium numbers are excluded and billed separately.
Your number
Roamly
Unaffected. Your Australian SIM stays in the phone; only its roaming data needs to be off.
Telstra
Keeps working, which is the whole point of the product.
Coverage
Roamly
100+ countries and territories.
Telstra
Over 80 destinations, in Telstra's own words, split across three zones.
If you don't buy a pass
Roamly
Not applicable. A plan is bought before you travel and cannot run over.
Telstra
Pay as you go at $3 per MB, which is roughly $3,000 a gigabyte, plus 75c an SMS.
Who can use it
Roamly
Anyone with an eSIM-capable, carrier-unlocked phone.
Telstra
Post-paid consumer and small business. Prepaid customers buy Travel Packs instead, covering 38 destinations.
Running out
Roamly
Top up from My eSIMs without reinstalling.
Telstra
A $10 Data Top-Up for 2 GB, added automatically on some plans and offered by SMS on others.
Hotspot
Roamly
Included on every plan, no restrictions.
Telstra
Not stated on Telstra's roaming pages or the Day Pass summary, so we can't tell you either way.
How you pay
Roamly
Up front, by card, before you leave.
Telstra
Added to your Telstra bill after the fact.
| Feature | Roamly | Telstra |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | One price for the whole plan, paid up front in AUD. | $5 a day in New Zealand and 6 other Oceania destinations, $10 a day in 80+ others, charged on each day you use it. |
| Data | 3 GB to 50 GB for the whole plan, with no daily cap imposed by Roamly. | 2 GB a day on current plans, then $10 for each extra 2 GB. Unused data doesn't roll over. Some older plans get 200 MB a day instead. |
| Calls and texts | Over data, in iMessage, FaceTime, WhatsApp and Messenger. No number of its own, so keep your Australian SIM in for ordinary calls and texts. | Unlimited standard calls and SMS included. MMS, video calls and premium numbers are excluded and billed separately. |
| Your number | Unaffected. Your Australian SIM stays in the phone; only its roaming data needs to be off. | Keeps working, which is the whole point of the product. |
| Coverage | 100+ countries and territories. | Over 80 destinations, in Telstra's own words, split across three zones. |
| If you don't buy a pass | Not applicable. A plan is bought before you travel and cannot run over. | Pay as you go at $3 per MB, which is roughly $3,000 a gigabyte, plus 75c an SMS. |
| Who can use it | Anyone with an eSIM-capable, carrier-unlocked phone. | Post-paid consumer and small business. Prepaid customers buy Travel Packs instead, covering 38 destinations. |
| Running out | Top up from My eSIMs without reinstalling. | A $10 Data Top-Up for 2 GB, added automatically on some plans and offered by SMS on others. |
| Hotspot | Included on every plan, no restrictions. | Not stated on Telstra's roaming pages or the Day Pass summary, so we can't tell you either way. |
| How you pay | Up front, by card, before you leave. | Added to your Telstra bill after the fact. |
Where each one wins
Where Telstra wins
- Nothing to set up. It switches on by itself when you land.
- 2 GB a day is more data than most travellers will use.
- Your own number keeps working for ordinary calls and texts, with unlimited standard calls and SMS included.
- One product covers a multi-country trip without buying anything per destination.
- If something goes wrong, you're dealing with your own carrier.
Where Roamly wins
- A fortnight in Bali, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam or the USA costs under $25 on a 10 GB plan, against $140 of Day Passes.
- One price paid up front, so there's nothing to add to your bill later.
- No daily allowance to run out of, and no $10 charge when you do.
- Hotspot on every plan, with no restrictions.
- Calls, video calls and messages in iMessage, FaceTime, WhatsApp and Messenger work as normal, with no per-minute or per-text charges.
- You can still keep your Telstra number for calls and texts by leaving the SIM in with roaming data off.
Which should you pick?
A week or more in one place? Roamly. Seven days of Day Passes costs $70 in most of Asia and the USA; a 10 GB plan covering the whole month costs a fraction of that.
Two or three days, and you need your number for calls? Telstra. At $10 a day for a short hop, the convenience of not setting anything up is worth the money, and you keep unlimited calls and texts.
Want both? That's what most people should do. Run a Roamly eSIM for data and keep your Telstra SIM in the phone for your number, with its roaming data switched off so no Day Pass is triggered.
On Telstra prepaid? Compare against the Travel Packs rather than the Day Pass. They cover 38 destinations, and Vietnam isn't one of them.
Common questions
As of 19 September 2026, Telstra's International Roaming Day Pass is $5 a day in New Zealand and six other Oceania destinations, and $10 a day in more than 80 others including Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and the USA. Each Day Pass includes 2 GB of data plus unlimited standard calls and SMS, and each extra 2 GB costs $10. The charge applies on every day you use your phone overseas.
Telstra's pay-as-you-go roaming rates apply instead: $3 per megabyte of data, which works out to roughly $3,000 a gigabyte, plus 75c per SMS and $1.50 to $5.00 a minute for calls depending on the country. This is the rate that produces the bill-shock stories, and it's why the Day Pass exists.
Yes, through apps that run on data. iMessage, FaceTime, WhatsApp and Messenger work on a Roamly eSIM just as they do at home, for messages, voice calls and video calls, with no per-minute or per-text charges. What you don't get is a phone number, so ordinary calls and SMS still go through your Telstra SIM, which can stay in the phone alongside the eSIM.
Yes, on a phone that supports two SIMs at once, which is almost every phone sold in Australia in recent years. Leave your Telstra SIM in for calls and texts, switch its roaming data off so no Day Pass is triggered, and use the Roamly eSIM for data. Bear in mind that making or receiving a call on the Telstra line without a pass is charged at its pay-as-you-go rates.
No. It's triggered by use rather than by the calendar, so a day you don't use the service isn't charged. The catch is that background data counts as use, so an app syncing by itself can start a day's charge. Receiving a text does not trigger it.
For any trip longer than about two days, yes, by a wide margin. A 14-day trip to Indonesia costs $140 in Day Passes; our 10 GB Indonesia plan is $19.45 and runs for 30 days. Telstra's Day Pass does include unlimited calls and texts on your own number. Our plans are data only, so calls and messages go through apps like iMessage, FaceTime, WhatsApp and Messenger, and you can keep your Telstra SIM in the phone for your number.
Telstra's figures were read from telstra.com.au on 19 September 2026. Roaming prices, zones and inclusions change, and what you pay can depend on which plan you're on, so check with Telstra before you travel. We re-check this page monthly. If you spot something out of date, email hello@onroamly.com and we'll fix it.
See what your trip would cost
Plans for 100+ countries and territories, priced in AUD.
Roamly figures are from our own plan catalogue and policies. Telstra figures were read from telstra.com.au and its Critical Information Summary for the International Roaming Day Pass on 19 September 2026, and checked a second time the same day. Roaming prices, inclusions and zones change, and what you pay depends on your own plan, so check with Telstra before you travel. We re-check this page monthly. Spotted something out of date? Email hello@onroamly.com. Telstra is a trademark of its owner. Roamly is not affiliated with Telstra.
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