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. What you give up is calls and texts on your Australian number, and the next section explains why you probably don't have to give those up at all.
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 | $19.4510 GB, 30 days$120.55 less | $70.00$10.00 × 7 | $140.00$10.00 × 14 |
| Japan | $18.4510 GB, 30 days$121.55 less | $70.00$10.00 × 7 | $140.00$10.00 × 14 |
| Thailand | $14.3010 GB, 30 days$125.70 less | $70.00$10.00 × 7 | $140.00$10.00 × 14 |
| Vietnam | $21.3010 GB, 30 days$118.70 less | $70.00$10.00 × 7 | $140.00$10.00 × 14 |
| USA | $24.5010 GB, 30 days$115.50 less | $70.00$10.00 × 7 | $140.00$10.00 × 14 |
| New Zealand | $26.4010 GB, 30 days$43.60 less | $35.00$5.00 × 7 | $70.00$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
The honest difference is calls and texts. A Day Pass keeps your Telstra number and SIM live, so people can ring you and you can ring them, with unlimited standard calls and SMS included. A Roamly eSIM is data only: it gives you no number, and on its own it cannot make or take an ordinary call.
But 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
Data only. Keep your Australian SIM in the phone for 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 | Data only. Keep your Australian SIM in the phone for 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
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
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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