Roamly vs Vodafone roaming
What a trip really costs on each, for Australian travellers. Prices checked 19 September 2026.
Vodafone's $5 Roaming is the best-value roaming deal of the three big Australian networks, and it is genuinely simple: $5 a day, the same price in every destination it covers, switched on by default for most plans since 2014. It's worth understanding exactly what the $5 buys, though, because it isn't data.
The $5 doesn't give you a roaming allowance. It unlocks the data, calls and texts already on your home plan so you can use them overseas, which means your Australian allowance is what you're spending. A fortnight away costs $70 in daily charges on top of the plan you're already paying for. The same fortnight on a Roamly 10 GB plan is $14.30 to $26.40 depending on the destination, and it doesn't touch your home allowance at all.
What a trip costs
Vodafone 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 | Vodafone, 7 days | Vodafone, 14 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | $19.4510 GB, 30 days$50.55 less | $35.00$5.00 × 7 | $70.00$5.00 × 14 |
| Japan | $18.4510 GB, 30 days$51.55 less | $35.00$5.00 × 7 | $70.00$5.00 × 14 |
| Thailand | $14.3010 GB, 30 days$55.70 less | $35.00$5.00 × 7 | $70.00$5.00 × 14 |
| Vietnam | $21.3010 GB, 30 days$48.70 less | $35.00$5.00 × 7 | $70.00$5.00 × 14 |
| USA | $24.5010 GB, 30 days$45.50 less | $35.00$5.00 × 7 | $70.00$5.00 × 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. The $5 a day carries no data of its own: it releases your existing plan inclusions for use overseas, and once those run out Vodafone adds more at $5 a gigabyte. Data on plans that are speed-capped at 1.5, 2, 10 or 25 Mbps can't be used abroad at all.
What you give up, and what you don't
The honest difference is calls and texts. $5 Roaming keeps your Vodafone number live, so Australians ring you exactly as they would at home, and your plan's calls and texts work as usual. 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 Vodafone SIM in for your number and run the Roamly eSIM alongside it for data. If you want to avoid the daily charge, switch roaming data off on the Vodafone line before you land: the $5 is triggered by making or receiving a call, sending a message, or using data, so any of those will start a 24-hour block. Receiving a text is free and does not trigger it.
At a glance
What it costs
Roamly
One price for the whole plan, paid up front in AUD.
Vodafone
$5 a day, the same in every eligible destination, on each day you use your phone. Capped at 90 days a calendar year.
Data
Roamly
3 GB to 50 GB of its own, separate from whatever you use at home.
Vodafone
None of its own. It releases your existing plan's data, so your home allowance is what you spend. More is $5 a gigabyte.
Speed limits
Roamly
No daily cap imposed by Roamly. Local operators' fair-use rules can still apply.
Vodafone
No roaming speed cap is published. Plan data already capped at 1.5, 2, 10 or 25 Mbps can't be used overseas at all.
Calls and texts
Roamly
Data only. Keep your Australian SIM in the phone for calls and texts.
Vodafone
Your plan's usual calls and texts, used as if you were at home.
Your number
Roamly
Unaffected. Your Australian SIM stays in the phone; only its roaming data needs to be off.
Vodafone
Keeps working, which is the whole point of the product.
Coverage
Roamly
100+ countries and territories.
Vodafone
Over 100 destinations, in Vodafone's own words, all at the same daily price.
If you don't turn it on
Roamly
Not applicable. A plan is bought before you travel and cannot run over.
Vodafone
Pay as you go at $1 per MB, which is roughly $1,024 a gigabyte, plus 75c per text sent.
Who can use it
Roamly
Anyone with an eSIM-capable, carrier-unlocked phone.
Vodafone
Postpaid only, on by default for plans since April 2014. Prepaid customers buy separate add-ons from $5 for 1 GB.
Hotspot
Roamly
Included on every plan, no restrictions.
Vodafone
Vodafone publishes a roaming hotspot rule only for its Ultra+ plan, where use beyond 30 GB costs $5 a gigabyte.
How you pay
Roamly
Up front, by card, before you leave.
Vodafone
Added to your Vodafone bill after the fact.
| Feature | Roamly | Vodafone |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | One price for the whole plan, paid up front in AUD. | $5 a day, the same in every eligible destination, on each day you use your phone. Capped at 90 days a calendar year. |
| Data | 3 GB to 50 GB of its own, separate from whatever you use at home. | None of its own. It releases your existing plan's data, so your home allowance is what you spend. More is $5 a gigabyte. |
| Speed limits | No daily cap imposed by Roamly. Local operators' fair-use rules can still apply. | No roaming speed cap is published. Plan data already capped at 1.5, 2, 10 or 25 Mbps can't be used overseas at all. |
| Calls and texts | Data only. Keep your Australian SIM in the phone for calls and texts. | Your plan's usual calls and texts, used as if you were at home. |
| 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 100 destinations, in Vodafone's own words, all at the same daily price. |
| If you don't turn it on | Not applicable. A plan is bought before you travel and cannot run over. | Pay as you go at $1 per MB, which is roughly $1,024 a gigabyte, plus 75c per text sent. |
| Who can use it | Anyone with an eSIM-capable, carrier-unlocked phone. | Postpaid only, on by default for plans since April 2014. Prepaid customers buy separate add-ons from $5 for 1 GB. |
| Hotspot | Included on every plan, no restrictions. | Vodafone publishes a roaming hotspot rule only for its Ultra+ plan, where use beyond 30 GB costs $5 a gigabyte. |
| How you pay | Up front, by card, before you leave. | Added to your Vodafone bill after the fact. |
Where each one wins
Which should you pick?
A week or more away? Roamly. Seven days of $5 Roaming is $35 before you've used any of your own allowance; a 10 GB plan is less than that and lasts a month.
A weekend, on a big-allowance plan? Vodafone. Two days is $10, your number keeps working, and you're spending data you've already bought. That's hard to beat for a short hop.
On a speed-capped plan? Roamly. Vodafone says data capped at 1.5, 2, 10 or 25 Mbps can't be used while roaming at all, so $5 Roaming may give you nothing to use.
On Vodafone prepaid? Compare against the prepaid add-ons instead: $5 for 1 GB over one day, $15 for 3 GB over three, $35 for 7 GB over seven. $5 Roaming is postpaid only.
Common questions
Roamly figures are from our own plan catalogue and policies. Vodafone figures were read from vodafone.com.au, its international roaming support pages and its Critical Information Summaries 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 Vodafone before you travel. We re-check this page monthly. Spotted something out of date? Email hello@onroamly.com. Vodafone is a trademark of its owner. Roamly is not affiliated with Vodafone.
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