With wide-open spaces, endless natural beauty, and diverse environments Australia is one of the best destinations in Oceania. Share all these adventures with your friends or family with a great internet connection. There are multiple options on the market, for example, SIM cards for Australia, roaming services, renting a Pocket Wi-Fi for Australia, or buying an eSIM to travel to Australia, but which one is the best?
Here at Roaming, we will tell you everything you need to know about the Australia eSIM. Read about international operators, local eSIMs, how they work, their features, and how to buy them so you can save time and money.
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What you need to know to install the Australia eSIM card:
Currently, eSIM or embedded SIM card technology is still lagging in the market even though cellphone manufacturers launch new cell phones throughout the year most of them don’t incorporate the eSIM. With this in mind we advise you to consider the following recommendations before buying an eSIM:
- You must have an eSIM compatible cell phone. Additionally, you must check that your cell phone is supported by the operator or eSIM provider. We currently know that the iPhone XR or more recent versions are preferred by the companies that provide virtual SIMs.
- It is essential to have an e-mail to register and receive your eSIM.
- You must have an internet connection: your eSIM profile will be downloaded from the operator’s servers after scanning the QR code or installation code.
- Some providers will ask you to install their app to download the eSIM.
Cellular providers of eSIM cards to travel to Australia
If you meet the above requirements, you will be able to purchase and activate an eSIM card for Australia. In case you don’t meet these requirements, don’t worry you can still buy a traditional Australia SIM card with 10 and 12 GB. The best part is that the SIM card comes with a cellphone number. Coming up, we will tell you everything about the providers available on the market so that you can purchase your eSIM to remain connected in Australia. Keep in mind that these providers sell eSIM for tourism or business trips. We list them below:
- Holafly
- Au by KDDI
- Three HK
- Ubigi
- TravelSIM
- Wificoin
(You may be interested in Best eSIM for the USA)
Prices and data plans of eSIM providers to travel to Australia
Read more about the eSIM prices below. The prices will depend on the area, coverage, and roaming agreements you have with local operators in Australia.
Holafly plans and prices in Australia:
- 10GB for 30 days at $34 USD
- 20GB for 30 days at $44 USD
Au by KDDI plans and prices in Australia:
- 5GB for 30 days at USD 53.64
- 8GB for 30 days at USD 82.31
Three HK plans and prices in Australia:
- 500MB for 1 day at USD 12
- 10GB for 30 days at USD 138
- 20GB for 30 days at USD 198
- 35GB for 365 days at USD 268
Ubigi prices in Australia:
- 3GB for 30 days at USD 39
TravelSim plans and prices in Australia:
- 500MB for 30 days at USD 19
- 1GB for 30 days at USD 25
- 2GB for 30 days at USD 41
- 3GB for 30 days at USD 59
- 5GB for 30 days at USD 93
- 10GB for 30 days at USD 93
Wificoin prices in Australia:
- 1GB for 30 days at USD 29.99
- 5GB for 30 days at USD 99.99
Comparison of eSIM providers for Australia
| Provider | Data | Days | Price | Language | Sales channels |
| Holafly | 10GB | 30 | USD 34 | English, German, French, and Spanish | Web |
| Holafly | 20GB | 30 | USD 44 | English, German, French, and Spanish | Web |
| Au by KDDI | 5GB | 30 | USD 52 | English | Web |
| Au by KDDI | 8GB | 30 | USD 81 | English | Web |
| Three HK | 500MB | 1 | USD 12 | English | Web |
| Three HK | 10GB | 30 | USD 138 | English | Web |
| Three HK | 20GB | 30 | USD 198 | English | Web |
| Three HK | 35GB | 365 | USD 268 | English | Web |
| Ubigi | 3GB | 30 | USD 39 | English | App Store, Google Play |
| TravelSIM | 3GB | 30 | USD 59 | Spanish | Web |
| TravelSIM | 5GB | 30 | USD 93 | Spanish | Web |
| Wificoin | 1GB | 30 | USD 30 | English | App Store, Google Play |
| Wificoin | 5GB | 30 | USD 100 | English | App Store, Google Play |
Features of the eSIM to travel to Australia
We want you to know what you are buying so we will tell you everything regarding the features you must consider for your trip to Australia. Despite their similarity, an eSIM and a regular SIM are not the same. Check out the details here:
- Most eSIM cards don’t offer you analog calls, only data. So to communicate by voice, you can use apps like Skype or WhatsApp.
- They can be installed only once, therefore, if you are having problems with your eSIM card, don’t delete it from your cell phone and contact your eSIM provider instead.
- With the eSIM you will have a dual-SIM cell phone. You’ll be able to keep your local SIM when you travel to Australia along with the eSIM.
- Remember to set up your cell phone to avoid surprise invoices.
- You can add multiple data plans on your cell phone, but this depends on the available memory, and keep in mind that it’s only possible to use one plan at a time.
- Some eSIMs configure the automatic APN.
(You may be interested in Best eSIM for Europe)
eSIM coverage to travel to Australia
One of the most important aspects when traveling to Australia is the coverage that your eSIM will provide. You may be buying a very cheap eSIM card, but it may not offer you good coverage in Australia.
The eSIM cards that will offer you the best network coverage on your trip to Australia are those that have the largest number of roaming agreements with the main operators such as Telstra, Optus, or Vodafone.
By having multiple network connection options, your iPhone will switch networks according to the areas you visit in Australia. To help you, we share here the coverage maps of the main Australian operators.
Telstra 4G coverage map in Australia
Optus 4G network coverage in Australia
Vodafone 4G coverage map in Australia
Local cellular operators offering eSIMs in Australia
This option is primarily intended for Australian locals who wish to migrate from their physical SIM cards to the new virtual cards.
However, it must be considered that to activate a plan with eSIM, certain requirements must be met, and some procedures must be carried out. The eSIM that domestic operators offer is mainly intended for permanent residents and not for travelers, although there are exceptions.
Here we have listed the Australian cellular operators that already have eSIM technology-enabled for their users:
- Telstra
- Optus
- Vodafone
FAQ about eSIM in Australia
We answer the most common questions you may have before purchasing your eSIM to travel to Australia.
It’s not necessary to present a passport, but some providers do require your address.
Yes, eSIMs for Australia will allow you to share your data with other devices. However, we recommend checking with the provider’s customer service.
After installing the virtual SIM profile, you must choose it as the default means of cellular data, activate data, and roaming and your virtual SIM should now work.
Yes, like physical cards, virtual SIMs also have an expiration date.
