Our team of mobile plan experts have compared over 170 mobile plans from 37 mobile providers in Australia. We've curated 5 top picks based on price and expert analysis. Not all plans will suit your needs so make sure you compare your options before choosing the right one for you.
Why you can trust our research
175 mobile plans with international inclusions analysed
180+ hours of research
Mobile network: Wholesale Telstra 4G network
Total cost over first 12 months: $324
We looked at mobile plans on Finder that cost under $30 per month with unlimited international calls to a select number of destinations. We then gave each shortlisted plan a value score by assigning weights to a number of factors including cost per data over 12 months (including promotional offers), network coverage, data rollover and Wi-Fi calling. Our top pick was chosen based on the plan with the highest value score from a Finder partner.
Mobile network: Telstra 4G/5G network
Total cost over first 12 months: $397
We assessed mobile plans on Finder that cost under $40 per month with unlimited international calls to a select number of destinations. We then gave each shortlisted plan a value score by assigning weights to a number of factors including cost per data over 12 months (including promotional offers), network coverage, data rollover and Wi-Fi calling. Our top pick was chosen based on the plan with the highest value score from a Finder partner.
Mobile network: Optus 4G/5G network
Total cost over first 12 months: $455
We assessed mobile plans on Finder that cost under $50 per month with unlimited international calls to a select number of destinations. We then gave each shortlisted plan a value score by assigning weights to a number of factors including cost per data over 12 months (including promotional offers), network coverage, data rollover and Wi-Fi calling. Our top pick was chosen based on the plan with the highest value score from a Finder partner.
Mobile network: Telstra 4G/5G network
Total cost over first 12 months: $230
We looked at mobile plans on Finder that cost under $250 with unlimited international calls to a select number of destinations. We then gave each shortlisted plan a value score by assigning weights to a number of factors including cost per data over 12 months (including promotional offers), network coverage, data rollover and Wi-Fi calling. Our top pick was chosen based on the plan with the highest value score from a Finder partner.
Mobile network: Wholesale Telstra 4G/5G network
Total cost over first 12 months: $348
We looked at mobile plans on Finder that run on the Telstra network, cost $40 or less per month and feature international calls. We then gave each shortlisted plan a value score by assigning weights to a number of factors including cost per data over 12 months (including promotional offers), network coverage, data rollover and Wi-Fi calling. Our top pick was chosen based on the plan with the highest value score from a Finder partner.
There's no one-size-fits-all approach to finding the best mobile plan for international calls. Aside from your budget, your needs will vary depending on which countries you need to call and how frequently you need to call them.
These are some of the things you should consider when deciding which mobile plan to get for international calls:
Make sure the countries you want to call are covered
Double-check which countries are on a provider's international call inclusions so you'll be able to call your family and friends without incurring extra costs. Calls to China, Hong Kong, India, NZ, USA and the UK are often covered by providers, but if you're looking to call other countries such as the Philippines, Sri Lanka and South Africa, make sure you check that the provider covers this.
Are calls unlimited or restricted to minutes?
While the country you want to call may be on a provider's list, there are different ways that providers offer you international calls. Some providers give you unlimited calls to a set number of destinations, whereas others may restrict you to a dollar credit amount (e.g. $300 worth of calls) or minutes (e.g. 300 minutes). If you're not a frequent caller, credit or minutes might do you just fine, but otherwise, unlimited may be the better option.
Check the call rates
This won't be an issue if your plan comes with unlimited international calls, but if you have a limit on call credit, you'd need to check the call rates a provider has for the country you want to call. From there, you can find out how long your call credit will last.
Do you need to call a landline or mobile number?
If you have call credits, you'll need to pay attention to whether you're calling a landline or mobile. That's because the providers will have different rates to landlines and mobiles in the same country. If you're calling a mobile number overseas, your call credits may not last very far.
You'll find international call inclusions by clicking "View details" and in the "Calls + texts" section.
Optus offers unlimited standard international talk and text to 35 selected destinations on its postpaid plans.
The countries you can call are: Brazil, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, UK, USA and Vietnam.
You do not get international calls included on the Small Optus Choice Plus plan, which is 30GB of data for $49 a month. To make international calls, you'd need to purchase an add-on.
If you have the $59, $69 or $89 plan, you can only use your included international calls to the selected destinations. You can't make outbound international calls to any destinations not on the list.
Optus prepaid plans with 28-day expiries come with international minutes to selected destinations.
Depending on your plan, you can get between 400 and 1,200 minutes of international calls to 20 selected countries. They are: Brazil, Canada, mainland China, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, UK, USA and Vietnam.
If you get the 7-day, 186-day or 365-day recharge options, you do not get international calls included. If you want to make international calls with one of those plans or you need further minutes or call destinations outside of the above countries, there are 2 options available:
Vodafone splits its international inclusions across zone 1 and zone 2 countries.
Vodafone offers unlimited international calls to zone 1 countries and 300 minutes of calls to zone 2 countries with its postpaid SIM only plans. However you do not get international calls included on Vodafone's Small SIM only plan.
As for its prepaid plans, you're only able to get international call inclusions on Vodafone's 28-day expiry Prepaid Plus plans.
Depending on your plan, you can get 500–2,000 minutes of standard international calls to zone 1 countries and 100–250 minutes of standard international calls to zone 2 countries.
Besides the standard inclusions, you also have the option to purchase a Vodafone add-on that gives you 30–120 minutes of standard international calls to 50 selected countries.
Or you can purchase a $10 International Value Pack, which allows you to make international calls at discounted rates.
There are 36 countries in zone 1: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Germany, Guam, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Puerto Rico, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, UK, USA and the Vatican (Holy See).
There are 54 zone 2 countries: Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brunei, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Faroe Islands, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Macau, Malta, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Northern Mariana Islands, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Reunion, Russia, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain Canary Islands, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Venezuela and Vietnam.
Telstra's international calls seem generous on its postpaid plans, as you get included minutes to any country rather than a restricted list. The catch is you only get 30 minutes of calls.
If you need to make more than 30 minutes of calls, you'll then need to purchase an International Calling Pack, which gives you additional minutes to selected destinations.
You're also able to get included minutes of international calls with all but one Telstra prepaid plan, but as with most providers, the number of minutes and the countries you can call varies from plan to plan.
Depending on your plan, you can get up to 6,000 minutes (or 100 hours) to zone 1 countries, up to 800 minutes to zone 2 countries and up to 100 minutes to zone 3 countries. The more you spend on your Telstra prepaid plan, the more minutes you get.
There are 88 international destinations you can call on a Telstra prepaid plan and they are split up into 3 zones.
Telstra's zone 1 destinations are: Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Puerto Rico, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, UK, USA, US Virgin Islands and Vietnam.
The zone 2 destinations you can call are: Argentina, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Faroe Islands, French Guiana, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Greece, Italy, Laos, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, France, Iran, Israel, Kenya, Kuwait, Mexico, Mongolia, Palestinian Authority, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Peru, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Slovak Republic and Venezuela.
Zone 3 destinations include all of those included in zone 2, with the addition of: Austria, Comoros, Croatia, East Timor, Egypt, Fiji, Ghana, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Russia, Samoa, Serbia, Solomon Islands, Surinam, Switzerland, Tonga, Turkey, Vanuatu and Zimbabwe.
If you have a Telstra Prepaid Mobile Casual Plan, you are unable to call zone 3 destinations.
You can get international calls on quite a few mobile plans in Australia, either included or for an additional cost. We've listed the international call inclusions from some of the major providers in Australia below.
| Provider | International calls |
|---|---|
| amaysim | Unlimited standard calls for up to 42 selected countries on some plans |
| Boost Mobile | Unlimited standard calls for up to 20 selected countries and up to 3,600 standard minutes to 30 selected countries on some plans |
| Belong | $5 a month extra for unlimited calls to 30 selected countries |
| ALDImobile | Unlimited standard calls to 20 selected countries and up to 600 standard minutes to 30 selected countries on some plans |
| Kogan | $5–$15 per 30 days for 250 standard minutes to up to 20 selected countries |
| Everyday Mobile (Woolworths) | Unlimited standard international calls to 22 selected countries on prepaid plans and 30 selected countries on SIM only plans |
| Lebara | Unlimited standard calls for up to 64 selected countries and up to 500 minutes to zone 1 and zone 2 countries on some plans |
| Moose Mobile | Up to $400 international call credit on some plans |
| TPG | PAYG international calls (country rates apply) |
| Coles Mobile | Unlimited standard calls to 15 selected countries on prepaid plans and 22 selected countries on month-to-month plans |
"While most of us use apps like WhatsApp to call friends and family abroad, I knew I needed to sign up to a plan that offered international calls to landlines so I could keep in touch with my grandma overseas who actually doesn't own a mobile phone. I opted for a Boost Mobile plan as it offered unlimited calls to the country I needed for no additional cost to the plan."
Each month, we select the best plans across 5 categories.
For certain categories, we use a value scoring system to choose the best mobile plan for international calls by scoring the following factors:
We then assign a weight to each of the factors in order to calculate a value score. Price and data are given the highest weighting.
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I am looking for a prepaid plan that will enable me to phone Papua New Guinea from Australia. Many providers have lists of countries, but so far I have not found one that includes PNG. Can you help please?
Hi Clive, in this instance you might need to consider calling card or look for a provider that offers cheap international call rates. Hope this helps.
I.m looking for a good plan for calling back to Australia when I,m on holidays in Thailand , as I,ll basically it.ll be a working holiday.who has the best rates?
Hi Mark,
You can read more about international roaming and providers that offer prepaid roaming in our guides to see what might suit your needs best:
https://www.finder.com.au/mobile-plans/global-roaming
https://www.finder.com.au/mobile-plans/global-roaming/roaming-prepaid
Hope this helps
I am looking for sim card or prepaid plan only offering international calls to Ukraine.
Hi Halyna,
Thanks for your message and for contacting finder.
The information above shows the list of providers who will allow you to make international calls to Ukraine.
To check their prepaid plans, simply click the MORE INFO on the right side of their page or you can also visit their respective websites.
Be sure to choose the prepaid plan that fits your needs and budget.
Hope this helps! Feel free to message us should you have further questions.
Cheers!
Nikki
I am looking for a prepaid plan or sim only plan with sufficient data (average 4GB) and free calls within Australia on any network and any number plus calls to Fiji
Hi Ronil,
Thank you for contacting Finder.
You may compare your options from our list of prepaid mobile plans and SIM only plans in Australia. On the page, is a comparison table you can use to find the right plan. You can compare different brands based on features, data, and price. When you are ready, you may then click on the “Go to site” button and you will be redirected to the provider’s website to proceed with your purchase.
I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Danielle