🇦🇺 Australia eSIM

Before you go

• Coverage follows the population, which means the coast. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth are excellent; the moment you head inland on a highway you should expect long stretches with nothing at all.
• If you're driving the Nullarbor, the Stuart Highway, or anywhere in the outback, plan for no signal for hours at a time and download your maps offline before you set off. This is true of every network in Australia, local ones included.
• Distances are deceptive. A domestic flight between capital cities is often four hours, and a road trip that looks short on the map can be a full day.
• These are data-only plans. They don't come with a local phone number, and they don't carry calls or texts, so keep your normal SIM switched on for those and let the eSIM handle data.
• The plan starts when it first connects to a network at your destination, not when you buy it. Buy it weeks ahead if you like; the clock starts when you land.
• Install it before you fly, over your home Wi-Fi. Installing needs an internet connection, which is the one thing you won't have at the airport.
• Don't delete an eSIM to make room for another one. An activation code only works once, and your phone can hold several profiles side by side.

Australia eSIM questions

Will it work in the outback and national parks?

Often not. Australian mobile coverage is concentrated near towns and major highways, and large parts of the interior have no coverage from any operator. Download offline maps before leaving a town.

Does an Australia plan cover New Zealand?

No. Separate countries, separate plans. An Oceania regional plan covers both if your trip includes them.

How much data for a month in Australia?

20 GB is a comfortable month if you're moving around and using maps daily. 10 GB is enough for a city-based trip on hotel Wi-Fi.

Also travelling to…