Taking out its first win in Canstar Blue’s Most Satisfied Customer ratings for travel phone plans, Airalo scored five stars for overall satisfaction, network coverage and value for money.
Our travel phone plan provider ratings are based on customer satisfaction across multiple purchase factors. It’s like asking a bunch of your friends what they think of their travel phone service, but all in one place!
Canstar Blue surveyed 1,519 Australians for their feedback on travel phone plan providers they’ve been used. Respondents had to have used a SIM card or roaming pack for overseas travel in the past three years, not including SIM cards for use in Australia or purchased overseas.
Survey respondents are asked to rate their satisfaction with their travel phone plan provider from zero to 10, with zero meaning extremely dissatisfied and 10 meaning extremely satisfied. Travel mobile plan provider satisfaction is rated on the following criteria:
The winning brand is the brand that receives the highest Overall satisfaction rating after scores from the Overall satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged Overall satisfaction is asked as a specific question and represents an individual measure, not a combined total of all criteria.
To qualify in the ratings results, providers must have received a minimum of 30 responses to be included. Therefore, not all travel phone plan providers are in this survey. Providers rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
Find more information on our Most Satisfied Customers ratings.
The following table shows a selection of sponsored SIM Only plans on Canstar Blue’s database with links to referral partners.
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1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $20) SIM Only Prepaid
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Unlimited
GB |
$16.00 Cost/month |
Go to site |
Taking top spot in our travel phone plan ratings, Airalo scored five stars for overall satisfaction, network coverage and value for money, four stars for app or website and ease of recharge, while it scored three stars for sign up and activation and customer service.
Airalo is an eSIM provider, offering a range of travel packs that can be used in a select country or region, or a global travel pack if you’re visiting multiple regions and countries. Most of these packs are offered as data-only, however if you want call or text inclusions, you’ll need a global pack.
Telstra took out second place scoring four stars in most categories, including overall satisfaction, while it scored five stars for ease of recharge.
Telstra offers its travel plans in the form of international roaming add-ons for existing Telstra customers. This means you’re able to keep your Telstra SIM in your phone (and still have access to your Australian phone number) and add on a Day Pass. Inclusions, prices and eligible destinations vary between the plans.
In third place, Vodafone scored four stars in all categories including overall satisfaction, value for money and ease of recharge.
Vodafone’s $5-per-day roaming has been a standout offer for several years now. Rather than offering a roaming SIM or add-on packs, Vodafone customers on eligible plans can pay $5 per day of roaming to access their phone plan’s inclusions while overseas. While access to some inclusions (such as unlimited capped-speed data) are excluded, it offers a convenient way to access your phone plan when travelling.
Last year’s winner, SIM Corner, came in fourth place with four stars for overall satisfaction and customer service, while it scored five stars for network coverage, sign up and activation and value for money, and three stars for app or website and ease of recharge.
SIM Corner is an Australian-owned and operated provider offering a range of prepaid travel SIM packs. Most plans require the purchase of a physical SIM card that’s shipped to you, however eSIM packs are also available. Travel packs include destinations in Europe, the US, Asia, the UK, South America, New Zealand and more, with different inclusions and expiry dates available.
Optus came in fifth place scoring four stars in almost all categories, including overall satisfaction and network coverage, while it scored three stars for sign up and activation.
Optus offers a $5-per-day roaming add-on to eligible customers. Unlike Vodafone’s offering that allows access to existing domestic inclusions, Optus’ version comes with its own set of inclusions, which can be used in more than 100 destinations.
In sixth place, Everyday Mobile (formerly Woolworths Mobile) scored four stars in most categories, including overall satisfaction, while it scored five stars for both customer service and app or website.
Everyday Mobile offers international roaming as an add-on to an existing phone plan. There are several roaming add-ons to choose from, with varying prices, inclusions and expiry periods, however it’s only available to use in select countries.
Rounding out our ratings was WorldSIM, which dropped down from third place in our 2024 ratings. It scored three stars in all categories including overall satisfaction and value for money.
WorldSIM is a UK-based travel plan provider, offering a range of options to suit your travel plan needs, including data-only plans. While you can choose to get a physical SIM card shipped to you, you can opt to go eSIM for quicker access.
Whether you’re looking for an international roaming add-on, or you want a separate SIM with a specific travel plan, there are plenty of providers offering a range of travel phone plans. While not all providers (or telcos offering international roaming on plans) are covered in our ratings, it doesn’t mean you can’t find a good-value travel plan to suit your needs. Some other travel phone plan providers include:
Having access to our mobile phones and phone service overseas is an essential for many of us. It’s vital for keeping in touch with friends and family back home, sharing our journey on social media, using maps and browsing great places to visit.
Of the Australians we surveyed in 2025, 33% used their travel SIM more for data than calls and texts and 31% chose a travel SIM because roaming on their regular plan was too expensive. Although 36% said that they’d recommend their travel SIM to friends and family or other travellers, there are a few things to consider when choosing a travel phone plan.
First up, you’ll need to decide what type of travel plan you’ll need. 53% of our survey respondents choose to buy a prepaid SIM for their travels, while 47% added a roaming package to their usual phone plan.
If you’re a light data user, or if you’re with a telco that offers a good international roaming plan, you might prefer to just switch roaming on and use your plan’s included roaming rates. But if you’re looking to do a lot of photo sharing on social media, you might be better suited to a travel-specific plan with lots of data.
If you prefer to go with a travel-specific phone plan instead of roaming, there are plenty available to pre-purchase so you don’t need to find a SIM card when you reach your destination. Some of these might include calls, texts and data allowance, while some might be data-only. If you choose a data-only plan, you may need to set up a messaging app that uses mobile data, such as Messenger or WhatsApp, so you can still make calls and send messages.
Some plans might also be available with an eSIM. The advantage to using eSIM is that there’s no need to switch out your Australian SIM for a physical SIM card, so you’ll be able to get text messages to your Aussie number while travelling — very important for receiving verification codes from your bank and other services. You can also set up your eSIM before you hop on your flight. Keep in mind that eSIM is not available with every phone, so you’ll need to check if your mobile phone offers eSIM compatibility. Some phones might have dual-SIM capability so you’ll be able to have your Aussie SIM and a physical travel SIM in your phone at the same time.
The most popular travel destinations in Europe, Asia, Oceania and North and South America are covered by many travel phone plans, but it’s important to check a plan’s included destinations before signing up. Likewise, if you’re travelling to multiple destinations, you may prefer to find a travel phone plan that will cover all of those places.
Once you’ve narrowed down your search, you’ll need to consider how long the travel plan is active. Some plans might have limited expiry periods, so you might need to recharge your plan when still travelling. If that’s the case, make sure you know how to recharge, have any required app installed and your payment details already connected to the account (if possible).
Also consider what inclusions you need, such as how much data you’ll likely use each day, and how much the plan will cost. Travel phone plans are often expensive and data inclusions can be small so it’s a good idea to make use of secure WiFi networks when available. It’s also a good idea to download all your favourite movies, shows, music, podcasts and audiobooks before you travel so you’re not draining your data by streaming.
Emma Bradstock has been an authority on consumer phone, internet, technology and streaming markets in Australia for over five years, with a dedication to providing Aussies with all the information they need to make better purchasing decisions. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Media from Macquarie University and has a decade of professional writing experience in print and digital media.
Meet the Editorial Team
Samantha Howse is Canstar Blue’s Consumer Research and Insights Manager, coordinating the consumer research program behind our customer satisfaction awards across Canstar and Canstar Blue in Australia and New Zealand. Sam has earned a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from Griffith University and, with seven years in market research and 2 years in marketing, she is experienced in survey design, implementation and analysis, coupled with an understanding of marketing principles and best practice.
Meet the Research TeamHere are past winners of Canstar Blue’s Most Satisfied Customers – Travel phone plan ratings:
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