How to keep your Australian mobile number when moving overseas

Fact Checked

Ever wondered if you can keep your Australian phone number when moving overseas?

Whether you’re travelling, just wanting to keep an active ‘burner’ phone in the drawer for when you need it or if you want a super low-fuss phone plan to use, read on to find out how to store or save your Australian number for up to a year.

How to keep your mobile number when moving abroad

If you’re moving abroad but still need to keep your Australian mobile number – say, for two-factor authentication or to use when you come back – you’ve got a couple of options. One of these is to choose a low-cost, 365-day prepaid SIM. 

You can port your phone number to a 365-day plan, inject minimal money into it and let it sit for a full year. Lots of providers offer 365-day expiry plans, with varying data inclusions and price points. If you’re just looking for a way to keep your number, porting it to a cheap long-expiry plan can be the simplest and most low-cost way to retain your digits when overseas.

One bonus is that cheap prepaid SIM cards are usually available in-store, through Woolworths, Coles, ALDI supermarkets, Officeworks, 7-Eleven and more.

Prepaid offers you might like

The following table shows a selection of sponsored SIM Only plans on Canstar Blue’s database with links to referral partners.

Sponsored Products

FELIX | $40 Plan 1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $20) SIM Only Prepaid 50% off for 6 months with code: FELIX6. Get UNLIMITED data for your first 6 months, then $40/month. Unlimited data at speeds up to 20Mbps. No lock in contract.

Unlimited GB Data/month

$20.00 Cost/month

Go to site

Unlimited 20 1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $20) SIM Only Prepaid 70% Discount offer! Now only $6! 10GB + 10GB bonus data (on activation + 2 renewals). Rollover up to 500GB and enjoy unlimited national talk and text. T&Cs apply.

20GB Data/month

$6.00 Cost/month

Go to site

TPG | T4G Medium Plan 1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $17.50) SIM Only Prepaid 50% off mobile plan fees! Get 50GB data for only $17.50/mth for 6 months, then $30/mth with a linked TPG internet plan. Otherwise, $35/mth. T&Cs apply.

50GB Data/month

$17.50 Cost/month

Go to site

View all mobile plans listed on Canstar Blue

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Can I use my phone overseas?

In most instances, yes you can use your phone overseas on a plan from an international provider. To know the answer for certain, you need to consider whether your phone is compatible with local networks at your destination and if it’s locked to your current network. If the answers are yes and no respectively, then you should be good to use your phone overseas.

Australian phones use Global System for Mobiles (GSM) technology, which fortunately is the standard in the majority of countries worldwide. However, older phones bought in Australia may not work if you’re trying to use them on a network that relies on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology instead.

Newer, high end phones, including iPhones, should be ok to use across most of the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Asia and New Zealand. However, it’s best to check with your intended overseas provider in advance to make sure your phone is compatible.

If you decide that you do want to use your phone while you’re abroad, it might also be worth looking into whether your phone has dual SIM capabilities or is eSIM compatible. That way you can continue to use both your Australian mobile number and your local number in the same phone without having to worry about where you’ve put your physical SIM card.

Is it possible to get a longer expiry than one year?

The longest expiry period for prepaid plans in Australia is 365 days. This means if you plan on leaving your phone number for longer than a year, you may need to recharge if you’re still overseas. Remember that telcos may deactivate your service if your credit balance is left at $0, meaning you will probably need to maintain some credit on the plan to keep it active.

Compare SIM-only plans

If you’re looking for a SIM-only plan for when you return, the following table shows a range of postpaid and prepaid phone plans from a range of providers. Switch between the tabs to compare prepaid and postpaid plans.