Best Travel SIM And Travel Plan Providers

Canstar’s Most Satisfied Customers Awards recognise companies with the most satisfied customers overall based on consumer surveys.

Canstar  surveyed 1,519 Australians for their feedback on travel phone plan providers they’ve 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. Market research company PureProfile manages the survey on Canstar’s behalf.

Survey respondents are asked to rate their satisfaction with their travel SIM provider from zero to 10, with zero meaning extremely dissatisfied and 10 meaning extremely satisfied. Travel SIM provider satisfaction is rated on the following criteria:

• Overall satisfaction: measures consumer satisfaction with a travel phone plan provider as an individual score, NOT the combined total of all criteria.
• Network coverage: there was good mobile network coverage and reception in the country/countries travelled in.
• Sign-up and activation: the plan was easy to sign up to and activate.
• Value for money: the price paid for the travel or roaming pack was reasonable for the inclusions.
• Customer service: the provider was easy to get in touch with and offered good customer support.
• App or website: the provider offered an app or website that was easy to understand and use.
• Ease of recharge: it was easy to recharge the travel phone plan when needed.

The winning brand receives the highest overall rating once all the scores from each category are combined and averaged.

Canstar also gives Star Ratings to top performing financial products, and Outstanding Value Awards to providers with a range of high-performing products. 

Canstar’s Innovation Excellence Awards also showcase products and services that break new ground when it comes to helping customers.

Canstar rates products and services over a range of consumer categories, in addition to financial services.

Explore Canstar’s Most Satisfied Customers awards here.

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.

• Plan type: 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. 
• SIM card or eSIM?: 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.
• Destinations available: 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.
• Inclusions, cost and plan length: 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.

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:

• GoSIM
• Flexiroam
• TravelSim
• Tripsim (by Sydney Airport)