Which mobile providers have eSIM in Australia?

If you’ve bought a new mobile phone since 2019, the chances are good you have an eSIM-compatible handset. eSIM is short for ‘embedded SIM’, and it’s a digital replacement for what used to be relegated to a physical SIM card. As long as you own an eSIM-compatible mobile phone, the only other thing you need is a prepaid or SIM-only postpaid plan from a mobile provider that supports the digital SIM tech.

Scroll on for everything you need to know about eSIM, including mobile providers and plans.

If you’re happy with your current provider and they support eSIM, you may be able to transfer from physical SIM card to eSIM via the companion app. Alternatively, reach out to your mobile provider for the steps on how to switch. One of the common switching methods is via a QR code, emailed by your provider. Use your mobile phone to take a picture of the QR code to get an eSIM configuration link. Follow the prompts and you’re good to go.

For manual switching, iPhone users should go to ‘Settings’, ‘Mobile’, then ‘Add eSIM’. Android users have different ways to access eSIM depending on the manufacturer, but head to ‘Settings’, then ‘Connections’ for more eSIM information.

If you’re switching from an eSIM on one phone to a different phone, you may have to request a replacement eSIM from your mobile provider first. Generally, though, set up the eSIM on the new device. Once activated, it should automatically deactivate the eSIM on your older device (but confirm this once you’re done switching).

eSIM has been around since 2019 in Australia. While it started out as something that only Optus, Vodafone and Telstra offered, nowadays, there are more and more providers offering eSIM. At the time of writing, there are more than 20 mobile providers in our database that offer eSIM mobile plans. Some offer eSIM support for postpaid plans, some for prepaid plans, and some for both.

The table below shows the eSIM providers in Australia that we track in our database.

To switch to an eSIM, reach out to any mobile provider on the list above for a new service or to request a transfer from a physical SIM card to an eSIM. If you’re switching from an eSIM provider to one that doesn’t offer it, chat to your new telco about the process of shifting from an eSIM to a physical SIM card. If my experience with Boost Mobile is any indication, it was the same process as a physical SIM card switch, without having to physically switch a SIM. It took under a minute to switch from eSIM to physical SIM on my Google Pixel 7 Pro.

It’s worth adding that many telcos offer different levels of support for eSIMs. For instance, Optus supports eSIMs for compatible smartphones and wearables. Vodafone also supports these devices but adds tablets to the mix, while Telstra supports all three alongside compatible Windows PCs.

Most mainstream mobile phones since 2016 support eSIM, and the tech has been supported in Australia since 2019. Because new eSIM-compatible phones are released multiple times a year, there’s an easier way to check if your device is compatible without having to scour a lengthy list of handsets. Dial *#06# on your phone and you should see a pop-up with device information. If you see an Embedded Identity Document (IED) serial number, your mobile phone is eSIM-compatible.

While smartphones and smartwatches are the best places to find an eSIM right now, a select number of tablets have also adopted the technology. As of 2024, there are both iPads and Microsoft Surface tablets available that offer on-the-go connectivity via eSIM on select models.

We track around 30 mobile providers in our database, but not all of them support eSIM for their SIM-only and/or prepaid plans. For most telcos in our database that do support the tech, plan inclusions are identical for physical SIM card and eSIM. Basically, the main difference between eSIM and physical SIM plans is whether you have to insert a SIM card.

Mobile providers like Optus, Vodafone and Telstra support eSIM for SIM-only and prepaid plans, while most of the telcos we track tend to stick to offer either prepaid or SIM-only plans. Choosing the right eSIM plan is the same process as picking one for a physical SIM card, minus the waiting time for SIM delivery.

As long as your mobile phone supports eSIM, first consider an eSIM plan with enough data to meet your monthly needs. Start comparisons with around 30GB, then shift down to around 10GB if you have light needs or go up to 60GB+ if you need more gigabytes. From there, it really is just about plan perks, including network coverage, 4G vs 5Gconsiderations, then other nice-to-haves like international inclusions (calls, texts and/or roaming), discounts, bonus gigabytes and data rollover.

The cheapest eSIM plan, at least as far as the ones in our database go, is one with a limited-time new-customer discount. Check out this list of the cheapest eSIM plans from our database for SIM-only and prepaid users looking for a monthly billing cycle or recharge duration.

The other pathway to the cheapest eSIM plan is to consider costs over a longer duration. This can include initial promo pricing, but once that expires, ongoing pricing helps to separate cheap first-year pricing from ongoing fees. Here’s a list of the cheapest eSIM plans from our database for prepaid and SIM-only users in terms of 24-month costs.

If you’re already looking at picking up a phone with eSIM through Optus (like the iPhone 16, Galaxy S25 Ultra, or Pixel 9), you won’t have to work too hard to make use of that extra functionality. Optus offers eSIM on all postpaid and prepaid plans.

All Optus SIM-only eSIM plans come with unlimited talk and text, plus no excess data fees. Max-speed data is offered on the Optus 5G network (where available), while most plans have unlimited international talk and text to 35 selected destinations. Here’s a round-up of popular Optus SIM-only (postpaid) eSIM plans from our database.

All Optus prepaid plans include unlimited talk and text in Australia, plus data rollover up to 200GB. You can potentially save money with a cheaper starter pack before shifting to a 28-day, 186-day or 365-day prepaid plan. Here’s a look at popular Optus prepaid eSIM plans from our comparison engine.

Vodafone offers a choice of either a physical SIM or an eSIM whenever you sign up for either a SIM-only or prepaid plan.

Like Optus, Vodafone has a range of eSIM-compatible mobile phones to pair with its SIM-only plans. These have unlimited national talk and text, Vodafone 5G coverage (where available) and no excess data charges. Vodafone SIM-only plans also have a 30-day network-satisfaction guarantee, plus the priciest ones have unlimited international calls to selected destinations. Below is a list of popular Vodafone SIM-only (postpaid) eSIM plans from our database.

Vodafone also has eSIM for its prepaid plans, all of which include unlimited talk and text in Australia. These prepaid plans also have no excess data fees, 200GB of data rollover, plus most have international talk and text inclusions. Check out this list of popular Vodafone prepaid plans from our comparison engine, all of which support eSIM.

New and existing Telstra customers should find it easy to pair a mobile plan with an eSIM device. If you’re a new customer, you’ll get the eSIM option during sign-up. If you’re an existing customer, switch to an eSIM via the My Telstra app.

Telstra SIM-only plans aren’t cheap, but they do include unlimited talk and text, plus access to the Telstra 5G network. There aren’t any excess data fees, plus all plans have some international minutes to all global destinations, as well as unlimited SMS and MMS. Here’s a breakdown of Telstra’s most popular SIM-only eSIM plans from our database (all paid upfront).

Telstra prepaid eSIM plans have unlimited national talk and text in Australia, plus call minutes for international destinations. There’s also a 200GB data bank if you recharge before expiry. If you want a Telstra prepaid plan, check out these popular picks.

All TPG prepaid plans are eSIM-ready. New customers can take advantage of a long-running discount for the first six months, while typical prices are competitive afterwards, with decent data inclusions. TPG prepaid plans also have international call minutes to 31 selected destinations. Here’s a snapshot of popular TPG prepaid eSIM plans from our database.

If those pros and cons above feel familiar, that’s because they’re identical to the ones for the TPG prepaid plans. Why? TPG and iiNet offer identical prepaid plans, down to pricing (promo and typical), data caps and international call inclusions. Below is a list of popular iiNet prepaid eSIM plans from our comparison engine.