Best mobile phone plans with international calls

• Best for $30 or less: TPG's 50GB Medium Plan
• Best for $40 or less: Amaysim's UNLIMITED 80GB Plan
• Best for $50 or less: Lebara's Extra Large Plan

• What to look for in an international calls plan
• Which providers offer plans with unlimited international calls
• FAQs

Mobile phone plans with international calls aren't the norm in Australia, but there are still plenty to choose from. That said, almost all of them have a limited number of 'selected destinations' and if the country you need to call isn't on that plan or provider's list, you'll need to look elsewhere.

Some mobile plans have international calls baked into the standard price. Usually, this comes in the form of a limited number of talk minutes and text (no picture messages) to standard international numbers. There are mobile plans with unlimited international calls if you look hard enough, but these are often pricier, so have think about how many minutes and texts you actually need.

In this guide, we'll go over our picks this month for the best mobile phone plans with international calls from our database of around 30 mobile providers, favouring plans with unlimited calls.

The TPG 50GB Medium Plan is a great starting point for anyone looking for unlimited international calls – or really any international calling at all, given the price.

This prepaid plan is half off for the first six months for new customers. You get 50GB of data to use locally (in Australia), plus unlimited calls to 31 selected destinations. If any of these destinations fit your needs, it doesn't get much better than that when it comes to international calling.

Plan basics:

• International calls: unlimited calls to 31 destinations
• Intro price: $17.50 per month for six recharges
• Ongoing price: $35 per recharge, after deal ends
• Total cost over first 24 months: $735
• Data: 50GB
• Mobile network: Vodafone 5G, limited to 150Mbps

If TPGs plan doesn't suit your needs, there are plenty of other plans in our database with some kind of international inclusions. In the comparison table below, you can view the most popular plans with our readers over the last seven days that come in under $30 per month for at least the first six months.

The amaysim Unlimited 80GB Plan is normally priced at $50 per 28-day recharge, new customers who sign up before December 02 get $25 off the first recharge.

It comes with 80GB of Optus 5G data for use in Australia, capped at 150Mbps speeds. The plan also includes unlimited data banking, plus unlimited calls and SMS to 42 selected international destinations:

Plan basics:

• International inclusions: unlimited standard international calls, SMS and MMS to 42 destinations
• Intro price: $24 for first renewal (offer ends Dec 02)
• Standard price: $50 per 28-day recharge
• Total cost over first 24 months: $1,055
• Data: 80GB
• Mobile network: Optus 5G, limited to 150Mbps

There are plenty of other eligible plans with international calls that cost between $30 and $40 in our database. For comparison, here’s a list of popular mobile plans with international calls from our database that don’t cost more than $40 per month  for at least the first six months after signing up:

The Lebara Mobile $49.90 Extra Large Plan is packed with international inclusions for prepaid users. At home, new sign-ups pay $19 for the first month for 100GB of data, plus 100GB bonus data for the first three recharges (includes the initial activation, offer available till September 8). There are also unlimited call minutes and SMS to 60 destinations, 200 standard minutes to 15 Zone 1 destinations (plus 100 bonus minutes for the first three recharges during the intro deal period), and 50 standard call minutes to 11 Zone 2 destinations:

Plan basics:

• International calls: unlimited calls to 60 destinations, 200 mins to Zone 1, 50 mins to Zone 2
• Ongoing price: $49.90 per recharge, after deal ends
• Total cost over first 24 months: $1247.50
• Data: 100GB (plus 100GB bonus for first three recharges)
• Mobile network: Vodafone 5G, limited to 200Mbps

There are fewer plans in our database to factor in when hunting options with international calls, priced between $40 and $50 per month. Most, have unlimited call minutes to at least 15 international destinations, though there is the occasional plan that includes global credit limits.

There are several things to bear in mind when looking for a mobile plan that has international calls.

You should always check the list of included dialling destinations to ensure a mobile plan has international locations you actually want to call.

Most providers limit their international inclusions to a set number of destinations, picked by the provider. As such, some (or all) of those dialling destinations may not be relevant to your needs. But each provider is different, so just because one of them doesn't meet your needs, it doesn't mean there aren't other options out there.

Once you’ve found a plan that has the destination/s you want to call, it’s still worth shopping around for other options. If those countries are popular enough, they’ll be offered by multiple providers. And if you make a lot of calls, look for an unlimited international calls plan or sufficient minutes/credit to cover your talk time.

For plans that place limits on your international calling, we advise you go for one that divides its call allowance into minutes, rather than offering a set amount of credit. While your provider should have some kind of way for you to check your usage, you might still want an easy way to keep track of time while on a call. And it's much easier to count how much time you've spent on a call, rather than having to do time-to-credit translations on the fly.

Many providers include unlimited international calls on select plans. Those that do will generally limit your unlimited access to a pre-defined number of countries or destinations. If the list doesn't meet your needs, you'll need to check if another plan from that provider has broader options or look for plans from other providers.

Right now, the providers in our database that offer unlimited standard international calls in any way are:

• ALDI Mobile
• Amaysim
• Boost Mobile
• Coles Mobile
• Everyday Mobile (Woolworths)
• Lebara
• Lyca Mobile
• Superloop
• Tangerine
• TPG

Just double check the plan you're interested in supports the destination you want to call before you commit to it. 

Check out the widget below for a round-up of the cheapest unlimited international calls plans from our database with a monthly price of no more than $60.