Best mobile phone plans with international calls

While add-ons for international calls are handy, mobile plans with with them baked in can be even better. We'll take you through the best options in our database, and go over how some of the bigger providers handle things. But if you'd prefer to get straight to business, here's some of our database's most popular mobile phone plans with international call inclusions over the last seven days:

Kate Reynolds
Jun 16, 2025
Icon Time To Read13 min read

In this international calling guide:

In Australia, SIM-only and prepaid mobile plans typically compete over data because standard national calls and texts are unlimited. But while unlimited calls and text within Australia are the norm, it's a different story for international calling and messaging.

Aside from expensive pay as you go (PAYG) rates, the norm is to purchase an add-on from your provider, but you can also find options with international calling baked in. And then there's the occasional and much-desired unlimited international calls plan.

We’ve rounded up some of the best mobile phone plans with international calls from our database, including our pick for the best one with unlimited calls.

Best international calling plan for $30 or less

TPG 50GB Medium plan


The TPG 50GB Medium Plan is a great starting point for anyone looking for unlimited international calls. This prepaid plan is half price for the first six months if you’re a new customer, and there's a 50% discount for the first six months. You get 50GB of local (Australian) data, plus unlimited calls to 31 selected destinations. If any of those 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
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Reasons to buy
  • Unlimited calls to 31 destinations
  • Unlimited SMS to 31 destinations
  • New-customer discount
  • Competitive ongoing pricing
  • 50GB data
  • Monthly recharges
  • 5G network access
  • eSIM supported
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Reasons to avoid
  • Speeds capped at 150Mbps
  • Vodafone 5G network availability
  • Potential excess data fees
  • PAYG international roaming
  • No data rollover
  • Bangladesh
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • Chile
  • China
  • Colombia
  • Germany
  • Guam
  • Hong Kong
  • Iceland
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Malaysia
  • Mexico
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Norway
  • Peru
  • Puerto Rico
  • Romania
  • Singapore
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
  • United Kingdom
  • United States of America
  • Vatican City

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.

How we chose this international calling plan 

We chose the plan with the cheapest first-year pricing, which includes discounts for new customers. Only plans that fell under $30 on average per billing cycle in the first year were considered. Plans were also only eligible if they had unlimited international calls to at least 15 destinations.

Best international calling plan for $40 or less

amaysim Unlimited 120GB Plan


The amaysim Unlimited 120GB Plan has a great deal right now. Normally priced at $50 per 28-day recharge, new customers get $15 off  for the 12 recharges. While that post-deal price might be higher than you'd like to pay, there's no contract here, so you can switch plans when you get close to the end of the discount period.

It comes with 120GB of Optus 5G data for use in Australia, capped at 200Mbps speeds. Either price includes unlimited data banking and 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: $35 for first 12 renewals (28-day recharges)
  • Ongoing price: $50 per recharge, after deal ends
  • Total cost over first 24 months: $1,055
  • Data: 120GB
  • Mobile network: Optus 5G, limited to 200Mbps
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Reasons to buy
  • Unlimited calls to 42 destinations
  • Unlimited SMS and MMS to 42 destinations
  • Long introductory deal period
  • 120GB data at up to 200Mbps
  • Optus 5G network access
  • Unlimited data banking
  • eSIM supported
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Reasons to avoid
  • Potential excess data fees
  • PAYG international roaming
  • Post-deal price is $50 per month
  • Probably more data than you need
  • High speed cap (compared to most plans)
  • Austria
  • Bangladesh
  • Brazil
  • Cambodia
  • Canada
  • Chile
  • China
  • Colombia
  • Croatia
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Guam
  • Hong Kong
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Malaysia
  • Malta
  • Mexico
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Norway
  • Pakistan
  • Philippines
  • Poland
  • Puerto Rico
  • Romania
  • Singapore
  • South Africa
  • South Korea
  • Sweden
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
  • Turkey
  • United Kingdom
  • United States of America
  • Vietnam

There plenty of eligible plans with international calls that cost between $30 and $40 in our database. Most of them are monthly SIM-only or prepaid plans, which means 12 bills per year if you stick around. We’d advise avoiding mobile plans with international calls that rely on minimal credit, particularly when that credit is shared with text allowances.

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:

How we chose this international calling plan 

Plan eligibility for this category was determined by the lowest price over the first 12 months, which includes initial promotional discounts. We only factored in plans that were priced between $31 and $40 per month, and they needed to have unlimited international calls to at least 15 destinations. There are also 200 standard minutes to 15 Zone 1 destinations (plus 100 bonus minutes until 11 August 2025).

Best international calling plan for $50 or less

Lebara $49.90 Extra Large Plan


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 (which includes the initial activation). There are also unlimited call minutes (and SMS) to 60 destinations, 200 standard minutes to 15 Zone 1 destinations (plus 100 bonus minutes until 11 August 2025), 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
  • Intro price: $19 for first 30-day recharge
  • Ongoing price: $49.90 per recharge, after deal ends
  • Total cost over first 24 months: $1,216.60
  • Data: 100GB (plus 100GB bonus for first three recharges)
  • Mobile network: Vodafone 5G, limited to 200Mbps
pro
Reasons to buy
  • Unlimited calls to 60 destinations
  • 200 minutes to 60 destinations
  • 100 bonus minutes to 60 destinations
  • 50 minutes to 11 destinations
  • Unlimited SMS to 60 destinations
  • 100GB data
  • 100GB bonus data for first three recharges
  • 5G network access
  • 200GB data bank
  • eSIM supported
con
Reasons to avoid
  • Speeds capped at 200Mbps (not a concern for the majority of users)
  • Vodafone 5G network availability
  • Potential excess data fees
  • Argentina
  • Austria
  • Bangladesh
  • Brazil
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Cambodia
  • Canada
  • Chile
  • China
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • France
  • French Guiana
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Guam
  • Hong Kong
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Ireland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Luxembourg
  • Malaysia
  • Malta
  • Mexico
  • Mongolia
  • Netherlands
  • Netherlands Antilles
  • New Zealand
  • Norway
  • Peru
  • Philippines
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Puerto Rico
  • Reunion
  • Romania
  • Singapore
  • Slovak Republic
  • Slovenia
  • South Africa
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
  • Turkey
  • United Kingdom
  • United States of America
  • Venezuela
  • Vietnam
  • Afghanistan
  • Egypt
  • Iran
  • Jordan
  • Kuwait
  • Laos
  • Lebanon
  • Myanmar
  • Nepal
  • Nigeria
  • Paraguay
  • Samoa
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Sri Lanka
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Croatia
  • Ethiopia
  • Fiji
  • Ghana
  • Iraq
  • Qatar
  • Serbia
  • Somalia
  • South Sudan
  • Sudan
  • Syria

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.

How we chose this best mobile plan with international calls 

To be eligible for this category, mobile plans in our database had to have unlimited international calls to at least 15 destinations. They also had to be priced between $41 and $50 per month. The winning plan was the one that had the cheapest price over the first 12 months, including any initial discounts.

Optus phone plans with international calls


Optus is one of a few mobile providers we track that offers international calls for its postpaid SIM-only and prepaid plans. Not every Optus plan has international calls, but they all do at least include some international SMS allowance. There are also differences between international calling inclusions based on whether you opt for a prepaid plan (and how much you pay) or a SIM-only plan, the latter of which have identical international inclusions to each other.

Optus SIM-only (postpaid) plans

Except for the cheapest one, every Optus postpaid plan comes with unlimited standard international talk and text to 35 selected destinations. There are three Optus SIM-only plans with international calls to choose from, ranging in price from $65 to $85 per month after the occasional introductory discount period. All of them come with at least 200GB for use in Australia, plus no excess data fees via a 1.5Mbps speed cap once max-speed gigabytes are exhausted.

Optus has 35 countries to call or text with the right postpaid plan, which are subject to change (and a fair-go policy applies).

pro
Reasons to buy
  • Unlimited calls to 35 destinations
  • Unlimited SMS to 35 destinations
  • Hundreds of gigabytes of local data
  • Optus 5G network access
  • No excess data fees
  • Decent international roaming
  • eSIM supported
  • Comprehensive support pathways
con
Reasons to avoid
  • 1.5Mbps post-cap speeds
  • No data bank
  • Cheapest plan doesn’t have international calls
  • Comparatively expensive plans
  • Much more data than most people need
  • Brazil
  • Brunei
  • Cambodia
  • Canada
  • China
  • Colombia
  • Denmark
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Hong Kong
  • Hungary
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Ireland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Laos
  • Lebanon
  • Malaysia
  • Malta
  • Mexico
  • New Zealand
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Romania
  • Singapore
  • South Korea
  • Sweden
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
  • United Kingdom
  • United States of America
  • Vietnam

Optus prepaid plans

Optus prepaid international calls come with every plan, except for the cheapest seven-day recharge. That cheapest Optus plan, and all other Optus prepaid plans, come with 50 standard international SMS. Here’s a breakdown of the call minutes for Optus prepaid plans:

  • Optus Prepaid $35 SIM (28 days): 400 standard call minutes to 36 Zone 1 destinations and 100 minutes to 43 Zone 2 destinations.
  • Optus Prepaid $45 SIM (28 days): 800 standard call minutes to 36 Zone 1 destinations and 200 minutes to 43 Zone 2 destinations.
  • Optus Prepaid $55 SIM (28 days): 1,200 standard call minutes to 36 Zone 1 destinations and 400 minutes to 43 Zone 2 destinations.
  • Optus Prepaid $160 SIM (186 days): 3,000 standard call minutes to 36 Zone 1 destinations and 400 minutes to 43 Zone 2 destinations.
  • Optus Prepaid $230 SIM (365 days): 6,000 standard call minutes to 36 Zone 1 destinations and 800 minutes to 43 Zone 2 destinations.
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Reasons to buy
  • Hundreds of call minutes to 36 destinations
  • 100+ call minutes to 43 other destinations
  • Hundreds of gigabytes of local data
  • Optus 5G network access
  • No excess data fees
  • eSIM supported
  • Comprehensive support pathways
con
Reasons to avoid
  • Only 50 international SMS
  • Speed-capped plans
  • Sharp drop in data after initial recharges
  • No data bank
  • Cheapest plan doesn’t have international calls
  • Comparatively expensive plans
  • Brazil
  • Brunei
  • Cambodia
  • Canada
  • China
  • Colombia
  • Denmark
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Hong Kong
  • Hungary
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Ireland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Laos
  • Lebanon
  • Malaysia
  • Mexico
  • New Zealand
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Romania
  • Singapore
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
  • Turkey
  • United Kingdom
  • United States of America
  • Vietnam
  • Argentina
  • Bahrain
  • Bangladesh
  • Belgium
  • Bermuda
  • Chile
  • Costa Rica
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Dominican Republic
  • Egypt
  • Faroe Islands
  • Gibraltar
  • Guam
  • Guatemala
  • Iceland
  • Iran
  • Kenya
  • Kuwait
  • Macau
  • Malta
  • Mongolia
  • Namibia
  • Nepal
  • Netherlands
  • Nigeria
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • Pakistan
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Philippines
  • Portugal
  • Puerto Rico
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Slovak Republic
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Switzerland
  • Turkmenistan
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Uruguay
  • Venezuela

Vodafone phone plans with international calls


Like Optus, Vodafone international calls are included with its prepaid and postpaid mobile plans. Not every Vodafone postpaid and prepaid plan comes with international calls, though. About half of Vodafone’s mobile plans include unlimited calls to 37 Zone 1 destinations and 100+ minutes to 53 Zone 2 destinations.

  • Brazil
  • Brunei
  • Cambodia
  • Canada
  • China
  • Colombia
  • Denmark
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Hong Kong
  • Hungary
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Ireland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Laos
  • Lebanon
  • Malaysia
  • Mexico
  • New Zealand
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Romania
  • Singapore
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
  • Turkey
  • United Kingdom
  • United States of America
  • Vietnam
  • Andorra
  • Argentina
  • Austria
  • Bahrain
  • Belgium
  • Bermuda
  • Bolivia
  • Brunei
  • Cambodia
  • Cayman Islands
  • Costa Rica
  • Cyprus
  • Czechia
  • Denmark
  • Dominican Republic
  • Egypt
  • Faroe Islands
  • France
  • Gibraltar
  • Greece
  • Guadeloupe
  • Guatemala
  • Hungary
  • Kazakhstan
  • Laos
  • Lebanon
  • Luxembourg
  • Macau
  • Malta
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Nepal
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • Pakistan
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Philippines
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Reunion
  • Russia
  • San Marino
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Slovak Republic
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Swaziland
  • Turkey
  • Turkmenistan
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Uruguay
  • Venezuela
  • Vietnam

Vodafone SIM-only (postpaid) plans

All Vodafone’s SIM-only plans come with unlimited texts to global numbers, but only the two priciest ones come with international calls. Whether you opt for Vodafone’s Medium or Large plan, you’ll get unlimited calls to 37 Zone 1 destinations, plus 300 call minutes to 53 Zone 2 destinations. Every Vodafone postpaid plan has at least 100GB of data for use in Australia, no excess data fees with a 2Mbps post-cap restriction, and there’s also a 30-day network satisfaction guarantee.

pro
Reasons to buy
  • Unlimited calls to 37 destinations
  • 300 call minutes to 53 other destinations
  • Unlimited standard international texts
  • Hundreds of gigabytes of local data
  • Vodafone 5G network access
  • No excess data fees
  • Great international roaming add-on
  • 30-day satisfaction guarantee
  • eSIM supported
con
Reasons to avoid
  • Cheapest plan doesn’t have international calls
  • 2Mbps post-cap speeds
  • No data bank
  • Vodafone 5G availability

Vodafone prepaid plans

While every Vodafone prepaid plan has 50 standard international texts, only about half of its monthly and long-expiry plans come with international calls. Here’s the breakdown for Vodafone prepaid plans with international calls:

  • Vodafone $45 Prepaid Plus (28 days): unlimited call minutes to 37 Zone 1 destinations and 100 minutes to 53 Zone 2 destinations.
  • Vodafone $35 Prepaid Plus (28 days): 500 call minutes to 37 Zone 1 destinations.
  • Vodafone $55 Prepaid Plus (28 days): unlimited call minutes to 37 Zone 1 destinations and 200 minutes to 53 Zone 2 destinations.
  • Vodafone $320 Prepaid Plus (365 days): 6,000 call minutes to 37 Zone 1 destinations and 1,200 minutes to 53 Zone 2 destinations.
pro
Reasons to buy
  • Calls to 37 Zone 1 destinations
  • Calls to 53 Zone 2 destinations
  • Hundreds of gigabytes of local data
  • Vodafone 5G network access
  • No excess data fees
  • 200GB data bank
  • Great international roaming add-on
  • 30-day satisfaction guarantee
  • eSIM supported
con
Reasons to avoid
  • Some plans don’t have international calls
  • Only 50 international SMS
  • 1.5Mbps post-cap speeds
  • Vodafone 5G availability

Telstra phone plans with international calls


Like Optus and Vodafone, Telstra international calls are included with (most) of its postpaid and prepaid plans. Unlike Vodafone and Optus, Telstra doesn’t have unlimited international calls for any of its plans, though there are unlimited text allowances for Telstra SIM-only customers. Telstra Zones only come into consideration for prepaid customers.

Telstra SIM-only (Upfront) plans

All Telstra SIM-only mobile plans come with international calls, though they are comparatively limited. The upside is you can call anywhere in the world; the downside is you only get 30 minutes of international calls per month. There are, however, unlimited SMS and MMS to international numbers anywhere in the world. For at-home features, Telstra SIM-only plans come with uncapped 5G access, decent data allocations and no excess data fees.

If 30 minutes of calls isn’t enough, you can add a Telstra international calling pack for $10 (23 destinations), $20 (68 destinations) or $30 (122 destinations) per month.

pro
Reasons to buy
  • Call any number in the world
  • Unlimited global SMS and MMS
  • Telstra network coverage
  • Uncapped Telstra 5G network access
  • No excess data fees
  • Decent international roaming
  • eSIM supported
con
Reasons to avoid
  • Only 30 minutes of international calls
  • No data bank
  • No SIM-only plan for casual users
  • Comparatively expensive plans

Telstra prepaid plans

While every Telstra prepaid recharge has 100 international texts to any country, most of its plans are restricted to call minutes per Zone. The cheapest seven-day Telstra recharge has no calls, but all other Telstra prepaid plans have call minutes to Zone 1, Zone 2 and Zone 3 destinations. Here’s the international call minutes for Telstra prepaid recharges:

  • Telstra $39 Prepaid Mobile (28 days): 300 minutes to 23 Zone 1, 60 minutes to 45 Zone 2 and 5 minutes to 20 Zone 3 destinations.
  • Telstra $49 Prepaid Mobile (28 days): 500 minutes to 23 Zone 1, 100 minutes to 45 Zone 2 and 10 minutes to 20 Zone 3 destinations.
  • Telstra $59 Prepaid Mobile (28 days): 1,000 minutes to 23 Zone 1, 150 minutes to 45 Zone 2 and 15 minutes to 20 Zone 3 destinations.
  • Telstra $69 Prepaid Mobile (28 days): 1,500 minutes to 23 Zone 1, 250 minutes to 45 Zone 2 and 20 minutes to 20 Zone 3 destinations.
  • Telstra $180 Prepaid Mobile (six months): 3,000 minutes to 23 Zone 1, 350 minutes to 45 Zone 2 and 50 minutes to 20 Zone 3 destinations.
  • Telstra $350 Prepaid Mobile (12 months): 6,000 minutes to 23 Zone 1, 800 minutes to 45 Zone 2 and 100 minutes to 20 Zone 3 destinations.
pro
Reasons to buy
  • Calls minutes to 88 destinations
  • Telstra network coverage
  • Uncapped Telstra 5G network access
  • No excess data fees
  • 200GB data rollover
  • Decent international roaming
  • eSIM supported
con
Reasons to avoid
  • Not many call minutes for Zone 3 destinations
  • Only 100 international texts
  • Comparatively expensive plans
  • 28-day prepaid plans cost per year
  • Canada
  • China
  • Denmark
  • Germany
  • Guam
  • Hong Kong
  • India
  • Ireland
  • Indonesia
  • Japan
  • Malaysia
  • New Zealand
  • Norway
  • Puerto Rico
  • Romania
  • Singapore
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • United Kingdom
  • United States of America
  • US Virgin Islands
  • Vietnam
  • Argentina
  • Bahamas
  • Bangladesh
  • Bermuda
  • Brazil
  • Brunei
  • Cambodia
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Dominican Republic
  • Faroe Islands
  • France
  • French Guiana
  • Greece
  • Greenland
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Iran
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Kenya
  • Kuwait
  • Laos
  • Lebanon
  • Liechtenstein
  • Mexico
  • Mongolia
  • Nepal
  • Netherlands
  • Nigeria
  • Pakistan
  • Palestine
  • Philippines
  • Peru
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Slovak Republic
  • Sri Lanka
  • South Africa
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Venezuela
  • Austria
  • Comoros
  • Croatia
  • East Timor
  • Egypt
  • Fiji
  • Ghana
  • Mauritius
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Poland
  • Russia
  • Samoa
  • Serbia
  • Solomon Islands
  • Surinam
  • Switzerland
  • Tonga
  • Turkey
  • Vanuatu
  • Zimbabwe

Lebara phone plans with international calls


Lebara is a prepaid provider that has great international inclusions with its plans, including unlimited standard international texts to 60 destinations. The more you pay, the more destinations you get for a Lebara mobile plan with international calls. Here’s a breakdown of the international calls available with Lebara prepaid plans:

  • Lebara $19.90 Extra Small Plan (seven days): $3 shared international call and text credit.
  • Lebara $24.90 Small Plan (30 days): unlimited standard calls to 26 destinations, 100 minutes to 39 Zone 1 Small Plan destinations, 30 minutes to 11 Zone 2 destinations and $5 international credit.
  • Lebara $29.90 Medium Plan (30 days): unlimited standard calls to 35 destinations, 100 minutes to 17 Zone 1 Medium Plan destinations, 30 minutes to 11 Zone 2 destinations and $5 international credit.
  • Lebara $39.90 Large Plan (30 days): unlimited standard calls to 50 destinations, 200 minutes to 22 Zone 1 Large Plan destinations, 50 minutes to 11 Zone 2 destinations and $10 international credit.
  • Lebara $49.90 Extra Large Plan (30 days): unlimited standard calls to 60 destinations, 200 minutes to 15 Zone 1 Extra Large destinations, 50 minutes to 11 Zone 2 destinations and $10 international credit.
  • Lebara $160 Extra Small Plan (360 days): $3 shared international call and text credit.
  • Lebara $200 Small Plan (360 days): unlimited standard calls to 26 destinations, 50 minutes to 38 Zone 1 Small Plan destinations and $5 international credit.
  • Lebara $250 Medium Plan (360 days): unlimited standard calls to 35 destinations, 50 minutes to 33 Zone 1 Medium Plan destinations and $10 international credit.
  • Lebara $250 Medium Plan (360 days): unlimited standard calls to 50 destinations, 100 minutes to 22 Zone 1 destinations and $10 international credit.
pro
Reasons to buy
  • Unlimited international calls
  • Pay more to unlock more destinations
  • Extra call minutes for most plans
  • International call/text credit
  • Standard international texts to 60 destinations
  • 200GB data bank
  • Good selection of prepaid plans
con
Reasons to avoid
  • Cheapest plans have minimal international call credit
  • Prepaid only, no postpaid
  • Not every plan has Vodafone 5G
  • All plans have speed caps
  • 30-day prepaid plans cost more per year

Lebara’s Small 30-day and long-expiry prepaid plans have unlimited international calls to 26 destinations:

  • Argentina
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • Chile
  • China
  • Colombia
  • Germany
  • Guam
  • Hong Kong
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Ireland
  • Japan
  • Malaysia
  • Malta
  • Mexico
  • New Zealand
  • Peru
  • Puerto Rico
  • Romania
  • Singapore
  • Slovenia
  • South Korea
  • Thailand
  • United Kingdom
  • United States of America

Lebara’s Medium 30-day and long-expiry plans have those 26 destinations above, plus nine more:

  • Cambodia
  • France
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Norway
  • Sweden
  • Taiwan
  • Venezuela
  • Vietnam

If you buy a Lebara Lage 30-day or long-expiry prepaid plan, you’ll get those 35 combined destinations above for international calls, plus 15 more:

  • Austria
  • Bangladesh
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • Greece
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Mongolia
  • Netherlands
  • Poland
  • Slovak Republic
  • South Africa
  • Spain
  • Switzerland
  • Turkey

Customers who buy the Lebara Extra Large Plan get access to all of the destinations above, plus 10 additional choices:

  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Costa Rica
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • French Guiana
  • Luxembourg
  • Netherlands Antilles
  • Philippines
  • Portugal
  • Reunion

Lebara has different designations for a few Zone 1 destinations across its international calling plans. Here’s a list of the 38 destinations from Lebara’s Zone 1 Small list:

  • Afghanistan
  • Austria
  • Cambodia
  • Costa Rica
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Egypt
  • France
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Iran
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Jordan
  • Laos
  • Lebanon
  • Luxembourg
  • Myanmar
  • Nepal
  • Netherlands
  • Nigeria
  • Paraguay
  • Philippines
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Samoa
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • Spain
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Taiwan
  • Turkey
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Venezuela
  • Vietnam

Here are the 17 destinations from the Lebara Zone 1 Medium list:

  • Afghanistan
  • Austria
  • Bangladesh
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • Greece
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Kuwait
  • Nepal
  • Netherlands
  • Pakistan
  • Poland
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • Spain
  • Turkey

Below is a list of the 22 Lebara Zone 1 Large destinations:

  • Afghanistan
  • Costa Rica
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Egypt
  • Iran
  • Jordan
  • Kuwait
  • Laos
  • Lebanon
  • Luxembourg
  • Myanmar
  • Nepal
  • Nigeria
  • Pakistan
  • Paraguay
  • Philippines
  • Portugal
  • Samoa
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Sri Lanka
  • United Arab Emirates

And here are the 15 destinations that comprise the Lebara Zone 1 Extra Large list:

  • Afghanistan
  • Egypt
  • Iran
  • Jordan
  • Kuwait
  • Laos
  • Lebanon
  • Myanmar
  • Nepal
  • Nigeria
  • Paraguay
  • Samoa
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Sri Lanka
  • United Arab Emirates

Unlike its Zone 1 variances, Lebara has a fixed 11 locales for its Zone 2 dialling destinations:

  • Croatia
  • Ethiopia
  • Fiji
  • Ghana
  • Iraq
  • Qatar
  • Serbia
  • Somalia
  • South Sudan
  • Sudan
  • Syria

What to look for in a plan with an international calls plan


There are several things to bear in mind when looking for a mobile plan that has international calls. Some mobile providers like More and Tangerine offer calls to the “top” destinations which, for them, translates to these 15: Bangladesh, Canada, China, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, United Kingdom, and United States of America.

But because “top” is subjective, some (or all) of those dialling destinations may not be relevant to your needs. That’s why we’ve focused on recommending mobile providers and plans that offer a wide range of locations. You should always check the list of included dialling destinations to ensure a mobile plan has international locations you actually want to call.

Once you’ve found a plan that has the destination/s you want to call, it’s worth shopping around. 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.

How to call an international number from Australia


You only need three things to call an overseas number from Australia: the exit code, the destination country code, and the destination phone number. On a mobile phone, hold the 0 digit while dialling to start with a ‘+’, which is the Australian exit code. If you’re on a landline phone, dial 0011 instead.

You may have to drop the first 0 from a recipient’s area code, if it starts with one. Search for the relevant country in the list below and make note of the corresponding number in the ‘Dialling code’ column. For example, if you’re calling someone in the UK, you’d dial +44 1234 5678 from a mobile or 0011 1234 5678 from a landline phone to get connected.

Which providers have unlimited international calls?


Many providers include unlimited international calls on select plans, but you'll be limited by the number of destinations you can dial. You'll typically need to spend a minimum amount to get unlimited international calls.  

Boost Mobile offers unlimited international calls to 20 countries as a minimum of all of its 28-day recharges, for example. 

amaysim has unlimited international calls to 28 countries on $30 recharges and up. 

Other providers that offer unlimited international calls on select plans include Vodafone, Optus, Woolworths Mobile, ALDI Mobile, Lycamobile, and Lebara. 

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.

FAQs


How can I call overseas for free?

If your plan doesn't include international calling inclFor ‘free’ international calls, use data-based calling apps rather than using a traditional phone number. You’ll have to get the people you want to call on the same apps – like WhatsApp, FaceTime, Facebook Messenger or Discord – and then you only have to monitor data. For voice calls, data usage should be manageable. If you’re worried, only dial when you’re connected to WiFi with an unlimited data NBN plan.usions or it doesn't support the country you want to call, the best option is to use an over-the-top app like WhatsApp.

The likes of WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, FaceTime, and Skype all support voice and video calls. Since they don't use traditional phone networks, there are no fees for calling overseas. You'll just need to ensure whoever you want to talk to also has the same app.

Do Telstra SIM-only plans include international calls?

Yes, all Telstra SIM-only plans include 30 minutes of international calls to anywhere in the world, plus unlimited global SMS and MMS.

How much do international calls cost on Vodafone?

Before you pay extra, check out Vodafone plans that include international calls. Most Vodafone SIM-only plans have unlimited calls to 37 Zone 1 destinations, plus 300 minutes to 53 Zone 2 locales. Similarly, most Vodafone prepaid plans have at least hundreds of call minutes to Zone 1 destinations. If those numbers aren’t covered, consider a $10 International Value Pack Add-on. Otherwise, it’s pay-as-you-go rates for international calls with Vodafone.

Kate Reynolds
Written by
Kate Reynolds is a writer who's at her happiest when there's haloumi on the brunch menu and a dog to give pats to. She's worked as a travel writer, journalist, theatre reviewer, broadcaster and radio creative, and spends her weekends with as much of the aforementioned haloumi and dogs as possible. She writes on Cammeraygal and Wangal land.

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