Australia Post’s old TravelSIM vs a current travel eSIM: what changed

What reviewers report, quoted and attributed

Here is the listing summary as published, and one review that is representative of the most common complaint pattern. We are reproducing rather than characterising.

A reviewer on that listing wrote:

“Usual robbery… I lost those 8 days as the new start date became active as soon as my payment went through.”

That is one person’s account of one purchase and we cannot verify it. We have included it because the complaint it describes is structural rather than personal, and it is the thing worth understanding before you buy any prepaid travel product: when does the clock start?

Note the last row of that table too. We are not listed on ProductReview.com.au at all, so we have no review record of our own to set against a 2.8. A provider with no reviews criticising a provider with 291 is in a weak position and we would rather say that than have you notice it.

When the clock starts, and why it is the whole question

This is the single most important structural difference and it applies to every prepaid travel data product.

On a plan that starts when you pay, the validity window begins at purchase. Buy a 30 day plan three weeks before you fly and you land with nine days left. The product worked exactly as designed and you still lost most of it.

On a plan that starts on first connection at the destination, the window begins when the plan actually attaches to a network overseas. Buy it three weeks early, install it at home on wifi, and nothing has started until you land.

Our plans start on first connection to a supported destination network. We tell people to land first, join airport or hotel wifi, then follow the setup email. We never describe the connection as instant: the setup email arrives quickly, but the plan still has to install and attach to a network.

There is no current Australia Post TravelSIM model for us to verify. The historical reviewer describes the first pattern, but one dated account is not a basis for us to generalise about another product. The question remains useful whenever you compare a current prepaid travel plan.

Ask it in these words, wherever you buy: does the validity period start when I pay, or when the SIM first connects overseas?

The structural comparison

The line that changes most trips is “your Australian number.” With a physical travel SIM, your Australian SIM comes out and goes in your wallet, which means your bank’s verification texts, your airline’s schedule change messages and anyone calling your usual number all go nowhere until you put it back. With an eSIM, the Australian line stays in the phone with data roaming switched off, so calls and texts still arrive and cost you nothing.

The line that rules people out entirely is the phone requirement. An eSIM needs a phone that supports eSIM and is not carrier locked. If yours is an older handset or came locked to an Australian carrier, a physical SIM is the option that works and an eSIM is not. That is a real advantage of the physical product and it is not a small one.

Where a travel eSIM beats it

1. Your Australian number stays live. Nothing to remove, so nothing to miss.
2. Nothing physical to lose. No card, no pin, no plastic tray, no swapping SIMs on a plane in the dark.
3. Reissue is an email. If an eSIM fails to install we can send another QR code from Brisbane. A lost physical SIM overseas is a much harder problem.
4. Price. Ours, 10GB over 30 days, in Australian dollars:

The 35-area plan does not include France. If Paris or anywhere else in France is on your itinerary, take Europe 30+ Areas instead: it covers 34 destinations including France and Turkey, and 10GB over 30 days is A$29.95. The 35-area list also leaves out Turkey, Serbia, North Macedonia, Gibraltar and the Channel Islands.

There is no current Australia Post TravelSIM price in that comparison. The product appears discontinued, so we are not claiming to be cheaper than it.

Our Europe, broader Asia and global rows still need a careful comparison. In Europe, A$24.95 covers 35 areas without France, A$29.95 covers 34 destinations including France and Turkey, and A$49.95 covers 41 destinations. Ubigi was A$26.00. Our seven-country Southeast Asia plan is now A$34.95, almost level with SimCorner at A$34.00 and below the captured Airalo and Ubigi prices. If the trip needs the wider 20-country Asia list, ours remains A$59.95. Compare the exact route before buying.

What we do not publish, since we have been quoting other people’s records

No universal numeric reduced-speed promise. Our exact plans publish the high-speed allowance and reset basis, but where the supplier gives no numeric reduced speed we do not invent one. Ubigi publishes a clearer provider-wide numeric commitment.

Plan-level carrier naming. Our product pages now show the supported local network or networks for each exact plan.

Public SIM Shop Credit terms. The credit is store credit rather than cash, and the terms are available before purchase.

No ProductReview listing, as above. A 2.8 from 291 reviews is still 291 more accountable transactions than we have on public record.

Which should you buy

Buy a current physical travel SIM from another provider if your phone does not support eSIM. A carrier-locked phone may reject third-party physical SIMs and eSIMs, so ask the carrier to unlock it before relying on either.

Choose a current physical retailer if you would rather do this at a counter with a person. That is a legitimate preference, but it is not an option we found in Australia Post’s current travel range.

Buy a travel eSIM if you want your Australian number to keep working while you travel. This is the biggest practical difference and most people do not think about it until a verification code does not arrive.

Buy a travel eSIM if you are organising in advance. Buy before departure, then install after landing over airport or hotel wifi. There is nothing to collect.

Whichever you buy, ask when the validity starts before you pay. That single question addresses the most common complaint in the entire category.

Questions people actually ask

Can I still buy the Australia Post TravelSIM?

We could not find it in Australia Post’s current travel range on 25 August 2026, and ProductReview marks the generic TravelSim product discontinued. Treat old reviews and articles as historical unless Australia Post launches a new product.

Why is a trusted brand rated 2.8?

We do not know and we are not going to speculate. What we would say is that brand trust and product ratings measure different things: the trust is about whether the business is real and the payment is safe, which is not in question, while the rating is about how the product behaved on a trip.

When did the old Australia Post TravelSIM start counting days?

The historical review quoted above describes a plan starting at payment, but one review does not establish the terms for every plan or date. For any current product, verify the activation rule in the live terms before paying.

Can I use an eSIM if my phone is locked to Telstra, Optus or Vodafone?

No. A carrier locked phone will reject any third party eSIM. Ask your carrier to unlock it, which is usually free and can take a few days, or use a physical SIM in a different handset.

Will my Australian number still work with a travel eSIM?

Yes. The eSIM is a second line, so your Australian SIM stays in the phone and receives calls and texts as usual. Turn data roaming off on the Australian line before you go so it cannot pull data.

Can I buy The SIM Shop eSIM at a post office?

No. We are online only, and we found no current Australia Post TravelSIM or travel eSIM listing.

Is there any Australian shop selling travel eSIMs in person?

Not that we are aware of at airports: SimCorner closed both of its Australian airport kiosks in 2017 and Sim Local, which runs airport eSIM stores overseas, has never had an Australian one. Physical retail for this product in Australia is thin.

What happens if it does not work when I land?

With ours, email us with a screenshot of the error and your APN settings and we will sort it out, including after you get home if you could not reach us from the road. With a physical SIM bought at a counter, the counter is in Australia and you are not, which is the practical difference.

Sources

Australia Post’s current travel range, checked 25 August 2026, does not list TravelSIM. The old Australia Post Prepaid TravelSIM rating and review count come from its ProductReview.com.au listing; the generic TravelSim listing is marked discontinued. The quoted review is reproduced from the Australia Post listing and attributed, not adopted. Comparative review counts come from the Travel SIMs category page, where The SIM Shop does not appear. No current Australia Post plan price, activation rule or availability claim is stated. The SIM Shop prices were read back from the live catalogue 25 August 2026, with methodology in travel eSIM prices in Australia.

Written by Lachlan, who runs The SIM Shop from Brisbane and answers the support email himself.