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Browse destinationsWhat the packs are
From Kogan Mobile’s roaming page:
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| Pack | Price | Data | Calls | SMS | Validity | Per GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Day | $10 | 1GB | 50 min | 50 | 1 day | $10.00 |
| 3 Day | $25 | 2GB | 100 min | 100 | 3 days | $12.50 |
| 7 Day | $45 | 5GB | 150 min | 150 | 7 days | $9.00 |
Kogan runs on the TPG and Vodafone network. Their own help centre puts it as “Kogan Mobile uses the TPG 4G network which provides coverage to over 96% of the Australian population”, and their coverage page as “Powered by the Vodafone 4G and 5G network”.
The 30 destinations
Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Fiji, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, UK, USA and Vietnam.
That is the smallest list of any provider in this comparison apart from Boost. It does cover the destinations most Australians actually visit, including Bali (as Indonesia), Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the USA and the UK. It does not cover Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, the UAE, most of Eastern Europe, or anywhere in Africa.
Eligibility and mechanics
You must already be a Kogan customer with an active plan:
“ROAMING PACK is only available for purchase and use if you are an existing Kogan Mobile customer with an active account and an active Kogan Mobile Plan. New Kogan Mobile Customers who activated a SIM will need to recharge with Kogan Mobile Plan before purchasing a ROAMING PACK”
The clock starts on purchase, not on arrival:
“Expiry Period commencement – Where the ROAMING PACK is purchased from koganmobile.com.au, the Expiry Period will begin immediately after purchase.”
So a one day pack bought before you fly is largely gone by the time you land. Buy after arrival.
Buying while overseas is easy, and this is genuinely well designed. Kogan’s own advice: “the easiest way to buy while you’re overseas… is to SMS the word ‘ROAM1,3,7’ to 12612 from your mobile and pay with the credit card stored on your account.” A text message works with no data at all, which is more than can be said for the app-only competitors.
Packs stack, but the clocks run together:
“You can purchase up to five ROAMING PACKS, and these will be active simultaneously. The ROAMING PACK with the earliest expiry will be consumed first. However the Expiry Period of each ROAMING PACK will run concurrently”
That last word matters. Buying two seven day packs does not give you fourteen days. It gives you seven days with twice the allowance.
Nothing rolls over:
“Unused inclusions will be forfeited at the end of the ROAMING PACK Expiry Period, and any unused data will not contribute to any Data Rollover you may have.”
No pay as you go rate is published anywhere. Kogan’s roaming page and terms frame roaming as pack only, and we could not find a fallback rate. That is probably good news, but we cannot state it as a guarantee because Kogan does not.
When staying with Kogan makes more sense
When you want to make real phone calls. 150 minutes on the seven day pack is a lot, and it is on your Australian number. If you are travelling for work, dealing with tradespeople at home, or ringing accommodation, that has real value and no travel eSIM replaces it.
When you have no data and need to buy connectivity. Texting ROAM7 to 12612 works from a phone with nothing but signal. A travel eSIM needs wifi to install. That is a genuine advantage in an airport with no free wifi.
One day trips. $10 for 1GB plus 50 minutes and 50 texts for a single day is fine, and there is nothing to set up.
When you would rather not think about it. No installation, no compatibility check, no second line to manage.
When a travel eSIM makes more sense
Almost any trip where data is the point. Here is the arithmetic on the destinations Kogan covers, using our prices from 17 August 2026:
| Trip | Kogan | Our plan | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bali, 7 days | $45 (5GB + 150 min) | $17.95 | 10GB, valid 30 days |
| Japan, 7 days | $45 (5GB + 150 min) | $19.95 | 10GB, valid 30 days |
| Thailand, 7 days | $45 (5GB + 150 min) | $16.95 | 10GB, valid 30 days |
| Vietnam, 7 days | $45 (5GB + 150 min) | $19.95 | 10GB, valid 30 days |
| USA, 7 days | $45 (5GB + 150 min) | $19.95 | 10GB, valid 30 days |
| UK, 7 days | $45 (5GB + 150 min) | $16.95 | 10GB, valid 30 days |
Trips longer than a week. Because the expiry periods run concurrently rather than consecutively, a fortnight needs two separate seven day purchases timed a week apart. That is $90 for 10GB.
Destinations outside the 30. Ireland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, the UAE and everywhere in Africa are not covered.
If you are not already a Kogan customer with an active plan.
Running both
Kogan does not publish a pay as you go roaming rate, and roaming appears to be pack only, so leaving the Kogan line switched on without buying a pack should not generate charges. Because Kogan does not state this explicitly, we would still turn data roaming off on the Kogan line as a precaution and leave the line itself on to receive texts.
That gets bank codes onto your Australian number while a travel eSIM carries the data. Buy the eSIM before you fly, check your phone is compatible and unlocked, and install it on airport wifi after landing.
The verdict
Buy the Kogan pack if you need call minutes on your own number, you want to be able to buy connectivity by text message with no data, or your trip is a single day.
Buy a travel eSIM if data is what you are actually paying for. At $9 to $12.50 a gigabyte, Kogan’s packs are priced for convenience rather than volume, and they are the dearest MVNO packs in the Australian market on that measure.
We have compared every Australian MVNO roaming pack side by side in every Australian MVNO roaming pack, compared on price per gigabyte.
Questions people actually ask
Do I need an active Kogan plan to buy a roaming pack?
Yes. Kogan requires an existing account with an active Kogan Mobile Plan. New customers must recharge on a standard plan first.
When does the pack start counting down?
Immediately after purchase when bought from the website. Buy it after you land rather than before you fly.
Can I buy a pack while overseas with no data?
Yes. Text ROAM1, ROAM3 or ROAM7 to 12612 and it charges the card on your account. This is one of Kogan’s better features.
If I buy two packs, do I get twice the days?
No. Up to five packs can be active at once but the expiry periods run concurrently, so you get more allowance over the same period.
Do unused inclusions roll over?
No. Anything unused is forfeited at expiry and does not feed into Kogan’s domestic data rollover.
Which network does Kogan use overseas?
Kogan runs on the TPG and Vodafone network in Australia. Overseas the packs work across 30 listed destinations.
What happens if my destination is not on the list?
Kogan does not publish a pay as you go roaming rate, and roaming is presented as pack only. Assume your phone will not have mobile data there.
Sources
Kogan figures, destination list, terms and quotes retrieved 17 August 2026 from Kogan Mobile International Roaming Packs, Kogan Mobile coverage and the Kogan Mobile help centre. Our prices from our own product pages, same date.
Written by Lachlan, who runs The SIM Shop from Brisbane and answers the support email himself.
