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Check the exact Optus product first
On an eligible plan, Daily Roaming is enabled automatically. Its A$5 buys 5GB for up to 24 hours, plus standard calls and texts on eligible phone plans. Continued use after either limit can start another A$5 charge, while turning data roaming off controls data without stopping calls, outgoing texts or every voicemail trigger.
Daily Roaming is available on eligible Choice Plus and related Plus plans, with other specified consumer and business plans also included. In My Optus → Services → your service → Add-ons, look for Daily Roaming. If it is absent, ask Optus whether that exact plan is eligible in your destination. Until confirmed, keep the line’s data roaming off and use Wi-Fi or separately purchased travel data. Older monthly plans, mobile broadband and prepaid can have different inclusions or products.
This guide covers Daily Roaming. If your account instead shows a Roaming Pass or prepaid add-on, use the terms attached to that offer. Also check every destination in the eligible list. Optus says Choice Plus roaming is unavailable outside its supported Zone 1 coverage, so a stopover can need a different connection.
What can trigger a charge?
| Activity on the Optus service | Daily Roaming trigger? | Practical control |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile data, including background activity | Yes | Choose the travel eSIM for data and keep Optus data roaming off |
| Make or receive a standard call | Yes | Use ordinary calls only when you accept the roaming charge |
| Send a standard SMS | Yes | Check the sending line before pressing send |
| Receive an ordinary SMS | No | Australian line must still be able to connect |
| Retrieve voicemail | May trigger | Check voicemail settings and cost before travel |
| Voicemail diversion on busy, no reply or unreachable | May trigger | Ask Optus about your forwarding arrangement before departure |
Messages in an internet app use the selected data connection. That does not make an ordinary SMS sent by the phone’s messaging app the same thing. Check whether the conversation is using an internet service or falling back to SMS, especially when replying to an Australian number.
A bank text, a call and a background upload
Suppose you arrive in Japan at 9am with Optus data roaming off and travel data selected. A received bank SMS alone does not start Daily Roaming. If you answer an ordinary call on Optus at 10am, that can start A$5/5GB for the next 24 hours. If Optus data roaming and data switching are then enabled, a background upload can use that Optus allowance too. At 3pm, if you have used its 5GB and keep using data, another A$5 block can start before the first twenty-four hours are over.
Keep those controls separate: incoming SMS, ordinary calls and the selected data line do different jobs. Leave Optus data roaming and automatic data switching off when you want the travel eSIM to carry data.
The two limits: time and data
Optus sends an SMS when the A$5 charge is triggered, marking the start of the 24-hour period. It is a rolling period, rather than a reset at Australian midnight. The remaining time and usage are shown in My Optus.
| Example | Possible roaming total | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| First use at 10am Monday; final use 9am Tuesday; no more than 5GB | A$5 | Usage stays inside one time and data allowance |
| Use Monday, then continue after 10am Tuesday | A$10 | Further use after the first 24 hours starts another charge |
| Use 6GB within one 24-hour period | A$10 | Continued data use beyond the first 5GB starts another block |
These examples assume eligible usage and destinations, with no extra excluded services. They show why “A$5 per day” is not a guaranteed daily spending ceiling. A large upload or laptop hotspot session can use the first data allowance before the time expires.
Use the app to monitor the block and your phone to identify heavy apps. Optus warns that usage notifications can be delayed, so an alert is not a reliable hard stop. Payment is attempted using the account’s automatic payment method when the charge is triggered.
Using a travel eSIM while keeping Optus available
On an unlocked compatible dual SIM phone, label the lines clearly. Choose the travel eSIM for mobile data, turn Optus data roaming off and disable automatic data switching. Keep the Optus line enabled if you need its incoming SMS, understanding that ordinary calls and the voicemail conditions still matter.
If you do not need the Optus line during the trip, switch that line off in the phone’s SIM settings while leaving the travel line on. Arrange carrier-level roaming and voicemail settings with Optus before departure as needed. Device settings alone should not be treated as a guarantee about network-side voicemail charges.
Aeroplane mode is a whole-phone control: it disables mobile connections, including the travel eSIM. Wi-Fi can be turned back on, but that is a Wi-Fi setup, not travel mobile data. Use our dual SIM guide to manage the individual lines.
When paying Optus is useful
A short trip involving ordinary calls may be easiest on Daily Roaming. One A$5 block can cost less than a separate larger data plan, and it avoids adding another line. If you need the included communication, that convenience has real value.
For seven charged blocks, the roaming cost is A$35 before any extra blocks or excluded charges. Our Japan 10GB / 30-day data eSIM is A$19.95, an A$15.05 lower purchase price if 10GB covers your trip. The eSIM has no ordinary calls or SMS, and the seven Optus blocks can supply more total data. Choose according to actual use.
Prepare before the flight
Check My Optus eligibility, destination coverage and voicemail settings at home. If choosing travel data, buy before flying and save the setup email. Install after landing on reliable airport or hotel Wi-Fi, then test the travel line with Wi-Fi temporarily off. Check the Australian line separately if you are relying on bank SMS codes overseas.
If you are on prepaid, read the separate Optus prepaid roaming guide. The Australian plans with roaming inclusions guide is useful if your account shows a different travel benefit.
Sources
Prices, plan terms and product options checked on 30 October 2026. All prices in this guide are Australian dollars. Check the provider’s current offer and your account before buying.
