Travel eSIM prices for Australians, checked monthly

What this page is

A single, dated price table for the travel eSIMs Australians actually buy.

We built it because every other price comparison in this category has one of three problems: it is undated, so you cannot tell whether the numbers are from this year; it converts US dollar prices into Australian dollars at an unstated rate and presents the result as a price; or it quietly omits the providers that beat the author.

This page is checked on the first of every month, and there is a changelog at the bottom recording exactly what moved.

Sale prices are worth checking rather than taking at face value. Our five checks for a travel eSIM deal covers what to look at before the percentage.

How to read this

Prices are shown in the currency each provider actually bills you in. Five of the nine bill Australians in Australian dollars. Two bill only in US dollars. We do not convert, for reasons set out below.

Bold marks the cheapest in each row.

Every plan is 10GB over 30 days unless the table says otherwise, because that is the size most Australian travellers should be looking at for a one to two week trip.

The main table: 10GB over 30 days

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.

Where we are not the cheapest, and we would rather say it here than have you find it:

• Thailand. SimCorner at A$14.00 and Airalo at A$16.00 both beat our A$16.95.
• Europe, if you need France or a wider footprint. Our Europe 30+ Areas plan covers 34 destinations including France and Turkey for A$29.95. The 35-area plan is cheapest at A$24.95 but leaves out France and Turkey; the 41-destination plan is A$49.95. Check the area list against your itinerary first, then compare price.
• Southeast Asia. Nomad’s captured 14-country plan is A$29.31 and SimCorner is A$34.00, against our seven-country plan at A$34.95. The plans do not cover identical country lists, so price comes second to route fit.

Europe is split by coverage in the same way Asia is, with three footprints at A$24.95, A$29.95 and A$49.95 for 10GB over 30 days. Our seven-country Southeast Asia plan is competitive with the Australian-dollar alternatives. The broader 20-country Asia plan remains A$59.95 and should be compared as a different coverage product, not dropped into the narrower row. We have written the destination position out in full for Europe, Japan and Bali and Indonesia.

Why we do not convert Saily’s US dollar prices

Nomad’s Australian storefront now renders Australian dollars, so its captured A$29.31 Asia Pacific price is shown as Australian dollars. Saily’s currency configuration supports US dollars, euros, pounds and Swiss francs, and there is no Australian dollar option.

We could convert those columns. We are not going to, for two reasons.

The rate moves daily. A converted figure published today is wrong next week, and a table that is wrong next week is worse than one that tells you to do the sum yourself.

Your card’s fee is your card’s business. Many Australian cards add a foreign transaction fee of around two to three per cent on a US dollar transaction. Some add nothing. We do not know which one you have.

So: treat Saily’s US dollar column as a starting figure, not an Australian-dollar price. Convert at the rate on the day and add your own card’s fee. Nomad should now be compared directly in Australian dollars wherever its Australian storefront renders that currency.

Our full ladder, every tier

Published in full because a comparison table that only shows one size is easy to game.

All prices are in Australian dollars. The SIM Shop is not registered for GST, so GST is not charged. The checkout total is the amount we charge you. Also available: USA 20GB/90d A$59.95, Europe 41-destination 20GB/90d A$99.95, Europe 35-area 50GB/90d A$119.95, Europe 30+ area 20GB/90d A$54.95, broader Asia 20GB/90d A$117.12, Global 20GB/90d A$159.95.

Two honest notes on our own ladder. The seven-country Southeast Asia plan is now A$34.95 for 10GB/30 days and A$62.95 for 20GB/30 days. The broader Asia plan remains A$59.95 for 10GB/30 days because it covers a wider route. Europe works the same way: A$24.95 buys 10GB across 35 areas without France, A$29.95 buys it across 34 destinations including France and Turkey, and A$49.95 buys it across 41 destinations.

This ladder covers fixed-data plans. Daily high-speed plans have separate per-day allowances, durations and plan-specific reduced-speed wording, so check the exact selected plan rather than treating this table as a day-pass rate card.

The two providers that do not sell gigabytes

Holafly sells unlimited data by the day, not by the gigabyte, so it cannot appear in a per-gigabyte table. Their Australian dollar ladder, identical across Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the UK, New Zealand, Europe and Asia:

The USA is cheaper (A$40 for 7 days, A$108 for 30). Global is dearer (A$72 for 7 days, A$254 for 30). Hotspot is capped at 1GB per day on every trip plan, and no numeric throttle threshold is published anywhere.

Simify charges one flat price across sixteen destination handles, so its column is the same number on almost every row above:

That is poor value in cheap destinations like Thailand and reasonable value on a global or multi-region trip.

Where each price came from

We are publishing the method because a price table nobody can check is just an assertion.

One thing we could not resolve. Airalo displays Australian dollar prices, and their terms of use also say “we usually process payments in US Dollars”. We were not able to confirm from the outside what actually settles on an Australian card. If you buy from them, check your statement for a foreign transaction fee. We are flagging that rather than asserting it.

What the price does not tell you

A cheap plan that throttles you to 128 kbps after three gigabytes a day is not cheap. Three things move the real value of a plan more than a few dollars does.

The throttle. Ubigi publishes 25GB to 60GB of full speed data per plan and then a floor of 2 Mbps, which is the best in the category. SimCorner’s Europe Unlimited plan publishes 128 kbps after 3GB a day. Holafly publishes no number at all. Full breakdown in what “unlimited” actually means.

The hotspot. Airalo states there is no limit on tethering or the number of devices. Holafly caps it at 1GB a day on trip plans. If you are sharing with a partner or a laptop, that difference is worth more than the price gap.

The refund window. Holafly gives you six months on an unactivated eSIM, which is the most generous in the category. Airalo’s expires 14 days after purchase or on activation, whichever comes first. If you are booking months ahead, that matters.

Changelog

We record what changed at every check, so you can see whether a figure moved or simply was not re-verified.

17 August 2026, first full capture. All nine providers priced across twelve destinations. Notable findings: Saily confirmed as having no Australian dollar option; Ubigi’s Australian dollar rate card runs materially above a straight conversion of its US prices; Airalo’s Australian dollar rate card is an independent price list rather than a conversion.

24 August 2026, SIM Shop catalogue readback. Indonesia 3GB/30d is A$9.95 and Canada 50GB/30d is A$89.95. The remaining SIM Shop fixed-data ladder was read back from the live catalogue. Competitor figures retain their 17 August capture date.

25 August 2026, SIM Shop regional repricing. The seven-country Southeast Asia plan moved to A$34.95 for 10GB/30d and A$62.95 for 20GB/30d. The broader Asia 20GB/90d plan moved to A$117.12. Nomad’s Australian storefront also rendered A$29.31 for its captured 14-country Asia Pacific plan. Coverage differs, so the main table now names the country count instead of presenting every regional plan as identical.

1 September 2026, Airalo and SIM Shop recheck. Airalo served Australian dollars to our Australian browser and still carried fixed-data plans under its Standard tab. Japan 10GB/30d was A$26.00, Indonesia was A$30.00 and Europe was A$44.50. We also corrected four inverted SIM Shop price ladders found during the catalogue sweep and clarified that, because The SIM Shop is not registered for GST, GST is not charged.

Next scheduled check: 1 October 2026.

Questions people actually ask

Which travel eSIM is cheapest for Australians?

It depends entirely on the destination. Across the twelve rows in the table we have the lowest captured Australian-dollar price on nine single-country destinations. SimCorner is lowest in Thailand, Nomad has the lowest captured regional figure in the Southeast Asia row, and our 35-area Europe plan is the lowest Europe figure, though it leaves out France. Regional country lists still have to match before the price comparison is useful.

Do travel eSIM prices include GST?

The SIM Shop is not registered for GST, so we do not charge GST. The price shown is the amount you pay at checkout. Providers based overseas may handle GST differently, which is one more reason to compare the final checkout figure rather than the advertised one.

Which travel eSIMs charge in Australian dollars?

The Australian-dollar columns now include us, SimCorner, Simify, Airalo, Ubigi and Nomad. Holafly also uses fixed Australian-dollar daily price points. Saily is the confirmed exception and has no Australian-dollar option in its currency configuration.

Why don’t you convert the US dollar prices?

Because the exchange rate moves daily and card fees vary. A converted figure would be wrong within a week, and many Australian cards add two to three per cent on a US dollar transaction while some add nothing. Do the sum with your own card rather than trusting ours.

How often is this table updated?

On the first of every month, with a changelog entry recording what moved. Every figure carries the date it was checked, so you can judge for yourself how stale it is.

Is the cheapest eSIM the best one?

Not automatically. The throttle threshold, the hotspot cap and the refund window all change the real value of a plan more than a few dollars does. A plan that drops to 128 kbps after 3GB a day is not a bargain.

Why are there two Europe prices, and two Asia prices?

Because both are split by coverage rather than by quality. In Europe, A$24.95 buys 10GB across 35 areas without France, A$29.95 covers 34 destinations including France and Turkey, and A$49.95 covers 41 destinations. In Asia, A$34.95 covers seven countries and A$59.95 covers twenty. In both cases the country list is the thing to check first, because the cheaper plan is only cheaper if it goes where you are going.

Sources

Competitor prices are from each provider’s own live pricing, captured 17 August 2026 unless otherwise dated: the Australian stores of SimCorner and Simify, Airalo’s Australian dollar rate card, Ubigi’s Australian dollar store, Nomad’s country pages, Saily’s published rate card and currency configuration, and Holafly’s destination pages. Nomad’s A$29.31 Asia Pacific example was rechecked 25 August 2026. Airalo’s Japan, Indonesia and Europe Standard plans and The SIM Shop’s full published catalogue were rechecked 1 September 2026. Policy points come from each provider’s own fair use, hotspot and refund documentation, linked in full in the companion articles.

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