Are you an Aussie heading to Canada? If so, I'm jealous - please have some poutine for me. Just be aware that if you're hoping to take your phone overseas, it's not always cheap.
In this guide, we'll look at your options for staying connected when in Canada. Whether you want to use your own Australia mobile plan while abroad, get a travel eSIM, or pick up a local SIM on arrival, these are our picks for your best options.
Before we start, here are the cheapest roaming-compatible plans from each postpaid telco featured in this guide:
|
#1
|
Tangerine Telecom
12GB Mobile SIM
$23/mth
Min. cost $23
|
|
#2
|
More
12GB Mobile SIM
$26/mth
Min. cost $26
|
|
#3
|
Belong
25GB Mobile Plan
$30/mth
Min. cost $30
|
|
#4
|
Vodafone
$49 Small Plan
$39/mth
Min. cost $39
|
|
#5
|
Optus
$55 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$55/mth
Min. cost $55
|
|
#6
|
Telstra
$65 Basic Upfront Mobile Plan
$65/mth
Min. cost $65
Link not supplied
|
And here are the cheapest roaming-compatible plans from each prepaid telco featured in this guide with a minimum 28-day expiry:
|
#1
|
amaysim
UNLIMITED 10GB Plan
$22
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
#2
|
felix mobile
felix 25GB Mobile Plan
$25
Per 1 Month Renewal
|
|
#3
|
Boost Mobile
$26 Prepaid
$26
Per 28 Day Renewal
|
Buying a Canadian eSIM
If you have a phone with eSIM support, travel eSIMs are a great option for staying connected overseas. You can download a SIM card to your phone before you leave the country, and have connectivity when you land.
You can get Canadian travel eSIM through Airalo, where pricing starts at USD$6 for 1GB with a seven-day expiry. Here's every Airalo travel eSIM for Canada:
| Price | Inclusions | Expiry | |
|---|---|---|---|
| USD$6 | 1GB | Seven days | |
| USD$11 | 2GB | 15 days | |
| USD$15 | 3GB | 30 days | |
| USD$18 | 5GB | 30 days | |
| USD$35 | 10GB | 30 days | |
| USD$49 | 20GB | 30 days |
These are much better value than the local SIMs offered by Canadian telcos. Just note that these Canadian travel eSIMs are data-only. As such, you won't be able to phone calls or receive text messages using them.
Read more about travelling with eSIM here.
Get a Canadian SIM card
If you're staying in Canada for more than a week, you may want to consider picking up a local SIM card. Even $5 per day adds up after a week.
The Canadian mobile plan market is kinda bleak, however. Rogers, for example, charges CAD$40 for a prepaid plan with just 2.5GB. CAD$55 takes you to 8GB.
Telus' pricing is similarly expensive; you'll pay CAD$45 for a 5GB prepaid plan.
By and large, options like travel eSIMs (as discussed in the section below) end up being better value.
If you also happen to be travelling through the US you could get an AT&T prepaid plan instead. You'll pay USD$40 per month for a plan with unlimited data that works in the US, Mexico, and Canada. Data speeds are capped at 3Mbps for your first 30GB, however, and 1.5Mbps after. This plan is also available as an eSIM through the AT&T website.
Read more about travelling overseas with your phone here.
Roaming in Canada with your telco
Roaming with felix
felix mobile is a smaller provider with a great international offer: a $20 roaming pack. This gets you 4GB of data, 100 texts, and 100 minutes of calls on a 365-day expiry. 4GB could be more than enough for a short trip if you're conservative with your data usage.
Here are felix's mobile plans:
|
#1
|
felix mobile
felix 25GB Mobile Plan
$25
Per 1 Month Renewal
|
|
#2
|
felix mobile
felix 50GB Mobile Plan
$30
Per 1 Month Renewal
|
|
#3
|
felix mobile
felix Unlimited Mobile Plan
$40
Per 1 Month Renewal
|
felix's roaming pack only works in around 40 destinations, but this covers Canada. If you're planning a multi-country trip, you'll want to make sure they're also covered. The United States is, but Mexico isn't, for example.
Roaming with Vodafone
Vodafone postpaid plans are an easy option when travelling overseas thanks to $5 roaming. For $5 per day, you're able to use your Australian inclusions overseas in over 100 countries - including Canada. This means you don't have to worry about a separate overseas data allowance - your phone works the same way it does at home.
The $5 per day charge is only be added to your bill on days when you make a call, send a text, or use data overseas. Note that you can only use $5 roaming for a maximum of 90 days of the calendar year.
These Vodafone postpaid plans all include $5 roaming:
|
#1
|
Vodafone
$49 Small SIM Only Plan
$39/mth
Min. cost $39
|
|
#2
|
Vodafone
$59 Medium SIM Only Plan
$49/mth
Min. cost $49
|
|
#3
|
Vodafone
$69 Large SIM Only Plan
$59/mth
Min. cost $59
|
Roaming with Optus
Current Optus postpaid customers use Optus' take on $5 roaming. $5 per day gets you 5GB of data per day, as well as unlimited standard talk and text. All unused data expires at the end of each day. If you go over your allowance, you'll be charged another $5 and get another 5GB.
These Optus postpaid plans all support $5 roaming.
|
#1
|
Optus
$55 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$55/mth
Min. cost $55
|
|
#2
|
Optus
$65 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$65/mth
Min. cost $65
|
|
#3
|
Optus
$79 Optus Promo Plan
$69/mth
Min. cost $69
|
|
#4
|
Optus
$85 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$85/mth
Min. cost $85
|
$5 roaming only works in what Optus calls "Zone 1" countries, but this covers Canada.
"Zone 2" (any country not part of "Zone 1") is predominantly made of countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Central and South America. If you're travelling in these countries, Optus' roaming simply won't work.
Roaming with amaysim
amaysim has four international roaming add-on packs available to its prepaid customers, each lasting 365 days. amaysim roaming works in over 90 countries, including Canada.
Here are the four add-ons:
| Pack | Price | Inclusions |
|---|---|---|
| Small Talk | $20 | 100 mins, 100 texts, no data |
| The Works | $25 | 50 mins, 30 texts, 2GB |
| Just Gigs | $50 | No mins, no texts, 6GB |
| The Epic | $70 | 100 mins, 60 texts, 9GB |
You'll need an active amaysim recharge to use its roaming. Here are its 28-day plans:
|
#1
|
amaysim
UNLIMITED 10GB Plan
$22
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
#2
|
amaysim
UNLIMITED 32GB Plan
$30
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
#3
|
amaysim
UNLIMITED 80GB Plan
$40
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
#4
|
amaysim
UNLIMITED 120GB Plan
$50
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
Roaming with Telstra
To use a Telstra Upfront plan overseas, you will need to purchase an International Day Pass. While overseas in a Zone 2 location - such as Canada - you'll get a daily 1GB data allowance for $10 per day.
If you go over your 1GB, you'll be charged an extra $10 for another 1GB. This data can then be used over the following 31 days, whenever you exceed your daily allowance. Telstra's International Day Pass includes unlimited talk and text, but MMS is billed at $0.75 per message.
Here is Telstra's range of Upfront plans:
|
#1
|
Telstra
$65 Basic Upfront SIM Plan
$65/mth
Min. cost $65
Link not supplied
|
|
#2
|
Telstra
$75 Essential Upfront SIM Plan
$75/mth
Min. cost $75
Link not supplied
|
|
#3
|
Telstra
$99 Premium Upfront SIM Plan
$99/mth
Min. cost $99
Link not supplied
|
Telstra's International Day Pass works in over 70 destinations. If you travel outside of an eligible destination, you simply won't be able to use your service. Telstra won't bill you pay-as-you-go rates.
Note that International Day Pass inclusions tick over at midnight Australia time (AEST) rather than in your destination's time zone.
Roaming in with Tangerine
Tangerine - a Telstra-powered provider - is another smaller telco with a solid international roaming option that covers Canada. You can pick between a three-day, seven-day, or 14-day pack. The three-day pack is designed for travellers making a lot of phone calls, where as the seven-day and 14-day options are better value for data.
Roaming packs work up until 11:59PM (AEST) on your last included day.
| Pack | Price | Inclusions |
|---|---|---|
| Three-day expiry | $60 | 300 mins, 300 texts, 3GB |
| Seven-day expiry | $35 | 30 mins, 30 texts, 5GB |
| 14-day expiry | $55 | 60 mins, 60 texts, 10GB |
Below are Tangerine's plans you can pair these packs with:
|
#1
|
Tangerine Telecom
12GB Mobile SIM
$23/mth
Min. cost $23
|
|
#2
|
Tangerine Telecom
25GB 5G Mobile SIM
$29/mth
Min. cost $29
|
|
#3
|
Tangerine Telecom
32GB 5G Mobile SIM
$34/mth
Min. cost $34
|
|
#4
|
Tangerine Telecom
50GB 5G Mobile SIM
$40/mth
Min. cost $40
|
|
#5
|
Tangerine Telecom
80GB 5G Mobile SIM
$46/mth
Min. cost $46
|
|
#6
|
Tangerine Telecom
150GB 5G Mobile SIM
$58/mth
Min. cost $58
|
Roaming with More
Tangerine's sibling brand, More, has identical roaming offers. Customers have the same three packs to pick from, both of which work in Canada.
| Pack | Price | Inclusions |
|---|---|---|
| Three-day expiry | $60 | 300 mins, 300 texts, 3GB |
| Seven-day expiry | $35 | 30 mins, 30 texts, 5GB |
| 14-day expiry | $55 | 60 mins, 60 texts, 10GB |
More's mobile plans are a little more expensive than Tangerine's, but CommBank customers are eligible for discounts on them.
These are More's plans you can roam with:
|
#1
|
More
12GB Mobile SIM
$26/mth
Min. cost $26
|
|
#2
|
More
25GB 5G Mobile SIM
$32/mth
Min. cost $32
|
|
#3
|
More
32GB 5G Mobile SIM
$38/mth
Min. cost $38
|
|
#4
|
More
50GB 5G Mobile SIM
$44/mth
Min. cost $44
|
|
#5
|
More
80GB 5G Mobile SIM
$50/mth
Min. cost $50
|
|
#6
|
More
150GB 5G Mobile SIM
$64/mth
Min. cost $64
|
Roaming with Belong
Telstra's budget brand Belong has just a single travel pack, but it supports Canada.
For $30 you get 30GB of data, 150 minutes of calls, and unlimited standard SMS with a 15-day expiry. This works in over 30 destinations.
All Belong customers also get free access to a basic roaming service. This lets you receive SMS while still overseas (but not reply) and use WiFi calling when on a suitable network.
Here are the Belong plans eligible for roaming:
|
#1
|
Belong
25GB Mobile Plan
$30/mth
Min. cost $30
|
|
#2
|
Belong
40GB Mobile Plan
$35/mth
Min. cost $35
|
|
#3
|
Belong
100GB Mobile Plan
$45/mth
Min. cost $45
|
|
#4
|
Belong
160GB Mobile Plan
$55/mth
Min. cost $55
|
Roaming with Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile is another Telstra-powered telco offering customers International Roaming Packs. Boost Mobile customers can choose from three roaming options:
| Pack | Price | Inclusions |
|---|---|---|
| Three-day expiry | $20 | 15 mins, 15 texts, 1GB |
| Seven-day expiry | $30 | 30 mins, 30 texts, 3GB |
| 14-day expiry | $40 | 60 mins, 60 texts, 5GB |
Boost's roaming works in 40 countries, including Canada.
Use free public WiFi
If you're really looking to save money, you can hop on the free public WiFi networks available in hotels, cafes, attractions and city centres throughout Canada.
Mooching off WiFi doesn't mean giving up on talk and text either. Apps like Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Skype, Viber and WhatsApp will let you send and receive text messages and phone calls via the internet. These apps allow you to contact anyone else using the app for free. And if you want to make calls to those who don't, you can buy a little Skype or Viber credit.
You'll want your friends and family to install your app of choice on their phone so you can contact them and they can contact you for free. You'll also want to make sure your phone is in aeroplane mode to stop any accidental calls, texts or data usage that could trigger exorbitant roaming charges.
You can check out maps of available Wi-Fi through an app such as Wiman or Instabridge to help you connect on the go.
FAQ
Can I use my Australian phone in Canada?
Most Australian phones should work in Canada without any problem.
Can you buy a Canadian SIM in Australia?
If you're looking to buy a Canadian SIM in Australia, there are websites like SIM Corner that will ship you a SIM to your Australian address, so you don't waste time searching when you arrive. Just be sure to double-check what these SIMs include, as they often differ to the SIMs you can in Canada itself.
Can I use a Canadian SIM in the United States?
Some US phone plans include free roaming for Mexico and Canada, but not all of them. Is this an important feature for you, be sure to double-check when you buy your SIM card.
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