Are you an Australian going to Bali? Look, we're not surprised. It's cheap, close, and the food is great. But if you're looking to use your phone overseas, it could make your holiday much more expensive.
In this guide, we'll look at your options for staying connected when you're in Bali. Whether you're planning to roam, buy a local SIM, or download an eSIM, you'll want to look for an offer that supports Indonesia, since Bali is an Indonesian province.
Before we start, here are the cheapest roaming-compatible plans from each postpaid telco featured in this guide:
And here are the cheapest roaming-compatible plans from each prepaid telco featured in this guide with a minimum 28-day expiry:
Buy a travel eSIM

These days, travel SIM cards are rarely a good deal. They tend to cost more than you'd pay if you just buy a local SIM in your destination. As such, we'd recommend most travellers stick with a local SIM. However, if you have a phone with eSIM, travel eSIMs tend to be the exception.
For example, if you buy a travel eSIM for Indonesia through Airalo, you can get yourself a 10GB plan with a 30-day expiry for AUD$37.50. The SIM is data-only however (which means you can't make phone calls) There's also a cheaper 3GB option for AUD$17 or a 5GB option for AUD$25.
Here are eSIM plans for Bali and Indonesia from Airalo and other providers:
Price | Data | Expiry | |
---|---|---|---|
AUD$8.50 | 1GB | 7 days | |
AUD$12.50 | 2GB | 15 days | |
AUD$17 | 3GB | 30 days | |
AUD$25 | 5GB | 30 days | |
AUD$38 | 10GB | 30 days | |
AUD$61 | 20GB | 30 days |
Airalo's Indonesia eSIMs use the Indosat and Hutchinson networks.
Airalo also has Asian eSIMs that cover 18 countries, including Indonesia, China, Japan, Malaysia, and the Philippines. These start at USD$5 for 1GB with a seven-day expiry.
Get a local SIM card
If you're staying in Bali for more than a week, you should consider picking up a local Indonesian SIM card when you arrive. Even Vodafone's $5 per day roaming starts to add up when you're abroad for over seven days.
Your Australian mobile phone will almost certainly be compatible with the networks used in the Indonesia, but you'll need to check it's unlocked before you put in a new SIM.
Indonesian telco Telkomsel has a tourist SIM for Rp150,000 (about $15 at current exchange rates) that comes with 25GB of data and 25 minutes of talk. This can be pre-ordered through the Telkomsel website and picked up upon arrival, or at select Telkomsel stores.
Alternatively, Smartfren has two different tourist packs. An Rp100,000 (about $10) pack with 30GB of data and 10 minutes of talk, or Rp200,000 (about $20) pack with unlimited data (1.5GB fair use applies per day) and 10 minutes of talk. Both have a 14-day expiry.
Roam in Bali with your telco
Roaming with felix
felix mobile is a smaller provider with a solid option for travellers headed to Bali: a $20 international roaming pack. The pack gets you 4GB of data, 100 texts, and 100 minutes of calls. It has a 365-day expiry, so if you're using WiFi as much as you can, you could try and make the 4GB last your entire trip.
Here are felix's mobile plans:
Unlike other providers, felix offers unlimited data but with a 20Mbps speed cap (both locally and overseas). That's fast enough for most online activities, but downloading apps could be a little slow. felix is powered by the Vodafone network.
felix's roaming isn't available in as many countries as alternatives from The Big Three: it only works in around 40 destinations. This still covers Indonesia, however.
Roaming with Vodafone
Vodafone postpaid plans are a simple option for international travellers thanks to $5 roaming. For $5 per day, you're able to use your local inclusions overseas in over 100 countries - including Indonesia. As such, you don't have to keep track of a separate overseas data allowance. You'll just be using your Australian data, as you would in Australia.
The $5 is only billed on days when you make a call, send a text, or use data overseas. Note that you can only use $5 roaming for up to 90 days in a calendar year.
These Vodafone postpaid plans all include $5 roaming:
Roaming with Optus
If you're an Optus postpaid customer, you can use $5 roaming when overseas. Your $5 per day gets you 5GB each day, in addition to unlimited standard talk and text. All unused data expires at the end of each day, but if you go over your allowance, another $5 pack will automatically be purchased.
These Optus postpaid plans all support $5 Roaming.
You can only use $5 Roaming option in what Optus calls "Zone 1" countries. This covers Indonesia (and as such, Bali), China, the US, New Zealand, and most of Europe.
"Zone 2" (any country not part of "Zone 1") is predominantly made of countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Central and South America. You won't be able to use Optus $5 Roaming in these countries.
Roaming with Telstra
To use a Telstra Upfront mobile plan overseas, you'll the International Day Pass system. This gets you a daily 1GB data allowance for $10 per day in Zone 2 locations, which include Indonesia.
If you go over your 1GB, Telstra will bill you a further $10 for another 1GB as a data top-up. This data can then be used over the following 31 days. 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:
If you're on a Telstra Upfront plan and you travel outside of an eligible destination, you won't be able to use your service. Telstra doesn'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 with Tangerine
While best known for internet, Tangerine's mobile plans have solid roaming options. Customers can pick from two packs, both of which can be used in Indonesia:
Pack | Price | Inclusions |
---|---|---|
Seven-day expiry | $35 | 30 mins, 30 texts, 5GB |
14-day expiry | $55 | 60 mins, 60 texts, 10GB |
Tangerine is powered by the Telstra network. These are Tangerine's plans you can roam with:
Roaming with More
Tangerine's sibling brand, More, has identical roaming offers. Customers have the same two packs to pick from, both of which work in Indonesia.
Pack | Price | Inclusions |
---|---|---|
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:
Roaming with Belong
Telstra's budget brand Belong has a single travel pack. $30 gets you 3GB of data, 150 minutes of calls, and unlimited standard SMS with a 15-day expiry. You can use this add-on in over 30 destinations, including Indonesia.
All Belong customers can also use a free basic roaming service while overseas. This lets you receive SMS while overseas (but not reply) and use WiFi calling when on a suitable network.
Here are the Belong plans eligible for roaming:
Roaming with amaysim
amaysim has four international roaming add-on packs. amaysim roaming works in over 90 countries, including Indonesia. 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 |
These travel packs all last for 365 days. You will need an active amaysim prepaid recharge to buy its roaming packs. Here are amaysim' 28-day plans:
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 international roaming can be used in 40 countries, including Indonesia. Here are Boost's 28-day prepaid plans:
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Use free public Wi-Fi in Bali
If you're really looking to save money, most restaurants and bars have free WiFi in Bali.
Mooching off WiFi doesn't mean giving up on talk and text either. Apps like Messenger, Skype, Viber and WhatsApp will let you send and receive text messages and phone calls via the internet. All apps allow free talk and text between contacts who both have the app. 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 so you can contact them and they can contact you for free. You'll also want to make sure your phone is in airplane mode to stop any accidental calls, texts or data usage that could trigger unwanted roaming fees.
You can check out maps of available Wi-Fi through sites apps like Wiman or Instabridge to help you connect on the go.
Best SIM cards for travelling in the Bali FAQs
Can you buy a Bali SIM in Australia?
If you're looking to buy an Indonesia SIM card ahead of your trip to Bali, there are websites like SimsDirect that will ship you a SIM to your Australian address, so you don't have to spend time looking for one when you arrive. Just be sure to double-check what these SIMs include, as they're often different to the SIMs you can get when you land.
Can I buy a Bali SIM online?
If you're looking to buy an Indonesia SIM online, most providers have an online store that you can use when you arrive. If you're trying to buy one from Australia, you can look at websites like SimsDirect that will ship you a SIM before you leave, or go via Airalo for an eSIM if you have a compatible device.