The Australia Post TravelSIM: Is It Worth It?

Planning on going on a trip soon? Good idea. Will you be roaming with your telecom provider or do you want to get a travel SIM? Travel SIMs can make your travel experience more enjoyable, as you are not required to get multiple local SIMs when visiting multiple destinations at once. Is the Australia Post TravelSIM worth it? We will analyze that today.

What do I need to know about the Australia Post TravelSIM?

With the Australia Post TravelSIM, you can roam in over 194 destinations such as New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Indonesia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Europe while keeping your Australian number.

No idea how roaming works? I made this comprehensive guide about what roaming is and how it works. It is worth the read – promised!

The TravelSIM costs $25 (Australian Dollars – AUD) and gives you $5 of Overseas Credit. Overseas Credits are used for calls, text, and data while abroad.

Making calls and sending texts starts from $0.25 per minute and data roaming rates start from $0.15 per MB.

With the TravelSIM, you do not have to pay for any incoming calls or SMS when in zone 1 or 2 destinations. Additionally, you can text for free between Australia Post TravelSIM numbers regardless of the destination you are in.

For those traveling within zone 1 destinations, you can purchase Zone 1 Data Packs, which starts at $25 and gives you at least 1 GB of roaming data. Zone 2 destinations do not have data packs, but you can use your Overseas Credit to data roam.

You can data roam on 3G networks, meaning browsing the web will be slower than back in Australia.

What are the Australia Post TravelSIM roaming charges?

Australia Post uses 2 zones for its pricing strategy. Receiving calls and texts is free regardless of the destination you are in. Below you can find the roaming charges for each action.

	Data	Call	Text
Zone 1	$0.15/MB	$0.25/min	$0.25/SMS
Zone 2	$0.80/MB	$1.00/min	$0.50/SMS

How do I roam with the Australia Post TravelSIM?

First, you need to purchase the TravelSIM, which can be done on their website or an Australia Post outlet for $25. Then you buy Overseas Credit, which starts from $10 to $200. Overseas Credit can be purchased on the same page too.

If you want to data roam in a zone 1 destination, it would be recommended to purchase a data pack starting from $25 for 1 GB to $200 for 10 GB. Data roaming with a data pack can be up to 80% cheaper than roaming on Overseas Credit according to Australia Post.

To activate your TravelSIM, you have to go the activation page and follow the instructions.

If you already have the old TravelSIM, you have to get your current SIM replaced or get it upgraded so that you can roam in all the “new” destinations.

If you are unsure whether you have the correct SIM or not, you can contact Australia Post, but your old TravelSIM is probably named “Prepaid TravelSIM” instead of “Australia Post TravelSIM”. If you are confident that you have an old SIM, then you have to follow these steps:

• If you are departing in over one week, then you have to complete this form. Australia Post will send you the new upgraded TravelSIM to you – free of charge.
• If you are departing within one week, then you can activate your current SIM and have to fill in this form too. Australia Post will contact you and ask you for some personal identification during the call. After that call, they will get your sorted.

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Where can I roam with the Australia Post TravelSIM?

Below you can find all the destinations you can roam with your TravelSIM. Zone 1 has 104 destinations and zone 2 has 90 destinations.

Australia Post TravelSIM Zone 1 Destinations

* Data roaming is not available in this destination.

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Australia Post TravelSIM Zone 2 Destinations

* Data roaming is not available in this destination.

Can I roam on planes with my Australia Post TravelSIM?

Australia Post TravelSIM customers can roam on select airlines and airplanes that offer in-flight roaming. In-flight roaming is considered as zone 3 in terms of roaming rates, and those rates can be found below.

Notes:
Inc. Call stands for Incoming Call
Out. Call stands for Outcoming Call
The table is best viewed in landscape mode or desktop view (when on mobile)

	Data	Inc. Call	Out. Call	Send SMS
Rates	$2.15/MB	$4.25/min	$4.25/min	$1.50/SMS

Receiving text messages is free.

Can I roam on cruise ships with my Australia Post TravelSIM?

Australia Post TravelSIM customers can roam on select liners, cruise ships, and routes at offer maritime roaming. Maritime roaming is considered as zone 3 in terms of roaming rates, and those rates can be found below.

Notes:
Inc. Call stands for Incoming Call
Out. Call stands for Outcoming Call
The table is best viewed in landscape mode or desktop view (when on mobile)

	Data	Inc. Call	Out. Call	Send SMS
Rates	$2.15/MB	$4.25/min	$4.25/min	$1.50/SMS

Receiving text messages is free.

Is roaming with the Australia Post TravelSIM worth it?

Roaming with the Australia Post TravelSIM is a convenient way of roaming in 194 destinations with just one SIM, which makes it an interesting product to consider.

If you purchased a data roaming pack in a zone 1 destination, let's say the Netherlands, you can use the remainder of your data in other destinations like Belgium, France, or Thailand. That way, you do not have to purchase many local SIMs while traveling.

The standard roaming rates in zone 1 destinations are fair too at $0.15/MB ($153.60/GB), $0.25/min, and $0.25/SMS. However, roaming should be done in moderation, as things can get expensive quickly, such as using 1 GB in a zone 1 destination.

The roaming rates for zone 2 can be almost 5 times more expensive than the rates for zone 1 destinations. You would not want to data roam 1 GB, as you would be spending $819.20 (0.80/MB), which is certainly not worth the cost.

Phone calls start to become expensive too at $1/min. Sure, a quick call lasting a few minutes will not hurt the bank, but it is still expensive compared to local prices.

You should not forget about the $25 charge to get the TravelSIM. If you want to use the SIM for its data packages, you would have to spend $25 + the price of the package you want, which makes the TravelSIM an expensive investment.

You would be better off connecting to WIFI hotspots and use internet-based apps like Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, and Skype to stay in touch with your friends.

Roaming on cruise ships and planes should be avoided too, as those prices are too high. Usually, if a plane offers in-flight roaming, they offer onboard WIFI too, which would be much cheaper than in-flight roaming. For cruise ships, some offer WIFI connections too. Else, you could use it as an opportunity to be offline for a while.

How does the TravelSIM work in the real world? The reviews of the TravelSIM are either extremely positive or extremely negative.

Those who are happy with the TravelSIM like the convenience factor of it and the straight-forward pricing of two zones (unlike rates that vary per destination).

Those who are unhappy about the TravelSIM claim that it did not work at all. For some, one feature like sending text messages would not work. For others, they could not do anything with their SIM. If the TravelSIM worked, the service would be unreliable, rendering it useless.

Some customers claim that they had a negative balance after running out of credit, which seems odd to me. As the TravelSIM is a prepaid product, one should not be able to use any of the services without topping up. Apparently, that is not the case, so you should keep an eye on your usage.

In short, the Australia Post TravelSIM on itself is fairly expensive at $25 per SIM. The roaming rates are straight forward with prices split up in two zones. The data roaming packages are available in 94 destinations starting at $25 for 1 GB, which is expensive, especially combined with the initial cost of the TravelSIM ($50 in total). The opinions about the TravelSIM are both ends of the spectrum, meaning that one should be cautious when considering to purchase the SIM. You may be better off buying a local SIM or another international sim for a more reliable experience.