A prepaid eSIM, not roaming
Roaming keeps your phone on your home carrier’s rate, charged per day or per megabyte, and your phone behaves like a visitor. A prepaid eSIM does the opposite: it places a second line on your phone that runs on an Australian network, so the data is billed by the plan you bought, in full, before you fly.
Your usual SIM stays in the phone for calls and messages on your own number, and the QuokkaSIM line carries the data for maps, messages and everything else.
Which network suits which trip
Australia has three mobile networks, and each QuokkaSIM plan names its own before you pay.
- Telstra runs the largest network and reaches further into remote areas and along outback routes.
- Optus is the second national network, strong in the cities and along much of the coast.
- Vodafone, part of TPG Telecom, covers the major cities and many popular coastal routes.
A trip that stays on the coast between the cities works well on any of the three. A trip into the red centre, the outback or western Tasmania depends more on which network the plan uses, so check the plan page when the plans open.
Coverage notes
The coverage notes on this site follow the carriers’ own coverage pages on telstra.com.au, optus.com.au and vodafone.com.au, read on 30 September 2026. Where a plan page describes an area as harder to reach, that sentence follows the carriers’ published coverage, not a ranking of one network against another.
Devices that support eSIM
Most phones from recent years take an eSIM: an iPhone XS or newer, a Samsung Galaxy S20 or newer, and Google Pixel 3 or newer, among others. To check, open your phone’s settings and look for Add eSIM or Add Cellular Plan. The plan pages will say what to check before you pay.
When to install, and when the plan starts
Install before you fly, at home on Wi-Fi or mobile data. Installing does not start the countdown: the plan begins when it first connects to an Australian network, so a stopover on the way does not burn days. Switch the QuokkaSIM line on for mobile data when you land, and keep data roaming switched off on your usual line.
Prices, payment and refunds
When the plans open, every plan will show its network, its data, its length and the total price before payment. The price shown is the price paid, nothing is added at checkout, and a plan that cannot be made to work in Australia is refunded in full. The refund policy has the detail.