Using your Optus mobile overseas
Post-Paid AutoRoam gives you the freedom to use your Optus mobile overseas in over 170 destinations. Benefits include:
- Allows you to stay in touch with your family and friends
- You can continue to access all the services you’re used to: Voice Calls SMS/MMS, VoiceMail, Emails
- Your mobile number remains the same when you travel out of Australia making it easy for you and anyone who wants to contact you
- There’s no need for expensive hotel phones or the inconvenience of public phones.
- All charges incurred overseas are conveniently billed back to your Optus account in Australian dollars
Top tips when using Post-Paid AutoRoam™
| 1 | Note that all roaming charges are excluded from your plan’s included value and GPRS/data roaming is also excluded from all data packs including Mobile Internet Packs. |
| 2 | Charges apply for both making and receiving a call when roaming overseas. |
| 3 | Ensure you’re connected to a preferred network to enjoy discounted rates when in the Bridge Alliance – see www.optus.com.au/bridgealliance |
| 4 | To avoid accidental use and unnecessary roaming charges, remember to lock your mobile’s keypad after use |
| 5 | If you’re unsure what your charges are or need help while you’re roaming, please call Customer Care on +61 2 8082 5678 (50¢ per call) |
Is AutoRoam™ active on my account?
AutoRoam™ is not automatically activated on Post-Paid mobile accounts. To activate or deactivate roaming freecall 1503 from your Optus mobile before you leave Australia. The service is available 24x7.
How much does Post-Paid AutoRoam™ cost?
When you make a call or send an SMS you will be charged the rate for the zone you are in. When someone calls you (from Australia or overseas), they will be charged the normal cost of a call or SMS to an Optus mobile in Australia.
You pay Optus' zone rate for receiving calls in the country you are roaming in, as below.
| Post-Paid AutoRoam Rates | Zone 1 | Zone 2 | Zone 3 | Zone 4 | Zone 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Voice Calls within the same country (per minute) |
$0.65 | $1.30 | $1.65 | $1.90 | $2.10 |
| International Voice Calls outside the country you are in (per minute) |
$1.40 | $2.35 | $3.50 | $5.80 | $6.60 |
| To receive Voice Calls (per minute) | $0.95 | $1.10 | $1.45 | $1.65 | $1.80 |
| National Video Calls within the same country (per minute) |
$1.25 | $2.00 | $2.50 | $3.00 | $3.50 |
| International Video Calls outside the country you are in (per minute) |
$2.75 | $3.30 | $4.75 | $5.95 | $6.75 |
| To receive Video Calls (per minute) | $1.00 | $1.25 | $1.50 | $1.75 | $2.00 |
| Flagfall (per outgoing Voice and Video call) | $0.40 | ||||
| SMS to an Australian number (per 160 characters) | $0.55 roaming fee + standard SMS rate | ||||
| SMS to a non-Australian number (per 160 characters) | $0.55 roaming fee + standard International SMS rate | ||||
| To receive SMS | $0.00 | ||||
MMS to an Australian number (per message)
 |
$0.55 roaming fee + standard MMS rate + $0.20 per 10KB | ||||
| MMS to a non-Australian number (per message)
|
$0.55 roaming fee + standard International MMS rate + $0.20 per 10KB | ||||
| To receive MMS (per message) | $0.20 per 10KB | ||||
GPRS / 3G Data  |
$0.20 per 10KB | ||||
| Call Optus Customer Care +61 2 8082 5678 or +61 2 8082 2642 | $0.50 per call | ||||
All rates listed in $AUD. Voice & Video Calls
rates are shown per minute and charged with an initial increment of 60 seconds
and per 30 seconds thereafter.
GST does not apply to roaming charges (with the exception of the standard SMS,
MMS, international SMS and international MMS rates).
Post-Paid AutoRoam™ Zones
| Zone 1 | Zone 2 | Zone 3 | Zone 4 | Zone 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh Cyprus Isle of Man Macau Norway |
Botswana Curacao & Bonaire East Timor Finland Georgia Ghana Greece Malaysia Oman Pakistan Singapore South Africa Taiwan Thailand Vietnam |
Algeria Austria Bahrain Brunei Costa Rica Denmark El Salvador † Faroe Islands Fiji France Gibraltar Guam & the Northern Marianas^ Hong Kong Iceland Iran Japan‡ Jersey Jordan Korea (South)‡ Laos Lebanon Liberia Liechtenstein Luxembourg Mauritania* Monaco Nauru Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nigeria Puerto Rico^ Seychelles Slovak Republic Sudan Switzerland Tonga UK Uganda Uruguay USA^§ US Virgin Is^. Vanuatu Yemen |
Anguilla Antigua & Barbuda^ Aruba Barbados Belgium Bermuda^ Bolivia^ Bosnia Herzegovina Brazil Bulgaria Cambodia Canada^§ Cayman Is. Colombia^ Cook Islands Germany Grenada Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Bissau Guyana Haiti Hungary Indonesia Iraq Ireland Italy Jamaica Kyrgyzstan Macedonia Malawi Maritime Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Nepal Papua New Guinea Palestine Paraguay^ Philippines Poland Samoa San Marino Senegal Slovenia Solomon Islands Spain St. Lucia St Kitts & Nevis St. Vincent Sweden Syria Tahiti Trinidad Tunisia Turks & Caicos United Arab Emirates Vatican City Venezuela^† Zambia |
Afghanistan Albania Argentina^ Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Belize^ Bhutan Cameroon Chile^ China Croatia Czech Republic Dominican Republic^ Egypt Estonia Ethiopia* French Guiana Guinea India International Airspace - AeroMobile Israel Ivory Coast Kazakhstan Kenya Kuwait Latvia Lithuania Madagascar Maldives Malta Mexico^ Mongolia Morocco Panama† Peru^ Portugal Qatar Reunion Islands Romania Russia Saudi Arabia Serbia & Montenegro Sri Lanka Tajikistan Tanzania Turkey Ukraine Uzbekistan Zimbabwe |
^ Requires a GSM 1900MHz compatible (tri-band)
handset
† Requires a GSM 850MHz compatible (quad-band) handset
‡ Requires a W-CDMA (3G) compatible handset
* SMS services not currently available here
§ Requires a 3G 850/1900 handset for 3G Roaming
Some handsets may not be supported by all networks
3G Roaming requires compatible mobiles/devices to use GPRS and 3G data. To make and receive video calls, both calling and receiving parties require a 3G mobile and must be located in a 3G coverage area on a network that supports video calling. View Optus roaming partner networks for GPRS/Data and 3G services
Can I use my mobile while on a cruise?
You can use your mobile services onboard maritime vessels while the ship is
at sea. When you make a call, send an SMS or use data services you will be
charged the AutoRoam™ rate for the zone of Maritime (Zone 4). When the ship is
approaching port, the in-ship system will turn itself off. You may lose your
mobile service until the ship reaches the port. Once in port, you can connect
to the local roaming network at which point you will be charged the AutoRoam™
rate for the country you are in.
To find which cruise can you use your mobile, you may access www.mcp.com;
www.cellularatsea.com; www.siminn.co.uk and www.seanet.se
GPRS/Data Roaming
All browsing, downloading or use of email on your mobile outside Australia will incur data roaming charges of $0.20 per 10 KB or $20.48 per MB.
NOTE: Data roaming is not included in any rate plan included value, Mobile Internet Pack, Blackberry data pack or any other data packs.
Know your Email charges when Roaming
Some SmartPhones including iPhones and Blackberry handsets have features called ‘Push’ or ‘Pull’ email. Push Email is when an email is sent to the handset automatically. Pull email is when the device will check via the Optus network if any emails are waiting to be received based on a set time frame i.e. once every 5 mins.
NOTE: Both Push and Pull email will incur data roaming charges.
How to turn off “Push/fetch email” on iPhones:
Operating System 2.0: Settings - Fetch New Data - Set Push to OFF
Operating System 3.0: Settings - Email - Fetch New Data - Set Push to OFF
How to turn off Data Roaming
iPhones: Setting > General > Network > Data Roaming > ON/OFF
Blackberry Bold:
1. Select: Manage Connections from the Blackberry Menu Page
2. Select: Mobile Network Options
3. Select: Data Services
4. Choose: Off or Off When Roaming
Please refer to the handset manual if you are using an older Blackberry or other handset.
View Optus roaming partner networks for GPRS/Data and 3G services
Using VoiceMail overseas
To retrieve a message, SMS ‘A’ to 321 and VoiceMail will call you back or you can access VoiceMail by calling +61 4 1100 0321. Standard roaming charges apply for both options.
Enjoy a 20% discount when using the Bridge Alliance Network
Optus currently offers special roaming rates for calls made and received on selected networks in some of our major destinations. Enjoy 20% off standard roaming rates (discount excludes flagfall), for your voice and video calls on the networks listed below.
| Zone | Preferred Networks |
|---|---|
| 1 | CTM, Macau. |
| 2 | SingTel, Singapore | Taiwan Mobile, Taiwan | Maxis, Malaysia | AIS, Thailand. |
| 3 | HKCSL, Hong Kong | SK Telecom, Korea (South) | Orange, UK
| T-Mobile, UK. |
| 4 | Telkomsel, Indonesia | Globe, Philippines. |
| 5 | AirTel Bharti, India. |
Need help while roaming overseas?
General or Billing enquiries: Please call Optus Customer Care on +61
2 8082 5678. Calls are charged a flat rate of 50¢ per call. Open 8am – 7pm
(AEST) Mon to Fri and 9am – 5pm (AEST) on Saturdays.
Mobile Phone Faults: Please call the Mobile Technical Support Centre on
+61 2 8082 2642. Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
View Terms and Conditions
1. AutoRoam is not automatically connected to an Optus
Digital Mobile service. Connection needs to be arranged prior to travelling
overseas. Activation is subject to acceptance by Optus and can be terminated
without notice.
2. AutoRoam is available to Optus mobile customers and participating Service
Providers.
3. AutoRoam rates are subject to change without notice, due to fluctuations in
international currency exchange rates and changes to charges imposed by
overseas networks.
4. Optus makes no guarantee regarding the quality and availability of coverage
or any services (e.g. SMS, GPRS).
5. It may take several months for roaming charges to appear on the account
holder’s bill.