Traveling to Australia and looking for the best tourist sim card to stay connected? If you are flying to Sydney then here is a complete guide with everything you need to know before buying a sim card at Sydney International Airport in 2025.
Find out where to buy a sim card, up to date prices as per January 2025, my recommendation, a vlog about my arrival and experiences and more info about eSIMs for Australia.
In the past I always used to buy a prepaid sim card in my destination, nowadays I mostly use eSIMs to stay connected when traveling abroad.
Table of Contents
- Why buying a sim card for Australia
- My recommendation
- Arriving at Sydney Airport
- Where to buy a sim card at Sydney Airport
- Prices Australia sim cards at Melbourne Airport
- Official Vodafone retail store
- Official Optus retail store
- Best sim card Sydney Airport
- Best eSIMs for Australia
- Order a prepaid sim card for Australia online
- Vlog about buying a sim card at Sydney Airport
Traveltomtom also wrote a complete guide on how to buy a prepaid sim card in Australia or for those looking for eSIMs check out my comparison of the best eSIMs for traveling to Australia in 2025.
Some links in this guide about the best sim cards at Sydney Airport are affiliate links, which means I earn a small percentage in case you decide to purchase something after clicking on an affiliate link. This is at absolutely no extra costs to you!
Why buying a sim card for Australia
Don't end up with high roaming charges or slow overseas data roaming plans!
There are many reasons to stay connected when traveling to Sydney, but the main reason is that we want to avoid high roaming charges and don't end up with a shocking phone bill.
Having a data connection on our phone makes life so much more convenient. Think about ordering an Uber, getting directions from Google Maps or looking for a cool nearby rooftop bar, it is not possible without a data connection on your phone.
Also think about emergencies, checking your banking apps, etc. Don't depend on public WiFi. There is no guarantee, it can be slow and keep in mind that public WiFi is through an UNSECURED network. The use of a VPN is recommended to protect your data.
Wherever I go I either order an eSIM or I buy a prepaid sim card to stay connected.Having data on your phone makes traveling much more fun.
On Traveltomtom you can already find more than 200 prepaid sim card guides on Traveltomtom from all over the world. This is because I try to visit every country in the world and I write a sim card guide everywhere I go: Asia, Europe, Melbourne, Brisbane, Auckland, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Malaysia, South Africa, USA, Miami, New York, Istanbul, Qatar, Dubai, London and many more.
My recommendation
Traveltomtom recommends buying an Optus sim card at Sydney Airport as it is the best-value sim card deal. But if you are traveling to more remote areas in Australia then definitely opt for a Telstra sim card.
Why? Telstra has by far the best mobile data network coverage in Australia. For more info check out my complete guide on how to buy a prepaid sim card in Australia in 2025.
Prepaid sim cards for tourists at Sydney airport are cheaper than eSIMs. But with an eSIM you are online as soon as the plane lands.
A Smartroam eSIM for Australia from Sim Local that operates on the Telstra network is regarded the best eSIM for Australia with 10 GB data for $17 USD. A Jetpac eSIM gives you 15 GB for $16 USD but operates on the Optus network.
eSIMs are just so convenient that I happily pay a couple dollar more to avoid the hassle of buying a prepaid sim card in Sydney. For more detailed info check out my guide with the best eSIMs for Australia in 2025.
If you travel to multiple countries on your trip to the Pacific then have a look at my guide with the best international travel sim cards with global data in 2025. These world sim cards let you connect in multiple countries.
Arriving at Sydney Airport
There are 2 international arrivals at Sydney International Airport: A and B. They are located on the ground floor. Sydney Airport is not as busy as the major airports in Asia, Europe or the USA and easy to navigate. After passport control you will get to the Luggage Claim. When you pick up your bags you will have to pass through customs bag check and then finally you walk into the Arrival Hall.
Arrivals A and B are just a short 1-minute walk away from each other. It doesn't matter where you are arrive there are plenty of options for buying a prepaid sim card.
Where to buy a sim card at Sydney Airport
Honestly I have never been to an airport where it is so easy to buy a prepaid sim card for tourists. Regardless you arrive in hall A or in hall B there are more than a handful shops that sell sim cards. In total there are more than 10 sim card shops across Arrival A and B.
Buying a sim card at Sydney Airport is very easy, but finding the best sim card deal is a little overwhelming.
There are several Sim Planet stores, a Lebara store in the WH Smith shop, official Vodafone and Optus phone stores and some random sim card shops that sell a wide variety of Australian sim cards for tourists.
Most of the sim card stores are open from 06.00 am until 10.00 pm and accept payments by international credit cards.
Prices Australia sim cards at Melbourne Airport
All info and prices are up to date as per January 2025. Prices are in Australian Dollar and $1 AUD = 0.62 USD and $1 USD is $1.60 AUD.
Sim Planet
Sim Planet is a sim card reseller and offer sim cards from Vodafone, Optus, Crown Mobile, etc.
Their main products are a Vodafone and Optus prepaid sim card for $25 AUD ($16 USD) with 60 GB data and unlimited calling and texting in Australia included.
When I asked the friendly girl what she would recommend she said they are both the same. Well let me tell you that is not completely true!
Vodafone prepaid sim cards say that where available you can use 5G, the Optus prepaid sim card is not 5G ready. But Optus has a much larger 4G/5G network in Australia compared to Vodafone.
Circles Life
This is not the official name of the shop that has a red/white striped counter. It is right in front of you when walking out of Arrivals B, but it has no name. Here you can buy Lycamobile prepaid sim cards as well as a wide range of postpaid plans for those interested.
Lycamobile prepaid sim card deals:
- 70 GB data + unlimited calls/text for 28 days = $30 AUD - $19 USD
- 100 GB data + unlimited calls/text for 28 days = $40 AUD - $25 USD
- 160 GB data + unlimited calls/text for 28 days = $50 AUD - $31 USD
Lycamobile is also an MVNO and they operate on the 3G and 4G network of Telstra in Australia.
They also have a lot of postpaid plans, but they also have postpaid plans for Australia at the Vodafone and Optus store.
Lebara
In the WH Smith shop near Arrivals B there is a Lebara store and they sell a wide range of prepaid sim cards for Australia.
Lebara is also an MVNO and they operate on the network of Vodafone in Australia. They offer the following data plans at Sydney Airport:
- 8 GB data + unlimited calls/text = $14.90 AUD - $9 USD
- 25 GB data + unlimited calls/text = $24.90 AUD - $16 USD
- 60 GB data + unlimited calls/text = $29.90 AUD - $19 USD
- 80 GB data + unlimited calls/text = $39.90 AUD - $25 USD
- 100 GB data + unlimited calls/text = $49.90 AUD - $31 USD
- 120 GB data + unlimited calls/text = $69.90 AUD - $44 USD
There are also some international calls included but they differ per package. See the photo above for more information.
Official Vodafone retail store
At the Vodafone store they offer a wide range of prepaid sim cards for Australia:
- 4 GB data + unlimited calls/text for 7 days = $10 AUD - $6 USD
- 8 GB data + unlimited calls/text for 14 days = $20 AUD - $13 USD
- 60 GB data + unlimited calls/text for 28 days = $30 AUD - $19 USD
- 150 GB data + unlimited calls/text for 365 days = $150 AUD - $94 USD
Vodafone is the most flexible when it comes to picking the right data package for your trip to Australia. Some have international minutes included as well, see the photo above.
Official Optus retail store
At Optus they only offer 2 prepaid sim cards for tourists at Melbourne Airport. They offer a 4G and a 5G sim card deal:
- 60 GB data + unlimited calls/text for 30 days = $25 AUD - 4G only
- 60 GB data + unlimited calls/text for 30 days = $60 AUD - 5G where available
International minutes are also included to 35 different countries and unlimited international minutes to another 15 countries, see the photo above.
Best sim card Sydney Airport
There is a lot to say when comparing all these prepaid sim cards but many plans and data packages look alike.
eSIMs are definitely more expensive than buying a prepaid sim card at Sydney Airport. But eSIMs are super convenient.
A Smartroam eSIM for Australia from Sim Local that operates on the Telstra network is regarded the best eSIM for Australia with 10 GB data for $17 USD. A Jetpac eSIM gives you 15 GB for $16 USD but operates on the Optus network. Jetpac has eSIMs starting from just $1 USD.
Check out Traveltomtom's complete guide with everything you need to know before ordering an eSIM for Australia in 2025.
Personally I rather buy a sim card from an official phone store than from a reseller and I also prefer to use a mobile internet operator rather than an MVNO like Lycamobile, Lebara, etc. These MVNO's use the network of one of the official mobile internet providers.
As many prepaid sim card deals look similar let's also have a quick look at the mobile network coverage. If we compare the 4G/5G network coverage in Australia it shows that Telstra has the best 4G/5G network in Australia by far. Optus and Vodafone are miles behind.
For more details check my comparison of the best prepaid sim cards in Australia in 2025.
Taking all the above into account Traveltomtom comes to the conclusion that Optus is the best prepaid sim card at Sydney Airport. They have the best prepaid sim card deal: 60 GB data for $25 AUD ($16 USD) and they have a great 4G/5G network coverage.
For a city trip to Sydney an Optus sim card is a great choice. But as soon as you start traveling around Australia Traveltomtom recommends a Telstra prepaid sim card, because Telstra has much better 4G/5G mobile data network coverage in Australia.
Best eSIMs for Australia
The easiest way to stay connected when traveling to Sydney in 2025 is an eSIM. Within just a couple minutes you can arrange everything online.
You order an eSIM for Australia on the internet, you receive a QR code, scan it, follow the simple steps and within less than 2 minutes you have an Australia eSIM installed on your phone.
Upon arrival in Sydney it automatically connects you to an available network and you enjoy data on your phone pretty much when the plane lands.
If this raises a lot of questions then check out my complete guide with everything you need to know about using eSIMs when traveling to Australia in 2025, including a comparison of the best available tourist eSIMs.
There are many eSIM providers on the internet, below you can find some recommendations. All trusted, tested and reviewed by Traveltomtom personally.
Sim Local
The Traveltomtom Team has extensively tested Sim Local eSIMs. Find al the pros and cons of Sim Local in our extensive review.
Here are all the Sim Local eSIM plans for Australia:
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $4 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $7.50 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $10.50 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $17 USD
- 20 GB data for 30 days = $34 USD
Click here for more info or to order an eSIM for Australia via Sim Local.
The Smartroam eSIM plans for Australia operate on the Optus and Telstra network in Australia.
Airalo
Airalo is the market leader in eSIMs, very reliable but often a couple dollar more expensive. Here are the Airalo eSIM deals for Australia in 2025:
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $4.5 USD
- 2 GB data for 15 days = $8 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $9 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $12.5 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $20 USD
- 20 GB data for 30 days = $40 USD
Click here for more info or to order an eSIMs for Australia via Airalo.
The above eSIMs from Yes! Go! are data-only and phone calls are not supported. They operate on the 4G/LTE network of Optus in Australia.
Jetpac
The Traveltomtom Team was impressed reviewing Jetpac eSIMs for Australia. They not only offer eSIM solutions but also free lounge access if your flight is delayed, free VPN and a couple more advantages. Check out our honest and detailed Jetpac review.
Here are the Jetpac Australia eSIM plans:
- 1 GB data for 4 days = $1 USD
- 3 GB data for 7 days = $7 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $10 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $12 USD
- 15 GB data for 30 days = $16 USD
- 20 GB data for 30 days = $27 USD
- 30 GB data for 30 days = $24 USD
- 40 GB data for 30 days = $48 USD
Click here for more info or to order a Jetpac Australia eSIM.
The Jetpac Australia eSIMs are data-only and incoming and outgoing calls and sms are not supported. These eSIMs do not come with a phone number. The Jetpac Australia eSIMs operate on the Optus network and they support 5G.
Before ordering an eSIM for Australia make sure your phone is eSIM compatible.
Check the link for a much more detailed guide including a comparison of the best eSIMs for Australia in 2025 and an answer to all FAQ about using eSIMs.
Order a prepaid sim card for Australia online
If your phone is not eSIM compatible you can order a physical prepaid sim card for Australia on the internet.
These are pre-activated physical travel sim cards and will be delivered to your home address. They automatically activate from its first use. So it is plug and play when you land in Australia.
See the following international prepaid sim card deals:
- 10 GB data valid in 56 countries for 15 days = $24.90 USD
- 10 GB data valid in 124 countries for 14 days = $49.90 USD
Click here to order an international prepaid sim card for Australia via SimOptions.
Vlog about buying a sim card at Sydney Airport
Check out my YouTube video above about my arrival at Sydney Airport and my experiences buying a prepaid sim card.
I am sure some of the above tips for buying a sim card for Australia were helpful for your upcoming trip to Melbourne. If you have any more questions then don't hesitate to leave me a comment below.
Curious what it looks like trying to visit every country in the world? Go check out my Instagram account @traveltomtom and follow along. As of January 2025 I have visited more than 155 countries, so still a long way to go.
Enjoy your trip to Australia!