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International Calling Plans and Calling Packs vs Phone Cards: International Call Rates Compared

An international calling plan gives you calls to other countries for a monthly fee. A prepaid phone card charges a few cents a minute and has no monthly fee. This guide helps you find which one costs less for the way you call.

Rates checked 19 October 2026

An international calling plan is a mobile or home phone plan, or an add-on pack, that includes calls to a list of countries for a monthly fee. It is good value when you call those countries for many hours each month. If you call for an hour or two a month, call a country that is not on the list, or want to keep your current plan, a prepaid phone card usually costs less. For example, 2 hours a month of calls to mobiles in India cost $3.36 on a phone card.

Three Types of International Calling Plan

Plan with calls included

Your monthly plan includes calls to a list of countries. Some plans give unlimited minutes. Others give a set number of minutes.

For heavy callers

Add-on calling pack

You keep your plan and pay an extra monthly fee for international minutes or for calls to a list of countries.

A fee each month

Pay per minute

You add nothing to your plan. Your provider charges its own international rate for each minute you call.

Often the dearest

A prepaid phone card works next to any of these. You dial a local access number, and your plan treats that as a national call. Then you pay only the card’s rate for the overseas part.

Compare a Calling Plan with a Phone Card

Calling plan or pack Prepaid phone card
Monthly fee Yes No
Countries A set list. Check it. 234 countries and territories
Calls to mobiles overseas Some plans include landlines only. Check it. Yes, at the mobile rate
Contract Some plans have one None
Change your plan or number Sometimes No. Use any Australian phone
Unused value Check the plan’s terms Credit lasts 6 months from your last call or recharge

Work Out Which Costs Less

Enter the country you call, the type of phone, how long each call lasts and how many calls you make in a month. The calculator finds the cheapest card for that call and shows what a month of calls costs. A plan or pack is only cheaper if it costs less than that amount and covers that country.

Choose a country to see the cost.

Rates checked 19 October 2026. Prices exclude what your own provider charges for the call to the local access number. On a plan with unlimited national calls, that call costs nothing extra.

What a Month of Calls Costs on a Phone Card

Each column assumes calls of 30 minutes on the cheapest card for that call. 1 hour is 2 calls. 5 hours is 10 calls.

Calling 1 hour, landline 1 hour, mobile 5 hours, mobile
USA $1.14Easy Calling $1.14Easy Calling $5.70Easy Calling
UK $1.92Super Deal $5.88Super Deal $29.40Super Deal
New Zealand $1.56Super Deal $10.66Mr Calls $53.30Mr Calls
India $1.68India Call $1.68Hello World $8.40Hello World
China $1.44Day to Day $1.44Day to Day $7.20Day to Day
Philippines $7.42Mr Calls $8.40Mabuhay Pinoy $42.00Mabuhay Pinoy
Vietnam $3.48Asian Connection $3.48Asian Connection $17.40Asian Connection
Pakistan $2.58Super Deal $2.82Super Deal $14.10Super Deal
Sri Lanka $7.48White $10.48White $52.40White
Indonesia $3.00Hello World $3.00Hello World $15.00Hello World
Italy $1.50Golden Banana $10.02Super Deal $50.10Super Deal
Greece $1.62Hello World $5.04Hello World $25.20Hello World
Hong Kong $2.64Easy Calling $2.04Fish $10.20Fish
South Korea $1.50Asian Connection $2.88Super Deal $14.40Super Deal
Saudi Arabia $6.30Super Deal $8.88Super Deal $44.40Super Deal

Prices in Australian dollars, including any connection fee and billing rounding. Checked on 19 October 2026. If a plan or pack for one of these countries costs more than the amount in the table for your hours, the card costs less.

International Calling Packs: What an Add-On Pack Includes

An international calling pack is an add-on to your mobile plan for a monthly fee. It gives a set number of international call minutes, or calls to selected destinations. Check these pack inclusions before you add an international calling pack:

  • Which countries. Calls to countries outside the pack cost standard international call rates.
  • Landlines and mobile numbers. Some packs cover landlines in a country but not mobiles.
  • How many call minutes. Check what happens when you use them all.
  • When the pack renews. Unused minutes often end when the pack renews.

A calling pack covers calls from Australia to international numbers. International roaming is different: it is for using your phone while you are overseas.

Unlimited International Call Plans

An unlimited international call plan includes unlimited calls to a list of countries, usually on a more expensive plan. Plans often say “unlimited standard international calls”. Check what the plan counts as standard, which countries it lists, and any fair use limit. Calls from Australia to other countries still cost the plan’s international call rates.

365-Day Prepaid Plans With International Calls

A 365-day prepaid plan is a prepaid mobile plan that you pay for once a year. Some include international calls to selected destinations, as call minutes or as unlimited voice calls. Check whether the international minutes last the whole year or reset each month, and which countries they cover. If you call overseas only now and then, a phone card may cost less, because its credit lasts 6 months from your first call or last recharge.

Check These Points Before You Choose a Plan

  • Which countries are on the list. A plan is only cheap for the countries it names. Calls to other countries cost the provider’s normal rate.
  • Landlines and mobiles. Some plans include landlines in a country but not mobiles. Most families overseas use mobiles.
  • What “unlimited” means. In most plans, unlimited calls means calls inside Australia. International calls are included only when the plan says so.
  • Fair use limits. Some unlimited plans set a limit on minutes or on calls to one number. Read the fine print.
  • Contract and renewals. Check whether you sign up for a fixed time, when a pack renews, and whether unused minutes carry over.

Keep Your Plan and Add a Phone Card

You do not need a new plan to call overseas at a low price. Buy a phone card for the country you call. Dial the local access number for your city, enter your PIN, then dial 0011, the country code and the number. If your plan has unlimited national calls, the call to the access number costs nothing extra. You pay only the card’s rate, and only when you call. Our guide on how to call overseas from Australia shows each step.

For example, 5 hours a month of calls to mobiles in the Philippines cost $42.00 on a phone card. Compare that with the monthly fee of any plan you look at.

Choose your country and see every card that calls it, with its rate and talk time.

Compare call rates

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best international calling plan?

The best plan is the one that covers the countries you call, for the minutes you use, at the lowest monthly cost. Check whether it includes calls to mobiles as well as landlines. If you call for an hour or two a month, keeping your current plan and adding a prepaid phone card often costs less than a special plan.

Which Australian SIM card is best for international calls?

Choose a SIM whose plan lists every country you call, or keep the SIM you have and use a phone card. A phone card works with any Australian mobile or landline, because you dial a local access number first.

Does unlimited calls include international calls?

Usually not. In most Australian plans, unlimited calls means calls inside Australia. International calls are included only when the plan says so and lists the countries. Check the plan details before you call.

Does my phone plan have international calling?

Read your plan details or ask your provider. Some plans charge for each international minute, some include a list of countries, and some block international calls until you turn them on. A phone card does not need any of these, because the call to the access number is a national call.

Is an international calling plan worth it?

It is worth it when the plan costs less each month than the same calls on a phone card. Use the calculator on this page to find what your calls cost on a card. If a plan with your countries costs less than that amount, the plan wins.

What is an international calling pack?

An international calling pack is an add-on to your mobile plan. For a monthly fee it gives international call minutes or calls to selected destinations. Calls outside the pack cost standard international call rates.

Do 365-day prepaid plans include international calls?

Some do. Check which countries the plan lists, whether calls to mobiles are included, and whether the minutes reset each month. Calls to other countries cost standard rates.

How can I make cheap international calls?

Use a prepaid phone card with the phone you already have. Rates start at 1.6c a minute, with no contract and no monthly fee. If both people have the same app and good internet, a call over the internet costs nothing extra.

More Guides for Calling Overseas