US data for Australian travellers
It's a long way from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane to Orlando — 20-odd hours door to door once you count the LA or Dallas connection. The last thing you want after that flight is a mobile bill that's just as punishing. Telstra and Optus both sell day passes for the USA, and both add up fast over a two-week Florida trip. Here's what they actually charge in 2026, and the eSIM you can install before you even leave home.
What Telstra and Optus charge to roam in the USA
- Telstra — International Day Pass: the USA sits in Zone 2, at $10 AUD per day for 2GB data plus unlimited standard calls and SMS. Go over 2GB and it's another $10 for 2GB more. The daily clock also resets on Australian Eastern time, not local US time, so a day pass can burn out mid-afternoon in Florida. A fortnight: $140 AUD per phone for 28GB.
- Optus — Daily Roaming: the USA is a Zone 1 destination, at $5 AUD per day for 5GB data with unlimited standard talk and text (fair use policy applies), auto-activating the first time you use data overseas. Only available on eligible plans (Choice Plus, Plus Family, Plus Promo and equivalents). A fortnight: $70 AUD per phone for 70GB.
Optus is the cheaper of the two by a wide margin, but neither sells a flat weekly or fortnightly USA bundle — it's a daily meter running for the length of the trip, and it only takes one distracted day of forgetting to check usage to trigger an automatic top-up.
The alternative: a prepaid US eSIM for about $32
Our 15GB / 30-day US plan is £16.99 — about $32 AUD at current rates, and checkout shows your price in Australian dollars before you pay. It installs alongside your Telstra or Optus SIM from a QR code, connects natively to major US networks with 5G, and its 30 days only start counting once you land — so it comfortably covers a two-week holiday with plenty of data to spare.
- Fortnight in Orlando: ~$32 vs $70–140 on Telstra or Optus — keep $38–108 per phone.
- Bigger trip: the 20GB / 30-day plan (£23.99, ~$46) covers a month of normal use for under nine days of Optus's Daily Roaming, or less than five days of Telstra's Day Pass.
- Family of three: the automatic bundle prices three 15GB eSIMs at £44.99 (~$86) — versus $210 (Optus) or $420 (Telstra) if three phones roam separately for the same fortnight.
Made for how Australians do Florida
- Orlando and the parks — full 5G at Disney World, Universal and Epic Universe; our Orlando guide covers the park-app data story.
- Miami and the Keys — South Beach, Wynwood and the drive down to Key West, covered by the same eSIM; see our Miami guide.
- Cruises from Port Canaveral, Miami and Fort Lauderdale — embarkation day and Key West port days are covered; sea-day rules are in our Caribbean cruise guide.
- The whole US, actually — the plan works anywhere in the country, so an LA stopover or a Dallas connection on the way down is covered by the same eSIM.
Before the long-haul flight: the checklist
- Check your phone is eSIM-capable (iPhone XS or newer, Galaxy S20 or newer, Pixel 3 or newer — or dial *#06# and look for an EID) and unlocked. Most phones bought outright or paid off are already unlocked; if yours is still tied to Telstra or Optus, both offer a free unlock through your account once the contract's settled.
- Buy your plan — QR by email instantly, prices shown in AUD at checkout, 180 days to use it from purchase.
- Install on home wifi before you fly; nothing starts until you land in the US, so there's no clock running during the 13+ hours in the air.
- On landing: turn the US eSIM's data roaming on, and switch your Telstra or Optus SIM's data roaming off. That one toggle is what stops the day-pass meter starting at all.
Quick answers
Does the eSIM work in Australia too? No — it's a US-only plan. Your Telstra or Optus SIM keeps handling calls and texts at home and away; the eSIM only covers US data.
Will Australian bank 2FA texts still arrive in Florida? Yes — your Australian line stays active for texts (receiving is free on both Telstra and Optus); only its data roaming is switched off.
What about calls? The eSIM is data-only. WhatsApp, FaceTime and Messenger calls ride it for free; answering a regular call on your Australian line bills at your carrier's roaming voice rate, so ring back over data instead.
Is this better than Airalo or Holafly for an Australian traveller? The same honest comparison we give UK readers applies — see the price tables: our 15GB beats their 10GB prices, and nobody else sells a family bundle.