Stay connected
Travel eSIM cards for Australians going abroad
Land with data already working. Buy a prepaid eSIM for your destination, install it before you leave home, and skip both the airport SIM queue and the roaming bill.
Supplied by Global Starlink, our eSIM partner.
Keep your own number
The eSIM sits alongside your Australian SIM, so calls and texts to your usual number still arrive.
Emailed as a QR code
Install it the night before you fly — no shop, no plastic SIM, no swapping trays at 6am.
Priced in Australian dollars
You see AUD from the start, so there is no currency surprise on your card statement.
What is a travel eSIM?
An eSIM is a SIM card built into your phone. Instead of a plastic card, you scan a QR code and your phone downloads a local data plan for the country you are visiting — usually in under a minute, over your home wi-fi.
Because the profile is downloaded rather than posted, you can buy days before departure and switch it on the moment you land. Your existing SIM stays in the phone, so you keep your number for calls and two-factor codes while your data runs on the local network.
Check your phone first
Your handset must support eSIM and be carrier-unlocked. Most iPhone XS and newer, Google Pixel 3 and newer, and recent Samsung Galaxy S and Z models qualify. If your phone came with a locked plan, ask your carrier to unlock it before you travel.
Who it suits
A travel eSIM is the simplest option for trips where you mainly need maps, messaging and ride-hailing.
- Short trips, where buying a local SIM on arrival costs an hour you would rather spend elsewhere.
- Multi-country routes — regional plans cover Europe and the UK, or China and Hong Kong, on one profile.
- Families and groups: every phone can carry its own plan without hunting for a shop that sells four SIMs.
- Business travel, where your usual number has to stay reachable for calls and verification codes.
How it works
Three steps, and only the first one leaves SlowBoat.
- 1
Pick your plan and buy
The buy button opens Global Starlink, where you choose the data allowance and validity, and pay in AUD.
- 2
Get your QR code by email
Global Starlink emails the eSIM profile after payment. Install it over wi-fi before you leave home.
- 3
Land and connect
Switch on data roaming for the eSIM line when you arrive and it joins the local network automatically.
Choose your destination
Each plan is a prepaid data eSIM for the country or region named. Data allowance and validity are chosen at checkout on Global Starlink.
12 destinations
Travel eSIM questions
Will my phone work with a travel eSIM?
Only if it supports eSIM and is carrier-unlocked. iPhone XS and later, Pixel 3 and later, and recent Samsung Galaxy S and Z models generally do. Look for an "Add eSIM" or "Add mobile plan" option in your settings before you buy.
How and when do I receive the eSIM?
Global Starlink emails you a QR code after payment. Install it while you still have wi-fi at home — most travellers do it the night before departure — then switch the line on when you land.
Do I lose my usual phone number?
No. The travel eSIM is a data plan on a second line. Your existing SIM stays active for calls, texts and two-factor codes; just leave its data roaming switched off so you are not billed for it.
Who handles payment, delivery and support?
Global Starlink. SlowBoat lists the range and sends you there to buy; your order, your QR code and any support are handled by Global Starlink at gstarlink.com.
Not sure which plan you need?
Tell our AI travel guide where you are going and for how long, and it will point you at the right eSIM — or tell you when the hotel wi-fi is genuinely enough.