Optus doesn't include free international calls on most of its standard plans — and that surprises a lot of people. The "included calls" you see advertised almost always mean calls within Australia. International minutes cost extra, usually $0.10–$5.00 per minute depending on the destination, and the add-ons that do bundle international calls come with strict country lists and minute caps. Here's exactly what Optus offers, what it actually costs, and what Australians are switching to instead.
Key Takeaways:
- Optus international calling rates start around $0.10/min to some destinations but can exceed $2.00/min to others — even on postpaid plans
- The Optus $10 International Calling Add-on covers only selected countries and typically caps included minutes between 100–200 per month
- Browser-based VoIP alternatives like GlobCall let you call Australian landlines from abroad for $0.05/min with no monthly add-on required
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What "Unlimited Calls" on Optus Plans Actually Means
Read the fine print and you'll find this fast. "Unlimited calls" on Optus — whether it's a $45 SIM-only plan or a $99 postpaid plan — refers exclusively to standard local and national calls within Australia. Not international. Never international, unless you've bought a specific add-on.
So if you're calling a UK landline, an Indian mobile, or a friend in the Philippines from your Optus number, you're paying per minute. Those rates vary widely by country. Some are manageable. Others are genuinely steep.
This is one of the most common billing surprises Optus customers report. You assume "unlimited calls" means all calls. It doesn't. It means calls made inside Australia, to Australian numbers.
Optus International Calling Rates by Destination
Optus publishes its international call rates, but they're not always easy to find. Here's a realistic snapshot of what you're looking at per minute from an Optus mobile in 2026:
- USA/Canada: ~$0.10–$0.20/min
- UK (landline): ~$0.15–$0.25/min
- India (mobile): ~$0.30–$0.50/min
- Philippines (mobile): ~$1.50–$2.00+/min
- Nigeria: ~$1.00–$2.50/min
- Japan (landline): ~$0.30–$0.60/min
These are ballpark figures — Optus groups countries into rate tiers, and the exact price depends on your specific plan. The pattern is clear, though: the more you need to call developing regions or Pacific nations, the more Optus charges you.
If you're regularly calling the Philippines or calling India, those per-minute rates add up fast. A 30-minute call to a Philippine mobile on Optus could run you $45–$60. That's not a typo.
What the Optus International Calling Add-On Includes
Optus offers international calling add-ons at roughly $10/month or $20/month depending on the tier. Here's what they actually give you.
The $10 add-on covers a curated list of destinations (usually around 15–20 countries) with a set minute bundle, often 100–200 minutes total. The $20 tier expands the country list and increases the minute cap. Once you exhaust your included minutes, you revert to standard out-of-bundle rates.
A few things worth knowing:
- The country list doesn't cover all destinations. Nigeria, parts of the Middle East, and many Pacific Island nations are often excluded entirely.
- Minutes don't roll over. Use them or lose them each month.
- The add-on applies to calls from Australia only. Roaming internationally on Optus while trying to make international calls? That's a completely separate situation — and an expensive one.
The add-on makes sense only if you're calling a handful of high-volume destinations that happen to be on the included list. For anything more varied, it's not great value.
How Optus Roaming Compares When You're Travelling
Here's what most people miss: Optus's international calling costs don't stop at the Australian border. If you're travelling overseas and trying to call home or reach international numbers, Optus roaming charges stack on top of your standard rates.
Optus's Travel Pack (around $10/day) gives you a daily data and calls allowance in selected countries. But the included call minutes are limited, and calls made to international numbers — not back to Australia — are often excluded from the pack entirely.
The result? A lot of Australians abroad end up paying twice over: roaming charges to use their Optus service, plus international call rates on top of that.
This is exactly why browser-based calling has grown sharply among Australians who travel for work. No roaming. No carrier involvement. Just Wi-Fi and a browser tab.
What Australians Are Using Instead of Optus International Plans
The shift away from carrier international plans has been steady. Here's what's actually working for people in 2026.
WhatsApp and FaceTime are the obvious free option. If both parties have the app and a decent internet connection, calls are free. But they only work app-to-app. You can't call a landline, you can't reach someone without a smartphone, and in countries with VoIP restrictions, they're blocked entirely.
VoIP services fill that gap. GlobCall lets you call any number — landline or mobile — internationally from your browser. No app download. No SIM. No monthly subscription unless you want one. Add credit and pay per minute.
Rates are significantly lower than Optus. Calls to Australian landlines from abroad cost $0.05/min on GlobCall. USA and Canada calls run $0.02/min. Even calls to India come in at $0.08/min — a fraction of Optus's per-minute rate.
For businesses, the equation shifts further still. GlobCall's business plan lets unlimited team members share a single balance, with local numbers available in 100+ countries and no per-seat fees. Compare that to Optus business plans, which charge per line.
If you're weighing alternatives more broadly, Rebtel and Viber are worth checking for personal international calls — though neither offers the same browser-first, no-download approach.
Is There a Genuinely Free Way to Make International Calls from Australia?
Sort of. Free international calling exists, but it comes with conditions.
App-to-app calls over Wi-Fi — WhatsApp, FaceTime, Google Meet — are genuinely free when both people are on the same platform with data or Wi-Fi. No catch there, as long as you're fine with the limitations.
What isn't free: calling actual phone numbers internationally. No carrier offers that. No VoIP service offers it permanently and indefinitely without any cost. If someone's promising you truly free international calls to any number, they're either restricting to specific countries, capping minutes heavily, or funding it through ads and data collection.
GlobCall does offer 60 minutes free as a trial — no credit card needed. That's a solid way to test the call quality and rates before committing to any top-up.
The honest framing: "free international calls" from Australia usually means free within certain apps, not free to any number. Understanding that distinction saves a lot of frustration. For a deeper breakdown, see our guide on what free international calling actually gets you.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Optus include international calls in its standard plans?
No. Optus's standard plans — including postpaid, SIM-only, and prepaid options — include national calls within Australia only. International calls are billed separately at per-minute rates, which vary by destination. To get any kind of international calling bundle, you need to add an optional international calling add-on for $10–$20/month.
How much does Optus charge to call the Philippines?
Optus rates for calls to Philippine mobile numbers typically run $1.50–$2.00+ per minute outside of any add-on bundle. The Philippines may appear on higher-tier add-ons, but minute caps still apply. Browser-based VoIP services can reach Philippine numbers for around $0.46/min — still not negligible, but significantly less than Optus retail rates.
Can I use Optus roaming to make cheap international calls overseas?
Not really. Optus Travel Packs give you daily call allowances for calls back to Australia, but international calls made while roaming (calling a third country from wherever you are) typically fall outside the pack. You'd pay both roaming and international rates. Most travellers find it cheaper to use Wi-Fi calling via a browser VoIP service instead.
What's the cheapest way to call Australia from another country?
Browser-based VoIP is consistently cheapest. GlobCall charges $0.05/min to Australian landlines with no monthly fee, no app required, and no SIM needed — just a Wi-Fi connection and a browser. For more options, see our comparison of cheap international calls from Australia.
Is Optus better or worse than other Australian carriers for international calls?
Broadly similar. Telstra and Vodafone AU have comparable international rate structures: tiered by country group, with optional add-ons offering limited bundled minutes. None of the major Australian carriers are particularly competitive on international calling rates compared to VoIP. The cheapest way to call internationally in 2026 is almost always VoIP, not a carrier add-on.
The Bottom Line
Optus international calling is worth using only in specific, limited scenarios. Here's what to take away:
- Standard Optus plans don't include international calls — "unlimited" means within Australia only
- Add-ons cost $10–$20/month and cover a restricted country list with capped minutes that don't roll over
- Rates to high-demand destinations like the Philippines, Nigeria, and India are high — sometimes $1.50–$2.50/min without an add-on
- Roaming adds another layer of cost for Australians calling internationally while overseas
- VoIP and browser-based calling offer significantly lower per-minute rates with no monthly commitment
If you're making occasional calls to a handful of destinations on the Optus country list, the $10 add-on might break even. But if your calling habits are frequent, varied, or international in both directions, you'll spend less — often a lot less — with a dedicated VoIP service.
Try GlobCall with 60 minutes free and see what the difference looks like on your next international call.
