Oceania eSIM for Australia and New Zealand: two countries, one plan

An Oceania eSIM that covers both ends of the long-haul trip is the point of this plan. The classic itinerary from Europe or North America lands in Sydney, loops the east coast, and crosses the Tasman to Queenstown, and it used to mean two SIMs or a roaming pass that reset over the sea. The Oceania plan puts Australia and New Zealand on one eSIM, with 5G in both and the phone switching networks by itself when you land. Add it at home, on Wi-Fi, and it's live the moment you arrive in the first of them.

Below: how the Oceania plan works, how to set it up before you fly, what it covers and what it doesn't, and what to expect from coverage in the cities, on the road, and in the wilderness of both countries.

Trips to this part of the world are long-haul and often two countries in one go. KnowRoaming is built for that. You add the KnowRoaming eSIM, called KR.One, to your phone once, then add a plan per trip: the Oceania plan now, an Oceania plan when New Zealand is on the same ticket, Japan on the way home next year. The eSIM stays; only the plan changes, and nothing needs deleting when you get home.

The plan's days start when you turn it on and connect in either country, not at checkout. Buy it weeks ahead, add it at home, and a delayed flight costs you nothing. The full rule is in what plan validity means and when it starts.

Choose a fixed plan for a set amount of data at the lowest overall price, or an unlimited plan when you'd rather not count. Unlimited plans give you 5 GB a day at full speed, then a slower speed until the allowance resets the next day. If a fixed plan runs low, top up in the app and the extra data lands on the same eSIM.

See it in two minutes: Meet KR.One, iPhone setup with KR.One, or Samsung setup with KR.One.

Do this at home on Wi-Fi. It takes about a minute.

Before you leave

1. Get the KnowRoaming app (available on iOS and Android) and choose your Oceania plan.
2. Tap Add. First time on this phone? The app adds KR.One and your Oceania plan together. Already have KR.One? Only the plan is added, with nothing to scan.
3. Leave data roaming off on the KnowRoaming line until you land, and turn it off on your home line too so it doesn't run up charges in the background. Steps are in turning off roaming on your home line.

When you land

1. Turn the plan on in the app, then turn data roaming on for the KnowRoaming line. That setting lives in your phone, so the app can't flip it for you.
2. Give the phone a minute to find the network. If nothing happens, turn airplane mode on for 30 seconds and off again.

Prefer a QR code? The checkout page and your confirmation email both carry one; scan it from your phone's settings. Every tap, by device, is in adding your eSIM on iPhone, adding your eSIM on Android, and adding your eSIM on Samsung, or watch the iPhone QR walkthrough or the Samsung QR walkthrough. Still no signal after landing? Work through the no-signal checklist.

Two countries on one plan with one data balance: Australia and New Zealand. The full list is also on the plan card above, under "Where this eSIM works". Tasmania, Norfolk Island's coverage aside, and New Zealand's South Island are covered as part of each country.

Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, and the rest of the Pacific are sold as their own plans and are not on the Oceania plan, which catches travelers adding a Fiji week on the way home; add the island's plan to the same eSIM for that leg. For a trip that also stops in Asia, the Asia plan covers Australia, New Zealand, and 26 more countries, including Singapore, Indonesia, and Japan; the Global plan covers both and 131 more. Read crossing into a border country your plan doesn't include before a route that leaves the plan's coverage.

An Oceania eSIM switches networks by itself when you land on the other side of the Tasman, and there is nothing to change in the app. Keep data roaming on for the KnowRoaming line the whole trip, since that is the one setting the app can't change for you, and give the phone a minute after landing; if it hasn't found the new network, airplane mode on and off forces a fresh search. The days keep counting from the first time you connected, in either country.

Both countries are road-trip countries with wilderness where no network reaches: Australia's outback and the long inland highways, New Zealand's Milford road, West Coast, and Great Walks. The plan's partner in Australia has a smaller regional footprint than the incumbent's, and both countries' trails are offline from the trailhead. Download maps and bookings before the leg that leaves the towns, and treat the drives and the tramps as offline; the towns bring the plan back.

Both countries are close to cashless, with cards and phone wallets everywhere; Sydney and Brisbane tap a contactless card on the transit gates, Melbourne needs a myki, and Auckland's buses run on the AT HOP card. Uber runs in both, and Didi in Australia, with the number you already have. Restaurant bookings, beach parking, national park passes, and campsite permits all live in apps, which is the practical reason the plan earns its keep in the cities as much as on the road.

In Australia the plan connects to Optus and in New Zealand to Spark, with 5G in the state capitals, the big regional cities, and every New Zealand city and 4G LTE across the towns and the highways. Your phone picks the network automatically once the plan is on; there is nothing to choose by hand.

Beyond the towns, in the outback, the Southern Alps, Fiordland, and the parks, expect long stretches with no signal on any network. Save what you need in town.

Most phones sold since 2019 support eSIM, including iPhone XS and later and most Android flagships from the same window. Check yours before you add a plan; it takes a few seconds. On iPhone, go to Settings, General, About and look for an EID or Available SIM. On Android, go to Settings, Network & Internet, SIMs and look for an option to add an eSIM. On Samsung, dial *#06# and look for an EID.

Your phone also needs to be carrier-unlocked. If you're not sure, carrier-locked vs unlocked: how to tell shows you where to look.

Adding an Oceania plan doesn't touch your regular SIM. Calls and texts on your usual number keep working exactly as before. The new plan handles data while you're there, and most phones run both at once without you doing anything else. Bank codes and two-factor texts still arrive on your home number, as long as that line stays switched on.

For Australia and New Zealand the alternatives are a home-carrier roaming pass that gets expensive over a long stay, a prepaid SIM from a supermarket that comes with a new number, or hostel and hotel Wi-Fi in a country where the bus, the beach parking, and the trail map all need data. An Oceania plan added at home beats all three: one price agreed before you fly, live the second you land, and an Oceania plan if both countries are on the ticket.

Real travelers rate KnowRoaming 4.5 out of 5 on Reviews.io. More than a decade in travel connectivity, more than 200 destinations, and support that doesn't clock off: WhatsApp and live chat, any time, any day.

One plan. No roaming surprises. Live the moment you land.

Choose your Oceania plan

Get the app on the App Store or Google Play.

4.5 out of 5 on Reviews.io. 200+ destinations. Support that doesn't clock off.