Editor's Pick: Best phone plans for calling the USA from Australia

By Tara Donnelly

Last updated 08 September 2017

International calls to the US: the best plans

There was once a time when routinely calling the USA from your mobile was guaranteed to see your monthly bill rise, much like a bald eagle soaring majestically towards the clouds.

Luckily, international calling isn't the bill shock nightmare it once was, and many of Australia's most popular mobile providers now offer affordable, unlimited US calling as part of their everyday postpaid and prepaid plans.

We've thrown together a quick table of which providers include Australia-to-US calls and texts in one or more plans, plus rounded up our picks for the best value options for unlimited calls to 'Murica.

Plans with included USA calls or credit

Here's a selection of available Aussie plans featuring included calls and texts to the USA. We've included one plan from each provider, but keep in mind that most telcos offer international features on several plans.

Plan	Talk Inclusion	Text Inclusion	Price	Purchase
Aldi Mobile XL $35	200 minutes	25c / text	$35	View Plan
Amaysim Unlimited 2GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	$25	View Plan
Boost Mobile $40 Prepaid	Unlimited	Unlimited	$40	View Plan
Coles $40 Prepaid Plan	250 minutes	20c / text	$40	View Plan
Dodo Mobile 4G Large	300 minutes	Unlimited	$39.90	View Plan
Exetel Extra Value 4G	$300	Unlimited	$34.99	View Plan
iiNet $39.99 SIM Only Plan	$300	Unlimited	$39.99	View Plan
Jeenee Mobile Pennywise $35	300 minutes	50c / text	$35	View Plan
Lebara $29.90 National Plan	Unlimited	15c/ text	$29.90	View Plan
Lycamobile Unlimited Plan S	Unlimited	15c / text	$29.90	View Plan
Optus $40 SIM-Only	300 minutes	Unlimited	$40	View Plan
Telechoice $28 Plans	$1000 credit	50c/ text	$28	View Plan
Telstra SIM-only Large Plan (12 months)	Unlimited	Unlimited	$79	View Plan
Virgin Mobile $60 SIM-Only	Unlimited	$500	$60	View Plan
Vodafone $50 Red SIM-Only Global	1000 minutes	Unlimited	$50	View Plan
Woolworths SIM-Only Large	300 minutes	50c / text	$50	View Plan

Telcos with unlimited talk & text to the USA

There's now a bunch of telcos and MVNOs offering included US calling as part of prepaid and postpaid plans. Amaysim, Virgin Mobile, Lebara, Lycamobile, Telstra, and Boost Mobile all feature unlimited calls to the US on multiple plans, with a variety of price points and data tiers.

WhistleOut's picks

Amaysim

Awesomely, all of Amaysim's 'Unlimited' 28-day plans now include unlimited standard calls to 10 countries, including the US. Plans start at $25 for 2GB of data, up to $50 for a generous 14GB, and also include unlimited international texts and MMS to the US (and to 31 other destinations).

WhistleOut's Pick

Boost Mobile

Boost Mobile's $40 and $50 prepaid plans now feature unlimited international calls, texts and MMS to the US, plus nine other countries. The 28-day plans also include unlimited national talk and text, plus up to 9GB of data each recharge for the $40 plan, and up to 11GB on the $50 option.

WhistleOut's Pick

#1	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile $13 Prepaid 7GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Get 7GB data for the first 3 recharges, then 5GB from 4th recharge. New customers only. Activate by 07.07.25 $13 Per 7 Day Renewal Go to Site	$13 Per 7 Day Renewal	Go to Site
#2	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile $26 Prepaid 17GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Get 17GB data for the first 3 recharges, then 7GB from 4th recharge. New customers only. Activate by 07.07.25 $26 Per 28 Day Renewal Go to Site	$26 Per 28 Day Renewal	Go to Site
#3	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile $39 Prepaid 65GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Grab a $39 SIM for $13 – save $26. Hurry! Offer ends 12 May 2025. Terms Apply $39 Per 28 Day Renewal Go to Site	$39 Per 28 Day Renewal	Go to Site
#4	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile $39 Prepaid 65GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Get 65GB data for the first 3 recharges, then 25GB from 4th recharge. New customers only. Activate by 07.07.25 $39 Starter Pack 28 Day Expiry Go to Site	$39 Starter Pack 28 Day Expiry	Go to Site
#5	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile $49 Prepaid 95GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Get 95GB data for first 3 recharges, then 35GB from 4th recharge. New customers only. Activate by 07.07.25 $49 Starter Pack 28 Day Expiry Go to Site	$49 Starter Pack 28 Day Expiry	Go to Site
#6	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile $49 Prepaid 95GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Get 95GB data for first 3 recharges, then 35GB from 4th recharge. New customers only. Activate by 07.07.25 $49 Per 28 Day Renewal Go to Site	$49 Per 28 Day Renewal	Go to Site
#7	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile $59 Prepaid 120GB data at download speeds up to 250Mbps Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Get 120GB data for the first 3 recharges, then 45GB from 4th recharge. New customers only. Activate by 07.07.25 $59 Per 28 Day Renewal Go to Site	$59 Per 28 Day Renewal	Go to Site
#8	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile $74 Prepaid 160GB Uncapped download speed Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Get 160GB data for the first 3 recharges, then 90GB from 4th recharge. New customers only. Activate by 07.07.25 $74 Per 28 Day Renewal Go to Site	$74 Per 28 Day Renewal	Go to Site
#9	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile $300 Prepaid 290GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Get 290GB data on your first recharge, then 240GB from 2nd recharge. Activate by 07.07.25 $300 Per 12 Month Renewal Go to Site	$300 Per 12 Month Renewal	Go to Site
#10	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile $365 Prepaid 365GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices $365 Per 12 Month Renewal Go to Site	$365 Per 12 Month Renewal	Go to Site

Lebara Mobile

Lebara has built a reputation on being the go-to brand for international calling, so it's no surprise we've included it in our top picks. The company's newly-revised prepaid plans all feature some degree of international calling credit, including up to 1000 minutes to three registered US numbers on its $24.90 Mini Mega Plan, and unlimited standard calls to the US on its National, Mega and Unlimited plans.

WhistleOut's Pick

#1	Lebara Mobile	Lebara Mobile $24.90 Small Plan 40GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps On the Vodafone 4G Mobile Network Deal: Includes 15GB bonus data for first 3 recharges + 200 bonus std mins to selected countries when you activate by 11.08.25 $24.90 Per 30 Day Renewal Go to Site	$24.90 Per 30 Day Renewal	Go to Site
#2	Lebara Mobile	Lebara Mobile $29.90 Medium Plan 80GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Vodafone 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: $29.90 SIM for $12 online until 04.05.25 + Includes 45GB bonus data for first 3 recharges + 300 bonus std mins to selected countries. $29.90 Per 30 Day Renewal Go to Site	$29.90 Per 30 Day Renewal	Go to Site
#3	Lebara Mobile	Lebara Mobile $39.90 Large Plan 130GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Vodafone 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Includes 80GB bonus data for first 3 recharges when you activate by 11.08.25 + 100 bonus std mins to selected countries. $39.90 Per 30 Day Renewal Go to Site	$39.90 Per 30 Day Renewal	Go to Site
#4	Lebara Mobile	Lebara Mobile $49.90 Extra Large Plan 200GB data at download speeds up to 200Mbps Vodafone 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: $49.90 SIM for $19 online until 04.05.25 + Includes 100GB bonus data for first 3 recharges + 100 bonus std mins to selected countries. $49.90 Per 30 Day Renewal Go to Site	$49.90 Per 30 Day Renewal	Go to Site

Virgin Mobile

Go with selected Virgin Mobile 12-month SIM only or 24-month phone plans, and you can enjoy unlimited standard calls to the US with the company's International Calls Bonus. Depending on your plan pick, you can also nab up to $300 of international credit for SMS and MMS; included SIM-only plans start at $35 per month, and phone plans from $45.

WhistleOut's Pick