A phone card for international calls is prepaid credit you use by ringing an Australian access number, entering a PIN, then dialling the overseas number. You can still buy them from newsagents, convenience stores and online sellers that email you a PIN within minutes. They can be very cheap per minute, but what you actually get depends on fees and rounding rules printed in small type on the card.

This guide is for someone about to buy one. It covers how the cards work, where to get them, the catches to check before you pay, and what a call to India, the UK, New Zealand, China or the Philippines costs if you skip the card.

How does an international phone card work?

Every card follows the same pattern. You are really making two calls: one to the card company's switch, and then the card company places your overseas call.

Ring the access number. It is printed on the card or in your purchase email. Australian cards usually offer a 1800 freecall number, a 13 or 1300 number, or a local number for each capital city.
Enter the PIN when the voice prompt asks. PINless cards skip this step: you register your mobile or landline number with the seller, and the system recognises it when you call.
Dial the overseas number in international format: 0011, the country code, then the number without its leading 0. Most systems then ask you to press # or wait.

Australia's international prefix is 0011, and Telstra's international dialling guide lists the country codes. Here is what you key in after the PIN for the five countries in this guide (x marks the digits of the local number):

Calling	Number as written locally	What you dial after the PIN
A London landline	020 xxxx xxxx	0011 44 20 xxxx xxxx
A UK mobile	07xxx xxxxxx	0011 44 7xxx xxxxxx
An Auckland landline	09 xxx xxxx	0011 64 9 xxx xxxx
A New Zealand mobile	021 xxx xxxx	0011 64 21 xxx xxxx
An Indian mobile	98xxx xxxxx	0011 91 98xxx xxxxx
A Philippine mobile	0917 xxx xxxx	0011 63 917 xxx xxxx
A Chinese mobile	13x xxxx xxxx	0011 86 13x xxxx xxxx

If the card's instructions show a different format (some systems accept 00 or the country code on its own), follow the card. Before the call connects, most systems read out your balance or the minutes left for that destination. Listen to it. If the minutes are far lower than the card advertised, a connection fee or a higher mobile rate is already being applied.

Where to buy phone cards in Australia

There are four main routes, and they suit different buyers.

Newsagents, convenience stores and service stations. Printed cards and PIN receipts are still sold at the counter, often with posters listing minutes to India, China, Vietnam or the Philippines. Grocers that serve migrant communities tend to stock the widest range. Stock varies from shop to shop, so ring ahead if you need a particular card. Paying cash is the main advantage.

Online sellers. Most cards are now sold online. You pay by card or PayPal, the PIN arrives by email, and you can usually top up the same account later instead of buying a new card. This is also how most PINless accounts work.

Calling apps from card companies. Several card brands now run an app that uses the same prepaid balance, so you can call from your contacts without typing access numbers. Many still keep access numbers for landlines and basic phones.

The Telstra Phonecard, for payphones. This one is different. Telstra describes its Phonecard as a pre-paid card for international, mobile satellite and other chargeable calls from Telstra payphones, sold in $5, $10 and $20 denominations at selected Telstra Stores and retail outlets, with no PIN or access number needed (Telstra calling cards, as of October 2026). Standard national and mobile calls from Telstra payphones are free, and payphones stopped taking coins in October 2021, so a card is how you pay for an overseas call from a phone box.

The catches: what to check on the card before you pay

The headline rate on the poster is rarely the whole price. Australian regulators have acted on this before: one phone card company paid ACCC infringement notices over allegedly misleading advertising of its cards.

These are the patterns buyers report most often. Not every card has them, but you should look for each one in the fine print:

What to look for	How it shows up in the fine print	What it does to your credit
Connection fee or flagfall	"Connection fee applies", "flagfall per call"	Every call costs extra before you speak, so short calls get expensive
Rounding to blocks	"Calls charged in 3-minute (or 5-minute) blocks"	A 4-minute call is billed as 6 or even 10 minutes
Expiry after first use	"Valid for 30 or 90 days from first call"	Unused credit disappears, even if you bought the card months ago
Different mobile rate	"Rates to mobiles may vary" or a separate mobile column	The advertised rate only applies to landlines
Access number surcharge	"Payphone or mobile access surcharge"	Calling the access number from a mobile or payphone costs more
Maintenance or service fee	"Weekly service fee"	Credit drains even when you do not call

Two quick checks catch most problems:

Find the rate for mobiles in the country you call, not just landlines. In India, the Philippines and China most people you know will answer on a mobile.
Check what the access number costs from your phone. Most Australian mobile plans treat 1800 numbers as free and include 13, 1300 and standard local numbers in their call allowance, but not every plan does. Check your plan's critical information summary.

A worked example of how fees add up

This example is made up to show the maths. It does not describe any particular card. Say a A$10 card advertises 1 cent a minute to UK landlines, with a 49 cent connection fee and 3-minute blocks.

You make ten calls of 4 minutes each, 40 minutes in total.
Each call is billed as 6 minutes, so you pay for 60 minutes: 60 cents.
Ten connection fees add A$4.90.
Total: A$5.50 for 40 minutes, about 13.8 cents a minute, not 1 cent.

One 40-minute call on the same card would cost 42 minutes plus one fee: 91 cents. Cards like this suit people who make a few long calls, and punish people who make lots of short ones.

Is a card cheaper than your own mobile plan?

Sometimes you need neither, because your plan may already include the country. Some Australian mobile plans come with a monthly allowance of international minutes or free calls to a list of countries, and the big carriers sell monthly international add-ons. Check your plan's inclusions before you buy a card. Our guide to international calls plans in Australia compares the main options, and the Telstra international calls guide covers Telstra's packs and per-minute rates.

If your plan does not include the country, calling straight from your mobile with 0011 is usually the most expensive way to call abroad. That is the gap cards and internet calling fill.

A card-free alternative: calling from a browser

If you would rather not deal with access numbers, PINs and expiry dates, you can call overseas phone numbers from a web browser. BoraPhone works in Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox on a laptop, tablet or phone, over any internet connection, with no app or SIM needed. Credit is in US dollars, there are no connection or service fees, and calls are billed per minute (rounded up to the next full minute). The rate shows before you dial, failed calls are refunded in full, top-ups start at US$5, and your first call is free.

Here is what a 20-minute call to a mobile costs at BoraPhone rates at the time of writing (October 2026). Prices are in US dollars, so check the live India rates or the full rates list for the current figure:

Destination	Landline, per minute	Mobile, per minute	20 minutes to a mobile	Honest take
India	US$0.11	US$0.11	US$2.20	Good value cards and apps to India often cost less per minute for long calls
United Kingdom	US$0.04	US$0.07	US$1.40	Competitive with most cards, with no flagfall or blocks
New Zealand	US$0.07	US$0.19	US$3.80	Cheap to landlines; check whether your plan already includes NZ
China	US$0.72	US$0.76	US$15.20	Expensive. A card or app bundle for China is usually much cheaper
Philippines	US$0.46	US$0.65	US$13.00	Expensive. A Philippines card or app will usually beat this

To China and the Philippines, a reputable card or a calling app is the better buy for regular calls, and it is not close. Browser calling makes more sense for UK and New Zealand landlines, for short or urgent calls where card fees hurt most, and for anyone who cannot or does not want to install an app.

Which option suits which caller?

You pay cash and call from a landline or payphone: a printed card from a newsagent, or a Telstra Phonecard at a payphone.
You make one long call a week to the same country: a card or app bundle for that country, after checking the mobile rate and the expiry rule.
You make lots of short calls: avoid cards with connection fees and minute blocks. Pick a service that bills each call by the minute with no per-call fee.
Your plan already includes the country: just use your mobile.

For step-by-step dialling to the two most common card destinations, see our guides on how to make international calls from Australia and how to call the UK from Australia.

Frequently asked questions

Which phone cards offer the best international calls?

The best card is the one with a low rate to mobiles in the country you call, no connection fee, billing by the minute rather than in blocks, and no expiry clock that starts at first use. Compare those four things on the card's terms, not the headline minutes on the poster. Buy a small card first to test the call quality and the balance announcements.

Where can I buy phone cards for international calls in Australia?

Newsagents, convenience stores, service stations and grocers that serve migrant communities still sell printed cards. Online sellers email you a PIN straight after payment and usually let you top up the same account. For payphones, Telstra sells its Phonecard at selected Telstra Stores and retail outlets.

What is the cheapest way to make international calls from Australia?

It depends on how you call. If your mobile plan already includes the country, that is free to use. For long weekly calls to one country, a good card or app bundle is usually cheapest, while for short or occasional calls a pay-as-you-go service with no per-call fees often works out cheaper than a card.

Do phone cards expire?

Many do. Some expire a set number of days after your first call, others a set time after purchase, and some deduct a service fee until the balance is gone. The rule should be in the card's terms, so check it before you buy, especially if you only call a few times a year.

Can I use a phone card from my mobile?

Yes. You ring the card's access number from your mobile, enter the PIN and dial the overseas number. Check what your plan charges for the access number: 1800 numbers are free on most Australian mobile plans, but some cards add a surcharge when you call from a mobile.

Phone Cards for International Calls in Australia: A Buyer's Guide