Traveling abroad is expensive, but international mobile data doesn’t have to be. You can buy a cheap eSIM with international data ahead of time to stay connected away from home without having to pay costly international charges from your U.S. carrier. No more hefty roaming data charges from your cell service provider or airport SIM card kiosks—all you have to do is choose your destination, select a data amount, and tap install. Once you're connected, make sure you have all your essential travel apps loaded before you leave.
Maya Mobile and Airalo offer the best international data eSIMs with the best price-per-data value and customization. Holafly is the top unlimited data option for international travel, while Orange offers the best talk and text options. Our cheapest international eSIM companies are Ubigi, GlobaleSIM, and Nomad. If you prefer easy activation, Saily has the easiest eSIM app available.
| Travel eSIM | Best for | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
| Maya Mobile | Overall international travel | $4.99 |
| Airalo | International trips | $5.00 |
| Holafly | Unlimited data | $6.90 |
| Ubigi | Cheapest plan | $7.00 |
| GlobaleSIM | Cheap calling add-ons | $5.00 |
| Nomad | Value | $4.50 |
| Orange | Talk and text | $5.99 |
| Saily | Easy activation | $4.99 |
How do travel eSIMs work?
A travel eSIM is a digital SIM card that can be programmed remotely, giving you access to the local network within the purchased plan. If you have a dual SIM phone, you can simply add a travel eSIM to your device with your domestic plan. Unlike your everyday service provider, travel eSIM providers offer data options for limited periods of time, usually valid over a week, two weeks, or a month. Your eSIM plan is usually activated once it connects to a local network it can use, so if you choose a plan for Germany, your usage period starts once you connect to a German provider’s network.
When choosing an eSIM, keep your mobile data needs in mind so you don’t overpay for data you won’t use. You probably need less data than you think, and probably won’t need unlimited data unless you plan on working remotely from your vacation destination. Calculate for around 1GB per day if you use your phone to stream videos or scroll social media frequently. That said, find an eSIM that’s right for your online needs.
Although most travel eSIMs offer data-only plans, you can find a few providers that include calling and texting like Orange, or also have add-on packages for minutes like GlobaleSIM. Once your service period is over, your eSIM will no longer work unless you buy more data.
KnowRoaming is another data-only provider in this space, with flat prepaid pricing and coverage across 200+ countries. It didn't crack our category picks above, but it's a solid option if you want predictable rates and don't mind leaning on apps for calls and texts. We break down how it works in our KnowRoaming review.
What are the best eSIMs for international travel?
Maya Mobile | Best overall international travel eSIM
Maya mobile offers the best international data eSIM and gets you local, regional, and even global coverage with speeds up to 5G. You can choose from over 200 destinations and opt for different data options, including 5GB, 10GB, 20GB, 40GB, and even two unlimited options.
While there is no blanket price for data since your country of destination dictates how much your data will be, in general, Maya Mobile pricing ranges from about $5 to upwards of $50. Here’s a breakdown of pricing for Maya’s Europe+ plan including coverage in 35 countries, but expect price changes for other countries or regions.
- 5GB for $8.09
- 10GB for $13.49
- 20GB for $18.89
- 40GB for $31.49
- Unlimited data for $20–$45
Maya allows you to customize your plan by deciding your service period. Once you decide on your data allowance, you set the start and finish dates in 5-, 10-, 15-, 30-, even up to 180-day increments. Usually, the longer you stay connected abroad, the more data you need and the more you pay; but with Maya Mobile, you pay for a data amount and decide how long you want your eSIM to last (give or take a dollar). For instance, imagine you’re going to France for a week to visit Disneyland Paris. You want 10GB of data, but you can decide whether to use your plan over 15 days (or just 10) without any major price hikes.
For travelers who want unlimited international data, Maya offers two unlimited plans without tethering limits, making Maya ideal for tourists planning on working while on vacation. The standard unlimited plan includes 3GB of daily data at 5G speeds, with browsing at 1Mbps if you go over your limit—the unlimited max plan is the same but with a daily data limit of 5GB.
Expect to pay more for an unlimited plan, ranging from 5 days of unlimited standard for around $20, to $45 for unlimited max over 30–180 days. The best part is there’s no limit on tethering or hotspot data. That means you can get a month of unlimited data, free of data-sharing limitations, for less than $60 while abroad.
Maya mobile also protects travelers by including a trip cancellation guarantee. Accidents and illnesses happen, but Maya lets you cancel and get a refund within 30 days of purchase if you don’t use your data or use less than 10%. All you have to do is submit a request.
Airalo | Runner-up for best international eSIM
Airalo is the next best eSIM provider with its competitively cheap data plans and convenient top up options. With service in 200+ destinations, you’ll get 4G LTE or 5G speeds (when available) with your data plan. Airalo is convenient because it offers smaller data packages, ranging from 1GB, 2GB, and 3GB options, to larger amounts for heavy data users including 50GB, 100GB, and unlimited options.
Airalo pricing depends on your travel destination. By no means is it the cheapest, but Airalo offers the most options for data amounts. Here’s general pricing for Airalo’s Eurolink plan with coverage in 42 destinations:
- 1GB for $5.00
- 2GB for $9.50
- 3GB for $13.00
- 5GB for $20.00
- 10GB for $37.00
- 20GB for $49.00
- 50GB for $100.00
- 100GB for $185.00
- Unlimited for 10 days is $35 (in select locations
Other perks of using Airalo include unlimited data sharing and carrier flexibility. Since you get unlimited hotspot data you can easily stream shows on your tablet or work on your laptop without any data cap limitations. If you are getting slow speeds, you can manually change networks to get the best speeds for your area. Coordinating a group trip? Check out the best group travel apps to keep everyone on the same page.
Sherri Riggs, Whistleout video marketing manager, put Airalo to the test when travelling around Europe for 20 days. She valued the ability to switch carriers on Airalo’s plans to always guarantee the fastest speeds.
Airalo regularly offers discount codes for both new and returning customers. New users can typically find codes for 10–15% off their first purchase, while existing customers have access to smaller ongoing discounts at checkout. It's worth checking Airalo's promotions page or doing a quick search for a current code before you buy. At $37 for 10GB or $100 for 50GB, even a modest discount adds up.
Airalo isn’t cheap, but you get money back every time you refill your data. So, in the long run you can save on your data usage. However, at $37 for 10GB of data or $100 for 50GB, Airalo is one of the most expensive options for travel eSIMs.
Best unlimited international data eSIM
Holafly | Best unlimited data plan
Holafly specializes in unlimited international data eSIMs. If you don’t want to worry about running out of data and travel at ease, Holafly offers easy-to-use unlimited data-only plans you can install and forget. Your plan will automatically activate upon arrival, so really, there’s no need to stress. Whistleout video marketing manager, Sherri Riggs, chose Holafly because it offers unlimited data while traveling Europe.
Founded in 2017, Holafly has become a leading name in global eSIMs and provides coverage at 3G, 4G LTE, or 5G speeds in over 220 destinations. With 24/7 customer service, you can reach them at any time, anywhere. And for WhatsApp users, you don’t have to change your number with an Holafly eSIM, so your chats are safe even while using their service.
To get a global eSIM with Holafly, all you have to do is choose the number of days you’ll be travelling for, and install your eSIM. The more days you contract, the cheaper your data plan (with a limit of 90 days). For instance, unlimited data for one day is $6.90, but by adding another day the price is only $9.90. That’s an extra $3 for another day of limitless data. However, due to the nature of unlimited data, Holafly is expensive. Two weeks of unlimited data totals $47.90, but peace of mind for that price is worth it.
Even though the plan is labelled unlimited, hotspot data is capped at 500MB to 1GB per day depending on your destination, so it's workable for occasional laptop use, but probably not enough if you're planning to work remotely full-time.
Cheapest international eSIMs
Ubigi | Cheapest travel eSIM
Ubigi is a low-cost eSIM that works in over 200 countries and has some of the most competitive travel data plans on the market. Unlike some providers, Ubigi offers local, regional, and even continental plans, so it works whether you're hitting one country or an entire region.
You can choose single-activation plans, or opt for monthly and even annual plans for coverage on frequent trips. Plans start as low as $2.90 and scale up based on your destination and data needs, with 5G speeds available where the network supports it.
GlobaleSIM | Basic data plan
If you are looking for an eSIM provider with cheap data and don’t want to pay for fast speeds, GlobaleSIM offers a really cheap 20GB plan— 20GB for $21—but you may have to put up with 3G speeds. Their cheapest data option is 1GB for $5, but they also offer 2GB for $8.50, 3GB for $10, 5GB for $12, 10GB for $14, all to be used within periods of 15 or 30 days. Keep in mind that pricing may change with each destination, so give or take a few dollars.
GlobaleSIM is one of the only eSIMs to offer minute add-ons. You can choose between 100 and 200 minutes for $10 and $17 respectively. That means you’ll also get a new number on your phone while abroad—a U.S.–based +1 number.
Nomad | Good value
Nomad is a local and regional eSIM provider with reliable data and speeds. There’s always a slight risk that your eSIM won’t work or won’t activate properly when choosing a global provider, but Nomad offers reliable service with a completely transparent and detailed purchase process.
Getting international data from Nomad is cheap and straight-foreward, and you can usually find discounts and sales on their data packages. Nomad’s simple data option range in price, including:
- 1GB for $5.50
- 3GB for $12.00
- 5GB for $14.00
- 10GB for $16.00
- 20GB for $22.00
- 30GB for $45.00
- 50GB for $49.00
My brother used Nomad in Peru (after his first eSIM failed to connect) and was surprised at how easy and fast it was to get online. After purchasing his plan, an activation email was immediately sent out and it took less than two minutes to get and activate the eSIM.
Plus, Nomad’s lightning fast customer service is top-notch, especially when you’re already stressed about not having data. Nomad offers customer support through their app or online. Reupping data is also seamless since Nomad gives you warning messages about data usage to make sure you don’t run out and, consequently, can’t re-use your eSIM.
Best talk and text travel eSIM
Orange | Best eSIM for calling and messaging
Orange offers enticing local and regional eSIM options for your next vacation, including talk and text perks for those who prefer calls and messages. With coverage in over 100 destinations, you’ll have reliable 4G LTE or 5G speeds to guide you on your adventures abroad.
Take Orange’s European regional plan with coverage in over 40 countries. Their 1GB travel data plan is one of the cheapest on the market at only $5.99 to help you in a pinch, send a few WhatsApp messages, or open maps to figure out how far from the hotel you are. However, you’ll have to opt for Orange’s two-week 12GB plan to get unlimited calls in Europe and 30 minutes around the world, and 200 global texts. That’s still a steal for 12GB of data (more than I use in a month), talk, and text for as low as $25.99.
If you need more data, Orange offers larger data plan options ranging from smaller amounts like 1GB to more sizable allowances including 30GB, 100GB and 500GB. Although Orange doesn’t offer an unlimited plan, 100GB of data is only $80.99 and is restriction-free. You can share and use data on your phone, laptop, and tablet to keep the whole family entertained and connected.
Best eSIM for easy activation
Saily | Easiest eSIM to activate
Saily is an affordable eSIM from the same company behind NordVPN, and it shows. Beyond just keeping you connected, Saily builds in ad-blocking and web protection at no extra cost — features you'd normally pay separately for.
Coverage spans 200+ destinations worldwide, with local, regional, and global plan options depending on how many countries you're hitting. All plans are data-only, so calls and texts go through apps like WhatsApp or iMessage.
Pricing varies by destination and region, but here's what to expect at the entry level:
- Europe (35 countries): from $4.99
- Asia and Oceania (19 countries): from $4.99
- North America (2 countries): from $5.99
- Latin America (12 countries): from $7.99
- Middle East and North Africa (19 countries): from $7.49
- Caribbean Islands (29 countries): from $8.99
- Global (121 countries): from $8.99
- Africa (34 countries): from $14.99
If on the odd chance your eSIM doesn’t work or has activation issues, you can contact Saily’s 24/7 customer service via chat or email for a refund.
Lauren's advice: Activate Saily before you board the plane
Trying to activate it over in-flight Wi-Fi or once you've already landed can cause connection issues. Here's what WhistleOut's Managing Editor Lauren Hannula said about her experience using Saily:
"Activating Saily wasn't as straightforward as the instructions had made it out to be—I would recommend activating it while you still have actual cellular service, before you get on the plane to your international destination. I followed the advice to activate it via Wi-Fi from the plane before landing, and it never connected. I ended up having to purchase a $12 single-day Travel Pass from Verizon, just so I could use 2 minutes of data to activate Saily once the roaming connection kicked in.
That said, once it was activated, Saily worked wonderfully, automatically shifting networks smoothly as needed while we traveled from Germany to the Czech Republic."
eSIMs for international travel FAQs
How much data do I need for travel in Europe?
An average online user should budget for 1GB of data per day while abroad. With 1GB per day, you’ll have enough data to use maps around town, browse the web for restaurant reviews in your area, upload a few posts to your social media profiles, and video chat with your loved ones.
Based on your online activities, consider the following guidelines:
- Light users expect 1 GB per week for sending emails, browsing, and messaging. Solo travelers in particular tend to fall into this category—and if you're heading out alone, our guide to the best solo female travel safety apps is worth a read before you go.
- Moderate users expect 3–5 GB per week to use maps, stream music, and use social media.
- Heavy users expect 10+ GB per week for video calls, streaming shows, and uploads.
Do I need Wi-Fi to activate an eSIM?
Activating the eSIM requires you to connect to the local network or Wi-Fi. Once that’s done, your coverage will automatically activate when you arrive at your destination.
Is my phone eSIM compatible?
If your phone is newer than 2018, it's likely eSIM compatible. If you aren't sure, you can check if your phone is eSIM compatible under your phone’s settings.
Check eSIM compatibility on iPhone by following these steps:
- Go to Settings.
- Tap General and then About.
- Scroll down to the SIM sections (digital, physical, or available).
- If you see an EID (Embedded SIM ID) number, your phone is eSIM-compatible.
Check eSIM compatibility on an Android device by following these steps:
- Open Settings.
- Select About Phone.
- Look for SIM Status.
- You’ll see Embedded SIM if your phone supports eSIMs.
Jessica Santero
Staff Writer
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