For data abroad, a travel eSIM is almost always the cheapest option; your home carrier's roaming is the most convenient; and a local SIM is the cheapest for long stays and sometimes the only way onto the network that reaches the trail. For a two-week trip at 0.7 GB a day, the cheapest eSIM in our data costs $16 in Japan, $25 in Peru and $10 for a week in Europe. The same fortnight on a US carrier's daily pass costs $120–168 with AT&T or $168 with Verizon. T-Mobile, at $75 for a 30-day pass, is the exception that narrows the gap.
Lotso Travel, an eSIM provider, is run by the team behind this site. It appears in the calculator below with everyone else, on the same public prices.
The three options, side by side
| Roaming on your home SIM | Travel eSIM | Local SIM (or local eSIM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Your normal plan, used abroad for a daily or trip fee | A data plan from a third party, downloaded as a second line | A prepaid plan from a carrier in the country you're visiting |
| Cost for data | Highest: $10–12 a day on US day passes | Low: $10–25 for a typical two-week trip in our index | Often the lowest: Ncell's 14-day tourist pack is NPR 995 (about $7) |
| Your phone number | Kept, for calls and texts | Kept on the home line; most eSIMs are data only | You get a new local number |
| Setup | None | Install at home on Wi-Fi; works on landing | Buy on arrival; passport registration in many countries |
| Network | Your carrier's partner, usually not your choice | Named by some providers (Nomad, Ubigi), not by others | You pick: e.g. NTC over Ncell for altitude in Nepal |
| Best for | Short trips, heavy calling, plans that include the country | Most trips of a few days to a month | Long stays in one country; remote routes where one network wins |
"Travel SIM" usually means a physical prepaid SIM sold by a third party for use in many countries. It works like a travel eSIM but you have to take your home SIM out to use it, which means missing calls and texts (including bank verification codes) unless your phone has two physical slots. If your phone supports eSIM, the eSIM version of the same idea is simply easier.
Price it for your trip
Pick a destination, trip length and how much data you'll use. The calculator shows the three cheapest full-speed eSIMs from our price index against the three big US carriers' roaming passes.
Roaming vs eSIM
Your US carrier's pass or a travel eSIM?
- NomadeSIM10 GB · 30 days$16$1.14/day
- UbigieSIM10 GB · 30 days$16.50$1.18/day
- SailyeSIM10 GB · 30 days$17.99$1.28/day
- T-Mobile International PassRoaming1 × 30-day$75$5.36/day
- Experience More and Beyond plans include some high-speed data abroad first
- AT&T International Day PassRoaming$12 a day, at most 10 daily fees per bill period$120–$168$8.57/day
- Higher figure if the trip spans two bill periods
- Verizon TravelPassRoaming$12 a day; 5 GB high-speed per day$168$12/day
eSIMs: the three cheapest full-speed fits from our price index (public USD prices, checked 31 Oct 2026); Lotso Travel is run by the team behind this site. Carriers: one line, prices from AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, checked 1 Nov 2026, before taxes. A carrier pass keeps your number and calls; most eSIMs here are data only.
Three things this makes plain:
- Daily passes punish long trips. Verizon's TravelPass has no cap listed, so 30 days in Peru is $360. AT&T caps land and air use at 10 daily fees per line per bill period, so the same trip costs $120 if it fits inside one bill period, or up to $240 if it straddles two.
- T-Mobile is the carrier to beat. Its passes are $10 for a day (2 GB), $50 for 10 days (15 GB) and $75 for 30 days (30 GB), and its Experience More and Beyond plans include some high-speed data abroad before you buy anything. It's still several times the cost of an eSIM for data, but cheap enough that someone who makes a lot of calls might not bother switching.
- eSIM prices barely move with trip length. Nomad, Saily and Ubigi sell fixed plans valid for 30 days, so a 10-day and a 25-day trip often cost the same.
The carriers' terms, in detail
| Carrier | Price | Data | Limits | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T International Day Pass | $12 per line per day; $6 per extra line that day; $20 a day at sea | Your domestic plan's data | Never more than 10 daily fees per line per bill period on land and air | AT&T, updated 2 Mar 2026 |
| Verizon TravelPass | $12 per line per day; $6 in Canada and Mexico | 5 GB high-speed per 24 hours, then 3G speeds | Charged only on days you use the phone in a TravelPass country; 210+ destinations | Verizon |
| T-Mobile International Pass | 1 day $10; 10 days $50; 30 days $75 | 2 GB / 15 GB / 30 GB high-speed | Plans include 5 GB (Experience More) or 15 GB (Experience Beyond) abroad first; Canada and Mexico not charged extra | T-Mobile |
All read 1 Nov 2026, before taxes and fees. T-Mobile's page also mentions "up to 30GB" of roaming data "depending on rate plan", which conflicts with the 5 GB and 15 GB figures in its FAQ; check your own plan.
If you live in the EU
EU residents can roam at home prices across much of Europe, within limits. The EU's roam-like-at-home rules let you use your home allowance in every EU country plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Moldova and Ukraine. "Other countries are not covered by this regime." For adventure travellers the two big gaps are:
- Switzerland, which you can't avoid on the Tour du Mont Blanc or much of the Alps.
- The UK, for the West Highland Way and the rest of Scotland, unless your operator chooses to include it.
Outside Europe, an EU SIM roams on whatever terms your operator sets, and a travel eSIM is usually the cheaper route for data, exactly as it is for American travellers.
What changes off the beaten path
Price comparisons assume the networks are equal. On remote routes they often aren't, and that changes the answer:
- A local SIM can reach further than any eSIM. In Nepal, Nepal Telecom (NTC) holds a signal higher up than Ncell on both the Everest Base Camp trek and the Annapurna Circuit, but most travel eSIMs that name a Nepal network use Ncell. The answer there is both: an eSIM for data on arrival and an NTC SIM for the high villages. Our Nepal SIM card vs eSIM guide has the prices.
- Roaming partners aren't yours to choose. Your home carrier picks which local network you roam on, and it may not be the one that covers your valley. An eSIM provider that names its network, or one that can switch between several, gives you more control.
- Some eSIMs reach a network others don't. In Japan, among the providers we track, only Ubigi lists NTT Docomo, which runs seasonal masts on mountain trails; see our Japan hiking guide.
- No mobile option works beyond the last mast. For that you need satellite: satellite vs eSIM covers what your phone can do on its own and when a messenger is worth carrying.
Our pick, by trip
- A weekend or a short work trip: roaming. The convenience is worth a few days' fees, especially if you'll make calls.
- One to four weeks, mostly data: a travel eSIM, with your home SIM kept on for calls and texts. Use the trip cost calculator to pick one.
- A month or more in one country: a local SIM or the local carrier's tourist eSIM, if the paperwork is easy.
- A remote trek: an eSIM for the cities plus a local SIM on the network that reaches the trail, plus satellite backup where neither does.
Before any of this, check that your phone takes an eSIM and is unlocked: our phone checker covers the models and regional exceptions.
Questions people ask
Is an eSIM cheaper than roaming?
Usually by a wide margin, for data. Two weeks in Japan at 0.7 GB a day cost $16 on Nomad's cheapest fitting eSIM in our 31 Oct 2026 price index; AT&T's International Day Pass ($12 a day, at most 10 fees per bill period) costs $120 to $168 and Verizon's TravelPass $168. T-Mobile's 30-day pass is $75.
What's the difference between a travel SIM and an eSIM?
A travel SIM is a physical card from a third-party provider that you swap into your phone; a travel eSIM is the same kind of data plan delivered as a download. The eSIM lets you keep your home SIM in the phone for calls and texts, which matters for bank codes.
When is roaming the better choice?
On very short trips, when you need your own number for calls, or when your plan already includes the country: T-Mobile doesn't charge extra in Canada and Mexico, and EU residents roam at home prices across the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Moldova and Ukraine. Switzerland isn't covered.
When should I buy a local SIM instead?
For long stays in one country, and where one local network reaches further than the one travel eSIMs use. In Nepal, Ncell's 14-day tourist pack costs NPR 995 (about $7), and an NTC SIM covers high villages that Ncell-based eSIMs don't.
Can I use an eSIM and my home SIM at the same time?
On phones that support dual SIM with an eSIM, yes: keep your home line for calls and texts, and set the travel eSIM as the data line. Check your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked first.