Stop overpaying for roaming abroad

For short trips, almost always. Verizon TravelPass and AT&T International Day Pass both cost $12 a day ($6/day in Mexico and Canada), so a week abroad is $84 before you have done anything. A 7-day eSIM that covers the same trip runs roughly $7 to $27 depending on the country and whether you want metered data (Airalo, Saily) or unlimited (Holafly). The main exception is T-Mobile: its Magenta, Go5G and Experience plans already include high-speed roaming up to a per-tier ceiling at no extra cost, so for T-Mobile customers roaming is usually the better deal up to the ceiling.

No — the 5 GB is a daily high-speed allowance, not a trip-wide cap. Verizon's TravelPass gives you 5 GB of high-speed data per 24-hour session (effectively per billed day); after that the same session continues at 3G speeds for free. The optional $10-per-2 GB top-up only exists if you want to restore high-speed within a day. This calculator therefore models TravelPass as a flat $12/day with no forced top-up, so a 7-day trip is $84, not the inflated figure you get if you treat 5 GB as a whole-trip limit.

AT&T's International Day Pass charges $12 per day but never bills you for more than 10 days per line, per bill period. The key words are “per bill period”, not “per trip”. A 14-day trip inside one billing cycle is capped at $120. But a 30-day trip that straddles two billing cycles can be charged the 10-day cap twice — up to around $240 — because each cycle has its own cap. This tool approximates that by counting one cap per ~30-day window; the exact figure depends on where your trip falls in your billing cycle.

Airalo and Saily sell metered plans — a fixed bucket of data (for example 5 GB) valid for a set number of days, which is cheapest if your usage is modest. Holafly sells unlimited-data plans priced per day (about $3.90/day in 2026), which is better if you stream, tether or simply don't want to count gigabytes. All three are data-only by default: you keep your normal number for calls and texts over Wi-Fi or an app, but there is no native voice line. Pick metered for light use, unlimited for heavy use.

Your original SIM or eSIM stays installed, so your home number still receives calls and SMS as long as that line is reachable — but using it abroad triggers your carrier's roaming charges, which is exactly what the travel eSIM is there to avoid. The usual setup is to keep your home line active for SMS two-factor codes (data roaming off) and route all data and app-based calls (WhatsApp, FaceTime) through the eSIM. If you need a real local voice line, that is a separate product most travel eSIMs do not include.

Most phones sold since 2018 do: iPhone XS and newer, Google Pixel 3 and newer, and recent Samsung Galaxy S, Note and Z models. US iPhone 14 and later are eSIM-only. The phone must also be carrier-unlocked to use a third-party eSIM. Check Settings for an “Add eSIM” or “Add Mobile Plan” option, or dial *#06# and look for an EID number — if one appears, your device has an eSIM. Buy and install the eSIM before you fly, while you still have Wi-Fi, then switch it on when you land.

For maps, messaging and light browsing, roughly 1 GB covers 5–7 days. If you also use social media, email and the occasional video call, plan on about 5 GB for a week. Streaming video, tethering a laptop, or sharing with family pushes you toward 20 GB or an unlimited plan. When in doubt, an unlimited Holafly-style plan removes the guesswork, while a 5 GB metered plan from Airalo or Saily is the cheapest fit for a typical week of normal use.

Yes, with a regional plan. Airalo's Eurolink covers 40-plus European countries on a single eSIM, and Holafly's Europe plan and Saily's Europe plan work the same way — useful for a multi-country trip where buying a separate local eSIM per country would be wasteful. This calculator prices single-destination trips; for a multi-country itinerary, choose the regional Europe option and confirm the exact country list on the provider's page, since coverage maps differ slightly between providers.

An earlier version of this tool listed Maya with metered 1/5/20 GB plans and a source link that no longer resolves. On re-checking in June 2026, Maya's actual catalogue is unlimited-only (a flat per-day Global Travel Mode and a Europe+ unlimited plan), which does not fit the metered per-bucket comparison this calculator runs — and the old per-bucket prices could not be verified against any live Maya page. Rather than show figures we cannot confirm, we removed Maya. The three providers we do list (Airalo, Holafly, Saily) were all re-priced on 12 June 2026.