Phone & SIM Abroad

Nothing matches your search.

Which Option?

Option	Choose when	Typical cost
eSIM	Short trip, multi-country, or you don't want to hunt for a SIM on arrival. Set up before you leave via app.$5–30 / trip	$5–30 / trip
Local SIM	Staying 1+ week in one country, high data use, or on a budget. Cheapest per-GB — see specific cards below.$3–20 / 30 days	$3–20 / 30 days
Carrier Plan	You need your own number to work and don't want to touch anything. T-Mobile Go5G Plus includes it free.$0 or $12/day	$0 or $12/day

eSIM Providers

🔵 eSIM🟢 Best pick

Marketplace — 200+ countries

Largest eSIM marketplace. Buy country or regional packages in the app. Regional plans cover EU, Asia, or global zones — useful for multi-country trips. Activate instantly via QR code or app install. Plans from ~$5.

🔵 eSIM

Marketplace — 200+ countries

Similar to Airalo. Often competitive on Europe and Asia pricing. Regional bundles available. App-based activation. Worth comparing prices against Airalo for your destination.

🔵 eSIM⚫ Budget

Budget pick — 150+ countries

Made by the NordVPN team. Plans from ~$5. Hotspot tethering allowed on all plans with no daily cap — the clearest hotspot policy of any major provider. Built-in ad blocker and web protection included. Best choice when price is the priority and Airalo is more expensive for your destination.

🔵 eSIM🟠 Unlimited

Unlimited data — 160+ countries

Unlimited data plans priced per day. More expensive than data-capped options but removes the worry of running out. Hotspot now available but subject to fair-use caps (roughly 500 MB–1 GB/day depending on destination). Best for heavy streamers or people who don't want to track usage.

US Carrier International Plans

T-Mobile Go5G Plus / Next

🟣 Carrier🟢 Included free

Included — 215+ countries

Go5G Plus: 5 GB high-speed then unlimited 2G (256 kbps) in 215+ countries. Go5G Next: 15 GB high-speed. Note: standard Go5G only covers 11 European countries at high speed — Go5G Plus or above is required for global coverage. Unlimited texting, $0.25/min calls. No daily charge — no action required.

AT&T International Day Pass

🟣 Carrier

$12/day when used — 210+ countries

Charged only on days you use your phone internationally. Unlimited calls, texts, and data (uses your domestic plan's full data allowance) for $12 per 24-hour period. Add the pass from the AT&T app before departing — it's not automatic.

Verizon TravelPass

🟣 Carrier

$12/day when used — 210+ countries

Same model as AT&T — charged per day you use it. 5 GB high-speed then unlimited data at 3G speeds for the remainder of the 24-hour session. Unlimited calls and texts. Enable in the My Verizon app before you leave.

🟣 Carrier

Included on Flexible/Premium — 200+ countries

High-speed data included at no extra charge in 200+ countries on the Flexible or Unlimited Premium plans (Unlimited Standard covers only Canada and Mexico free; Unlimited Essentials has no international data). Requires activating and using Fi inside the US for a day first — international data suspends after roughly 80 days away.

Tips

Before You Leave

Check that your phone is unlocked before leaving. Most iPhones purchased outright or after 12 months of payments are unlocked. Confirm in Settings → General → About → Carrier Lock (iPhone).

Set up your eSIM before you leave — activation requires a data connection. If you wait until arrival, you'll need airport WiFi to complete it.

Download offline maps before you leave — Google Maps and Apple Maps let you save entire regions. This eliminates data use for navigation and works when you have no signal.

Enable WiFi Calling on your phone (Settings → Phone → WiFi Calling on iPhone). When connected to hotel or airport WiFi, you can make and receive calls on your regular number at no charge.

On the Ground

Enable Airplane Mode immediately after takeoff, then re-enable WiFi only. This prevents accidental roaming charges during the flight and while you set up your eSIM or local SIM on arrival.

On iPhone, go to Settings → Cellular → set your data plan explicitly so the eSIM or local SIM handles data and your home SIM handles calls only. This prevents accidental roaming on your primary number.

WhatsApp, iMessage, Signal, and FaceTime Audio all work over WiFi with no data plan. Use these for messaging and voice calls when you have a WiFi connection.

Local SIM by Destination

Japan

Buy IIJmio data SIM — vending machines at Narita/Haneda arrivals, or convenience stores (7-Eleven, FamilyMart)

Gets you 15 GB, 30 days, ~$14

Note Data only — no calls. Passport required at counter. eSIM (Airalo/IIJmio) is easier if your phone supports it.

Guides: Tokyo · Kyoto

Thailand

Buy AIS Tourist SIM — yellow AIS booth in Suvarnabhumi arrivals hall, or any 7-Eleven

Gets you 30 GB + unlimited social media, 30 days, ~$8 (฿299)

Note Unlimited calls within Thailand included. True (formerly DTAC, merged 2023) is a budget alternative but AIS has wider coverage outside Bangkok.

Guides: Bangkok · Phuket

Singapore

Buy Singtel Tourist SIM — Changi Airport Terminal 1/2/3 arrivals counters, or any 7-Eleven in the city

Gets you 100 GB, 30 days, ~S$18 (~$13)

Note StarHub and M1 are similar in price and coverage. The Singtel card activates immediately — no passport required.

Guides: Singapore

Indonesia / Bali

Buy Telkomsel — counters at Ngurah Rai Airport arrivals, or Indomaret/Alfamart convenience stores

Gets you 30 GB, 30 days, ~$6 (Rp 100,000)

Note Telkomsel is the only carrier with reliable coverage across Bali's rural areas and smaller islands. XL Axiata is cheaper in cities but drops out in Ubud and the north.

Guides: Bali

United Kingdom

Buy giffgaff SIM — order free online before you leave (delivered to your home); or Three UK at WHSmith in any major airport

Gets you 80 GB, 30 days, ~£10 (~$13) via giffgaff; or 100 GB, 30 days, ~£15 via Three

Note giffgaff uses O2's network — good London coverage. Three UK has the best coverage outside London. Your EU SIM will not roam free in the UK — it needs its own plan.

Guides: London · Edinburgh · Glasgow · Oxford · Cambridge

Europe (multi-country)

Buy Any EU carrier SIM in your first country — roams free across all EU member states. Orange Holiday (France) is widely recommended: sold at airports and Orange stores.

Gets you Orange Holiday: 20 GB EU-wide, 14 days, ~€25 (~$27). Renew for another 14 days if needed.

Note For EU-only trips, Airalo's Europe regional eSIM is often cleaner and comparably priced. Local SIM makes more sense for longer stays. Switzerland and the UK are not in the EU roaming zone — see their own cards.

Guides: Paris · Amsterdam · Berlin · Rome · Barcelona

Switzerland

Buy Salt, Swisscom, or Sunrise — kiosks at Zurich, Geneva, or Basel airport arrivals, or any carrier store downtown

Gets you Salt: free SIM + 10 CHF credit, ~1.99 CHF/day unlimited data (~$2); Swisscom/Sunrise: ~20 CHF SIM w/ credit (~$22), ~2–2.5 CHF/day

Note Switzerland is not in the EU — an EU roaming SIM will not work here for free, even mid-trip through the Schengen zone. Swisscom has the widest Alpine and rural coverage.

Guides: Geneva · Lucerne · Zurich

Australia

Buy Telstra Prepaid — airport kiosks (Sydney, Melbourne), Woolworths, post offices, or Telstra stores in the city

Gets you 40 GB, 28 days, ~A$30 (~$20)

Note Telstra is the only realistic choice if you're leaving major cities — Optus and Vodafone drop out in regional areas and anywhere outside the coast. Worth the small premium.

Guides: Sydney · Melbourne

New Zealand

Buy Spark NZ — Auckland or Queenstown Airport kiosks, Countdown supermarkets, or Spark stores downtown

Gets you 7 GB, 28 days, ~NZ$19 (~$11); or 30 GB for ~NZ$29

Note Spark has the best rural and South Island coverage — important if you're doing Fiordland, Wanaka, or the West Coast. 1degrees is cheaper for city-only stays.

Guides: Wellington · Queenstown

Mexico

Buy Telcel — official counter at Mexico City (MEX) airport, Terminal 1, Puerta 5 second floor, or any OXXO convenience store

Gets you ~5–10 GB, 30 days, ~$5–10 (100–200 MXN) at OXXO; airport counter runs 150–300 MXN for the same plans

Note Telcel has by far the widest national coverage. Cancún airport has no proper tourist SIM counter — set up an eSIM (Airalo runs on the Telcel network) before you land if flying into Cancún.

Guides: Cancún · Los Cabos · Oaxaca · Puerto Vallarta

Costa Rica

Buy Kolbi or Claro — SIM vending machines at San José (SJO) Terminal A arrivals and the ConRac rental-car lobby, or carrier kiosks at Liberia (LIR) arrivals

Gets you Kolbi: 3–10 GB, 7–30 days, ~$10–25; Claro: plans from ~$0.70 (300 MB, 8 hrs) up to ~$19 unlimited/30 days

Note Physical SIM counters at SJO's baggage claim have closed — use the vending machines or a carrier store in town. Passport required for registration (SUTEL rule). Liberty (formerly Movistar) is a solid backup carrier.

Guides: Arenal · Manuel Antonio · San José

Peru

Buy Bitel — airport kiosks at Jorge Chávez (Lima) arrivals, or Bitel stores throughout Cusco and Lima

Gets you 10 GB, 30 days, ~$5

Note Bitel has the best signal in the Andes and Sacred Valley — Claro and Movistar lose coverage above 3,000m. Essential if you're going to Cusco, Machu Picchu, or anywhere outside Lima.

Guides: Lima · Cusco

Chile

Buy Entel — Arturo Merino Benítez Airport (Santiago) arrivals kiosk, or Entel stores in the city center

Gets you 30 GB, 30 days, ~CLP 15,000 (~$15)

Note Entel has the best national coverage, including Patagonia and the Lake District. WOM is cheaper in Santiago but drops out in the south.

Guides: Santiago

Argentina

Buy Claro or Personal — kiosks at Ezeiza Airport arrivals, or any electronics shop (Garbarino, Frávega) in Buenos Aires

Gets you ~10–15 GB, 30 days, ~$5–10 (pricing fluctuates with peso rate)

Note Buy with USD cash converted at the blue rate for best value. Passport required. Personal has slightly better Buenos Aires coverage; Claro is stronger in Patagonia.

Guides: Buenos Aires

Brazil

Buy Vivo — Galeão Airport (Rio) or Guarulhos (São Paulo) arrivals counters, or Vivo stores downtown

Gets you 20 GB, 30 days, ~R$30 (~$6)

Note Vivo has the best national coverage. TIM is a solid backup. Passport required for registration. eSIM via Airalo is increasingly reliable if you want to avoid the counter.

Guides: Rio de Janeiro

Also on this site

Travel apps Plug adapter Before you go