Travel eSIM, roaming or a local SIM
There are three ways to get mobile data abroad. Each fits a different trip; this is how they differ.
Roaming with your home carrier
- Nothing to set up: your phone connects when you land, on your own number.
- Usually the most expensive per day or per gigabyte, and pay-as-you-go rates can be much higher than a pass.
- Fits a short trip where you need your number to work and the cost does not matter.
A local SIM card
- Often the lowest price per gigabyte, with a local number.
- You have to find a shop after you land, and many countries ask for a passport to register the SIM.
- Your home SIM comes out of the phone unless it has two slots, so calls and texts to your number stop.
- Fits a long stay in one country.
A travel eSIM
- Bought and installed before you leave, from your phone, with no shop and no plastic card.
- Your home SIM stays in the phone for calls and texts; the eSIM carries the data.
- Data only: there is no phone number, so calls go through apps such as WhatsApp or FaceTime.
- Your phone has to support eSIM and be carrier-unlocked.
- Fits most trips of a few days to a few weeks, and trips across several countries with one regional plan.
Which one to pick
For a holiday or a work trip, a travel eSIM is the least effort for a known price. For months in one country, a local SIM usually costs less. Roaming is the fallback when you cannot change anything on the phone.