The best eSIMs for international travel

Horizon is the cheapest travel eSIM we found, and it ranks first. We priced a week (3 GB) and two weeks (10 GB) of data in 15 countries at 21 providers in November 2026, and Horizon was the cheapest on 21 of those 30 trips: about $1.80 for a week in most of Europe and $5.50 for two weeks. It states its limits plainly, allows hotspot use on every plan, and promises a full refund whenever you ask, even after you've used the data. The catch is that Horizon is small and little known, a reseller run from Kosovo with four reviews on Trustpilot when we checked, and we didn't buy from it. If you'd rather pay a little more for a longer record, eSIM4Travel and JamboSIM came next on price, and Ubigi is the cheapest of the well-known names, at two to three times Horizon's price.

The eSIMs AI assistants recommend most cost far more for an ordinary trip. Airalo, named in 18 of our 20 AI answers, charged $6 to $9 for the same week in Europe, and Holafly, named in 17, sells only unlimited plans, at $23.90 to $27.50 a week there. If you'll use a lot of data, JamboSIM's unlimited plans were the cheapest, $7.99 to $12.99 a week in most countries, but outside Japan its pages don't say how much of that is at full speed.

What two weeks of data costs in 15 countries

The cheapest plan with at least 10 GB of full-speed data that lasts at least 14 days, at the top three, the cheapest well-known provider and the two most recommended, in November 2026, in US dollars, without coupons. The lowest price of all 21 providers in each row is in bold; it was always at Horizon or JamboSIM.

Destination	Horizon	JamboSIM	eSIM4Travel	Ubigi	Airalo	Holafly
Mexico	$22.46	$13.99	$20.91	$24	$17.50	$42.90
Canada	$16.08	$23.99	$19.33	$19	$20	$47.90
United Kingdom	$5.46	$6.99	$8.07	$11	$18.50	$48.90
France	$5.30	$6.99	$8.07	$10	$16.50	$47.50
Italy	$5.43	$7.99	$8.38	$12	$18	$41.90
Spain	$5.47	$4.99	$8.15	$12	$13.50	$43.50
Germany	$5.47	$6.99	$7.86	$10	$15.50	$48.90
Greece	$5.72	$6.99	$8.28	$12	$19.50	$48.90
Portugal	$5.57	$4.99	$7.96	$11	$10.50	$47.50
Dominican Republic	$15.05	$15.99	$26.23	$21	$36	$61.90
Japan	$11.49	$7.99	$9.44	$16.50	$17.50	$47.50
South Korea	$8.81	$9.99	$11.65	$14	$18.50	$47.50
Thailand	$7.92	$6.99	$7.54	$11	$10.50	$47.50
Australia	$8.27	$7.99	$9.86	$16	$17.50	$48.90
Turkey	$4.51	$4.99	$6.28	$13	$15	$47.50

The median prices for all three trips at all 21 providers, in rank order:

Provider	A week (3 GB)	Two weeks (10 GB)	Heavy use (21 GB in a week)
Horizon	$1.86	$5.72	$26.80
JamboSIM	$3.99	$6.99	$10.99*
eSIM4Travel	$3.06	$8.28	$16.11
Ubigi	$6	$12	$22
Nomad	$7	$16	$35
Airalo	$8	$17.50	$26.50
Jetpac	$8.50	$16	$24.99
VoyaSIM	$3.36	$9.40	$28.22
Sim Local	$7	$16.25	$19.38
Qrispy	$5.55	$14.95	$23.95
UPeSIM	$7.05	$11.76	No plan
Saily	$8.99	$17.99	$26.99
Roamless	$5.85	$17.95	$24.15
aloSIM	$8.50	$16	$25
FlexiRoam	$6.40	$14.80	$35.80
Yesim	$11.52	$19.20	$29.40*
Holafly	$27.50*	$47.50*	$27.50*
ETravelSim	$6.75	$11.99	$19.99*
Maya Mobile	$19.99*	$27.99*	$19.99*
GigSky	$7.49	$16.79	$24.43
Airhub	$5.90	$14	$21.90

* Mostly "unlimited" plans that don't state how much full-speed data they include. We counted them as covering the trip, as they are sold, so these prices may buy less fast data than they seem to.

Three things the tables show. First, the cheapest providers are not the famous ones: the three cheapest for ordinary trips are small resellers, and the well-known names cost two to 15 times Horizon's median price. Second, for a normal trip a fixed amount of data is far cheaper than "unlimited": Holafly's and Maya Mobile's prices are flat because they sell only unlimited plans. Third, no provider is cheapest everywhere, so if you travel to one country often, check the week and heavy-use tables in the scoring sheet for that country before you buy.

The best eSIMs for international travel, ranked

Horizon

Horizon ranks first and suits travelers who want the lowest price for an ordinary trip, because it was the cheapest provider on 21 of the 30 typical trips and loses no points on limits or refunds. A week in the United Kingdom cost $1.78 for 3 GB lasting 30 days, and 10 GB for 30 days was $5.46; in Japan, 10 GB for 30 days was $11.49 (Horizon's Japan page). Those are the prices in US dollars, which you get by switching the site's currency menu from euros.

Horizon states its limits plainly. Its terms say "Hotspot sharing is free on every Horizon plan" and "Horizon fixed-data plans have no throttling", it sells no unlimited plans, and each plan page names the networks (O2 and Vodafone in the United Kingdom, NTT Docomo and SoftBank in Japan). The plan starts on first connection at your destination. Its refund policy is the most generous we read: "We always refund the full amount you paid when you request it, whether your eSIM is unused, partly used or fully used. There is no time limit for requesting a refund."

There are reasons for caution. Horizon is small: the brand of LuShen L.L.C., registered in Prishtina, Kosovo, with payments handled by Paysera, and it had four reviews on Trustpilot when we checked. We didn't buy from it, so we can't confirm that the refund promise is kept, and a promise to refund fully used data with no time limit is unusual enough to test on a small plan before you rely on it. Its Japan page also showed different plans on different visits. And Horizon is poor for heavy use: with no unlimited plans, 21 GB in a week means a 25 GB or 50 GB plan, $20.80 in Japan but $26 to $28 in Europe and $111.49 in Mexico, and it had no such plan for the Dominican Republic.

JamboSIM

JamboSIM ranks second, close behind Horizon for ordinary trips and the cheapest of all for heavy use. A week cost $2.99 to $3.99 in most countries and two weeks $4.99 to $9.99; it was the cheapest for two weeks in Mexico ($13.99), Spain, Portugal, Japan, Thailand and Australia (JamboSIM's Japan page). Its unlimited plans cost $7.99 to $12.99 for seven days in 12 of the 15 countries, which gives it the top score for heavy use.

The catch is what those unlimited plans include. JamboSIM's terms say a fair use policy, where one applies, "is shown clearly on the product page before you buy", but only the Japan page states one: 3 GB a day at full speed, then about 1 Mbps until local midnight. The other countries' unlimited plans state neither, so 21 GB at full speed in a week is not promised there, and it loses four points on limits. Refunds are narrow too. JamboSIM, run by Goomla B.V. in the Netherlands, refunds a broken eSIM or a double charge, but not once the eSIM is installed and not if "your travel plans changed, your trip got cancelled" (JamboSIM's refund policy).

eSIM4Travel

eSIM4Travel ranks third and suits travelers who want a low price and their money back if the trip is canceled. Its median week cost $3.06 and two weeks $8.28, and it was the cheapest of all for a week in Japan, $3.25 for 3 GB lasting 30 days (eSIM4Travel's Japan page). Its refund policy is the best here after Horizon's: "If your travel plans change and you no longer need your eSIM, we'll give you a full refund", to the original payment method, within two months of purchase. The plan clock starts when the eSIM connects at your destination, and most plans can be topped up.

Its unlimited plans state 3 GB a day at full speed and name the networks (SoftBank and KDDI in Japan), which made 21 GB in a week $11.49 to $20.05 in 11 countries. It loses two points because its pages disagree on what happens after that: the plan cards say speed drops to "up to 1Mbps", while its FAQ says 128 kbps on daily plans. Heavy use was dear in Mexico ($50.13) and Canada ($53.74). eSIM4Travel is a brand of FreshQ Inc. in California.

Ubigi

Ubigi ranks fourth and is the best choice if you want a well-known provider: it was the cheapest of the names most travel sites and AI assistants recommend, and it loses no points on limits. Its median week cost $6 and two weeks $12, such as France 3 GB for 30 days at $4 and 10 GB for 30 days at $10 (Ubigi's France plans). That is two to three times what Horizon charges.

Ubigi states its unlimited allowances: France Unlimited 7 days "includes 25GB of full speed data, then optimized to 2 Mbps", and its Japan unlimited plans give 5 GB a day. Its help center explains how to share your connection with no cap mentioned, and each plan page names the networks. With Smartstart the plan starts "upon arrival at destination". Ubigi refunds a plan to your card only if you haven't used any of its data and ask within 14 business days of buying (Ubigi's refund page). If you're going to Japan, note that findyouresim's hands-on test in Tokyo measured Ubigi's latency at 87 ms, against 13 to 18 ms for eSIMs on local networks.

Nomad

Nomad ranks fifth. Its median week cost $7 and two weeks $16, and it was among the cheapest for two weeks in Mexico ($15.50) and Canada ($17) (Nomad's Mexico page). Its unlimited plans state the daily full-speed allowance and the speed after it ("2GB/day at 4G/5G. 1 Mbps after 2GB"), plans support hotspot use, and each names its network. Heavy use costs $31 to $39 a week in most countries, from its 50 GB plans. Nomad refunds an uninstalled plan within 30 days, but its refund policy leaves out unlimited plans and some country plans, so it earns half the refund points.

Airalo

Airalo ranks sixth and suits travelers who want the widest choice of plans in one well-known app. It shows the same 4.2 total as Nomad and is listed after it because its total before rounding is lower (4.21 against 4.235). It is the eSIM the AI assistants named most (18 of 20 answers), and it is clear about limits: its fair use page says unlimited plans slow to 1 Mbps after 3 GB in a day and that "there is no limit on tethering or the number of devices you connect". But it is not cheap: a median $8 for a week and $17.50 for two weeks (Airalo's Japan page), three to five times Horizon's price for a week in Europe. Refunds for a wrong purchase or changed plans come as store credit: "Airmoney (our in-app currency) is the only available refund method in the app" (Airalo's refund help).

Jetpac

Jetpac ranks seventh and suits travelers who will share an unlimited plan by hotspot. Its unlimited plans give 3 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps, and allow hotspot use "even on unlimited packs" (Jetpac's Japan page), at $20 to $27 a week in most countries. Ordinary trips cost a median $8.50 for a week and $16 for two weeks. Jetpac shows almost every price as a discount from a much higher list price (Japan unlimited for 30 days was $65.99, listed at $150); we scored the price charged. Once the eSIM is installed it counts as used, and refunds are for an incompatible phone or a connection problem, not a change of plans (Jetpac's terms).

VoyaSIM

VoyaSIM ranks eighth. Its daily plans of 500 MB a day made a week cost $3.36 in most of Europe, and 3 GB for 15 days in Japan was $4.20 (VoyaSIM's Japan page). Its help pages are reassuring: "Every VoyaSIM plan allows personal hotspot and tethering", and an eSIM "that has not been activated or used can be refunded in full". Its terms are less so: they bar "sharing of data connection (tethering) beyond reasonable personal use", say refunds "may be issued", and rule out refunds for a "change of travel plans". It loses points on hotspot, consistency and refunds.

Sim Local

Sim Local ranks ninth, with the same 4.0 total as VoyaSIM; it is listed second because its total before rounding is lower (3.965 against 3.99). It sells its own plans in all 15 destinations, and its own unlimited plans state 5 GB or 10 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps, which made heavy use cheap in places: $19.75 for seven days in Mexico, the cheapest there (Sim Local's Mexico plans), and $13.25 for 25 GB in the United Kingdom on a Three plan it resells. It refunds an unactivated plan within 14 days (Sim Local's refund policy). The carriers' plans it sells as an agent have their own rules: its Japan plan on KDDI caps hotspot use at 3 GB and states no daily allowance, so it loses four points on limits. Ordinary trips cost a median $7 for a week and $16.25 for two weeks.

Qrispy

Qrispy ranks 10th. It loses no points on limits: its unlimited plans allow hotspot use at full speed, state 2 or 3 GB a day, then up to 1 Mbps, and name the networks (Qrispy's Japan page). But it was never the cheapest, with a median $5.55 for a week (from its pay-as-you-go wallet, $1.85 a GB in France) and $14.95 for two weeks, and $42.45 for two weeks in Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Its refund policy page was missing when we checked, and its terms say fees are non-refundable; only a Qrispy blog post says it may consider refunding an unactivated eSIM.

UPeSIM

UPeSIM ranks 11th. It states its limits (hotspot allowed, unlimited plans at 3 GB a day, then 1 Mbps, networks named), but it prices in euros by default, sells no plans for Mexico or the Dominican Republic, and had no plan that covers 21 GB in a week. Two weeks in Europe cost $11.76 (UPeSIM's France page). Its only refund is a voucher, given at its discretion, for an eSIM that was never installed.

Saily

Saily ranks 12th. It states its unlimited allowance clearly (3 GB or 5 GB a day at full speed depending on the country, then 1 Mbps until local midnight) and refunds a plan in full until it is activated (Saily's terms). But its median week cost $8.99 and two weeks $17.99, and its plan pages promise "Limitless hotspot sharing with friends and family" while its terms prohibit, on unlimited plans, "excessive tethering or sharing of data via hotspot with multiple devices or users beyond occasional personal use". Saily sells a US phone number add-on, useful if you need calls and texts on a number of your own while away.

Roamless

Roamless ranks 13th, with the same 3.4 total as Saily; it is listed second because its total before rounding is lower (3.365 against 3.395). It sells a balance charged by the GB, $1.95 a GB in most of Europe (Roamless's France page) and $2.45 in Japan, so a 3 GB week in Europe cost $5.85, three times Horizon's fixed plan. Hotspot use is listed as unlimited and its unlimited plans state 3 GB a day, then 1 Mbps. But every sale is final, "All transactions are final and no refund will be issued" (Roamless's terms), and while its pages say "Credits never expire", the terms say a balance becomes inactive after 12 months without use and can be canceled.

aloSIM

aloSIM ranks 14th. Its terms allow a full refund of an unactivated plan and a request for "the unused portion" of a running one, which aloSIM "may accept or reject" (aloSIM's terms), so it suits a trip that might be cut short if you accept that the second refund isn't guaranteed. Its prices were never the cheapest (median $8.50 for a week and $16 for two weeks), and it loses four points on limits: its terms bar using an unlimited plan "to transmit high volumes of Data across access points connected to computers or other Devices", and while its plan pages say speed drops to 1 Mbps after 3 GB a day, the terms say 512 kbps.

FlexiRoam

FlexiRoam ranks 15th. Its help center allows hotspot use, its unlimited plans have a 3 GB daily fair use limit, and unused data rolls over when you top up. But its plan pages name no networks or speed after the allowance, its refund policy covers only faults, mostly as wallet credit with a 5% fee, and two weeks in the Dominican Republic cost $102.90. Ordinary trips cost a median $6.40 for a week and $14.80 for two weeks.

Yesim

Yesim ranks 16th. Its prices are set in euros and shown in dollars at the site's own rate (€1 = $1.20 in November 2026), and they were among the highest here: a median $11.52 for a week (Yesim's Japan page). Its unlimited plans state no full-speed allowance: "Yesim itself does not enforce a FUP; partner providers may" (Yesim's unlimited plans policy). An unused plan can be refunded within 30 days, but amounts of €10 or less come back as Ycoins, Yesim's store credit (Yesim's refund policy).

Holafly

Holafly ranks 17th. It sells only unlimited plans, so a week cost $23.90 to $39.50 and two weeks $41.90 to $61.90 (Holafly's Japan page), at least twice the cheapest price on every typical trip. Hotspot use is capped ("a 7-day plan includes 7 GB" of sharable data), and Holafly's own FAQ says a local operator may slow your connection after an unstated amount of use (Holafly's unlimited data FAQ). It scores well on refunds: a full refund for a change of plans if you haven't activated the eSIM, asked within six months, and after activation a refund that "may be issued" case by case (Holafly's refund policy).

ETravelSim

ETravelSim ranks 18th. Its fixed plans were mid-priced (median $6.75 for a week), but its unlimited plans say different things in different places: Japan's says "No fair-use cap" yet limits hotspot use to 6 GB a week, the United Kingdom's allows no hotspot and states no allowance, and the United Kingdom page names no network (ETravelSim's Japan page). Its refund policy covers only a mistaken order that hasn't been installed, asked within five days, less $5.

Maya Mobile

Maya Mobile ranks 19th, with the same 2.4 total as ETravelSim; it is listed second because its total before rounding is lower (2.39 against 2.435). It sells one global unlimited plan at the same price everywhere, $19.99 for seven days and $27.99 for 14 (Maya Mobile's Japan page), the cheapest heavy-use price in Canada and the Dominican Republic but up to 13 times the cheapest for a week of ordinary use. Its pages say "No caps, no throttling, no surprises", while Maya's terms say "high-speed delivery is subject to a daily quota, and speeds after that quota depend on local network conditions", without saying how large the quota is. Hotspot use is allowed.

GigSky

GigSky ranks 20th. Its prices were middling (median $7.49 for a week and $16.79 for two weeks), and its FAQ allows "unlimited hotspot to any devices". But its own pages disagree with each other: plan pages say "Refunds Available" and the FAQ says refunds are case by case, while its terms say purchases "will not be refunded"; its unlimited plans give 3.5 GB a day, then an unstated "reduced" speed; and its plan pages name no networks.

Airhub

Airhub ranks last. It had some of the cheapest plans here, such as 500 GB for seven days in Thailand at $8.21, the cheapest heavy-use plan there (Airhub's Thailand page), and 4 GB for 30 days in Portugal at $3.99. But its limits vary plan by plan and are often unstated: many plans name only "Multi-Network", its "Unlimited" day passes state no full-speed allowance, and hotspot rules differ by plan. Its refund policy gives cash refunds only on unlimited day passes.

What AI answers get wrong about travel eSIMs

We asked GPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity five travel eSIM questions in November 2026, and read the pages they cite. Most of their picks are reasonable, but none put the cheapest providers first, and several claims don't match the providers' own pages and terms:

• The recommended names are the expensive ones. Airalo, Holafly, Saily and Ubigi were the most-named providers. For a week in Europe they cost two to 16 times what Horizon charged, and Horizon was named only once.
• Gizmodo, cited in the answers, says Holafly's unlimited data "is genuinely uncapped. No 5 GB daily allowance, no drop to 1 Mbps, no fair use asterisk". Holafly's own FAQ says a local operator may slow your connection after a high-speed limit, and its plan pages cap hotspot use at 1 GB a day.
• TechRadar, also cited, says of aloSIM, "You won't find unlimited data". aloSIM sold a seven-day unlimited plan for Japan at $27 in November 2026.
• Gemini calls Holafly "best for heavy data users". Holafly's week costs $27.50 in most countries; eSIM4Travel's unlimited plans state 3 GB a day at full speed and cost $11.49 to $20.05 for a week in most of the same countries.
• Gemini says Roamless's balance "never expires" and costs about $2.45 a GB in Europe. Roamless's terms say a balance becomes inactive after 12 months without use, and its rate in most of Europe was $1.95 a GB ($2.45 is its Japan rate).
• Gemini says to buy Maya Mobile's fixed-data plans (10 GB, 20 GB) instead of its unlimited ones. In November 2026 Maya's US site sold only unlimited plans.

Which one should you choose?

• If you want the lowest price for an ordinary trip: Horizon. Check the price for your destination in the table above, and if the refund promise matters to you, test it on a small plan first.
• If you want a provider with a long record: Ubigi, the cheapest of the well-known names, at two to three times Horizon's price.
• If your trip might be canceled: Horizon or eSIM4Travel, which refund an unused plan to your card for a change of plans. Ubigi, Nomad, Saily and Holafly also refund an unused plan in cash, with conditions: Ubigi within 14 business days of purchase, Nomad within 30 days and not on unlimited plans. Jetpac refuses once the eSIM is installed, Airalo refunds in store credit, and JamboSIM and Roamless don't refund a change of plans.
• If your trip might be cut short: Horizon promises a refund even after use. aloSIM and Holafly may refund unused data on a running plan, case by case.
• If you'll use a lot of data: an unlimited plan that states its full-speed allowance, such as eSIM4Travel's 3 GB a day ($11.49 to $20.05 a week in most countries), Sim Local's own 5 or 10 GB a day, or JamboSIM in Japan. JamboSIM's unlimited plans elsewhere are cheaper still but state no allowance.
• If you'll run a laptop or a partner's phone off your hotspot: Horizon, Airalo, Jetpac, Ubigi, Qrispy, Roamless and Nomad allow it with no extra cap. Avoid Holafly (1 GB a day of hotspot), and Saily's and aloSIM's unlimited plans.
• If you're going to Mexico or Canada: check your own phone plan first (below).

Do you need a travel eSIM at all?

Check your own phone plan first. For Mexico and Canada it may already include roaming: Verizon says "Roaming in Mexico and Canada is included in all Unlimited Plans" (Verizon's international travel page). Elsewhere, US carriers sell day passes: AT&T's International Day Pass and Verizon's TravelPass both cost about $12 a day in 2026, as reported by Simology's 2026 carrier comparison and RV Mobile Internet (AT&T's own pricing page didn't load for our checks). A day pass keeps your own number working for calls and texts, but a week costs $84, against median prices of $2 to $6 for a week of eSIM data at the top four here. Some plans, such as T-Mobile's higher tiers and Google Fi, include some data abroad.

To use a travel eSIM your phone must be unlocked and support eSIM. Most iPhones from the XS onward and recent Pixel and Galaxy phones do, but a phone bought on a carrier installment plan may still be locked. Ask your carrier to unlock it before you go.

How we scored

We didn't buy, install or use any of these eSIMs. In November 2026 a script read every plan the 21 providers sell for Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Greece, Portugal, the Dominican Republic, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Australia and Turkey, from each provider's own pages as a US visitor sees them, and found the cheapest plan for a week (3 GB), two weeks (10 GB) and heavy use (21 GB in a week) in each country. The same day we read each provider's terms, fair use policy, refund policy and help pages for the limits and refund scores. Network speed, coverage and support aren't scored: the only independent test with a published method we found, findyouresim's, covers Tokyo alone and is funded by affiliate links. How we scored the best eSIMs for international travel lists every price, check and score with its source, and shows that Horizon stays first under other price scales.

Questions people ask

Does "unlimited" data on a travel eSIM mean unlimited? Rarely at full speed. Most unlimited plans here give 2 to 5 GB a day at full speed (Airalo, Jetpac, eSIM4Travel, Qrispy, UPeSIM, Roamless and Saily, among others), then slow to 1 Mbps or less until the next day. Ubigi's seven-day unlimited plan in France gives 25 GB at full speed. Holafly, Yesim, Maya Mobile and JamboSIM outside Japan don't say where the slowdown starts.

Can I use a travel eSIM as a hotspot? At most providers, yes. Horizon, Airalo, Jetpac, Ubigi, Qrispy, Roamless and Nomad set no hotspot limit beyond the plan's data. Holafly caps it at 1 GB a day, ETravelSim allows none on some plans, and Saily's and aloSIM's terms restrict it on unlimited plans.

Do travel eSIMs come with a phone number? Most are data only. You can keep your US line switched on for calls and texts alongside the eSIM, but your carrier may charge roaming for them. Saily sells a US number add-on, and aloSIM includes a free international phone number with every data purchase.

When should I install a travel eSIM? Before you leave, on Wi-Fi, because installing needs an internet connection. Horizon, eSIM4Travel, Ubigi, Holafly and Saily start the plan when you arrive or first connect there, so installing early doesn't cost you days.