United States eSIM

The United States is big enough that "how much data do I need" has no single answer. A long weekend in Manhattan, a month driving Route 66 and a semester in California are three very different phones. That is why the range here is wide: data bundles from half a gigabyte up to 100 GB, and durations of 1–90 days, including a 90-day option for longer stays. Fixed data plans cover 0.5–100 GB, start at €4.99 and go as low as €1.26/GB, VAT included.

Picking a size usually comes down to how you travel:

• City break, up to a week. Maps, ride-hailing, restaurant bookings and messaging fit comfortably in the 5 GB plan.
• Road trip, two to three weeks. Hours of turn-by-turn navigation, streamed music and last-minute motel searches add up fast. Look at 15 or 20 GB, or a daily plan.
• Study, internships and remote work. The 50 GB and 100 GB bundles and the 90-day duration are built for people who stay a season, tether a laptop or spend the day on video calls.

Daily plans include a fixed amount of high-speed data every day. When you reach it, you are not cut off: the speed drops until the allowance renews the following day, in line with the fair use policy. In other words, data is unlimited in volume but not at full speed all day.

Premium plans give you a US local IP address, which helps with American banking apps, US streaming catalogues and websites that block foreign connections. Every plan can be topped up from your account if you need more data mid-trip.

If your itinerary crosses a border, the United States and Canada plan or the North America plan (three destinations) keeps everything on one eSIM. For a dated, sourced price check, compare prices with Airalo.

Your eSIM runs on AT&T and Verizon, two of the large national networks, both with 5G. Your phone connects to whichever offers the better signal wherever you happen to be.

Signal is strong in cities, suburbs and along most interstate highways, and 5G is widely available in metropolitan areas. The picture changes in the wide-open West. Inside remote national parks, across deserts and mountain ranges and on long rural stretches, coverage turns patchy or vanishes. Alaska is similar once you leave its towns. Before driving into Death Valley country or hiking in the Rockies, download offline maps and share your route with someone.

Free Wi-Fi is everywhere in cafés, hotels and airports, but it usually makes you accept terms on a browser page first, which is awkward when you just need a map. Your eSIM is data-only, so it has no US phone number. Some banking and food delivery apps ask for a US number for SMS verification, so set those up with your usual number or expect to verify by email. Calls over WhatsApp, FaceTime or other internet apps work normally.

You will receive the eSIM by email as soon as you pay, and it also sits on your order page: a QR code, the manual details, and on iPhones with iOS 17.4 or later, a one-tap install button. Install it before you leave home while you are on reliable Wi-Fi. There is no rush on validity: the clock starts only when your phone first connects to AT&T or Verizon inside the United States.

When you land at JFK, LAX, O'Hare or anywhere else:

• Open your mobile data settings, choose the eSIM as the data line and turn on data roaming for it.
• Leave your home SIM on for calls and texts, such as bank codes, with data roaming turned off so your home provider does not bill you.
• Rename the new line, listed as "Carrier", to "Startia".

Plans change, and that is covered too: an eSIM you have not installed can be refunded, and you have 180 days to install it. First time with an eSIM? Follow the iPhone guide or the Android guide.

Budget for tipping. It is customary in restaurants, bars and taxis and for hotel staff, and it is expected on top of the bill. Sales tax is also usually added at the till, so the shelf price is often lower than what you actually pay.

Contactless cards and phone wallets are accepted almost everywhere, including on New York's subway and buses through OMNY. Uber and Lyft cover most cities; Transit gives real-time public transport arrivals; DoorDash delivers food and OpenTable handles restaurant reservations. All of them need data, which is where the eSIM earns its keep.

Distances are large. Outside the Northeast, a domestic flight or a rental car is usually more practical than the train. Keep an eye on time zones as you move, from Eastern Time to Pacific Time, then Alaska and Hawaii, and remember that most of Arizona stays on UTC-7 all year.

National parks such as Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon deserve offline maps downloaded in advance, as coverage inside them is limited.

Sockets are type A and B at 120 V and 60 Hz. Visitors from Europe, the UK or Australia need an adapter, and anything that does not accept 120 V, such as some hair dryers, needs a converter. The country code is +1. Dial 911 for police, fire or ambulance; it works from any phone, including your roaming home line, which you should use since the eSIM has no number.

Heading north or south? See our plans for Canada and Mexico.