Looking for the best eSIM for the USA? Or maybe you have a trip to New York, Boston, LA, Las Vegas, Florida or Texas planned?
At A Glance: Our Top eSIMs For USA
USA eSIMs for tourists are a great option for anyone looking to hit the ground running with data on your phone.
I use them all the time when I travel to make sure I don’t have to use roaming on my home plan and save lots of money in the process.
Below we will run through everything from why you should buy an eSIM online from the best providers. Which eSIM data plans are the cheapest and more.
| SEE ON MAYA → | |
Best eSim unlimited data
| SEE ON HOLAFLY → | |
best travel esim usa
| SEE ON AIRALO → | |
Very Affordable Plans
| SEE ON NOMAD → | |
| SEE ON GIGSKY → | |
| SEE ON T MOBILE → |
Maya is one of the most competitive eSIM service providers in the USA. They compete on price per GB and their unlimited data eSim is reasonably priced too.
Where they excel is their unlimited eSim as it comes with data sharing/hotspots allowed, which Holafly does not have.
On the price per GB prepaid eSIM plans, they are also competitive with Airalo.
Here are their eSIM packages for USA travel:
Maya uses both AT&T and T-Mobile, so you know you are getting a great mobile network and connection speed when traveling in the USA. And, they have recently upgraded this plan to include 5G when available, which is great for those of you who want speed!
Just be aware of how their unlimited plans work:
So for most people, this is fine, but if not, then check out Holafly (which, keep in mind, only allow 500 MB data sharing)
Holafly has some of the best eSIM cards for US travel. They offer unlimited data, great coverage and 5G data. So you don’t have to worry about how much mobile data you use.
There are quite a few different length eSim plans available from Holafly, all with unlimited data. Some example plans include
Holafly has teamed up with
so you get great connections no matter where you go. They simply switch cellphone companies depending on the signal and best connection.
Just be aware that although the plans are “unlimited” you are only able to share 500MB per day via hotspots/sharing, so if you plan on using it for work or gaming on a computer then it will be challenging.
Airalo is world-renowned as one of the best international eSIMs and offers excellent service in the USA too.
Airalo’s prepaid USA eSIM cards offer a minimum of 1 GB for 7 days which costs $4.50 and a maximum of 20 GB for 30 days which costs $42. These prices are great for shorter trips to the USA.
Here are some of the plans available:
It is a shame they do not offer any unlimited data plans or longer-term options. But they allow people careful with their data to choose an affordable plan that works for them.
Nomad is another great option for an eSIM for USA travel. They have a range of prepaid eSIM options to match most people’s needs.
Nomad provides great coverage and connection speeds, and easy setup & activation. They also make things simple by providing 30-day prepaid eSIM plans in most cases, with only the smallest one being 3 days, and the largest with 60 days.
You have data plans such as:
There are also lots of plans in between if you need something different. And, these plans are good value per GB at around $2.4/GB in most cases. They are all with T-Mobile, but, they also have AT&T plans which are all more expensive, for the same size plan.
Unfortunately for heavy users, no unlimited data options are available.
Gigsky is another eSIM provider operating in the US and they are very reliable but a little bit overpriced in my eyes.
Their data plans range from 1 GB for 7 days for $10 all the way to 10 GB for 30 days for $74.99. Compared to the likes of Nomad, Airalo, or Holafly, they are very expensive.
RELATED POST: GIGSKY REVIEW
T Mobile is one of the local carriers in the USA that provide eSIMs. This means their eSIMs will have better coverage and speeds compared to others since they are using their one network and will be prioritized.
T Mobile also offers just three eSIM plans. The unlimited plans are affordable, the smaller ones are pricey, but they are all easy to buy, and activate.
The minimum plan you can buy is 10 GB for 30 days for $40 with voice and SMS too or you can get unlimited data for 30 days for $60 with voice and SMS.
These are great plans if you are in the US for a while or want unlimited data.
The main benefit of getting an eSIM for the USA is convenience. You can buy your eSIM for the US before you leave, activate it when you land, and be online instantly.
There is no waiting in line to buy a local sim card, no switching out your physical sim card with a new one, no learning a new top-up method, no scouring data packages, and no losing your home sim card either.
Also, if you buy just a data plan for your eSIM you can continue to use your normal physical sim card for texts and calls, giving you a dual sim device.
Topping up with an eSIM is already incredibly quick and easy, just do it via an app and you can add it in seconds.
An eSim is an embedded SIM card inside of your phone, meaning it has to be built-in. This means that not all phones and tablets come with an eSim, as eSim technology-enabled devices are rather new.
Below you will find a list of all devices that work with an eSim.
iPhone: 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max, 13, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max, 13 Mini, 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, XS, XS Max, XR, SE (2020), SE (2022).
iPad Air: (3rd generation), (4th generation)
iPad Pro 11‑inch: 1st, 2nd, & 3rd generation)
iPad Pro 12.9‑inch: 3rd, 4th, & 5th generation)
iPad: 7th, 8th, & 9th generation
iPad Mini: 5th & 6th generation
Samsung Galaxy: S22 Ultra 5G, S22+ 5G, S22 5G, S21 Ultra 5G, S21 5G, S21+ 5G, S20, S20+, Z Flip, Z Flip3 5G, Z Fold3, Z Fold2, Fold, Note 20 Ultra, Note 20+, Note 20
Google Pixel: 3, 3 XL, 3a, 3a XL, 4, 4a, 4 XL, 5, 6, 6 Pro, 6a, 7, 7 Pro
HAMMER: Explorer PRO, Blade 3, Blade 5G, myPhone NOW eSIM
Motorola: Razr 2019, Razr 5G
Huawei: P40, P40 Pro, Mate 40 Pro
OPPO: Find X3 Pro, Find X5 Pro, Find X5
Sony Xperia: 10 III Lite, 10 IV, 1 IV
ACER: Swift 3, Swift 7
ASUS: Mini Transformer T103HAF, NovaGo TP370QL, Vivobook Flip 14 TP401NA
Dell Latitude: 9510, 7410, 7310, 9410, 7210 2-in-1
HP: Elitebook G5, Probook G5, Zbook G5, Spectre Folio 13
Lenovo: Yoga C630, Miix 630, Yoga 520, Yoga 720 convertible laptops
Surface: Go 3, Pro X, Duo 2, Duo
Others: Nuu Mobile X5, Gemini PDA 4G+Wi-Fi, Xiaomi 12T Pro, Windows 10*/ Windows 11
AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon are the only three local providers that offer eSIMs for USA.
An eSim provider that has a local network already in place in the USA is likely to provide better coverage. They should also provide better pricing but this is never a guarantee.
How much data you need while traveling in the USA depends on your data usage habits. If your business requires you to be on Instagram all the time, or you want to watch movies on Netflix while traveling from one place to the next, you are going to use a lot of data.
On average, people use about 5 GB of data per week. Heavier users can hit around 15 GB per week, whereas light users only use about 2 GB per week.
Always try and buy a plan to match your data usage, as getting it right is way more affordable than having to buy another plan when you run out.
Before you do anything, make sure your phone or tablet works with eSIMs and it is unlocked from your provider. Locked devices will not work with eSIMs.
They are easy to unlock, just call your provider and it will be unlocked in seconds.
If you are using an iPhone, use iMessage and Facetime to call and text for free over data only.
Most people in the USA communicate over iMessage and Facetime, whereas the rest of the world uses WhatsApp. This means you only need data to communicate with everyone.
If you are worried about data consumption, download the area you intend to use on Google Maps while on WiFi. You can then use it offline on airplane mode to navigate your way around the country without using any data.
Here is how to download Google Maps for offline use.
If you are trying to use less data, then avoid using apps like Instagram, Facebook, and Netflix until you are on WiFi. Any app downloading photos and video chews up data like crazy.
Luckily, most establishments such as cafes and restaurants in the USA offer free WiFi, so staying connected without data isn’t too difficult.
Airplane mode stops your phone from connecting to data. A lot of apps actually use data in the background to check for new things, using your data plans without you even knowing, sneaky!
In airplane mode, nothing connects and you can still use GPS for navigation plus take pictures too.
If you go into settings, you can control which apps are allowed to use mobile data roaming and WiFi. Go and turn off mobile data for all the apps you don’t want chewing up your data plans. You can still use them on WiFi, and turn mobile data back on for them if you want to.
In case you are not familiar with eSIMs…
An eSIM is like a digital version of the traditional SIM card you put in phones. Instead of inserting or swapping SIM cards when you want to change your phone service, you can just activate or change services electronically. This makes it simple for travelers like you to choose a competitive data package for your trip without paying hefty roaming fees at home. It’s also easier because you can switch to local networks without needing a new card and still keep your home phone number if you want.