A methodology for roaming data, not wandering expenses.

We’ve been traveling off and on for almost a decade and have tried just about every SIM card and data option out there. After years of trial and error across multiple countries, our evolution of mobile roaming while traveling has gone through many iterations. I wrote this post to show the different routes new travelers can try when they start out. You can start at any phase depending on your level of confidence in the changes suggested.

This phase is simply using what your long-term existing carrier offers. In the case of T-Mobile it is baked into their only two plans that would allow a roaming package while Verizon and AT&T have paid add-ons (assuming you’re on a plan expensive enough to allow the add-on).  It has great ease and comfort but at a premium price.  While there are savings with multiple lines the cost can be astronomical. The table below lists the main options from the big 3 in the US.  From the basic values in the table, for a full time traveler, T-Mobile is the least worst choice while Verizon appears to be the most expensive.  While each of these networks has their strong points such as coverage, speed, and reliability, all US carriers equal once you start roaming on 3rd party networks they have no influence over.

For full clarity –

1. Almost all carriers are more lenient with their roaming packages in Canada and Mexico and those numbers are not represented.  The rates in the table are for the rest of the 200+ destinations they have agreements with.
2. The High-speed data is listed in GB as a total amount, not speed, which means a total amount of data and it is delivered in the fastest speeds the network can support. On most established cell networks this will allow you to stream video and use all your high-speed data within a day. Plan on about 1GB per hour of streamed video. If you are tethered to your laptop the next round of OS updates that downloaded automatically will have no regrets about usurping that premium data.
3. The Low-speed data is listed in kbps as a speed and usually includes “unlimited” data in the advertisement.  128-512kbps will give you just enough to check email, use maps, send instant messages, and browse the web painfully slow.  It will also let you hail a taxi with the local app but you’ll want to find some free wi-fi to actually download that ride app or you are going nowhere.
4. Whenever the word UNLIMITED is used there’s always an asterisk with a humbling number. Think of it as renting a car. You’ll be able to go highway speeds for the first 60 miles, and then you’ll be slowed down to less than school-zone speeds for an unlimited distance. It’s best to save the speed for your short drives to the local stores and such and if you’re going the distance between towns, consider the bus (find free wi-fi).

Primary Providers	Minimum Compatible Base plan cost	Intl Data add-on	High- speed data	Remaining low-speed	Wifi calls/txt to/from USA	USA calls/txt
T-Mobile Experience Beyond	~115$ + tax	Included	15GB/month	256kbps	Included	Unlimited	Link
T-Mobile Experience Basic	~100$ + tax	Included	5GB/month	256kbps	Included	Unlimited	Link
Verizon Unlimited Plus + TravelPass	~90$ + tax	12$/day	5GB total for all consecutive days	256kbps	Included	Unlimited	Link
Verizon Unlimited Plus + Intl plan	~90$ + tax	100$/month	20GB	128-512kbps	Included	Unlimited	Link
ATT International Day Pass	~75$ + tax	12$/day	Same as domestic plan allowance – unclear	256-512kbps	Included	Unlimited	Link
Secondary Providers	Minimum Compatible Base plan cost	Intl Data add-on	High- speed data	Remaining low-speed	Wi-fi calls/txt to/from USA	USA calls/txt
Google Fi – Premium	~65$ + tax	included	50GB	256kbps	Included	unlimited	Link
Google Fi – Pay as you go	~20 + tax	20$/10GB	Every bit of it	NA	Included	unlimited	Link
Tello – Custom Plans	$8	NA – use 3rd party	For USA – can be purchased for $1/GB	NA	Included	unlimited	Link

Google Fi is a reseller of T-Mobile’s network so love it or leave it. Most people are hesitant to switch local carriers as there are many strategies in use to make it seem daunting. You’ll need to just bite the bullet and realize you’re not being treated special for the longevity you have and will always be welcome back if you change your mind.  Porting numbers is a simple process these days that takes less than 10 minutes.

1. Financed phones – just pay it off. There’s no cost savings or penalty other than realizing you might be buying a phone way above your needs at costs you’d never agree to upfront.
2. Family plan “savings” – Paying slightly less per line is still paying too much and then doing so multiple times.
3. Included streaming perks – It’s always the cheapest ad-supported tier.

Google Fi has some very big positives for the traveler.

1. On the premium package you get 50GB/month of high speed data in 200+ destinations. This is included in the base price without costly add-ons and is the most gracious offer of any US provider.
2. The premium package and the pay-as-you-go allows for additional “data only” SIMs.  This powerful feature lets you obtain additional physical SIM or eSIM, up to 4 per line, to be used in any device. This can be your tablet, watch, or phones for others.  These additional SIMs do not come with phone numbers. The data is all pulled from the same bucket of data the associated line has.  A family of 5 with moderate use can all have connectivity abroad on a single line of service + 4 data-only SIMs.
3. Steep discounts for multiple lines.  A single line of the premium package costs ~65$ but when getting 4 lines it becomes $40/month each, each line with its generous 50GB limit and up to 4 additional devices.
4. If you just want access to the phone number for texting/calling you can go to their a la carte plan at 20$/month. You would then need to rely on local wi-fi and 3rd party data SIMs (discussed later below).
5. 6 months of YouTube premium is a nice perk.  Instead of giving you an ad-supported service they are removing the ads!

Google Fi has some negatives to point out as well.

1. You are limited to a maximum of 3 months roaming at a time.  This will only reset after you are back in the US for roughly “45-60 days”.
2. You cannot activate new service outside of the US.  You can replace a SIM/eSIM on service that is already active but you must start new service while still being able to connect to US mobile networks.
3. You can upgrade your plan on a pro-rated billing amount however you cannot downgrade mid cycle. This becomes annoying when you’re halfway through the month and just reached your 90 day roaming limit. You cannot downgrade to the pay-as-you-go immediately and are stuck without data unless from other means (described below).

There are 3 primary ways to buy a “travel SIM” for data when you travel. A “retail” SIM/eSIM from a retailer like Amazon, an Airalo eSIM (no physical), and a lesser known MobiMatter eSIM (again no physical).  For my examples I will target Europe as the travel zone to keep the pricing for a similar region and prices would generally be a bit cheaper if restricted to a specific country instead of region. Most travel SIMs are data-only which has really only been an issue if you are signing up for a local app like taxi or food delivery and they want to validate your account with a local number, more on this in Phase 4 below.

1. Retail purchased SIMs.  These are SIMs you can find off of Amazon that will generally cost about 25$ for 10-15GB of high-speed use with no “unlimited” trickle afterwards to act as a lifeline – you use it, it’s gone. They are limited to 30 days but most would provide a means to top-up without procuring another physical SIM.  Note that most newer phones allow 1 physical SIM + 1 eSIM so you will need to plan accordingly on what your home service plan is occupying.
2. Airalo eSIMs.  This provider makes it easy at a premium price.  They advertise heavily and as such have become the go-to for most and the app works well to help with the installation for the novice. With the exception of the Unlimited plan I would not prefer this provider over option 3 – MobiMatter. Again – beware if you home plan is already using 1 of your eSIM slots.
3. MobiMatter.  This provider has an online marketplace that sells eSIMs from a group of 3rd party providers, mostly primary carriers in the various countires, including Airalo to some extent.  We have favored the “sparks” branded eSIMs and have had zero trouble using and installing them. They have a pretty good rewards program for long-term users that shouldn’t be overlooked as well as referral program that gives a 5$ dollar credit on both ends. Here’s my referral code – JARED57919 –  but you must sign up for the reward’s program FIRST, and then use the code at first purchase. The best thing I appreciate on their site is they spell out very clearly if the eSIM is speed throttled at all (rare), 4g and or 5g, tethering allowed, and if a local number is attached for calls/txt (again, rare). Again – beware if you home plan is already using 1 of your eSIM slots.

3rd party Travel SIMs	Cost	Duration	High-Speed	Low-Speed	Physical/eSIM
Retail Purchase (amazon)	~25$	30 days	~12GB	NA	Both available	Link
Airalo Eurolink Unlimited	35$	30 days	3GB/day	1mbps thereafter	eSIM only	Link
Airalo Eurolink 20GB	50$	30 days	20GB	NA	eSIM only	Link
Airalo Eurolink 100GB	$180	180 days	100GB	NA	eSIM only	Link
MobiMatter Sparks EU + USA	1$/GB	30 days	Increments of 5,10,15,25GB	NA	eSIM only	Link
MobiMatter Sparks EU + USA Yearly	42$	365 days	40GB	NA	eSIM only	Link

As we travel more and more we tend to slow down our pace.  This affords many cost savings and one of those is to take advantage of local, country-specific SIMs directly from the local providers.  This is by far the best option for mobile data including enough to replace a landline connection, often times exceeding the performance. It also has the added benefit of including roaming throughout EU countries, albeit with a significantly less amount of data, but it is nice to have something to use immediately at your next location.  Purchasing an annual SIM via MobiMatter is about 10% more than a 30 day SIM for the same amount of data. When you are in between local mobile providers you can then rely on the annual eSIM you have to fill in any gaps in coverage

Country	Provider	Price	High-speed	EU Roaming	Local Number Included	Calls/TXT Included
Serbia	A1	5$	30GB (split between web and social networks)		Yes	500/500	Link
Serbia	A1	20$	100GB/10 days, then 10mbps unlimited		Yes	0, can be bought	Link
Serbia	MTS	20$	200GB		Yes	0, can be bought	Link
Poland	Orange	1.25$ month 1, 15$ after that	800GB	12GB	Yes	500/500	Only in local shops
Hungary	Magyar Telekom	45$	100GB	56GB	Yes	$0.10 per	Link
UK	Lyca Mobile	10$	80GB	12GB	Yes	Unlimited	Link

Phase 5: Move away from your primary US provider to Tello, then possibly Google Voice.

The 5th and final step we took was to go with a little known provider in the US that offers great value and great technical support should the need arise. Tello offers custom plans starting at 5$ which include 100 minutes, unlimited TXT, and 0GB.  If we increase that to 8$ it provides unlimited minutes and unlimited txt.  Wi-fi txt/calling is provided at no charge but still against the limits previously stated.  If you are away from wi-fi and you need to roam they offer the lowest roaming prices of any US based carrier – all throughout the EU it is $.05/minute, $.01/txt, and 10$/GB.  It is a great 2nd option to reasonable data should your travel sim option fail to provide.  In the future I may spend the 20$ to port my number to Google Voice and remove all monthly fees but there is uncertainty with financial institution’s willingness to send MFA texts to a “VoIP” number. Others have reported good luck if you port a traditional number to Gvoice but you will have no luck if you try to use a number initially given by Gvoice.  Should I try in the future it is good to know that I can move the number immediately back to Tello and provision a new eSIM or one of the spare physical SIMs I travel with to assist others while out of the country.

Oddly enough the cheapest phone we have, a Samsung Galaxy A series, is the most versatile with a little help.  We’ll assume most phones these days are dual SIM. Either a single physical SIM slot + an eSIM, or in the case of the newest iPhones, dual eSIM only with no physical SIM option.  There’s a new product available that is able to turn a physical SIM slot into an eSIM – generally called a Programmable SIM. 2 options available are the more polished but more expensive option from esim.me and then the more affordable eIOT club SIM. Both of these options have a marketplace to sell you eSIMs for travel but they are not a great value. However, both of them have the abililty to download any eSIM that is presented as a QR Code.  With the exception of Google Fi I have not found an eSIM that isn’t presented as a QR code so this is not a heavy limitation. (Fi support will produce QR codes for iPhones as the Fi app couldn’t natively handle installation on an iOS).

I have found that the OnePlus 12r is a fantastic travel phone in this regard. It has 2 physical sim slots + eSIM. When the eSIM is in use one of the physical sim slots is disabled. This phone is a rare gem in that it includes an IR blaster which is the perfect universal remote for the random needs you encounter. Can’t find the remote for the AC unit in the other room? The hotel’s remote won’t let you change to HDMI 2 for your streaming stick? This phone is a Swiss Army knife in utility.

With these options it is ironic that the cheaper cell phone with 2 physical SIM slots gives the most options. You can have 2 physical SIMs, 2 eSIMs, or 1 of each.  With the programmable SIM cards no other type of phone gives the most flexiblity. You’ll make due no matter what but before you leave your shipping address I recommend that you obtain a physical SIM card from whatever US provider you are with to free up your eSIM slot for travel needs.