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If you’re travelling abroad then you might be worried about the costs or restrictions when roaming on your network. But if so, there’s another option – you can sign up for a short-term travel eSIM to use abroad instead.
Being eSIMs, there’s no need to get a physical SIM card sent to you, so you can set them up instantly, and if you have a physical SIM card in your phone already for your main network, there’s no need to remove it.
Just make sure your phone supports eSIM obviously, and if you want to ensure the travel eSIM is used when abroad rather than your standard SIM, make sure that data roaming is only enabled on the eSIM.
In any case, there are a number of specialist providers offering travel eSIMs, so you’re not limited to the UK’s typical networks. And because these providers aim their eSIMs specifically at travellers, the plans are short term, so you don’t have to pay for longer than you’ll be abroad.
Below then, we’ve highlighted the best brands offering travel eSIMs right now.
| Network | Countries | Max Data |
Plan length (days) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breeze | 200+ | Unlimited | 7/10/15/30 |
| eTravelSIM | 140+ | Unlimited | 7/15/30 |
| Airola | 200+ | 20GB | 7/15/30 |
| Better Roaming | 150+ | 20GB | 7/30 |
| easySIM | 150+ | 50GB | 7/30 |
| GigSky | 190+ | 50GB | 7/15/30 |
Breeze
Breeze is one of the bigger names in travel eSIMs, and it offers eSIM plans for almost 200 countries, so it’s likely to have one for the place you’re visiting. There are also plans available for larger regions, right up to global plans, which include 106 countries.
Prices vary not just based on your allowances but also the country you want it for, however it’s often very affordable, with an eSIM for the US for example starting at just £3 for seven days or £4 for 30 days.
As you’ll note from those durations, you can also get very short term plans, and as well as seven and 30-day plans there's also the option of a 15-day one.
You can also select from a variety of data options, right up to unlimited, and you’ll get 5G data in many places.
eTravelSIM
eTravelSIM is another affordable travel eSIM option, and it sells plans both for individual countries and for entire continents.
The latter of course costs more, but can be a good choice if you plan to visit multiple countries on a single trip, or over a short period of time.
Plans last between seven and 30 days, and come with up to unlimited data. 5G is available in some destinations too, though far from all, so check this when purchasing a plan if that matters to you.
Airalo
Airalo is a major travel eSIM provider, offering eSIMs for over 200 countries and regions, the latter of which includes the likes of Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean Islands, among others.
Airalo also sells global eSIMs, letting you use your allowances in 135 countries, so these are a great choice if your travels will take you all over the globe.
You can get plans with either just data or data, calls, and texts, and the durations range from seven to 30 days in most cases, though regional and global eSIMs can be had on longer term plans. 5G is also available in some locations.
BetterRoaming
With BetterRoaming, you can choose between a local, regional, or global eSIM, with last of those serving 146 countries at the time of writing. That’s arguably the standout product from BetterRoaming, since that’s a huge number of locations.
Plans last either seven or 30 days, so they’re short term but with less choice of duration than some alternative travel eSIM providers. Data limits are also more restrictive than on some providers, as there’s no unlimited data option available.
Still, if BetterRoaming has a plan to suit then it’s a solid choice, and 5G is available in some locations.
easySIM
easySIM – which is part of the same brand as easyJet – offers travel eSIM data bundles from just £3.50, and you can choose either a specific country or a larger region that you want your eSIM to work in.
You can’t get unlimited data at the time of writing, but you can get up to 50GB, and easySIM sells both seven-day and 30-day plans.
So this isn’t the most customisable of travel eSIM providers, but like easyJet its focus is on making travel eSIMs affordable and – well – easy.
GigSky
GigSky offers travel eSIMs for over 190 countries, and it even has a free plan, offering 100MB of data. That won’t go far, but it will let you test out the service before you buy.
You can also choose regional or global plans rather than a single destination if you prefer, and GigSky even has plans tailored for cruises.
You can choose from several different plan durations, all of which are short term, and you can get up to unlimited data. You can also get 5G where available.
