Traviva’s pick for the USA is Ubigi: 10GB for 30 days at US$14, the cheapest verified plan, with hotspot sharing allowed and coverage that includes Hawaii but not Alaska.
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Prices checked (26 October 2026) · Prices in US dollars, subject to change. Prices we could not re-verify on that day are marked “check site”. Traviva may earn a commission from some links; affiliate disclosure.
USA SIM card and eSIM plans at a glance
The 10GB, 30-day plan from each provider, or its unlimited plan where it sells no fixed data. Hotspot rules come from each provider’s own terms.
| Provider | Plan / data | Validity | Price | Hotspot | Notes | Deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ubigi Our pick | 10GB | 30 days | US$14 | Yes | Data only. Covers Hawaii, not Alaska. Unlimited: US$62 for 30 days (60GB at full speed, then 2 Mbps). Price checked 26 October 2026, subject to change. | See US$14 plan → |
| Nomad | 10GB | 30 days | Check site | Yes | AT&T and Verizon, per Nomad’s USA page. Not re-verified on 26 October 2026; check the provider’s site. | Check price → |
| Airalo | 10GB | 30 days | US$22.50 | Yes | T-Mobile plus one other partner. Unlimited for 30 days: US$68 (checked 26 October 2026, subject to change). 10GB price checked 29 October 2026, subject to change; number packages: check the provider’s site. | US$22.50 · 15% off → |
| Holafly | Unlimited | 30 days | US$73.90 | 1GB a day | AT&T and T-Mobile. No fixed-data plans. Price checked 26 October 2026, subject to change. | See US$73.90 plan → |
| Saily | 10GB | see site | Check site | Yes | 10GB price: check site. Unlimited: US$45.99 for 15 days (checked 26 October 2026, subject to change). | Check price → |
| Maya Mobile | Unlimited | 30 days | Check site | Allowed, with guidance | T-Mobile and Verizon. Not re-verified on 26 October 2026; check the provider’s site. | Check price → |
| Simify | 10GB | 30 days | Check site | Allowed | Billed in Australian dollars. Not re-verified on 26 October 2026; check the provider’s site. | Check price → |
We may earn a commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you. How we’re paid.
Prices checked 26 October 2026 on each provider’s own site and subject to change; confirm before you buy. “Check site” means we could not verify that price on 26 October. Traviva earns a commission on some of these providers, at no extra cost to you, and it does not change the table: affiliate disclosure.
Nobody can tell you how fast a US eSIM will be, and T-Mobile says so in writing
American networks publish detailed policies on how they manage congestion and whose traffic gets deprioritised. Every one of those policies describes their own customers. None describes you.
T-Mobile’s network management disclosure is explicit about the limit of what it covers: “This page does not describe the practices, characteristics, or terms that apply when using roaming partner networks.” Verizon’s disclosure says nothing about roaming at all. AT&T documents how its customers are treated when they roam away from AT&T.
So when a comparison site tells you that one US network deprioritises travel eSIM users and another does not, it is not getting that from the carriers, because the carriers do not publish it. We could not establish whether inbound roamers are admitted to 5G or held to LTE either. That is a real gap in what anyone can know, and we would rather show it to you than fill it.
There is one AT&T sentence that circulates widely and is routinely misread — a warning that speeds on other carriers’ networks may be reduced to 2G speeds. Read in context, that is AT&T telling its own subscribers what happens when they roam off-net. It is not about visitors roaming onto AT&T.
What does decide it: whether your handset supports VoLTE
All three big US networks finished retiring 3G in 2022 — AT&T from February, T-Mobile through the middle of the year, Verizon by 31 December. The regulator’s own consumer guidance warns this affects 3G phones “and certain older 4G mobile phones that do not support Voice over LTE”.
For a data-only travel eSIM the sharper question is LTE band support rather than voice capability — but an older handset that struggles in the US will struggle on every provider on this page, because the problem is the phone, not the plan.
And one story to ignore: headlines since May 2026 have claimed the US communications regulator wants to see your ID before issuing a phone number. We read the actual proposal. It concerns obligations on providers and number resellers, contains no consumer identity requirement, and could not touch a foreign-issued roaming eSIM in any case.
Three things to set before you fly
Keep your Australian SIM switched on for SMS and 2FA. Bank and login codes still arrive by text to your Australian number; the eSIM handles your data. How phone numbers work with a travel eSIM →
Turn off data roaming on the Australian line. In your phone’s settings, set the travel eSIM as the mobile data line and switch roaming off for your Australian SIM, so you are not billed roaming charges.
“Unlimited” plans have fair-use limits. Every unlimited plan here slows down after a daily or monthly cap. Each provider’s cap and throttled speed →
What a 10GB month costs in USA
Same plan, same duration, prices verified on 26 October 2026 only, in US dollars. “Check site” means we could not verify that price on the day.
Holafly sells no fixed-data plans anywhere — its 30-day unlimited plan is $73.90 (checked 26 October 2026), which is a different product and so is not plotted on the same scale.
Ubigi
Ubigi is the cheapest US plan we could verify — $14 for 10GB over 30 days. We could not re-verify Nomad's, Airalo's or Saily's 10GB prices on 26 October, so check their sites. For unlimited, Ubigi's 30 days at $62 (60GB at full speed, then 2 Mbps) undercuts Airalo ($68) and Holafly ($73.90); Saily's 15 days at $45.99 suits shorter trips. Prices checked 26 October 2026, in US dollars, subject to change.
See Ubigi USA plans →Every verified plan
Prices in US dollars, read off each provider’s own page. Where we could not confirm a price, we say so rather than estimate.
| Provider | Fixed data plans | Unlimited |
|---|---|---|
| Saily | Check site | 15d $45.99 · other lengths: Check site |
| Airalo | Check site | 30d $68 · other lengths: Check site |
| Nomad | Check site | Check site |
| Ubigi | 10GB/30d $14 · other sizes: Check site | 30d $62 60GB at full speed, then 2 Mbps. |
| Holafly | No fixed-data plans — unlimited only | 30d $73.90 · other lengths: Check site |
| Maya Mobile | No fixed-data plans — unlimited only | Check site |
| Simify | Check site | Check site |
Provider names link to their own site. Some of those links earn us a commission — the disclosure page says exactly which, and it plays no part in which plan we call cheapest.
Every price on this page is in US dollars except Simify’s, which are in Australian dollars because it bills in A$. An Australian card adds a foreign transaction fee of around 3% to the rest, which none of them mention at checkout — what that actually costs you →
Before you choose on price
All seven providers selling in the USA now offer an unlimited plan, and none of those is unlimited. Saily gives you 5GB a day before dropping to 1 Mbps; Airalo gives you 3GB a day before dropping to 1 Mbps; Nomad gives you 2GB a day before dropping to 512 kbps; Holafly publishes no figure at all, though third-party analysis puts it near 2–3GB a day; Maya Mobile gives you 3GB a day before dropping to 10 Mbps, then 1 Mbps; Simify publishes no firm figure at all — only an approximate 1–1.5GB, and only in a troubleshooting article rather than on any plan page. Ubigi’s 30-day unlimited plan gives you 60GB at full speed before dropping to 2 Mbps.
The cap matters less than what happens after it, and it decides whether a cheaper fixed-data plan would serve you better. Every provider’s daily cap and throttled speed, in one table →
Which network you actually roam onto
An eSIM is a roaming agreement with a local carrier. In USA, that means:
| Provider | Local network |
|---|---|
| Holafly | AT&T and T-Mobile |
| Airalo | T-Mobile, plus one unnamed partner |
| Saily | Not disclosed |
| Nomad | Not disclosed |
| Ubigi | Not disclosed |
| Maya Mobile | T-Mobile and Verizon |
| Simify | Not disclosed |
USA and Canada (and Mexico) on one eSIM
Plenty of Australians combine the US with Vancouver, the Rockies, Toronto or a cruise to Alaska. A USA-only eSIM may not work over the border, so you either buy two country plans or one regional plan.
| Airalo plan (checked 30 October 2026) | Covers | 5GB / 30 days | 10GB / 30 days | Unlimited 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | USA only (T-Mobile, Verizon) | US$13.50 | US$22.50 | US$68 (5GB a day, then slowed) |
| Canada | Canada only (Bell) | US$18 | US$23 | US$80.99 (3GB a day, then slowed) |
| North America | USA, Canada and Mexico | US$24 | US$37 | US$97.50 (3GB a day, then slowed) |
On those prices, two separate 5GB country plans (US$31.50) cost more than one 5GB North America plan (US$24), while two 10GB plans (US$45.50) also cost more than one 10GB regional plan (US$37). If most of your trip is in one country with a short hop over the border, a country plan plus a small plan for the other country can still work out cheaper. Prices are in US dollars, from Airalo’s own site.
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Country guides: Canada eSIM · Mexico eSIM
When Australians go to USA
The USA is in sustained decline for Australian travellers — down 4% year-on-year in June 2026 and down 16% in April, the steepest fall of any top-six destination.
USA SIM card and eSIM questions travellers ask
What is the cheapest eSIM for the USA?
Ubigi’s 10GB for 30 days at US$14, checked 26 October 2026 and subject to change. We could not re-verify Nomad’s, Airalo’s or Saily’s 10GB, 30-day prices that day, so check their sites.
Which US network will my travel eSIM use?
Holafly uses AT&T and T-Mobile, Airalo uses T-Mobile plus one other partner, and Maya Mobile uses T-Mobile and Verizon. Saily, Nomad, Ubigi and Simify do not disclose their US network.
Will a travel eSIM be slower than a local US plan?
Nobody can say for certain. US carriers publish network-management policies for their own customers, and T-Mobile states that its disclosure does not describe the terms that apply on roaming partner networks. We could not confirm whether visiting roamers get 5G or are held to LTE.
Will my phone work in the USA?
All three big US networks retired 3G in 2022, so you need a 4G phone that supports US LTE bands. The FCC warns that some older 4G phones without Voice over LTE are also affected.
Can I use my US eSIM as a hotspot?
Yes with Ubigi, Saily, Airalo and Nomad, which all allow tethering. Holafly caps hotspot sharing at 1GB a day.
Do US travel eSIMs come with a phone number?
Most do not. Ubigi and Holafly do not include one. Airalo sells US Data, Voice & Text packages, such as 10GB with 100 SMS and 100 minutes for 30 days (price not verified on 26 October 2026; check site), and Saily sells a US phone number as an optional add-on.
Does a US eSIM cover Hawaii and Alaska?
Check the plan before you buy. Ubigi’s USA plans cover Hawaii but not Alaska (checked October 2026); other providers set their own coverage maps.
Do I need a SIM card for the USA?
Not a physical one if your phone supports eSIM. A travel eSIM gives you data in the USA without swapping your Australian SIM card out. If your phone has no eSIM support, buy a physical travel SIM card before you leave or at the airport instead.
Travel SIM card or eSIM?
An eSIM if your phone supports it: you install it before you fly, keep your Australian SIM in the phone for calls and SMS, and nothing can get lost. A physical travel SIM card is the fallback for phones without eSIM (older or carrier-locked handsets), but you have to remove your Australian SIM to use it, so you lose SMS codes while it is in.
Should I keep my Australian SIM on?
Yes, for SMS and two-factor codes, but turn data roaming off on the Australian line so you are not charged roaming fees. Let the eSIM handle all mobile data.
We may earn a commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you. How we’re paid.
Related
- Ubigi is cheapest in the USA, but Airalo is the name most people search for — what you get for the premium →
- Airalo and Holafly both sell the USA plans and are the two most-searched eSIM brands, but they work in completely different ways — we put them side by side →