Roaming Rip-Off Index for US Travelers: Where 5GB Costs the Most

The median price of the cheapest qualifying Roaming eSIM plan was $5.40 in our 50-destination sample. Roaming eSIM was the lowest paid option in 49 destinations when compared with AT&T International Day Pass, Verizon TravelPass and T-Mobile's 15GB International Pass.

That does not make Roaming eSIM the right choice for every traveler. T-Mobile's $50 pass was cheaper in the Bahamas and provided three times the target data. A customer whose existing T-Mobile plan already includes 5GB of high-speed international data would pay $0 extra for that allowance in a covered destination. Carrier passes also include calls and texts, while the Roaming eSIM plans in this study are data-only.

Download the full CSV dataset or inspect the JSON snapshot. Prices were checked on August 4, 2026.

Which option fits your trip?

Five GB is a useful weekly benchmark for maps, messages, ride apps, browsing and light social use, but it is not enough for every traveler. Estimate your own allowance with the travel data calculator before applying these findings to your trip.

Key findings

• The Roaming eSIM median was $5.40 for at least 5GB and seven days of validity.
• Prices ranged from $4.60 in Türkiye to $66 in the Bahamas.
• Roaming eSIM was the cheapest paid option in 49 of 50 destinations.
• The median saving against seven $12 daily fees was $78.60.
• Roaming eSIM was cheaper than one $12 daily fee in 35 destinations.
• It became cheaper than a $12 daily pass by day two in 47 destinations.
• Every Roaming eSIM plan cost less than a seven-day AT&T pass in this scenario.
• An eligible T-Mobile plan with 5GB already included remained cheaper than every paid option because its incremental trip cost was $0.

These are price findings, not network-performance findings. We did not test speed, latency, congestion or coverage on location.

🏆 The result worth remembering: Roaming eSIM was the lowest paid option in 49 of 50 destinations. That comparison excludes the $0 incremental cost of roaming already included in an eligible domestic plan.

Why the billing clock changes the result

AT&T and Verizon charge when a 24-hour roaming session is triggered. For a traveler who uses the phone every day, a $12 pass becomes $84 over seven days. AT&T uses the eligible domestic plan allowance. Verizon supplies 5GB of high-speed data in each TravelPass session, so its seven-day product can provide much more than the 5GB this traveler needs.

T-Mobile's paid pass uses a different clock: $50 buys 15GB for up to 10 days. A qualifying Experience More plan includes 5GB in 215 or more destinations, making the extra trip cost $0 before calls. The monthly plan itself is not free, and its price is outside this study.

Roaming eSIM charges once for a fixed data package. Its cost changes by destination, but it does not rise each time another trip day begins. That is why trip length, not only price per gigabyte, matters.

Where 5GB cost the most

The exception matters: The Bahamas was the only destination where Roaming eSIM did not win the paid-price comparison. Its $66 price exceeded T-Mobile's $50 pass, although it stayed below seven $12 daily fees.

Jamaica cost $44 with Roaming eSIM, which was below T-Mobile's current pass but above three $12 daily sessions.

"Most expensive" here means the highest Roaming eSIM 5GB price inside this sample. It does not mean that local mobile data costs more in those countries, or that every travel eSIM provider charges the same amount.

Where the lowest prices clustered

Türkiye was the lowest-priced destination at $4.60. Seventeen European destinations tied at $4.76: Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Singapore followed at $4.82. Australia, France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand each cost $5.40. The repeated prices reflect the plans in the catalog snapshot. We did not infer that they represent local wholesale costs or average consumer prices.

The break-even point by destination

For 35 destinations, the fixed Roaming eSIM plan cost less than a single $12 carrier day. Another 12 crossed the line on day two. Colombia, for example, cost $22.40, which is higher than one daily fee but lower than two.

Costa Rica cost exactly $24, so it only became strictly cheaper when a third daily session began. Jamaica crossed on day four. The Bahamas crossed on day six. This calculation assumes the traveler triggers a carrier pass every day. Someone who keeps cellular service off on some days would pay fewer daily fees.

When carrier roaming is the better decision

Your allowance is already included

Do not buy a separate plan only because its sticker price looks low. If your current plan provides 5GB at no additional trip cost, the included option wins this price test. Check the destination list, high-speed allowance, billing-cycle reset and hotspot terms before relying on it.

Calls and ordinary SMS matter

The carrier passes in this study include voice and texts. The Roaming eSIM packages are data-only. You can keep the home line installed for security codes and route app-based calls through travel data, but receiving or placing calls on that home line can trigger carrier charges. The travel calls and SMS guide explains the tradeoff.

The trip is short and the destination plan is expensive

For a one-day stop in the Bahamas, a $12 pass costs less than the $66 fixed plan in this snapshot. A fixed package becomes more competitive as daily charges accumulate, but unused data has no refund value in this comparison.

You value one familiar support route

A carrier pass keeps the domestic plan, number and carrier support relationship in one place. Some travelers will reasonably pay more for that convenience. The index measures price and allowance, not the personal value of fewer setup steps.

How we ran the study

Scenario

We modeled a traveler from the United States who needs at least 5GB of high-speed data during a seven-day trip. All prices are in US dollars and were checked on August 4, 2026. Taxes, exchange-rate adjustments and monthly domestic plan fees are excluded.

Destination sample

The 50 destinations were chosen before their prices were collected. The sample spans Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Oceania, North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. It includes major leisure destinations and a range of network markets.

This is an editorial comparison sample. It is not a popularity ranking and is not statistically representative of every international trip. The complete list is in the downloadable dataset.

Roaming eSIM rule

For each destination, the script queried the public Roaming eSIM package endpoint and selected the lowest retail-price fixed plan with at least 5GiB of high-speed data and at least seven days of validity. Daily allowance and unlimited plans were excluded so that reduced-speed continuation did not distort the 5GB comparison.

The study uses the listed retail plan price. Final checkout totals may include transaction fees or currency conversion. Prices can change after the snapshot date.

Carrier rules

• AT&T International Day Pass: $12 for each used 24-hour period. We modeled seven used periods, or $84. The eligible domestic plan must provide the required data.
• Verizon TravelPass: $12 for each used 24-hour period in the sampled destinations, except the published $6 rate in Canada and Mexico. Each session includes 5GB of high-speed data, then 3G-speed data. Current Unlimited plans may already include Canada and Mexico.
• T-Mobile International Pass: $50 for 15GB of high-speed data used within 10 days on an eligible plan and destination.
• T-Mobile Experience More: 5GB is included in 215 or more destinations. We record $0 incremental trip cost and exclude the monthly domestic plan price.

T-Mobile also offers a current $75, 30GB, 30-day tier. The T-Mobile International Pass price increase report owns the old-versus-new price and allowance change; this study keeps the $50 tier because its fixed scenario needs only seven days and 5GB.

The daily-pass comparison assumes the phone triggers a session on every trip day. It does not use pay-per-megabyte fallback rates because those do not represent the mainstream add-on decision for this scenario.

What the study does not measure

• Local physical SIM prices or airport counter time
• Other travel eSIM brands
• Calls, SMS or the value of keeping one support provider
• Real-world speed, latency, congestion or rural coverage
• Hotspot limits, VPN routing or the network used at a particular address
• Promotions, loyalty credits, employer plans or grandfathered plans
• Taxes, carrier fees, checkout fees or exchange-rate changes
• Multi-country regional plans
• Data used after the first 5GB

These exclusions matter. A $12 carrier day can include more service than a $5.40 data-only plan. The result answers a narrower question: what is the lowest listed cost to secure at least 5GB of high-speed mobile data for this seven-day scenario?

Reproduce or cite the findings

• Download the CSV dataset
• Open the JSON snapshot with assumptions and source URLs
• Review the public generation script

Suggested citation: Roaming eSIM research team. "Roaming Rip-Off Index for US Travelers: Where 5GB Costs the Most." August 4, 2026.

The carrier references are the official AT&T International Day Pass, Verizon TravelPass, T-Mobile international roaming and T-Mobile International Pass pages. Destination coverage can change, so confirm the exact country and plan before departure.

If a source rate or catalog price has changed, contact Roaming eSIM with the destination, plan and source URL. We will correct the dataset and record a new update date when the evidence supports a change.

Apply the result to your trip

First, check whether your current plan already includes enough high-speed data. Then price the exact destination and trip length. If you choose a travel data plan, compare country and regional coverage, confirm that your phone supports eSIM, and install before departure while you still have reliable Wi-Fi.