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eSIM Clarity
2026-10 editionEdition reviewed

The Roaming Rip-off Index

What does your carrier charge for the same trip? Compare published roaming options with source-checked travel eSIM packages, including the cases where roaming costs less.

7 GB

One clearly defined trip.7 days, 1 GB requested per day. Same requested-data denominator, with plan eligibility and billing conditions shown.

See the comparisonRead the methodData and citations

YOUR TRIP, THE PUBLISHED COST

What could roaming cost you?

1 GB per day, one billing cycle, home subscription excluded. Eligible cohort: Unlimited Welcome / Unlimited Plus, buying one month of the three-day TravelPass perk as needed.

Showing the standard 7-day trip from the dated edition.

7 days · 7 GB requested · Japan

Verizon Three TravelPass days monthly perk plus extra TravelPass daysUSD10 full monthly recurring fee includes three 24-hour TravelPass sessions; USD12 each additional session · 5 GB per charged dayUSD comparison: USD 58.00. Home-plan subscription excluded.USD 58.00
miesim.es 10GB eSIM Data for 7 Days for Japan10 GB · 7 days · Price checked 2026-10-19USD comparison: USD 8.92. Provider lists tax as included.EUR 7.95
eSIM costs less byUSD 49.08
Check current price at miesim.es (opens in a new tab)

Fixed edition price, checked 2026-10-19. This button opens current provider options; it does not guarantee the edition price.

Assumptions, billing and sources

7 GB requested over 7 days. Unit costs divide both trip prices by the same requested GB. Unused allowance and speed limits are described separately; this is not a speed test.

  • Reference line is eligible for the three-day TravelPass perk; its full USD10 recurring monthly fee is included.
  • Perk starts immediately, renews monthly until cancelled, and is not prorated if cancelled partway through a month.
  • Only one purchased perk month is modeled. No previously banked days.
  • Days are available immediately. Cancel the perk to prevent future monthly renewals; the full monthly fee still applies.
  • Published credits actually expire after 12 months and can bank to 36; the reference comparison stays within one billing cycle.
  • Quantity comparison: 1 GB each travel day. Network access, speed, calls and SMS are not equivalent.
  • Quoted retail charges use the stated tax basis; account-specific taxes and checkout fees may change the amount paid.

eSIM package conditions

  • Choose the exact allowance and validity on the destination page; this link does not preselect the UUID package.
  • The provider feed says activation starts on first use.
  • Data-only package. Traditional calls and SMS are not included. Optional app calling or separately purchased numbers are not included in this price.
TravelPass FAQ (opens in a new tab) · Checked TravelPass perk FAQ (opens in a new tab) · Checked TravelPass destinations (opens in a new tab) · Checked TravelPass explanatory transcript (opens in a new tab) · Checked eSIM package source (opens in a new tab)eSIM tax evidence (opens in a new tab)
About these prices

1 GB requested per day. A single billing cycle is assumed. Home-plan subscription is excluded. Choose an included-roaming profile only if its eligibility applies to you.

Lowest-cost modeled eligible product or defined pack only. We do not combine arbitrary roaming add-ons. The eSIM comparison uses a limited, dated retail selection.

This edition uses 73 frozen reference packages selected from 362 qualifying fixed-data offers from 2 providers (Torisim, miesim.es), a limited catalog selection. Benchmark packages have explicit tax-included evidence. Incremental published retail charges. UK/Ireland tax-inclusive prices, Australian published consumer roaming charges and US/Canadian prices before account-specific taxes are retained as stated; tax treatment is disclosed by carrier. eSIM references have explicit tax-inclusive evidence. Ratios are comparisons of these quoted charges, not tax-normalized checkout bills.

THE CHECKED EDITION

The numbers and their limits

SOURCE-BASED FINDING

99.1× largest observed cost ratio

O2 (United Kingdom) to South Korea: £455.00 incremental roaming versus $6.12 reference eSIM for 7 days and 7 GB. The roaming cost requires 7 deliberate sequential bundle purchases after exhaustion; it is not an automatic PAYG bill. The roaming amount is 99.1 times the eSIM cost on the stated tax bases.

SOURCE-BASED FINDING

13 carriers with a complete basket

13 of 16 researched carriers have all 10 destination cases verified for the reference usage. Only complete baskets enter the overall ranking.

SOURCE-BASED FINDING

5.0× mean cost ratio

The arithmetic mean of destination cost ratios across the 13 complete carrier baskets is 5.0. Included roaming contributes zero; missing cases are not treated as free.

SOURCE-BASED FINDING

8 included-roaming cases

8 cases within complete carrier baskets have no incremental roaming data charge under the named plan cohort. 8 cases cost less to roam than to buy the selected reference eSIM.

THE COMPARISON

Carrier roaming cost multiples

Only carriers with complete data for the selected common destination basket receive a rank. The selected reference home plan and dated sources matter as much as the price.

Home country
AllUnited StatesCanadaUnited KingdomIrelandAustralia
Destination region
All destinationsAsiaEuropeAmericas
Reference profiles only. The same 7-day, 7 GB trip and complete destination basket are required for a rank. Prices are converted to USD using this edition's exchange rates.
RankCarrier and home planMean roaming / GBMean eSIM / GBMean cost multipleDestinationsDetails
1O2United Kingdom · O2 consumer Pay Monthly personal smartphone tariff without a Plus, Volt or Ultimate inclusive non-Europe benefit.USD 13.71USD 1.6512.8x10 / 10See O2
2AT&TUnited States · Extra 2.0 consumer postpaid line with International Day Pass and at least 7GB domestic allowance availableUSD 10.80USD 1.657.7x10 / 10See AT&T
3Vodafone UKUnited Kingdom · Consumer Pay Monthly started on/after 11 August 2021, with no inclusive Euro Roam or Global Roam benefit.USD 8.38USD 1.655.5x10 / 10See Vodafone UK
4VerizonUnited States · Unlimited Welcome / Unlimited Plus, buying one month of the three-day TravelPass perk as neededUSD 7.46USD 1.655.3x10 / 10See Verizon
5BellCanada · Eligible consumer monthly plan with Roam Better; sufficient remaining domestic dataUSD 7.66USD 1.655.2x10 / 10See Bell
6T-Mobile USUnited States · Essentials 2.0 consumer postpaid line with no included international high-speed dataUSD 7.14USD 1.654.8x10 / 10See T-Mobile US
7TelstraAustralia · Eligible Telstra Upfront mobile plan with International Roaming Day PassUSD 6.99USD 1.654.7x10 / 10See Telstra
8TELUSCanada · Standard eligible consumer postpaid plan, excluding 5G+ Complete discounted and Complete Explore included roamingUSD 6.60USD 1.654.5x10 / 10See TELUS
9RogersCanada · Eligible Canada-only consumer postpaid plan, Roam Like Home enabled, sufficient remaining domestic dataUSD 5.58USD 1.653.8x10 / 10See Rogers
10Three UKUnited Kingdom · Three Your Way Lite 30GB consumer plan joined or upgraded on/after 19 April 2026, without inclusive roaming or a Full Speed add-on.USD 5.22USD 1.653.6x10 / 10See Three UK
11Three IrelandIreland · Three SIM Flex 5G 30 Day consumer Bill Pay, with its 60GB EU allowance; no legacy €3.99 roaming pass.USD 3.93USD 1.652.5x10 / 10See Three Ireland
12OptusAustralia · Eligible consumer Optus Choice Plus plan with Daily RoamingUSD 3.49USD 1.652.4x10 / 10See Optus
12Vodafone AustraliaAustralia · Eligible Vodafone Infinite or Plus consumer plan with sufficient remaining included dataUSD 3.49USD 1.652.4x10 / 10See Vodafone Australia

13 ranked carriers · 3 unranked carriers in this selection. A cost multiple is a ratio of published prices, not a performance or service-quality score.

Why 3 carriers are not ranked
  • EE: 9 of 10 destination cases verified for this usage (9 / 10 comparable destinations).
  • eir: 3 of 10 destination cases verified for this usage (3 / 10 comparable destinations).
  • Vodafone Ireland: 3 of 10 destination cases verified for this usage (3 / 10 comparable destinations).

BY DESTINATION

See the cost difference by country

Compare individual trips, including those from carriers that cannot be ranked across the full basket. Scroll inside the table to see more destinations.

Each cell compares this edition's standard trip. Not comparable is shown without a number. Open a country for its assumptions and sources.
CarrierJapanItalyFranceSpainThailandSouth KoreaTurkeyMexicoIndonesiaSingapore
O27x0x0x0x4.5x99.1x6.2x1.9x4.5x4.9x
AT&T9.4x8.4x10x8.4x6x13.7x8.4x0x6x6.5x
Vodafone UK8.4x2.1x2.6x2.1x5.3x12.2x7.4x3.5x5.3x5.8x
Verizon6.5x5.8x6.9x5.8x4.1x9.5x5.8x0x4.1x4.5x
Bell6x5x5.9x5x3.8x8.7x7.1x2.3x3.8x4.1x
T-Mobile US5.6x5x6x5x3.6x8.2x5x2.4x3.6x3.9x
Telstra5.5x4.9x5.8x4.9x3.5x8x4.9x2.3x3.5x3.8x
TELUS5.6x3.5x4.2x3.5x3.6x8.1x7.1x1.7x3.6x3.9x
Rogers4.4x3.9x4.7x3.9x2.8x6.4x3.9x1.8x2.8x3x
Three UK6.3x1.6x1.9x1.6x4x9.2x3.4x1.6x2.9x3.1x
Three Ireland4.4x0x0x0x2.8x6.4x3.9x1.8x2.8x3.1x
Optus2.7x2.4x2.9x2.4x1.7x4x2.4x1.1x1.7x1.9x
Vodafone Australia2.7x2.4x2.9x2.4x1.7x4x2.4x1.1x1.7x1.9x
EEN/A2.2x2.6x2.2x2.9x6.5x4x1.9x2.9x3.1x
eirN/A0x0x0xN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
Vodafone IrelandN/A0x0x0xN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
Included for eligible profileUp to 1xOver 3x to 6xOver 10xNot comparable

CHECK THE CURRENT PACKAGE

Compare an eSIM for your trip

These are dated retail benchmarks, not physical test recommendations. Confirm phone compatibility, hotspot, activation and the final price before buying.

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7 days · 7 GB requested

THE METHOD

Compare the trip and read the conditions

  1. The standard trip lasts 7 days and requests 1 GB per day within one billing cycle. It excludes the price of the customer's home-plan subscription.
  2. We select the lowest-cost modeled eligible product or defined pack in the sourced selection. The model does not combine arbitrary product types or add-ons. It supports only explicitly defined pack combinations, verified repeat purchases or a documented bundle set. Eligibility, daily triggers, pass validity, data limits and billing caps can change the result.
  3. The eSIM benchmark is the lowest-cost qualifying, dated fixed-data package from the source-checked selection with explicit tax-included evidence. It must cover the destination, all trip days and the requested data. It is the cheapest qualifying option in our checked selection, not a claim to cover the entire market.
  4. Both unit prices divide the full trip cost by the same requested GB. Unused allowance is not subtracted from the price. Speed caps and restrictions remain visible and do not become claims of equivalent service.
  5. The cost multiple is carrier trip cost divided by eSIM trip cost. A rank requires comparable results for the entire selected common basket. Missing or stale information is not a zero price.
  6. Eligible included roaming remains visible at zero additional roaming cost. This does not remove the home subscription cost or imply every plan includes the benefit.

This edition uses 73 frozen reference packages selected from 362 qualifying fixed-data offers from 2 providers (Torisim, miesim.es), a limited catalog selection. Benchmark packages have explicit tax-included evidence. Incremental published retail charges. UK/Ireland tax-inclusive prices, Australian published consumer roaming charges and US/Canadian prices before account-specific taxes are retained as stated; tax treatment is disclosed by carrier. eSIM references have explicit tax-inclusive evidence. Ratios are comparisons of these quoted charges, not tax-normalized checkout bills.

Edition 2026-10. Edition reviewed 2026-10-20. Individual source check dates are shown with their links. Tariff checks expire after 100 days. Provider buttons lead to current offers, which may differ from this edition.

Currency conversion: edition exchange-rate source, dated 2026-10-19. Carrier pages also show the published local currency. Conversion does not establish the final tax-inclusive checkout price.

“Rip-off” is the index's opinion label for the published cost comparison. Carrier pages describe the calculation factually. Names identify the services being compared; no carrier logos are used.

Questions about roaming costs

How is the roaming cost multiple calculated?

For the same trip and requested data amount, we divide the carrier roaming cost per requested GB by the eSIM package cost per requested GB. Because both sides use the same denominator, the multiple is also the roaming trip price divided by the eSIM package price. A package may include unused data. We describe caps and conditions separately and do not claim equal performance.

Is roaming ever cheaper than an eSIM?

Yes. An eligible home plan may include roaming, or a carrier add-on may cost less for the selected trip. Those results remain visible. The comparison excludes the home-plan subscription and does not assume every customer qualifies for an included benefit.

Why is a carrier not ranked?

A rank requires current, comparable costs for the complete standard destination basket. Missing eligibility, unavailable source facts, an insufficient data allowance or expired checks leave a carrier unranked. An unknown price is never treated as zero.

Have you physically tested these eSIMs?

This edition compares published carrier tariffs and source-checked retail eSIM packages. It does not use physical activation tests, measured speeds or a reliability score. Prices, coverage, eligibility and checkout terms can change.

Can I keep my home number while using a travel eSIM?

A compatible, unlocked phone may support a separate travel data line. Keeping the home line active can still trigger roaming charges through calls, texts or other use under the carrier terms. Check the exact billing triggers and device settings before travelling.

EDITION HISTORY

Checks and corrections

  • : First reviewed edition. Seven-day / seven-GB common basket, named consumer postpaid cohorts, source-linked tariffs and frozen tax-inclusive eSIM references. Incomplete cases are visible and unranked.

KEEP PLANNING

Check your carrier

CarrierVerizonPublished costs and eligibilityCarrierAT&TPublished costs and eligibilityCarrierT-Mobile USPublished costs and eligibilityToolCheck your phoneeSIM support and carrier unlock