There are three ways to use mobile data abroad: your home carrier's roaming, a local SIM card bought on arrival, or a travel eSIM bought before you leave. Here is how they compare.
| Roaming | Local SIM | Travel eSIM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Often the most expensive, especially outside your home region | Usually cheap | Low, prepaid, price shown upfront |
| Ready when you land | Yes | No: shop, queue, passport, opening hours | Yes, installed at home |
| Keep your WhatsApp number | Yes | Yes if you swap SIMs carefully | Yes, your SIM stays in the phone |
| Risk of a surprise bill | High | Low | None, it is prepaid |
| Phone needed | Any | Any | eSIM-compatible and unlocked |
When roaming makes sense
For a very short trip, if your carrier includes the destination in your plan. Always check the daily price before you leave: outside included zones, roaming can quickly cost more than your whole trip's data.
When a local SIM makes sense
For long stays (several months), or if you need a local phone number for calls and SMS. The downsides: finding a shop, queuing on arrival, registering with your passport, and removing your usual SIM.
When a travel eSIM is the best choice
For most trips from a few days to a month. You buy online, install at home, and you are connected from the moment you land, on a good local network, without paying roaming. Your usual SIM stays in the phone, so WhatsApp keeps your number. And when data runs low, you top up the same eSIM from your phone.
Example prices
- Turkey: 10 GB for 30 days, $5.22
- France: 10 GB for 30 days, $7.45
- Saudi Arabia (STC 5G): 5 GB for 30 days, $11.23
- Morocco (Orange 5G): 10 GB for 30 days, $13.47
Prices at the time of writing; the current price is always shown on each destination page.