No matter how good your home mobile plan is, once you travel abroad, roaming charges kick in. In some countries, rates may be similar or just a bit more expensive – but in many cases, the cost can be 5 to 30 times higher. That’s why a growing number of travelers are turning to travel eSIMs as a smarter alternative. Let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons, so you can choose the option that works best for you.
Mobile Data Pricing
Roaming is almost always more expensive, though there are occasional exceptions – for instance, if your local provider is based in the EU and you're traveling within the EU under the «Roam Like at Home» policy. However, in most other cases – especially when traveling outside Europe – roaming charges can be quite high.
For example:
- In 2025, major UK operators like EE and Vodafone UK charged £7.86 per day for roaming in Zone C (e.g. the US, Australia) and Zone D (non-EU countries). Some also offered weekly bundles, such as a Travel Pass for £15–20 per 7 days.
- Outside Europe, Orange had roaming rates of €20 per 1 GB in countries like the US and Canada.
- US operators typically offered $10/day roaming plans for international use.
Disclaimer: The information provided about mobile operator rates is based on publicly available sources and is accurate at the time of publication. For the most up-to-date and detailed pricing, please refer directly to the operators official websites. We do not take responsibility for any discrepancies or changes in pricing.
Travel eSIMs often provide much more affordable options. For example, with TooSIM, you can get the following plans for Italy or Portugal:
- 1 GB / 7 days – $3.99
- 2 GB / 15 days – $4.99
- 3 GB / 30 days – $5.99
Or, for example, if you're traveling to the US, you can get:
- 1 GB / 7 days – $4.99
- 2 GB / 15 days – $6.99
- 3 GB / 30 days – $7.99
- 5 GB / 30 days – $12.99
And that's just a small sample – TooSIM offers a wide range of plans for different countries and travel durations. For the full list of tariffs, check other sections of the website. In general, the longer your trip, the better value you’ll get from a travel eSIM.
Additional payments
eSIMs are also more cost-effective in this context. You pay once when purchasing your plan and get a set amount of data (in GB). There are no surprise charges or hidden fees. In contrast, roaming is often enabled automatically, and you may be charged in the background – even if you’re not actively using your phone. Here are some common ways roaming fees can sneak in:
- Background app activity (e.g., WhatsApp syncing, weather updates, iCloud or Google Drive activity, automatic updates);
- Receiving text messages;
- Incoming or outgoing calls;
- Automatic roaming activation (a common practice with some U.S. carriers);
- Activation of premium notifications;
- Exceeding your data limit (any extra MBs are charged at a higher rate).
Flexibility of conditions
With eSIM, you can choose exactly the amount of data you need — without overpaying for extra mobile data you won’t use. For example, with TooSIM, you can select plans like:
- 1 GB / 7 days
- 2 GB / 15 days
- 3 GB / 30 days
- 5 GB / 30 days
- 10 GB / 30 days
- 20 GB / 30 days
- 50 GB / 30 days
This is especially cost-effective if you don’t use much internet on your trip – instead of paying high fixed daily roaming fees (as many operators charge), you can simply get a small, affordable eSIM plan for 1–5 GB over 7–30 days and save up to 3–20 times the cost.
Network Coverage and Data Speeds
Your eSIM provider connects you directly to local carriers (like Vodafone, Orange, Elisa, and others) with better coverage. With roaming, you’re often connected to the same networks, but through an extra layer – your home provider – which can limit speed, deprioritize your connection, or restrict access to certain frequency bands.
So the quality of connection with travel eSIM is often better than with roaming. That is, you will not only have 3G, but also 4G and 5G. This is especially important if you are traveling to areas far from major cities, which can give coverage problems.
Also, with eSIM, you have more flexibility when choosing a network – often being able to pick from 4 to 6 or more options in a given location. In roaming, you're typically limited to manually selecting from just one or two networks. So with eSIM, you have a better chance of maintaining a consistent and stable internet connection.
Flexibility also means that you choose a plan for one country or several (regional and global options). Plus, there are no contracts or commitments, so you can buy a new plan/eSIM at any time. Since everything can be done online, there's no need to visit any store or office.
Ease of Activation
By this measure, activating an eSIM and using roaming are both straightforward. Roaming typically turns on automatically when you cross a border, although it’s often worth buying additional travel packages from your operator. With a travel eSIM, you simply purchase and activate it online in a few clicks.