Comparisons
Roaming, eSIM or local SIM: which one suits your trip
None of them wins every time. We compare all three on price, convenience and risk of a nasty surprise, with a specific recommendation for each kind of trip.
Nerea Aguilar 9 min Photo by Erik Odiin on Unsplash Comparisons like this usually end in a table of ticks and crosses where one column wins everything. It looks tidy and it's no help in deciding, because all three options are reasonable and each one is reasonable for a different trip. So let's do it the other way round: first what each one is and where it falls down, and the recommendation by type of trip at the end.
Option 1: your own operator's roaming
This is doing nothing: you land, your phone latches onto a local network and you carry on with your usual plan.
Inside the European Union
Since 2017 the roam like at home rule applies: you use your home plan anywhere in the EU at no extra cost, within whatever fair use limits your contract sets. This is hard to beat and you normally don't need anything else.
Outside the European Union
Here everything changes, and it depends entirely on your operator and your plan. There are three models, and it's worth knowing which one you have BEFORE you fly:
- A flat daily fee that switches your plan on at your destination. Usually the sensible option on a short trip.
- A data bundle you buy by days or by gigabytes. Predictable, but you have to remember to buy it.
- Pay as you use, with no bundle. This is the model behind the bills people tell stories about, because the price per megabyte outside the EU can be very high.
The one check you have to do: log into your online account and see what your plan says about the country you're going to. Five minutes before you fly beats any comparison table.
Option 2: a local SIM at your destination
Buying a card in the country when you arrive. It's what people have always done and it still has its moment.
In its favour: it's usually the cheapest per gigabyte by a wide margin if you're staying for weeks. And plenty of countries hand out amounts of data you don't see here.
Against it: you buy it there. You have to find the shop, catch it open, make yourself understood, and in quite a few countries register your passport by law. While you're using it, your everyday number is out of the phone if you only have one tray, so you stop getting your bank's text messages exactly when you're using your cards most.
Option 3: a travel eSIM
You buy it and install it before you leave, and the price is fixed at that moment.
In its favour: you don't depend on finding anything when you land, you know exactly what you're going to pay, and your everyday line stays in the phone taking calls and messages.
Against it: per gigabyte it usually costs more than a local SIM for a long stay, and you need a compatible, unlocked phone. For months in a single country, a local SIM still wins on money.
The three side by side
| Roaming | Travel eSIM | Local SIM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| When you sort it out | Nothing to sort out | Before you leave | When you arrive |
| You know what you'll pay | Depends on your plan | Yes, fixed | When you buy it there |
| Your number stays active | Yes | Yes | Only with two trays |
| Paperwork at your destination | None | None | Sometimes passport and a queue |
| Price per gigabyte | Varies | Middling | The lowest |
| Several countries in one trip | Depends on your plan | With a regional plan | One per country |
The recommendation, by type of trip
- Trip within the European Union: check your own plan first. Odds are it already covers you and you need nothing else.
- A few days outside the EU: the eSIM. What you're paying for isn't the data, it's not having to solve anything when you land.
- A month or more in a single country: a local SIM works out cheaper if you don't mind the first day's errand.
- A route through several countries: a regional eSIM. A local SIM is useless at the first border.
- Business travel: the eSIM, nearly always. The cost is fixed, it goes on an expense claim, and you don't depend on a shop being open to be able to work.
- Cruises: be careful with all three. Onboard networks are satellite and billed separately; whatever works on land doesn't apply at sea.
The mistake that keeps happening
Leaving without checking anything and letting the phone browse freely. If your plan is one of the pay as you use kind outside the EU, the bill turns up weeks later and by then there's no conversation to be had. Whichever option you go for, the setting that really prevents surprises is turning data roaming off on your everyday line.
The three exact settings that get your phone ready, and what happens to WhatsApp meanwhile, are in your everyday number and WhatsApp while you travel.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper, roaming or an eSIM?
Inside the European Union, roaming almost always, because it usually comes included in an EU plan. Outside the EU it depends on your operator: with pay as you use billing an eSIM is far cheaper, and against a reasonable daily fee the two can come out similar.
Does an eSIM replace my usual plan?
No. It's added as a second line. Your number stays active for calls and texts while your data travels over the eSIM.
Can I use one eSIM in several countries?
Yes, if you buy a regional or global plan. A single country plan stops working when you cross the border, exactly like a local SIM.
Is a local SIM worth it?
If you're staying weeks in one country and don't mind buying it there, it's usually the cheapest per gigabyte. On short trips, what you save rarely makes up for the time and the errand on day one.
What about roaming on a cruise?
Onboard networks are satellite and billed as non-terrestrial networks, outside any roaming agreement and outside any travel eSIM. It's worth turning data off while you're at sea.
