eSIM discounts and savings: how to pay less for travel data, from promo codes to the right plan size

Quick answer: where the real savings are

• Compare providers first. For the same destination and data amount, prices differ far more than any code can make up.
• Then use a promo code. About a third of the providers we list offer our readers a code worth 5 to 15 %.
• Buy the size you will actually use. Larger packages cost much less per gigabyte, but unused data is money lost.
• Choose the smallest coverage area that fits. Country plans are cheapest per gigabyte; global plans cost several times as much.
• Only pay for unlimited if you need it. A week of unlimited data typically costs around 1.5 to 2 times as much as a 10 GB plan.
• Watch the hidden costs: card fees for foreign currencies, expensive top-ups and subscriptions that renew automatically.

Why comparing providers saves the most

Travel eSIM prices are not standardised. The same amount of data for the same country can cost a few euros with one provider and many times that with another, even when both use the same local network. We looked at 5 GB plans valid for 7 to 30 days in ten popular destinations and compared each provider's cheapest suitable plan:

“Typical offer” is the median of the providers' cheapest plans, as of October 2026. The ratios change as prices change, but the pattern is stable: picking a provider at random, or the first one you see advertised, usually means paying several times the going rate.

A low price alone is not the whole story. Before you buy, check the network, the validity, whether hotspot is allowed and what happens after the data runs out. Our destination pages, such as Japan or Europe, list every plan sorted by price, with filters for these details and our score for each provider; how the score works is explained on our methodology page.

Promo codes: how much they save and what to check

Promo codes are the easiest saving once you have found a good plan. About a third of the providers we list currently offer a code for our readers, worth between 5 and 15 %. Together these providers sell more than half of all the plans in our database.

The conditions differ, so read them before you rely on a code:

• First purchase only: some codes work only for new customers.
• Once per customer: others can be used once per account, not for every order.
• Applied automatically: a few providers add the discount when you arrive through our link, without a code to type.
• Expiry date: where a provider sets one, it is shown with the code.

A code does not make an expensive plan cheap. A 10 % discount on a plan that costs three times the market price still leaves you paying far too much. Compare the final price, after the discount, with the cheapest plans for your destination. On our destination pages you can show prices with codes already applied.

Bigger packages cost less per gigabyte, if you use the data

The price per gigabyte falls steeply with package size. For country plans in our database, using the median price per gigabyte:

So a gigabyte in a 10 GB plan costs less than half as much as in a 1 GB plan, and in a 50 GB plan about a quarter. That does not mean you should always buy big: data you do not use is wasted. The cheapest strategy is a package that matches your real use, or a smaller plan from a provider that lets you top up the same eSIM if you need more.

The table shows the cheapest Europe plan for each data amount, refreshed daily. To estimate how much you need, see How much data do I need for travel?

Validity: pay for the days you need, but compare

Longer validity usually costs a little more, but less than you might expect. We compared plans from the same provider with the same coverage and data amount:

• 30 days instead of 7: typically about 10 % more.
• 15 days instead of 7: typically about 6 % more.
• Same price: in about a third of cases, the 30-day plan costs the same as the 7-day plan, or within 5 %.

If the difference is small, the longer plan is the safer buy: you will not lose leftover data because the days ran out first, and a delayed return costs nothing extra. Also check when the validity starts. Many plans begin only when they first connect at your destination, so you can buy in advance without losing days; see When to activate your travel eSIM.

Country, regional or global: pick the smallest area that fits

The wider the coverage, the more you pay per gigabyte. For 5 to 10 GB plans in our database:

• Europe plans cost a fifth to a third more per gigabyte than a country plan for France, Italy, Spain or Germany.
• Asian regional plans cost around 40 % more per gigabyte than a plan only for Japan or Thailand.
• Global plans cost about four times as much per gigabyte as a country plan.

For a trip to one country, a country plan is almost always the cheapest. For two or more countries, a regional plan often wins, because you avoid buying a separate package for each country and wasting the rest of each one. A global plan pays off only for trips across several continents. Our guide Country, regional or global eSIM? explains how to compare the three.

Unlimited or fixed data: which is cheaper?

Unlimited plans are convenient, but you pay for that convenience. Comparing medians in our database, a 7-day unlimited plan for Japan costs about 1.6 times as much as a 10 GB plan and almost three times as much as 5 GB. For Europe, a week of unlimited costs more than twice as much as 10 GB.

Unlimited is worth it if you stream video on mobile data, share your connection with others or work online every day. For maps, messaging, social media and the odd video call, a fixed plan of 5 to 10 GB is cheaper for most trips. Also check the daily full-speed allowance and the speed after it: a cheap unlimited plan that slows to 128 kbps after 1 GB a day can be worse value than a fixed plan. Our guide Unlimited eSIM plans: how unlimited are they really? explains the fair-use rules.

Currency, top-ups and auto-renewal: hidden costs to avoid

• Currency: 17 of the 39 providers we list price their plans in US dollars, about two thirds of all plans. If your card charges a fee for payments in foreign currency, that fee adds to the price. We show the shop price in its original currency and in euros, so you can see what you will be charged.
• Top-ups: 23 providers let you add data to an existing eSIM on at least some plans. That is convenient, but a top-up is not always cheaper than a new plan; compare before you add data.
• Auto-renewal: a few providers sell subscription plans that renew automatically. They can be good value for frequent travellers, but cancel them in time if you do not need the next period.
• Roaming on your home SIM: if data roaming stays on for your home SIM, your phone may use it instead of the eSIM, and your carrier will charge you. Turn data roaming off for the home SIM; see Dual SIM with a travel eSIM.
• Wasted data: automatic app updates and photo backups on mobile data use up a plan quickly. Set them to WiFi only before you travel.

Checklist: how to get the best price

1. Estimate your data use and how many days and countries your trip covers.
2. Open the destination page on eSIM Rankings and sort by price, or by price per GB for larger packages.
3. Filter for what matters to you: validity, network, 5G, hotspot, unlimited.
4. Compare two or three plans from providers with a good score, not just the cheapest.
5. Check the promo codes for those providers and compare the final prices.
6. Buy and install at home over WiFi, and check when the validity starts.

If you are weighing an eSIM against roaming or a local SIM, our guide eSIM vs roaming vs local SIM compares the costs.