eSIM internet slow abroad? How to find the cause and speed it up

First, find out what kind of slow it is

“Slow” can mean very different things, and the pattern tells you a lot about the cause. Compare what you see with this table:

Before you change anything, run a speed test with Wi-Fi switched off and note three things: the download speed, the ping (delay) and the network name your phone shows. If you contact your provider later, these details save a lot of back and forth.

Has your full-speed allowance run out?

Most unlimited travel eSIMs give you a fixed amount of data per day at full speed. Once you have used it, the plan keeps working, but at a reduced speed until the allowance resets. Among the unlimited plans in our database, the most common rules allow 1 to 3 GB per day at full speed and then drop to somewhere between 128 kbps and 2 Mbps. At the low end, messages still work, but maps and websites become very slow.

How to check:

• Look in the provider's app or account. Many providers show the remaining full-speed data for the day there.
• Check when the allowance resets. Some plans reset at a fixed time of day in a particular time zone, others 24 hours after activation. The plan details or the provider's help pages say which.
• Remember the pattern. If the speed is fine again the next morning, the allowance was the cause.

If you keep hitting the limit, you can top up if your provider offers it, use Wi-Fi for heavy tasks or choose a plan with a bigger daily allowance next time. Plans with a fixed amount of data usually stop when the data is used up instead of slowing down, so slow data on a fixed plan points to one of the other causes below.

Here are the cheapest current unlimited plans for Europe, with the speed rule of each plan:

Our guide Unlimited eSIM plans: how unlimited are they really? explains what each reduced speed is still good for.

Is your phone on the best network?

A travel eSIM connects to a local partner network, and in many countries it can use more than one. Your phone picks one automatically, but not always the fastest one where you are. Coverage also differs: one network may be strong in the city and weak in the mountains, another the other way round.

1. Try another network. On an iPhone: Settings → Cellular → your travel eSIM → Network Selection, switch off Automatic and pick another network from the list. On Android, look under Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → your eSIM, then turn off automatic network selection. The exact path depends on the brand.
2. Check the network mode. On an iPhone: Settings → Cellular → your travel eSIM → Voice & Data. 5G Auto is a good default. If 5G is weak and keeps dropping, LTE can be more stable. On Android, the setting is usually called Preferred network type.
3. Re-register on the network. Switch airplane mode on for about 30 seconds and off again, or restart the phone. This often moves the phone to a better cell.

Not every plan uses every network, and not every plan includes 5G. Destination pages list the networks of each plan. As an example, this is how the networks used by travel eSIMs in the USA compare:

Why pages can feel slow even with a good signal

Many travel eSIMs do not send your data straight to the local internet. The local network passes it to a gateway that can be in another country, often where the provider or its network partner is based. Websites then see an IP address from that country, and every request travels further.

You notice this as delay rather than low speed: a speed test can show a good download rate, while pages take a moment to start loading and video calls lag. A speed test also measures the distance to its test server, so results can look worse than they are when that server is far away.

• Switch off your VPN for a test. A VPN adds another detour on top. If the connection is much faster without it, use the VPN only when you need it.
• Test without iCloud Private Relay. On an iPhone it works like a light VPN. You can switch it off for a test in Settings → your name → iCloud → Private Relay.
• Ask before you buy. If low delay matters to you, for example for daily video calls at work, ask the provider how its data is routed in your destination.

Busy networks and lower priority

Every mobile network slows down when many people use it at the same time: at stadiums and festivals, at airports, on busy trains and in city centres in the evening. When a network is busy, some operators also give their own customers priority over visitors who use the network through a roaming agreement. That is why a local's phone can be faster than yours on the same network and in the same place.

You cannot change the priority, but you can work around it:

• Move a few hundred metres away from the crowd, or wait until the peak is over.
• Try another network, as described above. A less busy network is often faster even with a weaker signal.
• Use Wi-Fi for large downloads, backups and video, and keep mobile data for maps and messages.

Settings that slow you down without you noticing

Some settings save data but make the connection feel slower, and some background activity uses the full-speed allowance before you need it:

• Low Data Mode and Data Saver. On an iPhone, Low Data Mode (Settings → Cellular → your travel eSIM → Data Mode) pauses background tasks and can lower video quality. Android's Data Saver works in a similar way. Both help to make a small plan last, so switch them off only if you want full speed.
• Photo backup and app updates. Cloud photo backup and automatic app updates can use a large part of a daily allowance in the background. Set them to Wi-Fi only for the trip.
• Hotspot devices. A laptop on your phone's hotspot often starts system updates and cloud sync straight away. Pause them before you connect. Our guide Can you use an eSIM as a hotspot? has more tips.
• The wrong line for data. With two lines, check that mobile data runs on the travel eSIM and that automatic data switching is off. Our guide Data roaming with an eSIM: on or off? shows the settings.

When to contact your provider or switch plans

If none of the steps above helps, contact your provider's support. Send them what they need to check the problem quickly:

1. Your order number and the plan name.
2. Where you are and since when the connection is slow.
3. The network name your phone shows and a screenshot of a speed test.
4. What you have already tried, such as another network or a restart.

Support can check whether your allowance is used up, whether there is a problem with a partner network, and sometimes move your eSIM to another network. Refunds for slow speeds are less common than for an eSIM that never connects, so check the provider's refund policy.

For the rest of a longer trip, a short plan from another provider that uses a different network can be cheaper than putting up with a slow connection. You can compare plans and networks for every destination on our destination pages. Before a long trip, our guide How much data do you need for travel helps you choose a plan that will not run short.