The verdict: what to buy
For visitors to the US, Flysimio is a low-cost entry for a standard trip — the price index below shows exactly where we sit against Airalo and Holafly, with the date each rival price was checked. Where we do not win: at the very top of the ladder. Airalo's 50 GB / 30-day US plan works out cheaper per gigabyte than our best rate — compare the two 50 GB rows in the table below — and it bundles 500 minutes and 500 texts on top. If you genuinely need 50 GB in a month, buy theirs. Below that size the ranking flips back. The US is one of the most expensive eSIM markets in the world because carrier wholesale costs are high, so the provider you pick moves the total noticeably on a two-week trip — and note that Airalo's US fixed-data plans are all sold as "Change Plus" with minutes and SMS included, so their headline price is not a pure data price. Driving north or south? Our best eSIM for Canada guide covers the other side of the border, or one North America eSIM covers the USA, Canada, and Mexico together.
Flysimio United States eSIM
$2.08 from · instant QR · 7-day refund
USA eSIM price index — August 2026
Across 4 providers and 22 plans compared in August 2026, the cheapest United States eSIM data on a standard 3–50 GB plan works out at $1.40/GB (Flysimio, priced live). On the same measure the cheapest rival plan is Nomad at $0.82/GB — cheaper than our best equivalent plan, which costs 71% more per gigabyte.
| Provider | Plan | Price | Price per GB | Network | Best for | Price checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nomad | 50 GB / 30 days | $41.00was $52.00 | $0.82/GB | T-Mobile | Easy app | Aug 14, 2026 |
| Airalo | 50 GB / 30 daysChange Plus | $59.00 | $1.18/GB | T-Mobile | Coverage & app | Aug 14, 2026 |
| Flysimio | 50 GB / 30 days | $70.00 | $1.40/GB | AT&T / Verizon | Live | |
| Flysimio | 15 GB / 30 days | $21.25 | $1.42/GB | AT&T / Verizon | Live | |
| Flysimio | 20 GB / 30 days | $28.98 | $1.45/GB | AT&T / Verizon | Live | |
| Flysimio | 5 GB / 30 days | $8.28 | $1.66/GB | AT&T / Verizon | Live | |
| Nomad | 20 GB / 30 days | $34.00was $38.00 | $1.70/GB | T-Mobile | Easy app | Aug 14, 2026 |
| Flysimio | 3 GB / 15 days | $5.50 | $1.83/GB | AT&T / Verizon | Live | |
| Nomad | 10 GB / 30 days | $20.00 | $2.00/GB | T-Mobile | Easy app | Aug 14, 2026 |
| Flysimio | 1 GB / 7 days | $2.08 | $2.08/GB | AT&T / Verizon | Live | |
| Airalo | 20 GB / 30 daysChange Plus | $47.00 | $2.35/GB | T-Mobile | Coverage & app | Aug 14, 2026 |
| Nomad | 5 GB / 30 days | $12.00 | $2.40/GB | T-Mobile | Easy app | Aug 14, 2026 |
| Airalo | 10 GB / 30 daysChange Plus | $30.00 | $3.00/GB | T-Mobile | Coverage & app | Aug 14, 2026 |
| Airalo | 5 GB / 30 daysChange Plus | $19.00 | $3.80/GB | T-Mobile | Coverage & app | Aug 14, 2026 |
| Nomad | 1 GB / 7 days | $5.00 | $5.00/GB | T-Mobile | Easy app | Aug 14, 2026 |
| Airalo | 1 GB / 3 daysChange Plus | $6.00 | $6.00/GB | T-Mobile | Coverage & app | Aug 14, 2026 |
| Nomad | Unlimited / 7 days | $23.00 | — | T-Mobile | Easy app | Aug 14, 2026 |
| Airalo | Unlimited (3 GB/day) / 7 days | $25.00 | — | T-Mobile | Coverage & app | Aug 14, 2026 |
| Holafly | Unlimited / 7 days | $25.50 | — | AT&T / T-Mobile | Unlimited data | Aug 14, 2026 |
| Airalo | Unlimited (3 GB/day) / 30 days | $68.00 | — | T-Mobile | Coverage & app | Aug 14, 2026 |
| Holafly | Unlimited / 30 days | $68.90 | — | AT&T / T-Mobile | Unlimited data | Aug 14, 2026 |
| Flysimio | Unlimited (2 GB/day) / 30 days | $110.40 | — | AT&T / Verizon | Live |
- Nomad · 50 GB / 30 days: Sale price; Nomad lists $52.00 as the standing rate.
- Airalo · 50 GB / 30 days: Includes 500 minutes and 500 SMS.
- Nomad · 20 GB / 30 days: Sale price; Nomad lists $38.00 as the standing rate.
- Airalo · 20 GB / 30 days: Includes 200 minutes and 200 SMS.
- Airalo · 10 GB / 30 days: Includes 100 minutes and 100 SMS.
- Airalo · 5 GB / 30 days: Includes 50 minutes and 50 SMS.
- Airalo · 1 GB / 3 days: Change Plus bundles 10 minutes and 10 SMS, so this is not a pure data price. Airalo also lists a data-only "Change" plan we could not verify at capture time.
- Nomad · Unlimited / 7 days: Nomad bills this as "Unlimited": a daily high-speed allowance that resets every 24 hours, then throttled to 512 kbps.
- Airalo · Unlimited (3 GB/day) / 7 days: Airalo bills this as "Unlimited": 3 GB per day at full speed, then throttled to about 1 Mbps.
- Holafly · Unlimited / 7 days: Unlimited with no daily high-speed cap; Holafly applies a fair-use policy for at most one day at a time.
- Airalo · Unlimited (3 GB/day) / 30 days: Airalo bills this as "Unlimited": 3 GB per day at full speed, then throttled to about 1 Mbps.
- Holafly · Unlimited / 30 days: Unlimited with no daily high-speed cap; Holafly applies a fair-use policy for at most one day at a time.
- Flysimio · Unlimited (2 GB/day) / 30 days: 2 GB per day at full speed, then 1 Mbps. Sold as 1–30-day passes; 30 days is priced here for comparison.
How this table is priced. Flysimio prices are read live from our carrier catalog every time this page loads, so the figure here is the figure at checkout. Competitor prices are the US-dollar price shown on each provider's own site, read on the date in the last column and linked to the page we read it from; promotional prices are marked alongside the list price. Price per GB is the plan price divided by its included data — unlimited passes have no per-GB figure and are ranked by total price instead. Full method: how we test, the eSIM Price Index and what an eSIM costs.
- Airalo — checked Aug 14, 2026 — www.airalo.com/united-states-esim/change-plus-30days-20gb
- Airalo — checked Aug 14, 2026 — www.airalo.com/united-states-esim
- Nomad — checked Aug 14, 2026 — www.nomadesim.com/united-states-eSIM
- Holafly — checked Aug 14, 2026 — esim.holafly.com/esim-usa/
Which US carrier to choose and why it matters
The US has three national carriers — T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon — plus hundreds of MVNOs running on top of them. For eSIM travelers, the carrier your plan uses determines rural coverage and 5G quality.
- T-Mobile: Best 5G coverage in more than 300 cities. Leads in mid-band 5G (the fast kind). Excellent for cities, decent for highways. Weaker in very rural Midwest and Appalachia.
- AT&T: Best rural 4G LTE coverage — critical for national park visits (Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Glacier). Good in Texas, Southeast US. 5G expanding but behind T-Mobile.
- Verizon: Deepest rural penetration nationally. Best choice for Alaska, Montana, and remote highway routes. Slower 5G expansion than T-Mobile.
Which USA eSIM plan for your trip
| Trip type | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| NYC, LA, Chicago city break (5–7 days) | Flysimio 5 GB / 30 days | City navigation, Uber, social — 5 GB easily covers a week. |
| Cross-country road trip | Flysimio 10 GB / 30 days | Navigation, music streaming, Google Maps — 10 GB is safer for 2–4 weeks driving. |
| National parks tour | Flysimio 5 GB + AT&T routing | Download offline maps before entering parks. Coverage is patchy in backcountry. |
| Remote work from US (1 month) | Flysimio unlimited daily plan | Daily quota with 1 Mbps after cap — usable for video calls and browsing. |
| Visiting multiple US states + Canada | Separate US + Canada eSIMs | Buy country-specific plans. US plans do not cover Canada. |
5G coverage in major US cities
- New York City: 5G on all three networks throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens.
- Los Angeles: 5G coverage throughout metro area; strong T-Mobile mid-band.
- Las Vegas: Exceptional 5G on the Strip and surrounding resort areas.
- Chicago: Dense 5G in downtown Loop and suburbs.
- Miami: Strong coverage across Miami Beach, Wynwood, and airport corridor.
- National parks (Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Yosemite): 4G in visitor centers and main lodges. Backcountry trails: expect gaps. Download offline maps before entering.
Best eSIM for New York
New York City has full 5G on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. Flysimio routes through AT&T/Verizon, so you get 5G in Midtown, Lower Manhattan, Williamsburg, and Long Island City, plus 4G/5G in most MTA subway stations (in-tunnel coverage is rolling out line by line). JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark (EWR) all have strong signal at arrivals — your eSIM connects before you reach baggage claim. For a long-weekend NYC trip, 5 GB covers Google Maps, the MTA app, rideshare, and social; a week of heavy use is more comfortable on 10 GB.
Best eSIM for Los Angeles
Los Angeles has wide 5G coverage, with T-Mobile's mid-band especially strong across Downtown, Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Venice. Flysimio covers the sprawling LA metro — Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Long Beach — plus the freeway corridors you will inevitably sit in. LAX has full 5G at arrivals. Because LA trips involve a lot of driving and Google Maps, budget a little more data: 10 GB for a week is a safe choice if you are navigating constantly or day-tripping to San Diego or Joshua Tree.
Best eSIM for Las Vegas
Las Vegas has some of the densest 5G in the country — the Strip, Downtown/Fremont Street, and the convention centers (great for CES and trade-show visitors) are blanketed on all carriers. Flysimio gives you fast 5G the length of the Strip and at Harry Reid International (LAS), which sits minutes from the casinos. 5 GB is plenty for a typical 3–4 night Vegas trip of maps, rideshare, show tickets, and posting photos; add more only if you are streaming or tethering.
Best eSIM for Miami
Miami has strong 5G across South Beach, Brickell, Wynwood, and Downtown, with good coverage out to Coral Gables and the airport (MIA) corridor. Flysimio on AT&T/Verizon keeps you connected on the beach and in the Art Deco district, and along the causeways. For a beach-and-nightlife long weekend, 5 GB is sufficient; if you are driving down to the Keys or over to the Everglades, download offline maps — coverage thins on the more remote stretches of US-1 and in the Everglades interior.
When Flysimio is not your best option
- You want a US phone number: eSIMs are data only. For a temporary US number, consider Google Voice or Skype — works over Flysimio data.
- You need Verizon specifically: Flysimio routes through AT&T and Verizon. For Verizon's rural coverage specifically, buy directly from Verizon.
- You need unlimited with no throttle: Holafly's unlimited USA pass — $68.90 for 30 days when we checked it in August 2026 — has no daily high-speed cap. Flysimio's unlimited daily plan drops to 1 Mbps after the daily quota, and Airalo's "Unlimited" tier throttles after 3 GB a day.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best eSIM for visiting the USA?
Flysimio's USA 5 GB / 30-day plan was the lowest-priced of the four providers we track when we checked in August 2026, and that holds up to about 20 GB. Above that the ranking flips: both Nomad and Airalo price their 50 GB US plans below ours per gigabyte. The dated price index above shows every tier.
Does a US eSIM work in Hawaii and Alaska?
Yes, both are included in US eSIM coverage. Hawaii has excellent 4G LTE across all major islands (Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Big Island). Alaska has reliable 4G in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and major towns; remote wilderness areas and small villages may be offline.
Can I keep my home phone number while using a US eSIM?
Yes. Using dual SIM (your physical home SIM + the US eSIM), your home number stays active for incoming calls and SMS. Set the US eSIM as your data line in Settings → Cellular.
Does the USA eSIM work in US territories like Puerto Rico?
Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands are typically included in US eSIM plans. Guam varies by provider — check before purchasing if Guam is your destination.
Is a USA eSIM cheaper than international roaming from my home carrier?
Almost always, yes. Most international carriers charge $10–$15 per day for US roaming. Flysimio's 30-day USA plan costs less than a single day of most roaming plans.
Which eSIM should I buy for the USA?
Flysimio's 5 GB / 30-day USA plan is the cheapest entry for a standard visit — it runs on the same AT&T and Verizon networks that direct carrier plans charge far more to use. For comparison, Airalo's equivalent 5 GB / 30-day US plan was $19.00 when we checked in August 2026, though that plan bundles 50 minutes and 50 texts, so it is not a straight data-for-data comparison. The dated price index above shows every tier.
Is an eSIM worth it for a short trip to the USA?
Yes — for visitors, a prepaid travel eSIM is nearly always cheaper than roaming or a US carrier plan. A 5 GB plan at $7.75 covers maps, messaging, and browsing for a typical one-to-two-week trip, and installs before you fly.
Sources & further reading
Maya Okafor
Senior Travel Connectivity Editor
Maya has tested eSIMs across 40+ countries over five years of full-time travel — from Tokyo subways to Patagonian backroads. She runs Flysimio’s hands-on network and speed testing.