Buying local SIM cards or paying for expensive roaming plans is no longer necessary when traveling internationally. eSIMs have revolutionized the way we stay connected abroad. Regardless of your destination, you can get data and, quite often, calls and texts, in only a few clicks, without a carrier’s assistance.
The convenience comes with a new challenge: choosing the right package. With so many options available, finding a suitable plan can be overwhelming. To help you find the best eSIM for international travel, we’ve reviewed different plans and their features, shortlisting the ones that offer the most value.
Why Is an eSIM a Convenient Option for International Travel?
An eSIM (digital SIM card) is convenient for any type of travel due to its many benefits, including:
- Convenience: eSIMs are digital, so you don’t need to go to a store to buy and activate them. The entire process is completed remotely, from purchase to activation and management.
- Flexibility: eSIMs can hold multiple profiles, typically ranging from five to eight. This means you can separate your work and personal numbers and hold plans from multiple carriers when you’re traveling for maximum functionality and savings.
- Security: Since they’re embedded into your device, eSIMs can’t be physically stolen or damaged like physical SIMs. They’re also less vulnerable to SIM cloning.
5 Best eSIM Cards for International Travel
After testing dozens of eSIM packages suitable for international travel, we’ve compiled a list of the following five options that offer the most value:
- Cape
- Holafly
- Maya Mobile
- Nomad
- Saily
1. Cape
Cape is a mobile carrier that offers its service through eSIM cards, so it’s only compatible with devices that support them. The company’s product is oriented toward users in the United States, but it’s also convenient for traveling internationally as it offers:
- Extensive coverage
- Reliable connection
- Unlimited data
- Unlimited texts and calls (in select locations)
Cape stands out in the market as a security- and privacy-first eSIM provider. Namely, eSIMs tend to be more secure than physical SIM cards, but there are certain risks you should be aware of:
Risks Associated With eSIMs | Explanation |
Poor credential security | eSIM credentials can be exposed if a third party (such as a vendor, partner carrier, or online seller) handles them. |
Legacy network protocols | Many carriers use outdated, trust-based networks with poor security, rendering them vulnerable to hackers. |
Vague data handling policies | Carriers often have data handling policies that lack transparency and clarity, so users aren’t sure how their information is collected, stored, and shared. |
Cape recognizes and minimizes these risks. It routes traffic to its own privacy-first cloud core, collects minimal user data, and maintains full control of its SIMs to ensure a high level of privacy and security. When you’re traveling internationally, Cape provides peace of mind, safeguarding your personal information and communications from network-level threats.
As for pricing, Cape offers a single plan that costs $30 per month and includes unlimited 4G and 5G high-speed data, as well as robust security features. Additionally, unlimited calls and texts are available in some areas. The plan has no hidden fees and doesn’t require signing a contract.
2. Holafly
Holafly’s well-known for its extensive coverage; the company’s eSIM packages are available in over 270 locations. The plans are categorized to perfectly align with your travel plans, so you can choose among the following plans:
- Cities: Packages for specific cities, such as Amsterdam, Budapest, Mumbai, and Osaka
- Countries: Packages that cover individual countries, like Japan, Turkey, or Argentina
- Regions: Packages that cover multiple countries or entire continents. For example, plans for Japan and Korea, Europe, or Scandinavia.
Holafly makes choosing plans simple; all you need to do is enter your destination and the number of days you’ll spend traveling, and the company will display your best options. The advantage here is that you can enter the exact number of days, so that you don’t overpay if your trip is short. If your plans suddenly change, you have up to six months to request a refund.
As for potential drawbacks, some users mention that the service doesn’t work in certain areas advertised as covered, which is alarming considering that the company’s major selling point is superb coverage.
Another drawback is that Holafly requires extensive information to provide its services. Below is only a fraction of the data the company collects:
- Full name, country of residence, payment information, email address, a copy of your passport (or another document for identification), device type
- Your visits and interactions with Holafly and device data (such as IP address and location)
For everyone concerned about privacy while traveling, these data collection policies may be too loose.
3. Maya Mobile
Maya Mobile is an international eSIM provider that offers unlimited data plans in over 200 destinations worldwide. It aggregates connectivity from over 400 networks worldwide to deliver excellent connection quality and optimal pricing, including well-known names such as:
- Vodafone
- Orange
- Telefónica
- Movistar
When you set up a Maya Mobile eSIM, you’re automatically connected to the best network available in your area.
To select the right plan, you can browse the available destinations or use Maya Mobile’s search bar to quickly find the country or region you’re visiting. The pricing ranges from $9.99 to $61.99 for 30 days. You can also select your arrival and departure dates to get a plan tailored to your needs.
Besides packages for individual countries, Maya Mobile offers:
- Regional plans
- Global eSIMs that enable you to stay connected in 119 countries worldwide
If your plans change or your package doesn’t work on your phone, you can request a full refund within 180 days of the purchase. The company’s customer support is available 24/7 for immediate assistance.
As for user experiences, they’re mostly positive, but the drawback that is commonly mentioned is the high price; users state that Maya Mobile is more expensive than many of its competitors. On top of that, some users have reported a spotty connection, which raises questions about whether the company’s plans are worth the price.
4. Nomad
Nomad is an eSIM provider that covers over 200 locations and serves various use cases, from leisure travel to emergency connectivity and business. Essentially, Nomad is an eSIM marketplace. It collaborates with mobile networks worldwide, allowing you to find affordable and reliable eSIM packages for various destinations.
All you need to do is type your destination in Nomad’s search bar, and you’ll see the available packages for that area. Packages differ in validity period and amount of data, so you can easily find a plan that suits you. Before purchasing, you can see each plan’s details, such as:
- Service (whether the plan is data only)
- Hotspot
- Add-on availability
- Coverage
- Provider
Pricing depends on the chosen plan, but users mostly agree that it’s fair. What users mention as a drawback is interrupted service; several people have reported that their Nomad eSIM plans worked for a few days but then lost data connection.
To sign up and use a Nomad eSIM, you’ll need to agree to the company’s data collection policy, which is extensive. In addition to requesting your personal data when you’re purchasing a package, Nomad automatically collects device and usage data, location information, and records of app interactions, which raises concerns among privacy-conscious individuals.
When it comes to security, Nomad lacks transparent policies that provide insight into the protocols and measures used for protecting users from threats, which is another potential issue.
5. Saily
Saily is an easy-to-use eSIM service owned by Nord Security, a digital security and privacy brand behind tools such as NordVPN. It offers data plans for over 200 destinations worldwide, ranging from Mexico to Japan. Below are the three types of eSIM packages offered by Saily:
- Country: Cover specific countries, pricing starts from $3.99
- Region: Covers multiple countries or entire continents, pricing starts from $4.99
- Ultra: Covers 119 countries worldwide and costs $59.99 per month (it also includes a NordVPN subscription)
Packages can be topped up; Saily notifies you when you’ve used up 80% of your plan, so you never run out of data when you need it most.
Considering the service’s owner, it’s no surprise that Saily eSIMs feature advanced security options, including:
- Virtual location: Choose from over 115 virtual locations to protect your privacy and access country-specific content
- Ad blocker: Browse without distractions and save your data
- Web protection: Block malicious websites and limit trackers
You can enable these options in your eSIM settings.
User experiences with Saily are generally positive, but there are several negative ones to consider as they primarily focus on the same issue: unstable connections. Several users mentioned that Saily didn’t work properly in specific regions, such as China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Japan, which was unexpected considering the advertised coverage.
The Final Verdict: What Is the Best International eSIM Service?
Every eSIM provider we’ve mentioned offers benefits for individuals who often travel internationally and require a stable network connection. While each provider differs in available plans and prices, there’s one factor you should never compromise on when choosing the right package: security.
Good deals and exclusive offers are irrelevant when you’re not sure whether your chosen provider employs relevant security measures to keep your device and data safe from network-level threats. For this reason, our top recommendation is Cape, being the only platform on our list that:
- Has strict and comprehensive privacy and security policies stated on the website
- Operates its own infrastructure
- Requires minimum information to provide services
- Never sells your data to advertisers or other third parties
- Offers robust security and privacy options to protect you from online threats
Cape Makes Security the Standard: Here’s How
Cape is America’s privacy-first mobile carrier, providing premium, unlimited, and nationwide call, text, and data. Unlike other providers, our service is built from the ground up with privacy and security at its core.
Mainstream carriers track you and store your data, often without your consent. Cape takes a different path—we collect the absolute minimum amount of information to provide you with service.
Any information we do collect is retained for the minimum amount of time possible. Most carriers store call data records (CDRs) for years, sometimes indefinitely. Cape stores yours for just 24 hours, and we have a commitment to never sell your data.
Cape service includes security features that no other carrier offers:
- Minimal Data Collection: During onboarding, we don’t ask for your name, Social Security number, or address. We only collect what’s necessary to provide you with service, and we retain it for the minimum amount of time possible.
- Identifier Rotation: Every SIM card has an International Mobile Subscriber ID (IMSI), a unique identifier which your device uses to register with cellular networks. Most carriers assign a fixed IMSI that stays the same for the life of your account, making it easy for your carrier, advertisers, and bad actors to identify and track your device over time. Cape breaks that pattern by allowing subscribers to automatically rotate their IMSI every 24 hours, so you appear as a different subscriber every day, making it much more difficult for anyone to follow or track your movements.
- Secondary Numbers: Your phone number is a target for data brokers and scammers. Retailers, websites, apps—everyone is routinely asking you to share your number with them, which exposes you to a variety of risks. Many turn to VoIP numbers to use as secondary lines, which can be helpful, but cost extra, don’t work with 2FA, and aren’t encrypted. Cape provides subscribers with two free additional SMS/MMS lines that are middle-to-end encrypted. With secondary numbers, you can reserve your primary number for communicating with your close friends and family, and use the other for anything from shopping and signing up for discounts, to receiving secure OTPs.
- Disappearing Call Logs: Call and text records reveal a lot about you, from who your closest relationships are to when and where communication took place. With traditional carriers, your call and text metadata doesn’t just disappear; it’s retained, analyzed, and folded into a lasting customer profile. At Cape, we’re built to forget and delete these records after just one day.
- Last Mile Encrypted Texting: SMS messages are unencrypted, yet many of us still use it to receive One-Time Passwords (OTPs) for our most sensitive accounts, leaving them vulnerable to a variety of threats. Cape allows subscribers to encrypt and route all SMS/MMS messages through the Cape app. When enabled, SMS/MMS messages sent to Cape subscribers will be middle-to-end encrypted and decrypted securely within the Cape app. This protects any messages that may be intercepted from being read. This feature is only available on iPhone; Android coming soon.
- SIM Swap Protection: A SIM swap happens when an attacker convinces your carrier to transfer your number to their device, allowing them to receive your calls and texts, trigger password resets, and gain access to your accounts. Cape protects against SIM swaps by removing humans entirely from the loop. During sign-up, you receive a 24-word phrase that generates a private key tied to your number. This phrase is the only way to move your number to a new device or carrier. No one, not even Cape, can transfer your number without your phrase, giving you full control over your number.
- Network Lock: Traditional cellular networks were designed for interoperability, not security. Outdated and legacy network protocols like SS7 have vulnerabilities that allow attackers to hack in and track your location, intercept your calls and texts, and steal sensitive information. Cape’s Network Lock uses a proprietary signaling proxy to verify that your device’s physical location matches the network it’s trying to attach to. If anything looks suspicious, like a mismatched location, we block the connection.
- Encrypted Voicemail: Voicemails can reveal more than you think, from personal messages to authentication codes, yet most voicemail systems are outdated and unencrypted. Cape encrypts your voicemails so that only you can access them.
- Secure Global Roaming: While you’re traveling abroad, your phone connects to local telecom providers to provide you with connectivity. But not all networks are secure, and not all governments treat privacy the same. Cape routes your traffic through our U.S.-based mobile core. Our Secure Global Roaming gives you the convenience of international data roaming without exposing your identity or communications. You get up to 15GB per month of international roaming included in your plan.
These features are made possible because we’re a “Heavy” Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO).
Other MVNOs (such as Mint Mobile, Cricket, etc.) simply ride on top of the mobile core, SIMs, and physical infrastructure of their underlying MNO partner. At Cape, we actually own our own mobile core and provision our own SIMs.
This gives us control over how accounts are authenticated, what data we do and don’t collect, how long we retain it for, as well as the ability to build proprietary features like Identifier Rotation. No other carrier on the market has this capability.
Reclaim Your Privacy: Switch to Cape Today
Ready to ditch traditional telcos and switch to a privacy-first mobile carrier? Visit cape.co/get-cape to sign up.
Try Cape completely risk-free for just $30 for your first month. No contracts, no personal or credit card info needed, no hidden fees or taxes, and no strings attached.
Thanks to our partnership with Proton, you can also take your privacy a step further and get Proton Unlimited or Proton VPN Plus for only $1 for the first six months.
