Travel guides
What to know before getting online abroad, by destination, with prices from the plans on sale now. 中文版
Destinations
- Japan eSIM: how to buy one, install it, and what it costsGetting online in Japan with an eSIM: check your phone, pick a plan by days and data, and get the install code minutes after paying. Installing on iPhone and Android, switching it on in Japan, checking what is left, and the usual mistakes.
- South Korea eSIM: which plan for your trip, how to install it, and pricesGetting online in Korea with an eSIM: pick a plan by trip length and get the install code minutes after paying. Installing on iPhone and Android, switching it on in Korea, and what is different there: maps, taxis, and having no Korean number.
- Thailand eSIM: plans and prices, installing, and getting online when you landGetting online in Thailand with an eSIM: pick a plan by trip length, short trips and long stays alike, and get the install code minutes after paying. Installing on iPhone and Android, switching it on and calling a ride when you land, and what to know for islands and the hills.
- eSIM for a multi-country trip: one plan for all, or one per country?Japan and Korea, Singapore–Malaysia–Thailand, Europe, the US and Canada, Australia and New Zealand: a week and two weeks priced from the plans on sale now, one multi-country plan against one per country, and what the prices leave out.
- Getting online in Hong Kong and Macao from the mainland: roaming, eSIM or one SIM for allThree ways to stay online on a trip from mainland China to Hong Kong or Macao: your carrier’s roaming, a Hong Kong or Macao eSIM, or a SIM that works in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan; prices, crossing the border, and mainland-China iPhones.
- China eSIM for visitors: getting online in China, prices, and setting up AlipayVisiting mainland China: roaming, a China eSIM bought before you fly, or a local SIM with your passport, and what each costs; setting up Alipay and WeChat Pay with a foreign card, life without a Chinese number, and Hong Kong and Macao.
The basics
- What is an eSIM, and how is it different from a SIM card?An eSIM is a SIM you never insert. How it differs from a physical SIM card, how to check whether your phone can use one, whether you keep your number, how buying and pricing work, and which to choose for a trip abroad.
- Can a phone bought in mainland China use a travel eSIM?Which mainland-China iPhones support eSIM (iPhone Air, 17e, 18 Pro and others), why a travel eSIM installs only once you are abroad, what the two-eSIM limit means, how to check an Android phone, and what to use if your phone has no eSIM.
- What is data roaming? Should it be on abroad, and does it cost anything?What data roaming means and where the switch is, which SIM should have it on abroad (the travel eSIM) and which off (the home SIM), whether it costs anything, and how it differs from international roaming; on iPhone and Android.
- How to choose a travel eSIM: eight things to check before you buyNo single travel eSIM is best, but eight checks tell a good buy from a bad one: your phone, exact coverage, the price for your trip, when the days start, refunds, payment, help when it fails, and speed and hotspot; each with what we do.
- eSIM terms explained: EID, SM-DP+ address, activation code, APN, data roamingThe words you meet buying and installing a travel eSIM, each in a sentence: eSIM, EID, install code, SM-DP+ address, activation code, data roaming, international roaming, APN, dual SIM, unlocked phone.
- Which phones support eSIM? iPhone, Hong Kong and mainland models, and AndroidHow to tell if a phone supports eSIM (*#06# shows an EID); iPhone XS and later, with mainland-China models limited to iPhone Air, 17e, 18 Pro and Duo and some Hong Kong models dual nano-SIM; Android flagships sold abroad mostly yes, mainland models mostly no.
- Does my phone support eSIM? Look it up by modelType your model to see whether it takes an eSIM and which versions do: iPhone, Huawei, Samsung, Xiaomi, Honor, OPPO, vivo and Pixel, each with the maker’s own page and the date it was checked. The surest test: dial *#06# and look for an EID.
- Mobile data abroad: roaming, eSIM, SIM card or pocket WiFi?Five ways to get online abroad: your own carrier’s roaming, an eSIM, a travel SIM card, pocket WiFi, or a local SIM bought on arrival. What each is good for and what to watch, how to choose by phone, trip length and group size, and how to get an eSIM.
- International roaming on China Mobile, Unicom and Telecom: on, off, and what it costsHow to turn international roaming on, check it and turn it off with China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, as their own pages state: SMS commands, apps and hotlines; how roaming is charged and what a minute costs; what to open for Hong Kong; keeping the number for text codes only; and when a travel eSIM costs less.
On the trip
- How much data do you need abroad? A calculator for a day, a week or a monthIs 1GB a day enough abroad, or 3GB, and how much for a month: a rough total from your hours of maps, feeds, short videos, video calls and streaming, with what each uses per hour and how to use less.
- Travel SIM and eSIM mistakes: before buying, before you leave, and when you landMost travel data trouble is settings: buying without checking for an EID, installing on a mainland-China iPhone at home, not turning on data roaming, mobile data left on the home SIM, deleting the eSIM. In the order they happen, and how to avoid each.
- Getting your home text codes abroad, and what to do if they stopKeeping your home number receiving bank, payment and app codes while a travel plan carries the data: international roaming, an eSIM so the home SIM stays in, home data roaming off; what to check when codes do not arrive, and why not to use code-receiving sites.
- eSIM will not install or stays on “Activating”? One code, one install, and changing phonesWhy an eSIM install fails and what to do: no eSIM support, no connection, a mainland-China iPhone at home, a code already used; whether “Activating” before you arrive is normal, whether a QR code can be reused, and what a new phone means.
- Back home: should you delete your travel eSIM, and does it work at home?Switching back to your home SIM, turning the travel eSIM off rather than deleting it so it can take a plan next trip, and whether a destination’s plan works at home.
- Studying or working abroad: what to do with your phone and your home numberFor months abroad: keep your home number for codes, use a travel eSIM for the first weeks, get a local SIM with a number once settled, and long plans of half a year or a year if you need data without a local number.
- How to install an eSIM on iPhone and Android: one tap, QR code or manual entryInstalling and activating a travel eSIM: where the install code is, the three ways to install (one tap, QR code, SM-DP+ address and activation code), step by step on iPhone and Android, what to choose when the phone asks, and turning on data roaming when you land.
- How to check the data left on a travel eSIM, and what happens when it runs outWhere to see a travel eSIM’s remaining data, the phone’s own counter and why it differs, what happens at zero (no extra charges), adding data without reinstalling, and when your home SIM could cost you roaming fees.
Prices
- eSIM prices by country: from, a week with 3GB, and per GBEvery destination’s eSIM prices on one page, by continent: the starting price, a week with 3GB and the lowest price per GB, the cheapest places, and the multi-country plans, from the plans on sale now.
- Japan eSIM prices compared (2026): Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, trip by tripWhich Japan eSIM to buy: three days, a week, half a month and a month priced at Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, fixed data against unlimited, and what to check beyond the price; their prices dated.
- South Korea eSIM prices compared (2026): Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, trip by tripWhich South Korea eSIM to buy: three days, a week, half a month and a month priced at Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, fixed data against unlimited, and what to check beyond the price; their prices dated.
- Thailand eSIM prices compared (2026): Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, trip by tripWhich Thailand eSIM to buy: three days, a week, half a month and a month priced at Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, fixed data against unlimited, and what to check beyond the price; their prices dated.
- Singapore eSIM prices compared (2026): Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, trip by tripWhich Singapore eSIM to buy: three days, a week, half a month and a month priced at Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, fixed data against unlimited, and what to check beyond the price; their prices dated.
- Malaysia eSIM prices compared (2026): Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, trip by tripWhich Malaysia eSIM to buy: three days, a week, half a month and a month priced at Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, fixed data against unlimited, and what to check beyond the price; their prices dated.
- Vietnam eSIM prices compared (2026): Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, trip by tripWhich Vietnam eSIM to buy: three days, a week, half a month and a month priced at Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, fixed data against unlimited, and what to check beyond the price; their prices dated.
- Hong Kong eSIM prices compared (2026): Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, trip by tripWhich Hong Kong eSIM to buy: three days, a week, half a month and a month priced at Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, fixed data against unlimited, and what to check beyond the price; their prices dated.
- USA eSIM prices compared (2026): Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, trip by tripWhich USA eSIM to buy: three days, a week, half a month and a month priced at Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, fixed data against unlimited, and what to check beyond the price; their prices dated.
- UK eSIM prices compared (2026): Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, trip by tripWhich UK eSIM to buy: three days, a week, half a month and a month priced at Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, fixed data against unlimited, and what to check beyond the price; their prices dated.
- France eSIM prices compared (2026): Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, trip by tripWhich France eSIM to buy: three days, a week, half a month and a month priced at Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, fixed data against unlimited, and what to check beyond the price; their prices dated.
- Italy eSIM prices compared (2026): Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, trip by tripWhich Italy eSIM to buy: three days, a week, half a month and a month priced at Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, fixed data against unlimited, and what to check beyond the price; their prices dated.
- Spain eSIM prices compared (2026): Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, trip by tripWhich Spain eSIM to buy: three days, a week, half a month and a month priced at Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, fixed data against unlimited, and what to check beyond the price; their prices dated.
- Australia eSIM prices compared (2026): Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, trip by tripWhich Australia eSIM to buy: three days, a week, half a month and a month priced at Green Tea Mobile, Airalo and Holafly, fixed data against unlimited, and what to check beyond the price; their prices dated.
Written by Green Tea Mobile: prices come from the plans on sale each time a page is built, phone and install rules from Apple’s own documentation and our terms; what we say about other companies’ apps and networks is worded loosely, because those change. Found a mistake? Tell support.