Open your phone’s cellular settings, switch Data Roaming on, and make sure an AT&T international plan is on your line before you land. An eSIM is the better choice on trips of several days: a Maya Global eSIM costs one flat price from USD 9.99 for 3 days, rather than a fee for every day you use your phone.
AT&T’s pass charges for each day your phone touches data abroad, and the total shows up on your bill after you’re home.
What do you need before you turn on AT&T roaming?
You need an eligible AT&T unlimited plan with International Day Pass on your line. AT&T prices the pass at $12 per day on land, with additional lines at $6 per day (att.com/international/day-pass, 2026).
AT&T says the pass covers 210+ destinations and includes unlimited data, talk and text on an eligible unlimited plan. Its 24-hour pass begins the first time you use data, send a text, or make or accept a call in an included destination or on an included ship or airline. The daily fees are charged to your bill at the end of your billing cycle.
You don’t need to remove the pass when you come home. AT&T says it only charges a daily fee when you use your device in an included destination, and it stays on your device for your next trip.
Sort it before the flight and the trip is about the trip.
How does AT&T roaming charge you on a 3, 7 or 14 day trip?
AT&T’s international plan bills by the day your phone uses data abroad, so the cost grows with every day of the trip. A Maya Global eSIM is one flat price set by trip length: 3, 7, 14 or 30 days, from USD 9.99.
AT&T’s page puts it this way: “Stay connected abroad on land for $12/day. Taking a cruise? Use your phone on land and sea for $20/day. Plus, you’ll only pay for the days you use.” On land, you’re charged one daily fee per 24-hour period, even across several included destinations in that period (att.com/international/day-pass, 2026).
Here’s the week. Seven days at AT&T’s land rate is 7 × $12 = $84 (att.com, 2026). Maya’s 7-day plan is USD 19.99.
Two weeks at AT&T’s land rate is 14 × $12 = $168 (att.com, 2026). Maya’s 14-day plan is USD 27.99.
A month is 30 × $12 = $360 (att.com, 2026). Maya’s 30-day plan is USD 49.99, which works out to USD 1.67 a day. The 3-day plan is USD 9.99.
When is an eSIM the better choice than AT&T roaming?
A Maya Global eSIM installs once, stays on your phone, and covers 165+ countries with unlimited data and a daily high-speed allowance stated in the terms. For each trip you only buy a new plan, with no reinstalling.
That’s the old way flipped. The travel-data storefront model has you hunting for a plan per country. Here one eSIM covers every country, and you pick your days and go.
The longer the trip, the wider the gap against a daily fee. At seven days or more, the flat plan prices above sit well under the per-day total.
Shofiul K. gave Maya Mobile five stars on Trustpilot on December 4, 2025: “⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5-Star Review for Maya Mobile eSIM We used a Maya Mobile eSIM during our family holiday to Turkey, and it was honestly one of the best travel decisions we made. The setup was unbelievably quick—just a few taps and we were connected before even leaving the airport.”
What does roaming cost at sea on a cruise?
AT&T charges $20 per day to use your phone on land and sea or at sea only, available on 400+ cruise ships (att.com/international/day-pass, 2026). Spend a day at sea and on land together and you pay one $20 fee covering both.
AT&T says that if you’re at sea only, you’re charged one daily fee per 24-hour period. Thirty days at $20 is 30 × $20 = $600 (att.com, 2026).
Cruise coverage at Maya is the Global + Cruise plan, a separate purchase from the Global plan. It covers 20+ cruise lines through the same eSIM that stays on your phone. It costs USD 49.99 for 3 days, USD 109.99 for 7 days and USD 299.99 for 30 days.
What does your AT&T iPhone need before it can use a travel eSIM?
Your phone must support eSIM and be unlocked from the carrier before a travel eSIM can run on it. Check both before you buy a plan, then install the eSIM on Wi-Fi.
AT&T Wireless Customer Support lists what an unlock needs (Learn How to Unlock AT&T Phones or Devices, 2026):
- You purchased the device more than 60 days ago, and it isn’t active on another AT&T account.
- You paid for it in full at purchase or paid it off through an installment plan, with the installment balance at zero.
- It hasn’t been reported lost, stolen, or involved in fraud.
- If you’re a current AT&T customer, your bill can’t be past due.
No AT&T account? AT&T says you can still unlock a device that meets all requirements by submitting an unlock request.
Our compatible devices list covers iPhones from the iPhone XR/XS series through the iPhone 17 series, including iPhone Air, SE 2 (2020) and SE 3 (2022). The full list is at maya.net/esim-compatible-devices. Download Maya, scan the QR code, and the eSIM installs in 2 minutes.
Which travel eSIM fits a week abroad on an AT&T phone?
Maya sells one Global eSIM at a flat price by trip length, while Airalo, Holafly, Saily and Nomad each publish their own plan types and daily-data terms. Check the plan type and the daily-data terms for the trip length you are buying.
Four of the five sell by country or region in some form. Airalo, Saily and Nomad each publish a daily data figure (3GB, 5 GB and 2 GB) after which speed drops, and Holafly publishes a fair use policy.
| Travel eSIM | How plans are sold | Unlimited plan allowance, as published | Calls, texts and phone number, as published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maya Mobile | One Global eSIM for 165+ countries, unlimited data at a flat price by trip length: USD 9.99 for 3 days, USD 19.99 for 7 days, USD 27.99 for 14 days, USD 49.99 for 30 days | A daily high-speed data allowance (the Daily Quota) at up to 4G LTE or 5G where local networks offer it, reset every 24 hours; unlimited data at standard speed once the Daily Quota is used | Data only, with no local number; your own SIM stays in the phone for your calls and texts |
| Airalo | Per country, per region, or one global plan; priced in USD | Our unlimited data packages don’t have a fixed total data cap. However, to keep the network running fairly for everyone, when you use more than 3GB in a day, we’ll slow down (or “throttle”) your internet speed to 1 Mbps for the rest of that day. Your full high-speed connection will automatically be restored when your daily allowance next resets. Your daily allowance resets every 24 hours, counted from the time you activated your eSIM. | We offer flexible data packages — some have calls and texts. |
| Holafly | Per country, per region (Europe, Latin America, Cruise plans), and monthly global plans: Light, 25GB of data, $ 49.90USD/month; Unlimited, $ 64.90USD/month; Ultra, $ 90.95USD/month | Unlimited data plans are subject to a fair use policy, which may temporarily reduce speed in cases of unusually high usage to maintain network quality for all users. | Unlimited Plans purchased on November 4, 2025, or later include a phone number for US, UK, or Canada. Please note that this service supports inbound SMS only and VOIP-based calling (traditional incoming cellular calls are not supported) |
| Saily | Per country and per region, plus one global plan; by the gigabyte, unlimited, or both | The Unlimited plan gives you 5 GB per day at full 4G/5G speed, then keeps you online at 1 Mbps for the rest of the day — fast enough for navigation, messaging, and standard browsing. | Yes, you can keep your own number while using a Saily eSIM plan. If you want to make calls and send SMS messages abroad without worrying about extra carrier fees, you can add a US phone number to your Saily eSIM plan. |
| Nomad | Per country, per region and global plans; by the gigabyte and unlimited | Once the daily allowance of 2 GB is used, data speeds are reduced (throttled) for the rest of the day. Depending on the specific plan, this reduced speed is approximately 1 Mbps or 2 Mbps. | Some of Nomad’s eSIMs include a local phone number. Check the plan details for more information of what your plan includes. |
Each rival’s cells are its own published words, or a short summary of what it states; the Maya Mobile cells are from maya.net.
Setup is where plans go wrong first. A one-star Trustpilot review of aloSIM from August 13, 2026, by Osman D., reads: “No Russian manuals available. I purchased aloSIM for my family while they were traveling, but none of them could set up the eSIM. As an experienced Windows and Android user, I could have probably figured it out by trial and error, but my family couldn’t. It’s way too complicated with English-only instructions. Plus, after my payment successfully processed, the app still asked me to buy the plan again. # update since you are planning to add Russian instructions, I’ll give aloSIM another try. My family is heading to Turkey at the end of August, and if everything goes well, I’ll update my review to 5 stars.”
Atlas is 4.5 billion years old and has no patience for a family stuck at arrivals with a QR code. Install before you fly.
How Maya keeps one eSIM on your phone for every trip
Roaming bills you day by day, and a travel eSIM makes you shop for data each trip. Maya is one switch: install the eSIM once, pick a trip length, and it stays on your phone for the next trip.
One eSIM stays permanently installed on your device. Plans include unlimited data across 165+ countries, and the price is the same in every country.
Pick 3, 7, 14 or 30 days, from USD 9.99. The 3-day plan suits weekend trips and short getaways, and the 7-day plan suits week-long trips and city breaks. Need more days? Buy another plan from the Maya app.
Each plan is a one-time purchase. There’s no automatic recurring charge unless you turn on Auto Top-Up. With it off, your plan runs until it expires and stops, with no further charge.
FAQ
What is the difference between turning on data roaming and adding an AT&T international plan?
Apple Support says: “Data Roaming permits internet access over a cellular data network in regions that are not covered by your carrier’s network.” That’s the phone setting (Apple Support, About cellular data roaming options for your iPhone and iPad, 2026). The international plan is AT&T’s International Day Pass, which charges a daily fee. Its 24-hour pass begins the first time you use data, send a text, or make or accept a call in an included destination, and the fees are charged to your bill at the end of your billing cycle (att.com/international/day-pass, 2026).
How do you turn data roaming off again when you get home?
Apple’s published procedure for iPhone (Apple Support, About cellular data roaming options for your iPhone and iPad):
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Cellular or Cellular Data. Then:
- If your device has a single SIM card or eSIM, tap Cellular Data Options, and turn off Data Roaming.
- If your device uses Dual SIM or Dual eSIM, turn on Cellular Data, tap the number you want to modify, then tap Cellular Data Options, and turn off Data Roaming.
Google’s published procedure for a Pixel (Google, Reduce & manage mobile data usage – Pixel Phone Help):
- Open your phone’s Settings app.
- Tap Network & internet SIMs.
- Turn Roaming on or off.
Google adds that data roaming may be the only way to connect to the internet in some places, and that some carriers charge extra for data roaming.
How do you install a travel eSIM before you fly?
Download Maya and scan the QR code; the eSIM installs in 2 minutes. On iOS, the QR code method is marked Recommended: choose it in the Maya Mobile app, scan the QR code with the device to install on, tap Add eSIM or Add Cellular Plan when notified, and follow the on-screen prompts. The automatic method works too: in the app go to Home, select the eSIM, choose Installation Instructions, tap Install eSIM Now, and follow the prompts. If you’ve followed the steps and the eSIM is verified as not installed, contact Maya support, who will help.
What is the daily high-speed allowance on a Maya Global eSIM?
All plans include a daily high-speed data allowance, the Daily Quota, at up to 4G LTE or 5G where available on local networks. After the Daily Quota is used, data continues at standard speed for the rest of the day, and no speed is guaranteed. We may apply network management measures, such as deprioritisation during congestion, to usage patterns inconsistent with normal individual mobile use.
What happens when your Maya plan’s days run out?
The plan ends. With Auto Top-Up off, it runs until it expires and stops with no further charge. Auto Top-Up is optional and, if you enable it, we charge your payment method on file at the end of each plan period for the same plan at the same duration and price. Need more days? Buy another plan from the Maya app.
Can you get a refund on a travel eSIM if it does not work?
Yes. A full refund is available if an activated plan is completely unusable due to a Maya error that is not fixed within 10 days of the refund request. If an activated, partially used plan isn’t working properly due to a Maya network infrastructure issue, we give a partial refund proportionate to the reduction in value, reflecting the unused data. Request by emailing [email protected] or using the in-app chat, and refunds go to the original payment method, or as Maya Rewards Points if you prefer. Those are two cases; our Terms set out the rest.
How do you avoid surprise roaming charges with any carrier?
On AT&T, the first use of data, a text or a call in an included destination starts your 24-hour pass, and the daily fee is charged to your bill at the end of your billing cycle (att.com/international/day-pass, 2026). AT&T’s footnote adds that after 500MB of data use within a 24-hour period, data speeds may be reduced to a maximum of 512Kbps on certain ships. Three Business has set a Worldwide Data Roaming limit of £45 (excluding VAT) a month to stop accidental overspending (Three Business). It recommends setting your Spend Cap to your trip’s total daily roaming charges plus £1.
Maya is one eSIM that stays on your phone, with unlimited data across 165+ countries and a flat price by trip length.
