If your trip is a few days, a travel eSIM costs less than the EE pass: our Global eSIM starts at USD 9.99 for 3 days. The EE Roam Abroad Pass is a monthly add-on at around £25 a month.
You pay for a month of roaming and spend four days of it.
A travel eSIM costs less than the EE pass on a short trip
Our Unlimited 3 Days plan, built for weekend trips and short getaways, costs USD 9.99 (USD 3.33/day). The EE pass is a monthly add-on at around £25 a month, so the gap is widest on the shortest trips.
Pick a longer trip and the price steps up by length:
- 7 days: USD 19.99 (USD 2.86/day), for week-long trips and city breaks.
- 14 days: USD 27.99 (USD 2.00/day), for holidays and two-week trips.
- 30 days: USD 49.99 (USD 1.67/day), marked Best Value, for long trips and digital nomads.
How much does EE roaming cost per day in Europe?
EE’s daily fee runs per day, so the cost grows with every day you stay. Our Global eSIM is priced once for the trip length you pick.
On contracts started after July 2021, roaming in the EU/EEA typically carries a daily fee of around £2.59, unless your plan includes roaming or a pass covers it. Our 7-day plan is USD 19.99, which works out to USD 2.86 per day, and that price doesn’t move if you use the phone on only some of those days.
What does the EE Roam Abroad Pass include?
It’s a monthly add-on at around £25 a month, or a Smart Benefit on eligible plans. It lets you use your UK allowances in a set list of destinations, subject to a 50GB fair use data cap.
That list is 47 European destinations plus the USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. It suits a traveler who wants the UK plan’s allowances abroad.
Which countries does a travel eSIM cover beyond the EE pass?
Our Global eSIM works in 165+ countries on one plan. It’s priced by trip length rather than by country.
The price is the same in every country, one flat rate across all 165+, and the eSIM is installed once. The EE pass stops at its 47 European destinations plus five others. Add a stop outside that list and it falls outside the pass; ours has no country list to check.
What does unlimited data on a travel eSIM really mean?
Our Global eSIM gives unlimited data with a daily high-speed allowance, which our terms call the Daily Quota. The EE pass applies a 50GB fair use cap on data, so the two cap data in different ways.
Our high-speed data runs at up to 4G LTE or 5G where local networks offer it. The allowance refreshes automatically every 24 hours. Once you’ve used it, data continues at standard speed for the rest of the day. Some restrictions apply to very high usage of Unlimited eSIM plans, so service quality holds for everyone.
How do you set up a travel eSIM before you fly?
Install it once, before the trip. One eSIM stays permanently on your phone, with no deleting or reinstalling between trips, and it’s still there after a plan expires, ready for the next one.
Do the install on Wi-Fi at home. When you land, switch the Maya eSIM on and select it for Cellular Data; your plan clock starts then. Each trip needs a plan, and that’s the only thing you buy again.
Which travel eSIM should you buy instead of paying for an EE pass?
The table lists each company’s own published words on how its plans are sold, what they cost and how unlimited data is handled. It is built to weigh the options against a carrier roaming pass for this trip.
| Travel eSIM | How plans are sold | Unlimited plan allowance, as published | Refund terms, 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 | A money-back guarantee when the eSIM cannot be installed or used, on the conditions in the return policy |
| 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. | Replacements and Refunds. If you have activated the Services but are unable to use them due to an error or omission on the part of Airalo, or because Airalo has decided to retire the Service, we will either provide a replacement Service or refund an amount equal to the price of the Service you have purchased in full, at your option. |
| 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. | Trip eSIMs: “You have up to 6 months to request a refund.” Monthly plans: “Refunds are only eligible within 14 days of purchase.” |
| 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. | Refunds for Non-Activated Data Plans. If the eSIM (i) has not been installed or (ii) has been installed on your device but the Data Plan is not activated, you may request a full refund, provided that no Extra(s) included with the Data Plan have been used, reserved or shared, in whole or in part. |
| 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. | Learn Nomad eSIM’s refund policy: request within 30 days. Full refunds if unused; partial refunds may apply for unused data or service issues. |
Airalo, Holafly, Saily and Nomad appear in their own published wording or a short summary of it, while the Maya Mobile row comes from maya.net.
How Maya keeps one eSIM on your phone and prices each trip flat
One eSIM covers 165+ countries and is installed once. It stays on your phone, and for each trip you only buy a new plan, with no reinstalling. Need more days mid-trip? Buy another plan from the Maya app.
The 3-day unlimited plan is USD 9.99 (USD 3.33/day), and the 14-day one is USD 27.99 (USD 2.00/day).
Rachel T. gave five stars on Trustpilot in March 2026: “Very easy to set up. Worked immediately on arrival at Punta Cana. I had the opportunity if I wanted to top up but I didn’t need it.”
Land, switch it on, go.
FAQ
How do you add an EE roaming pass while you are abroad?
You can add or manage passes in the My EE app. You can also log in at add-on.ee.co.uk while abroad, or text ROAMING to 150.
Which phones work with a travel eSIM?
A phone has to be on the compatibility list: a device that isn’t on it won’t work with Maya Mobile eSIM packages. Smart watches, tablets and laptops sit in a separate complete list of eSIM Compatible Devices. On an iPhone, go to Settings > General > About and look under Carrier Lock; an unlocked device shows ‘No SIM restrictions’.
What happens when your travel eSIM plan ends?
It ends. Each plan is a one-time purchase, and Maya is not a subscription. Auto Top-Up is off by default, so unless you’ve turned it on, nothing is charged after the plan ends. Need more days? Buy another plan from the Maya app.
Does a travel eSIM work on a cruise ship?
Yes, with our Global + Cruise plan, a separate purchase from the Global plan. That plan spans 20+ cruise lines, among them Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival Cruise Line, and 165+ countries.
What should you check before buying any travel eSIM?
Check device compatibility first; you’re responsible for verifying it before purchase, and a checker is on our website. Then check the plan length: ours come in 3-day, 7-day, 14-day and 30-day lengths, all with unlimited data across 165+ countries. Last, check the allowance wording, since our high-speed allowance resets automatically every 24 hours.
Do you need to remove your EE SIM to use a travel eSIM?
No. Apple Support documents using an eSIM alongside a physical SIM, and Google documents dual SIMs on Pixel phones. Installing ours takes 2 minutes by downloading Maya and scanning the QR code, which is the recommended method on iOS.
Labelling your plans (iPhone):
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap either Cellular or Mobile Data.
- Tap the number whose label you want to change.
- Tap Cellular Plan Label and select a new label or enter a custom label.
Label your plans so you can tell them apart when choosing which number to use for calls and messages. Source: Apple Support, Using Dual SIM with an eSIM.
Choosing which line carries mobile data (iPhone):
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap either Cellular or Mobile Data.
- Tap Cellular Data.
- Tap the number you want to use cellular data.
One number at a time can use cellular data.
Choosing which SIM carries mobile data (Google Pixel):
- Open your Settings app.
- Tap Network & internet SIMs.
- Turn on Mobile data to use data on your mobile network.
- Under “Your primary SIMs,” choose which SIM you want to use for Data: Tap Mobile data.
Only one SIM can be the default for data. Source: Google, Pixel Phone Help, How to use dual SIMs on your Google Pixel phone.
Maya gives you one eSIM for 165+ countries, with unlimited data and a daily high-speed allowance at a flat price by trip length.
