United States eSIM

A USA eSIM gets you online on Verizon or AT&T from the moment you land at JFK or LAX, without paying £8 or A$10 a day to roam on your home plan. The catch is the national parks: Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and Death Valley have little or no signal, so offline maps matter here more than in most countries.

What a week of data costs in the USA

Prices for 7 days of data in the US, checked on 2 November 2026. Daily passes charge each day you use the phone abroad, per phone.

For a family of four on Vodafone UK, that's £224 for one week, and A$280 on Telstra. Canadians should check their plan first: some TELUS 5G+ plans already include the US. EU "roam like at home" rules don't reach the US.

Landing at JFK, Newark, LAX, Orlando, Miami, San Francisco or Las Vegas

Before you fly: install the kimsim eSIM at home on Wi-Fi.

As the plane taxis: switch the kimsim line on and turn on Data Roaming for the kimsim line. On iOS 26 or later, your iPhone may offer "Turn On Travel eSIM". If you keep both lines, the travel eSIM is used for data, and Apple warns your home line can still run up roaming fees.

Then: collect your bags, clear customs and book your ride. If the kimsim line doesn't connect straight away, see what to do if there's no signal when you land.

Into the city:

• JFK: AirTrain JFK runs to Jamaica and Howard Beach for the subway and Long Island Rail Road. The fare is $8.75, paid by tapping a contactless card or phone.
• Newark: AirTrain to the Newark Airport train station costs $8.75 plus your NJ Transit or Amtrak fare. NJ Transit takes about 30 minutes to Midtown Manhattan.
• LAX: taxis, Uber and Lyft pick up at LAX-it, not at the terminal kerb. Take the free LAX-it shuttle from the green-column stops on the arrivals level, or walk from Terminal 1. LAX says to open your ride app once you have your bags.

Networks and coverage

The US has three national networks: Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. T-Mobile bought Sprint in April 2020, so ignore old advice that mentions Sprint. T-Mobile also took over UScellular's wireless customers and stores on 1 August 2025. Your phone shows the US network's name, not kimsim.

3G is gone. AT&T switched off 3G in February 2022, T-Mobile in July 2022 and Verizon on 31 December 2022. A phone that only does 3G won't connect, so check your phone works with eSIM and 4G before you buy.

Coverage is generally strong in cities and along the interstates. It thins in the national parks, the deserts of the Southwest and on long rural highways. The networks your plan uses are listed above.

Region by region

• New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Las Vegas and Orlando: dense coverage on the street. Expect weaker signal in subway tunnels, big casino floors and deep inside theme-park buildings.
• Yellowstone: the NPS calls cell service "extremely limited". Towers cover most developed areas, and in summer the crowds can overwhelm them; texting is usually what works.
• Grand Canyon: the NPS says cell service and Wi-Fi are limited in the park. Its free app can save a whole park for offline use.
• Death Valley: "limited to no cell phone service", says the NPS, which suggests a satellite device for the backcountry.
• Route 66 and the Southwest road trips: plan for stretches with no signal between towns in Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah. Save maps, hotel details and fuel stops first.

This is general guidance, not a coverage map. If one network is weak where you're staying, switch network by hand.

Trains, subways, road trips and flights

In New York, the OMNY tap-to-pay system works on every subway and bus, so a contactless card or phone wallet is enough. Long-distance trains and coaches cross empty country, so download tickets and an offline map before you board. On a road trip, the phone is your sat-nav. A car full of devices on hotspot can get through gigabytes of background updates in an afternoon.

Apps worth having

• Uber and Lyft for rides. Lyft runs in over 650 cities across the US and Canada. Set both up at home: sign-up can send a text code to your usual number.
• Google Maps or Apple Maps, with offline areas saved for parks and road trips.
• The NPS app, with your parks saved offline before you leave Wi-Fi.
• WhatsApp, iMessage and FaceTime keep working on your usual number over data. Keep WhatsApp and iMessage on your home number.

SIM and phone rules

Your phone must be unlocked and support 4G. With 3G switched off, an old 3G-only phone won't work on any US network.

A local prepaid line means a US number. T-Mobile's U.S. Pass eSIM is sold for visitors with digital activation and "no paperwork required". It's a new line and number, so read its terms before you buy. A kimsim eSIM is data only, with no number: your home number stays in the phone for calls and bank texts.

Emergency calls: the US number is 911. A data-only eSIM can't dial it, so keep your home line switched on.

Common mistakes

• Leaving Data Roaming on for your home line. At £8 or A$10 a day, a week adds up fast. Roaming goes on for the kimsim line only. How calls and texts work abroad
• Starting the plan on a stop-over. Connecting through Canada or Mexico? Keep the kimsim line off until you land in the US. If your plan started early
• Driving into a park without offline maps. Download them the night before, on hotel Wi-Fi.
• Crossing into Canada or Mexico on a USA plan. It works in the US only. Visiting Canada or Mexico too? How regional plans work
• Bringing an old phone. A 3G-only handset won't connect anywhere in the US.

More on the USA

• eSIM for USA: a guide for UK, EU and Australian visitors
• UK roaming in the USA vs an eSIM: what it costs
• How much data do I need for a week abroad?

How we put this page together

We checked carriers' roaming price pages, CBP and airport websites, the National Park Service and the other sources noted above on 1–2 November 2026, and we'll keep them up to date. We haven't measured speeds or coverage in the US ourselves, so coverage notes are general guidance, not a map. kimsim sells the eSIMs on this page.