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FairSIM

eSIM for United States

In the United States your phone is your concert ticket, your boarding pass and your ride home. Rotating-barcode tickets need data at the gate, ride-hail pickups hide in dedicated airport zones, and the restaurant bill arrives on a tablet. Hotel Wi-Fi, meanwhile, often sits behind a resort fee.

A FairSIM eSIM for the USA rides on T-Mobile or AT&T, the two networks that host nearly every travel eSIM, at the wholesale rate. There is no store visit, no ID check and no three-month minimum like the prepaid brands. Install at home, land, connect.

United States eSIM plans

Wholesale rates in US dollars, with nothing added at checkout. Buy in the FairSIM app and the plan is on your phone in seconds.

How long is your trip?

All plans. Pick a trip length to narrow the list.

Coverage in United States

  • 4G LTE
  • 5G
  • T-MobileThe most common host for travel eSIMs. Opensignal's 2026 leader for 5G availability and reliability.
  • AT&TThe second most common host, with the best time-on-network score and strong rural coverage in the South and Midwest.

Typical speed: Around 160 to 170 Mbps median mobile download (Ookla, 2025), top-ten worldwide.

Urban coverage is excellent. Rural coverage is good along the interstates but has real gaps in national parks, deserts and mountains, notably Nevada, Utah, Montana and West Texas. 3G is fully shut down, so your phone needs 4G LTE.

How much data do you need in United States?

It depends on how you travel. Find your trip below, then pick the plan that matches. You can always top up in the app.

  • New York City break

    Four to seven days of subway, museums, Broadway and food.

    Why data matters: Google or Apple Maps with the MTA, OMNY tap-to-ride, Uber and Lyft, Resy and OpenTable, rotating-barcode Ticketmaster tickets, and Instagram uploads.

    7 days
    5 GB
    14 days
    10 GB
    30 days
    20 GB
  • West Coast road trip

    Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas and the national parks by rental car.

    Why data matters: Waze and Google Maps navigation, Spotify, GasBuddy, Recreation.gov park passes, Airbnb check-ins, and hotspot for passengers.

    7 days
    10 GB
    14 days
    15 GB
    30 days
    25 GB
  • Florida theme parks with the family

    Orlando's Disney and Universal parks with kids.

    Why data matters: Park apps for Lightning Lane, virtual queues and mobile food orders, photo uploads, and streaming in the lines. A plan per phone keeps everyone online.

    7 days
    10 GB
    14 days
    20 GB
    30 days
    30 GB
  • Business travel

    Conferences and client meetings in New York, San Francisco, Chicago or Austin.

    Why data matters: Teams and Zoom on the move, Slack, email, and a laptop hotspot when hotel Wi-Fi is gated behind resort fees.

    7 days
    10 GB
    14 days
    20 GB
    30 days
    Unlimited
  • Study or exchange semester

    A long campus stay on a budget.

    Why data matters: Daily maps, banking apps, social, and streaming off campus Wi-Fi. Top up in the app instead of signing a US contract.

    7 days
    5 GB
    14 days
    10 GB
    30 days
    30 GB
  • Cruise gateway: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Galveston

    One to three land days before or after a Caribbean cruise.

    Why data matters: Port transfers, Uber, cruise-line app check-in and e-boarding passes.

    7 days
    3 GB
    14 days
    5 GB
    30 days
    10 GB

What your home carrier charges in United States

Daily roaming passes look small until you multiply them by the length of the trip. FairSIM plans for United States start at $5.99 and never bill per day.

CarrierRoaming chargeFairSIM
EE (UK)About £6 per day, or £25 to £30 per weekfrom $5.99, no daily fee
Vodafone UK£7.39 per day (Zone C)from $5.99, no daily fee
O2 (UK)£6 to £7 per day unless your plan includes the USAfrom $5.99, no daily fee
Orange (France)€29 for 35 GB over 31 days with the USA/Canada passfrom $5.99, no daily fee
Telstra (Australia)A$10 per day for 2 GBfrom $5.99, no daily fee
Rogers (Canada)C$16 per day with Roam Like Homefrom $5.99, no daily fee

Carrier prices as published on their roaming pages at the time of writing. They change often; check your own plan before you fly.

How FairSIM works

  1. 1

    Pick a destination and a plan

    Choose the country or region and the data you need. The price you see is the price you pay.

  2. 2

    Tap install

    On iPhone (iOS 17.4+) the eSIM installs in one tap, no QR code. Do it at home while you still have Wi-Fi.

  3. 3

    Land and connect

    Turn on data roaming for the FairSIM line when you arrive. Your plan starts when it first connects.

Read the full setup guide, including device compatibility

Connectivity tips for United States

  • Install the eSIM at home and switch it on when the plane lands. JFK and LAX immigration queues are long and you will want Uber and maps the moment you are through.

  • Expect dead zones: cell service covers only about half of Yellowstone, and Yosemite beyond the Valley and Grand Canyon trails have none. Download offline maps and park maps.

  • Long desert stretches such as I-15 to Las Vegas, US-50 across Nevada and West Texas have 30 to 60 minute gaps with no signal. Google Maps keeps the route cached.

  • A data-only eSIM gives no US number. Keep your home SIM on for SMS codes and use WhatsApp, FaceTime or Wi-Fi calling for voice.

  • Hotspot works and pays for itself the first time a resort asks $15 to $30 a day for premium Wi-Fi.

  • Turn off automatic app updates and cloud photo backups over mobile data. iOS Low Data Mode stretches a 10 GB plan across two weeks.

  • Tipping and split bills happen on tablets and in apps, not always in cash.

Apps you will actually use

  • Google Maps and Apple Maps transit in every city; Citymapper for New York.
  • Waze road trips, speed traps and traffic.
  • Uber and Lyft airport pickups happen in dedicated zones you find in the app.
  • Ticketmaster and airline apps most tickets are mobile-only rotating barcodes.
  • OpenTable and Resy restaurant reservations.
  • Disney and Universal park apps queues, mobile orders and photos.
  • Apple Pay and Google Pay tap-to-pay is accepted nearly everywhere.

SMS two-factor codes from banks and Uber go to your home number. Keep your home SIM active.

Can you rely on free Wi-Fi?

Free Wi-Fi is everywhere in cities: Starbucks, McDonald's, malls, airports, Amtrak, and LinkNYC kiosks across New York. Hotel and resort Wi-Fi is frequently gated behind a resort fee or a premium tier, and rural motels and parks are weak.

Local SIM card or eSIM in United States?

Prepaid SIMs need no ID in the US and are easy to find: T-Mobile's Prepaid U.S. Pass eSIM runs $25 for 7 days to $50 for 30 days, and Mint Mobile starts at $15 a month but with a three-month minimum. Kits sit on the shelf at Walmart, Target and Best Buy.

The catches are practical. Your phone must be unlocked and support US 5G bands; some imported Android models drop to LTE. Prepaid brands push a phone number and a plan cycle you do not need for a two-week trip. A travel eSIM is ready before you fly, has no minimum term, and each traveler in your group can have their own plan from one app.

Good to know before you land in United States

Currency
US dollar ($, USD)
Plug type
Type A and B (flat two-pin)
Voltage
120 V, 60 Hz
Emergency number
911 for all services
Language
English
Time zone
UTC−5 (Eastern) to UTC−10 (Hawaii); most states use daylight saving
Capital
Washington, D.C.

United States eSIM questions

Does eSIM work in the USA?

Yes. All three US networks support eSIM and any unlocked eSIM-capable iPhone (XS or newer) works. FairSIM connects to T-Mobile or AT&T with a one-tap install.

Which network will my eSIM use in the US?

FairSIM plans for the USA connect to T-Mobile, with the best 5G availability, or AT&T, with strong rural coverage. The app shows the network for each plan. Verizon is rarely available to travel eSIMs.

Do I get 5G?

Yes, where your plan and phone support it. 5G covers about 90% of the US population. In rural areas you fall back to 4G LTE, which is fine for maps and messaging.

Can I use hotspot or tethering?

Most FairSIM plans support Personal Hotspot; the plan details in the app confirm it. A laptop on a video call can use a gigabyte an hour.

Should I install before or after landing?

Install at home on Wi-Fi, keep the line off, then turn it on after landing. It connects in seconds once the phone finds a US network.

Can I make calls and use WhatsApp?

It is data-only, so WhatsApp, FaceTime, Messenger and Wi-Fi calling all work. Keep your home SIM active for regular calls and SMS.

How much data do I need for 7, 14 or 30 days?

City breaks: 5, 10 and 20 GB. Road trips with navigation and music: 10, 15 and 25 GB. Streaming or hotspot use: 20 GB or more per week. Top up in the app if you run low.

Local SIM or eSIM for the USA?

A US prepaid eSIM such as T-Mobile's U.S. Pass costs $25 to $50, needs an unlocked phone and a sign-up, and includes a number you will not use. A travel eSIM is ready before you fly, has no minimum term, and works for every member of the group from one app.

What is an eSIM?

A SIM card built into your phone. Instead of a plastic chip, you download a profile. Every iPhone since the XS has one next to the physical SIM slot, so your home number stays put while FairSIM supplies the data.

Is my phone compatible?

FairSIM works with eSIM-compatible, carrier-unlocked iPhones: the XS, XR and everything newer. iOS 17.4 or later unlocks the one-tap install with no QR code. Check the full list on the How it works page.

When should I install my eSIM?

Before you travel, while you still have Wi-Fi. Installing does not start your plan; the validity typically starts when the eSIM first connects to a network at your destination.

Do FairSIM eSIMs come with a phone number?

No. FairSIM eSIMs are data-only by design, which keeps costs low. For calls and texts, your physical SIM stays active so you keep your existing number, and WhatsApp, FaceTime and iMessage work over data.

Get your United States eSIM in the app

Plans from $5.99. Install before you fly, track your data live, and top up in seconds if you need more.

Download on theApp Store

iPhone XS or later · iOS 17.4+ for one-tap install

The FairSIM fox giving an OK sign