Roaming in the US for Canadians: Rogers, Bell, Telus, or eSIM
None of the big three includes US roaming, so every trip is a paid decision. Here's what each option costs for a week, two weeks, and a whole winter.
- Canada
- Roaming
- United States
Whether it's a long weekend in Buffalo or four months in Florida, you have two real ways to get data across the border — plus one you can only buy once you're there.
- 1
Your Canadian carrier's roaming
Rogers, Bell and Telus all charge a paid add-on: a flat Travel Pass or a per-day rate. Nothing is included.
- 2
Travel eSIM (FairSIM)
A separate data package for the trip, installed before you fly. Runs alongside your Canadian SIM, so your number keeps working.
- 3
US prepaid eSIM (T-Mobile US Pass)
A local plan you can only buy and activate once you're already in the US, on WiFi.
Calculate your trip: 7 or 15 days
Pick your trip length and compare all five real prices side by side, in Canadian dollars with the US dollar figure underneath.
Trip length
Rogers
$50 CAD
≈ $36 USD
7-day Travel Pass, exact fit
- Pro: Already on your phone
- Con: High price
- Con: Data allowance not stated
Stan na wrzesień 2026
Bell
$91 CAD
≈ $65 USD
Roam Better, $13 CAD/day
- Pro: Already on your phone
- Con: Highest price of the three
- Con: Throttled after 5GB/day
Stan na wrzesień 2026
Telus
$40 CAD
≈ $29 USD
7-day Travel Pass, exact fit
- Pro: Already on your phone
- Pro: Cheapest Canadian carrier
- Con: High price
Stan na wrzesień 2026
- Best value
FairSIM eSIM
≈ $28 CAD
$19.99 USD
10GB, valid 30 days
- Pro: Fixed price, known upfront
- Pro: Data ready on landing
- Pro: Keeps your Canadian number
- Con: Capped at 10GB
Stan na wrzesień 2026
T-Mobile US Pass
≈ $35 CAD
$25.00 USD
50GB premium data, 14GB hotspot
- Pro: Big data volume (50GB)
- Pro: Hotspot included
- Con: Buy only once in the US
Needs WiFi on landing to buy and activate.
Stan na wrzesień 2026
Rogers: Travel Pass or pay-as-you-go
Stan na wrzesień 2026Rogers doesn't include US roaming on its plans. You either buy a Travel Pass for a fixed number of days, or get billed per day you use your phone abroad. The current prices are on Rogers roaming.
| Option | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go | $16 CAD (≈ $11 USD)/day | No commitment; billed for each day you use data, calls or texts |
| Travel Pass, 3 days | $25 CAD (≈ $18 USD) | |
| Travel Pass, 7 days | $50 CAD (≈ $36 USD) | Exact fit for a 7-day trip |
| Travel Pass, 14 days | $60 CAD (≈ $43 USD) | |
| Travel Pass, 30 days | $80 CAD (≈ $57 USD) | Simplest buy for a 15-day trip if you'd rather not track a leftover day |
Rogers doesn't state how much data a Travel Pass includes on its roaming page. It appears to draw on your home plan's allowance, but Rogers doesn't confirm that, so check with them before you count on it.
Bell: Roam Better, billed per day
Stan na wrzesień 2026Bell has no multi-day pass. Bell Roam Better is a flat per-day charge that switches on the first time you use your phone in the US, and the meter runs for every day you do.
| Option | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Roam Better (uses your plan's data) | $13 CAD (≈ $9 USD)/day | Text ROAM to 8000 to activate; throttled to 512 kbps after 5GB in a day |
| Roam Better ROAM100 | $13 CAD (≈ $9 USD)/day | 100MB a day only, doesn't touch your home plan's data; text ROAM100 to 7626 |
The daily charge is capped at 20 days per billing cycle — talk, text and data keep working at no extra charge after that. On a single 7- or 15-day trip you never get there, which is why Bell is the most expensive of the three at both lengths: there's simply no pass to bring the per-trip price down.
Telus: Easy Roam or a Travel Pass
Stan na wrzesień 2026Telus works like Rogers: a Travel Pass for a fixed number of days, or Easy Roam billed per day. Its 7-day pass is the cheapest of the three carriers. Prices are on Telus travel.
| Option | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Easy Roam (pay-as-you-go) | $16 CAD (≈ $11 USD)/day | Telus' own page lists this rate; one secondary source cites a lower one after a 2026 change — check before you rely on it |
| Travel Pass, 3 days | $25 CAD (≈ $18 USD) | |
| Travel Pass, 7 days | $40 CAD (≈ $29 USD) | Exact fit, and the cheapest 7-day option of the three |
| Travel Pass, 14 days | $60 CAD (≈ $43 USD) |
There's no 30-day Telus pass, so a 15-day trip means the 14-day pass plus one Easy Roam day.
Telus advertises roaming in a set of destinations on some 5G+ Complete plans, but its US travel page still lists a separate daily rate. Check whether your own plan includes the US before assuming it does — we don't list it as included here.
FairSIM eSIM: dedicated data for your trip
Stan na wrzesień 2026With FairSIM you buy a data package for the trip itself, separate from your Canadian plan — and it's priced for a stay, not a day.
- 1GB / 7 days: $5.99 USD (≈ $8 CAD)
- 10GB / 30 days: $19.99 USD (≈ $28 CAD)
- Unlimited / 15 days: $44.99 USD (≈ $63 CAD) (1GB/day at full speed, then 1 Mbps)
Install it before you leave Canada. When you land, your data is already working — no hunting for airport WiFi, no waiting until you're physically in the US.
Set it up before you travel by following the steps in the app — or read the full how eSIM works guide if it's your first time.
Keep your Canadian SIM for calls and verification codes
FairSIM installs as a second line, not a replacement for your Rogers, Bell or Telus SIM. Leave your Canadian SIM in its slot for calls, texts and the banking and 2FA codes tied to your Canadian number, and let FairSIM handle data. That's not a workaround — it's how it's meant to be used. Verification codes only go wrong when a phone is switched entirely to a foreign number; running FairSIM alongside your own SIM avoids exactly that.
This needs a phone with two active lines at once (a physical SIM plus an eSIM) — the case for most iPhones from the XS onward and most current Android phones, but not every older or budget model. Check that yours supports dual SIM before you rely on it.
T-Mobile US Pass: the “buy it after you land” option
Stan na wrzesień 2026| Duration | Price | Premium data (5G) | Hotspot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 days | $25.00 USD (≈ $35 CAD) | 50 GB | 14 GB |
| 10 days | $30.00 USD (≈ $42 CAD) | 50 GB | 20 GB |
| 14 days | $35.00 USD (≈ $49 CAD) | 50 GB | 28 GB |
The T-Mobile US Pass is a prepaid US eSIM with a lot of data and unlimited calls and texts between the US, Canada and Mexico, no store visit needed. The catch, straight from T-Mobile's own page: it can only be bought and activated once you're already in the United States, on WiFi. There's no planning ahead — you land with no data until you find WiFi and finish setup, unlike FairSIM, which is ready before you take off.
It's also a US line, not your own number: calls and texts to your Canadian number don't reach it. On paying with a Canadian card, T-Mobile says it accepts “domestic and international cards... from select countries” — we haven't confirmed Canadian cards are included, so don't assume it.
The five options at a glance
| Rogers | Bell | Telus | FairSIM | T-Mobile US Pass | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost predictability | Fixed per pass; leftover days at the daily rate | Per day, no cap on a normal trip | Fixed per pass; leftover days at the daily rate | Fixed upfront | Fixed, but unknown until you're there |
| Works from landing? | Yes, if the pass is bought ahead | Yes, once you text ROAM | Yes, if the pass is bought ahead | Yes, always | No, needs WiFi first |
| Setup effort | Buy the pass before or during | Text a code | Buy the pass before or during | Install before leaving | Buy and activate once in the US |
| Keeps your Canadian number active | Yes, it's your own SIM | Yes, it's your own SIM | Yes, it's your own SIM | Yes, runs alongside your SIM | No, it's a US line |
| Multi-country use | US only, per pass | US only | US only, per pass | Yes, all destinations | No, US only |
Why eSIM wins
First time with an eSIM? Read how eSIM works. Travelling the other way round the continent? See our Mexico to US comparison.
See USA plans- 1
Price
A fixed price known in advance beats Bell's per-day meter — roughly twice what Rogers or Telus charge at both 7 and 15 days — and sidesteps the “no 15-day pass exists” gap on Rogers and Telus.
- 2
Install now
Set it up before you fly and your data works the moment you land — unlike T-Mobile's US Pass, which can't be bought or activated until you're already in the US on WiFi.
- 3
Keep your own number for calls and 2FA
You don't give up your Rogers, Bell or Telus line. Install FairSIM as a second eSIM, keep your Canadian SIM active for calls, texts and verification codes, and let FairSIM carry the data.
- 4
Transparent
No per-day billing surprises like Bell's, and no “what does the pass actually include?” gap like the unconfirmed data allowances on Rogers and Telus passes.
Najczęstsze pytania
Do Rogers, Bell or Telus include free roaming in the US?
No. All three charge for it: Rogers and Telus sell Travel Passes for 3, 7, 14 (and, at Rogers, 30) days or bill per day, and Bell bills a flat per-day Roam Better charge with no multi-day pass at all.
Can I buy the T-Mobile US Pass before I travel?
No. Per T-Mobile's own page, the US Pass can only be bought and activated once you're already in the US, on WiFi.
Do I need to keep my Canadian SIM active if I use FairSIM?
It's a good idea to. Calls, texts and the banking or 2FA codes tied to your Canadian number keep arriving on your Canadian SIM, while FairSIM's eSIM handles data. FairSIM is designed to run alongside your physical SIM rather than replace it, on any phone that supports two active lines.
Pobierz FairSIM na iPhone'a
Pobieranie bezpłatne. Plany od 4,99 USD. Śledź zużycie danych na żywo, doładowuj w kilka sekund i zarządzaj eSIM całej grupy z jednej aplikacji.
iPhone XS lub nowszy · iOS 17.4+ dla instalacji jednym dotknięciem
