Thailand trip: airport SIM, roaming or travel eSIM, compared as a whole-trip cost: For a Thailand trip of a week or more, a tourist SIM and a prepaid travel eSIM usually cost far less than a roaming day pass. The tourist SIM needs passport registration and a counter visit after landing, while the eSIM is installed at home. Compare whole-trip totals, including side trips to neighbouring countries.
7 money guides on this topic
Country costsThailand trip: airport SIM, roaming or travel eSIM, compared as a whole-trip cost
Tourist SIM counters, roaming passes and eSIMs: what a Thailand trip really pays.
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Country costsTurkey trip: roaming, a Turkish SIM or a travel eSIM, and the costs between them
Outside EU roaming, with phone registration rules for local SIMs: Turkey's cost lines.
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Country costsMexico trip: does your US plan's Mexico allowance beat a travel eSIM?
If your US plan includes Mexico, check the allowance before buying anything else.
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Region costsVisiting Europe from outside the EU: why "roam like at home" does not cover you
The EU rule protects EU customers only. How a visitor prices a multi-country Europe trip.
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Country costsUK trip from the EU: why roaming is no longer automatic and what it can cost
EU rules no longer cover the UK. What your plan may charge and how to price the alternatives.
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Country costsVisiting the USA: roaming, a US prepaid SIM or a travel eSIM, priced for a whole trip
Roaming, a US prepaid SIM or an eSIM: the lines that decide a US trip's phone bill.
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Country costsWhat does staying connected in Japan cost? Roaming, local SIM, pocket Wi-Fi and eSIM priced
Four ways to get data in Japan, four different bills. The lines that decide which is cheapest.
Read the guide →5 archive guides
- Archive guideEU, UK and Switzerland Roaming Costs: Why One Map Misleads
EU roaming rights, UK arrangements and Swiss charges are not interchangeable; compare your actual route with your own carrier’s tariff.
- Archive guideUAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar: A Business Roaming Cost Audit
Compare a multi-stop Gulf itinerary with separate travel eSIMs and billable carrier roaming days.
- Archive guideWhy island eSIM data costs more: a study of remote destination outliers
A transparent look at higher-priced island destinations in the TripoSIM snapshot and what is missing from simplistic cheapest-plan rankings.
- Archive guideUK Roaming Day Pass vs Travel eSIM: A Real Break-Even Worksheet
Why departure country, chargeable day definition and the home plan must be checked before claiming savings
- Archive guideUS–Canada Trip: When One Regional eSIM Saves Money
A two-country cost method comparing separate local offers, one regional plan and carrier roaming.
Quick answers
Which country guides are there?
Japan, the USA, the UK for EU visitors, Europe for non-EU visitors, Mexico, Turkey and Thailand, plus 30 dated country ledgers.
Where do the country prices come from?
From TripoSIM's public price index, read on 7 November 2026, and labelled with that date. Roaming prices in the guides are examples.