Traveling to Multiple Countries? There Are The Best International Prepaid SIM Cards With Worldwide Coverage

Are you finally planning that around-the-world trip you've dreamed about for years? Or perhaps you'll soon be crossing several borders on your next business assignment? Whatever your reasons for making a multi-country trip, you probably don't want to go overseas without having a reliable internet connection from the moment you touch down.

However, you'll probably already know that roaming with your local SIM card outside your home country can quickly become surprisingly expensive. Fortunately for you, international prepaid SIM cards can be used almost anywhere in the world. In this short guide, we compare five of the best options for accessing the web while traveling abroad to multiple countries!

What Options Are There For Accessing Internet Abroad?

It should go without saying that mobile data is an essential travel companion when going abroad. Without a reliable internet connection, things like navigation, booking transport (e.g. hailing an Uber or catching a tram connection), communicating with hotels, sending photos to your friends and family back home, and other everyday tasks become much trickier and require careful planning in advance.

All told, there are two sensible options for having access to mobile data in foreign countries:

Option 1: Local SIM Cards

Until a few years ago, this was the only way to get cheap internet abroad. Whether it's worthwhile for you today depends on how many countries you're traveling to and how long you're planning to stay in each. For example, if you're setting out on a cruise that stops in eight countries for only 24 hours each, it's generally not worth buying a new SIM card at each port. However, if you spend a longer period (i.e., longer than a week) in each country, buying a new SIM card could be a cheap and accessible option.

Since SIM cards usually have a minimum validity period of seven days, multi-country global SIM cards (which we touch on below) tend to be the cheaper choice for stays of fewer than seven days per country.

Option 2: Global SIM Cards

Some global SIM cards offer internet almost anywhere in the world. Generally, you have a fixed mobile data quota that you can use in different countries, so using the SIM card in just one country or several countries on the same trip makes practically no difference.

SIM cards with worldwide validity are usually considerably more expensive than local SIM cards, which are only valid for just one country. However, there is one key advantage: you only have to buy one SIM card. So, if you stay in individual countries for fewer than seven days, a global SIM card is often cheaper than a local alternative. Global SIMs also offer a nifty convenience factor: you can access the internet as soon as you arrive without going to a local retailer to buy a SIM card.

Global SIM cards come in two forms: physical SIMs, which you can buy or order online from a retailer before your trip, or eSIMs, which you can purchase, download, and install right into your smartphone. It's this second category that the top providers we compare below fall into:

Airalo Discover+: Best Global eSIM

Airalo offers what we believe is the best option for global mobile data. The Discover+ eSIM offers internet in 127 countries, providing coverage in many parts of the planet. Discover+ eSIM durations are between seven days and 365 days. We're particularly impressed by the fair price-performance ratio (compared to other providers, Airalo is often somewhat cheaper, with prices between $9 and $69).

The maximum data volume of 20 GB with a term of 365 days is also appealing. This provides significantly more data volume than other providers we discussed do in their data packages. In particular, if you're traveling the world for longer periods, you'll almost certainly get your money's worth. If you like, you can also purchase telephone minutes and text messages with Airalo Discover+ (however, as this is considerably more expensive, we recommend it only if you really need it).

Holafly: Best For Unlimited Data

Holafly is another trusted eSIM service which also offers eSIMs with global coverage. The special thing about Holafly is that it only offers packages with unlimited data volume for dozens of countries worldwide. Although these packages cost quite a bit more than the smaller Airalo packages, in return, they offer the certainty that you'll never use up your data (although, in principle, Holafly has the right to throttle your use if you're using a very large amount of data).

Holafly's packages cost between $19 and $99 and are valid from five to 90 days. Like Airalo, Holafly also works with local networks while you're abroad, giving you blazing-fast data pretty much wherever you are.

Although it's a great package if you want uncapped access to the web, it's worth remembering that most travelers don't normally need such a large sum of data. Another disadvantage is that Holafly doesn't offer a complete global package, only regional packages for the main regions of the globe (namely Europe, Asia, North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean), so if your international trip will take you between continents, then we recommend other options on this list like Airalo.

Flexiroam: Best For Price

Flexiroam is one of the most attractive providers of international eSIMs on the market. By purchasing an eSIM, you can access Flexiroam's data mobile data in over 160 countries. The packages range in price from $12.99 to $81 for 15 to 360 days and 500 MB to 10 GB. Even though Flexiroam is slightly more expensive than Airalo, it can be a great alternative nonetheless. In particular, if you're traveling to a country not covered by Airalo, Flexiroam may be the better option.

One point of criticism is the fact that only data packages are offered; phone minutes (talk time) and text messages cannot be purchased with Flexiroam. For most users, however, mobile data is normally perfectly sufficient when traveling abroad.

WorldSIM: Best For Coverage

WorldSIM is an eSIM provider offering mobile data in an impressive 195 different countries, taking the cake when it comes to raw coverage (although it's also possible to buy data packages only for specific regions instead of buying a full global package). Like TravelSIM, the term is limited to 30 days, after which the data package must be renewed.

In terms of price, WorldSIM is slightly cheaper than TravelSIM but is rather on the expensive side compared to Airalo and Flexiroam. The costs range from $27.57 to $66.23 for 1 to 5 GB. Phone credit and SMS can also be purchased optionally for an additional price.

Since WorldSIM clearly isn't the best option in terms of price, we only recommend it if you travel in countries that WorldSIM exclusively covers. In most other countries, however, Airalo and Flexiroam are the better options.

TravelSIM: Interesting Alternative

Last but not least, TravelSIM takes a different approach to other providers on this list, like Airalo and Flexiroam. Here, the available countries are divided into six different regions. If you buy an international SIM card from TravelSIM, it'll only be valid in the region you purchased it for. If you want to access the internet outside the region, you'll need to purchase a new package altogether.

TravelSIM's data packages are also valid for a maximum of 30 days and must then be renewed after the month is up. Customers can choose between 500 MB and 5 GB of mobile data (unfortunately, prices which are very high in our eyes). While 5 GB costs $35 with Airalo for 127 countries and 60 days of validity, TravelSIM customers have to pay between $44 (in Europe) and $175 (in 'Zone B') for the same data volume but with only 30 days of validity. Credit for phone calls and text messages can be added if needed with per-minute billing.

Overall, we think TravelSIM is an interesting international SIM card provider, but it's significantly more expensive than the competition. Therefore, we'd only recommend TravelSIM if you're traveling to a country that's only covered by this provider and none other on the list.

Other Alternatives

Without a doubt, there were a few global SIM card providers that we couldn't delve into for this article. However, if you're interested and ready to do the research, it's relatively easy to compare these providers for yourself. As a rule, you should look at three factors:

• Availability (i.e., is the data package available in the countries I'm traveling to?)
• Data volume (i.e., is the amount of data enough for my needs?)
• Costs (i.e., which provider offers me the cheapest package?)

International SIM card providers offer very similar services for most countries. As a rule of thumb, they work together with the market-leading network network cariers, so the reception you get while abroad rarely differs at all. If you have the time to research the best network providers in the countries you're traveling to, you can also select your global SIM card based on this.

Recap: Best International Prepaid SIM Cards

In our opinion, Airalo offers the best global eSIM card on the market. With its Discover+ eSIM package, you can access mobile data in most countries worldwide with fair and transparent prices and conditions. Airalo also offers an excellent app that lets you order, manage, and renew your eSIM on the go. In our opinion, you should only consider another alternative if the Airalo Discover+ eSIM doesn't cover the country you are traveling to.