eSIM guide · Budget trips abroad

Budget Travel eSIM for Trips from India

Answer in brief Budget travel eSIM = prepaid data

A budget travel eSIM is a prepaid data plan sized to your trip. You pay only for the data and days you pick, and one regional plan can cover several countries. It does not renew, so no bill follows you home. Pick a HelloRoam plan for any of 185+ destinations and install it at home before you fly.

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Starting from ₹98.03 · 1GB, valid for 7 days

Prepared by the HelloRoam Team Last updated 21 October 2026

Recent changes

New in the price table: a global plan row and the price per GB on a 30-day plan. We also explain data sharing and the credit back you earn on orders, and checked Jio, Airtel and Vi roaming packs on 21 October 2026.

Cross-checked with 12 sources Our editorial policy

Travel eSIM cost key facts From our plans and 3 Indian operators; markers link to sources

Billing on a travel eSIM: Single payment, before the trip. Nothing renews, and a top-up is a new purchase you choose
Jio or Vi roaming with no pack: Billed per use, at standard roaming rates⁽²⁾⁽³⁾
Our price per GB, starting at: ₹70.41, on 50GB, valid for 30 days; no 30-day plan in our table costs less per GB
A regional plan uses: 1 eSIM, across every country on its list
Vi home pack data abroad: Not valid, you buy a separate roaming pack⁽³⁾
HelloRoam eSIM: 185+ destinations, 212+ networks

Three choices decide your travel eSIM price

What you pay for data abroad comes down to the data you buy, the borders you cross and whether anything bills after the trip.

**Fig. 1** A regional plan keeps working when you cross a border inside its country list, so one eSIM serves the whole route.

Size the plan to your trip's data

A plan sized for maps, WhatsApp and cab bookings costs less than a big one you never use up. Before you choose, estimate the data your trip needs. Running short abroad? Top up a plan that allows it, or buy another one.
- Price per GB
- Top-up
Use one regional plan for a multi-country route

A regional plan works in every country on its list. So a multi-country trip needs one purchase and one install, with no fresh plan at each stop. Check that the list has every country on your route.
- Regional plan
Pay once in rupees, with no renewal

Each plan is prepaid, with no contract and no auto-renewal. The full price shows in rupees before you pay, and the plan stops when its days or data are used up. No bill follows the trip.
- Prepaid plan
- Validity

Travel eSIM prices per GB for trips from India, by destination and region

Choose the smallest plan that covers your trip, then compare the price per GB only between plans you would use up. For each trip length, the table shows the plan that costs least for light use. A light week needs 3.9 GB: our calculator's estimate plus 20% for busy days, rounded up.

Three plan types

Country plan: Good for: a single-country trip. Coverage: Networks in the one country you pick. What you get: You pick a plan size, and each one lists its days. Your Indian SIM keeps your number.
Regional plan: Good for: a multi-country route. Coverage: Every listed country, one eSIM. What you get: The same plan carries on at each border.
Global plan: Good for: a route through several regions. Coverage: 127 destinations in many regions, all named on the plan. What you get: One purchase covers a long route. It usually costs more per GB than a country plan, so it suits routes across regions.

**Travel eSIM plans for trips from India, by destination and region.** Prices come from our plan list, in your currency, as of 6 October 2026. No fixed plan runs exactly 15 days, so this column can show a longer plan. Fair-use terms apply.

Thailand plans	₹332.16 1GB, valid for 7 days	₹665.27 5GB, valid for 30 days	₹948.89 10GB, valid for 30 days	₹1,521.85 20GB, valid for 30 days	₹76.09 20GB, valid for 30 days
UAE plans	₹379.75 1GB, valid for 7 days	₹1,370.52 5GB, valid for 30 days	₹2,484.07 10GB, valid for 30 days	₹3,711.82 20GB, valid for 30 days	₹185.59 20GB, valid for 30 days
Singapore plans	₹332.16 Unlimited data, valid for 1 day	₹855.62 5GB, valid for 30 days	₹1,331.50 10GB, valid for 30 days	₹1,950.13 20GB, valid for 30 days	₹70.41 50GB, valid for 30 days
Malaysia plans	₹332.16 1GB, valid for 7 days	₹998.38 5GB, valid for 30 days	₹1,712.20 10GB, valid for 30 days	₹2,711.53 20GB, valid for 30 days	₹89.45 50GB, valid for 30 days
Vietnam plans	₹332.16 1GB, valid for 7 days	₹1,055.49 5GB, valid for 30 days	₹1,837.83 10GB, valid for 30 days	₹2,616.36 20GB, valid for 30 days	₹130.82 20GB, valid for 30 days
Indonesia plans	₹332.16 Unlimited data, valid for 1 day	₹1,188.73 5GB, valid for 30 days	₹1,854.96 10GB, valid for 30 days	₹2,997.06 20GB, valid for 30 days	₹79.93 50GB, valid for 30 days
Asia regional plan	₹616.73 1GB, valid for 7 days	₹2,329.88 5GB, valid for 30 days	₹3,940.24 10GB, valid for 30 days	₹6,852.59 20GB, valid for 30 days	₹342.63 20GB, valid for 30 days
Europe regional plan	₹363.57 Unlimited data, valid for 1 day	₹1,617.02 5GB, valid for 30 days	₹2,568.77 10GB, valid for 30 days	₹4,091.57 20GB, valid for 30 days	₹204.58 20GB, valid for 30 days
One global plan, 127 destinations	₹1,301.99 1GB, valid for 7 days	₹5,070.92 5GB, valid for 30 days	₹9,113.95 10GB, valid for 30 days		₹911.40 10GB, valid for 30 days

Grey pills hide the prices on three plan cards: 5GB, 30-day validity; 1GB, 7-day; 3GB, 30-day — **Fig. 2** An illustration of plan cards: each one shows the plan's data and how many days it stays valid. Grey bars hide the prices because they change. The price table shows them in rupees.

Open a destination to see every plan size, its validity and its price in rupees.

Pick your destination

Compare prices for every destination we cover.

8 terms that explain a travel eSIM price

Data-only plan (data without a number): A plan with mobile data and no phone number. Your Indian SIM keeps your number for calls and SMS.
Prepaid plan (paid in advance): You pay before you use it, and it stops when its days or its data finish.
Regional plan (one plan for many borders): One plan for a set of countries, so a border crossing needs no new eSIM.
Price per GB (rupees per GB): A plan's price divided by the gigabytes it carries. It is a fair test only between plans you would use up.
Validity (days a plan runs): How many days a plan runs. The days start when your phone first connects to a network at your destination, not when you buy. The plan ends on its last day, even with data left.
Top-up (extra data in the app): More data added in our app to the eSIM you already have, before it expires. If a plan cannot take more, you buy another plan.
IR pack (operator roaming pack): An international roaming pack from your Indian operator. One recharge buys a set number of days of calls, SMS or data, based on the pack.⁽³⁾
Pay Go rates (standard roaming rates): Jio's name for the standard roaming rates that apply by default when you have no IR pack.⁽²⁾

Roaming on an Indian SIM bills by pack or by use, while a travel eSIM bills once

With no roaming pack, Jio bills usage abroad at its standard Pay Go rates, and Vi at its standard roaming rates.⁽²⁾⁽³⁾ A prepaid travel eSIM charges once, when you buy it, and then stops.

**Fig. 3** On a five-day trip with no pack, Jio and Vi bill what you use each day at standard roaming rates.⁽²⁾⁽³⁾ You pay for the prepaid eSIM once, before the flight, and nothing bills you later.

An IR pack is a bundle you recharge for a set number of days. Each operator decides when those days start and what happens when they end.^(2)(3)(4) Read those terms in the operator table before you compare prices.

TRAI, the telecom regulator, says roaming charges vary from one service provider to another.⁽⁵⁾ Vi, for one, charges prepaid customers standard rates once a pack expires, and in countries its packs do not cover.⁽³⁾ Check the pack's end date and country list before you fly.

To keep data off your Indian SIM on iPhone, select the travel eSIM under Mobile Data and leave Allow Mobile Data Switching off.⁽⁶⁾ Calls and SMS on your Indian number can still add roaming charges.⁽²⁾⁽⁷⁾

For billing, rules and setup side by side, read eSIM versus international roaming charges.

Mobile Data

Primary Indian SIM

Travel Travel eSIM

Allow Mobile Data Switching

Fig. 4 On iPhone, select the travel eSIM under Mobile Data and keep Allow Mobile Data Switching off.⁽⁶⁾

**Roaming packs from Indian operators and how they bill,** as of 21 October 2026
Operator	Roaming product	How it bills	Checked
Jio	IR Packs	You recharge before departure. The pack's validity begins with your first call, SMS or data use abroad.⁽²⁾	21 Oct 2026
Airtel	International roaming packs	Prepaid users can recharge up to 30 days ahead. Data is cut off when the pack expires.⁽⁴⁾	21 Oct 2026
Vi	International Roaming Packs	A prepaid pack starts within 30 minutes of purchase and runs for its validity. Extra usage on it bills at standard international rates.⁽³⁾	21 Oct 2026

We list each pack by name only. Pack prices change, so open your operator's page for today's rate.

Local SIM, pocket Wi-Fi or hotel Wi-Fi: the other ways to get data abroad

A local SIM, an airport counter, a pocket Wi-Fi or free Wi-Fi can suit some trips better. Compare what each option costs for your days and data, and what each one asks of you. For the basics, start with what an eSIM is.

Local operator plan

A local plan comes from one country's operator, as a SIM card or, with many operators, an eSIM.⁽⁷⁾ A SIM card is one you collect, carry and swap in yourself, or wait for by post.⁽⁷⁾ The operator may ask to see ID, such as your passport.⁽⁷⁾ For a long stay in one country, compare its cost for your data and days with a travel eSIM's. Then see eSIM versus physical SIM.
Airport SIM counter

You can buy a prepaid plan in person after landing, at an operator kiosk in the airport or at a store.⁽⁷⁾ It is a local operator's plan for that country. Compare its price for your data and days with a plan you buy before you fly and set up at home.
Pocket Wi-Fi rental

A pocket Wi-Fi is a rented mini router that shares one data connection with several phones over Wi-Fi. Someone carries it and keeps it charged, and it goes back when the rental ends, so it suits a family that stays together.
Free Wi-Fi only

Hotel and cafe Wi-Fi cost you nothing extra. Out on the street, though, you need data for a map or a cab booking, so keep a small plan for those moments.

Travel eSIM or pocket Wi-Fi, compared

**How a travel eSIM compares with renting a pocket Wi-Fi,** for one trip abroad
What differs	Travel eSIM	Pocket Wi-Fi rental
How you get it	Online from India, with nothing to collect	From a rental company, and you return it after the trip
Countries covered	One country, or every country listed on a regional plan	Only the countries in your rental plan
What you carry	Nothing extra to carry, since the plan sits in your phone	One more device to charge and carry through the day
Sharing the data	Your phone's hotspot shares the plan with a family member's phone or a laptop. HelloRoam plans support hotspot on phones that allow it.	Shares one data connection with several phones over Wi-Fi
Who it suits	Solo trips, two people sharing one plan by hotspot, and multi-country routes	Families and groups who stay together

Every plan shows its full price first and ends without renewing

You see the full price of each of our plans before you pay. A plan ends when its days or data finish and never renews, so no bill follows your trip. We offer no free trial and no free data.

If another provider offers a free eSIM or free data, check how much data it includes and what you pay once the offer ends, before you rely on it abroad.

Begin with a small plan and add data in the app if you need more. Some plans can't be topped up; for those, buy a new plan.

Sign in before you buy, and each order earns credit back on the amount you pay, to spend on a later plan. You earn 5% at first, rising to 10% as your total spend grows. The credit is ready 14 days after the order, and unused credit expires after 12 months without account activity.

If your plans change, an eSIM you have not used is refundable within 180 days of purchase, even if it is already installed. See the refund policy for the complete terms.

My eSIM in the HelloRoam app: the plan's end date, 1.00 GB left and a Top Up button — **Fig. 5** Our app shows the data left on a plan, its end date and a Top Up button on plans that take more data.

Save the heavy jobs for hotel Wi-Fi and a small plan lasts the trip

To save money on mobile data while travelling, buy only what you need, then trim what your apps use in the background.

Save offline maps on hotel Wi-Fi before you head out

Google Maps lets you download an area for offline use, though not in every country or region.⁽⁸⁾ Save each city on hotel Wi-Fi first. Walking and transit directions are unavailable offline, so keep a little data for them.⁽⁸⁾
Switch on Low Data Mode (iPhone) or Data Saver (Pixel)

On iPhone, go to Settings > Mobile Data, tap the number you use abroad and turn on Low Data Mode.⁽⁹⁾ On a Pixel phone, Data Saver lets most apps get background data only over Wi-Fi.⁽¹⁰⁾
Leave video, backups and heavy uploads for hotel Wi-Fi

By our data usage calculator's rates, an hour of HD video uses about 1.4 GB and an hour of maps about 10 MB. Leave films, photo backups and big uploads for your hotel Wi-Fi.
Stop apps updating on mobile data

In Google Play, open Auto-update apps and choose Update over Wi-Fi only, so updates wait for the hotel network.⁽¹¹⁾ Jio advises restricting background apps that auto-update, and Airtel advises turning off auto download while you roam.^(2)(12)

Before you buy

Check that your phone takes an eSIM and is not network-locked
Work out the data your trip needs
Take a regional plan if you cross borders
Install it on Wi-Fi before the flight

First, check that your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked: our eSIM phone guide covers both on iPhone and Android. On iPhone, Settings > General > About shows No SIM Restrictions next to Network Provider Lock when the phone is unlocked.⁽⁷⁾ Then set up the eSIM at home before you fly, so it is ready when you land.

Travel eSIM price questions from Indian travellers

Is there a free eSIM for travel from India?

HelloRoam does not offer a free eSIM, a free trial or free data. Every plan is prepaid and shows its full price before you pay. If another provider advertises free data, check how much data it carries, how many days it lasts and what the next plan costs before you rely on it abroad.

What is the lowest-cost eSIM for trips abroad?

Among the places in our price table, the lowest-cost plan is ₹332.16: 1GB in Malaysia for 7 days. For your trip, the cheapest eSIM is the smallest plan that lasts all your days and holds your data. Compare price per GB only between plans you would use up. Fair-use terms apply to unlimited plans.

How much does a travel eSIM cost for a trip abroad?

A light week in Thailand costs ₹665.27 on our plans, for 5GB lasting 30 days. The price depends on where you go, how much data you need and for how many days. Our price table shows what a light trip of each length costs in each place. Unlimited plans are priced by the day. Fair-use terms apply.

Which costs less abroad, a local SIM or a travel eSIM?

Compare what each costs for the same days and data, as the cheaper one changes with the trip. A local operator's plan can suit a long stay in one country, though you may need ID such as a passport to buy one.⁽⁷⁾ A travel eSIM suits a short trip or a multi-country route, bought online in India before you fly.

Jio, Airtel, Vi, TRAI, Apple and Google pages we read

We cite Indian operators, TRAI, Apple and Google pages, and never other travel eSIM sellers.

All 12 sources were last read on 21 October 2026.

1
Apple Support India: Set up eSIM on iPhone
2
Jio: International mobile services
3
Vi: International Roaming Packs
4
Airtel: 3 Reasons to Use Your Airtel Number Abroad (prepaid)
5
TRAI: Plans & Tariff, consumer FAQ
6
Apple Support India: Using Dual SIM with an eSIM
7
Apple Support India: Use eSIM while travelling internationally with your iPhone
8
Google Maps Help: Download areas & navigate offline in Google Maps
9
Apple Support India: Use Low Data Mode on your iPhone and iPad
10
Pixel Phone Help: Use less mobile data with Data Saver
11
Google Play Help: How to update apps on Android
12
Airtel: Important Info For International Roaming

Spotted a mistake? Tell us Read how we check facts in our guides

How this guide came together

Who wrote it: The HelloRoam Team wrote this guide and checked each fact against the sources listed below.
How we verified it: Each numbered marker links to one of the 12 sources listed here: Jio, Airtel, Vi, TRAI, Apple and Google. Facts about our own plans carry no marker. Those facts rest on the plan details we publish and our help guides.
Where prices come from: Plan prices load from our plan list in rupees, so no price is typed into this guide.
When the guide changes: Tell us about a mistake at help@helloroam.com and we will check it and correct the guide. The date at the top changes only when the page is edited.
Noted by our support team: Patterns from our 24/7 support conversations shaped the tips here, such as a plan bought for the wrong destination, or installing an eSIM confused with switching it on.

Size the plan to your trip's data

Use one regional plan for a multi-country route

Pay once in rupees, with no renewal

8 terms that explain a travel eSIM price

Local operator plan

Airport SIM counter

Pocket Wi-Fi rental

Free Wi-Fi only

Travel eSIM or pocket Wi-Fi, compared

Save offline maps on hotel Wi-Fi before you head out

Switch on Low Data Mode (iPhone) or Data Saver (Pixel)

Leave video, backups and heavy uploads for hotel Wi-Fi

Stop apps updating on mobile data

Is there a free eSIM for travel from India?

What is the lowest-cost eSIM for trips abroad?

How much does a travel eSIM cost for a trip abroad?

Which costs less abroad, a local SIM or a travel eSIM?

Get your travel eSIM before you leave India