USA SIM Card for Indian Travellers: US Plans, Roaming or eSIM

If you would rather walk out of arrivals with maps, cab apps and WhatsApp already working, set up a HelloRoam eSIM for the USA at home in India.

Four ways to get a USA SIM or data plan from India

The four routes differ most in which number you use on the trip and when you can set them up. Each carrier's prices, packs and rules here come from its own pages, and the card and SIM-seller rules from RBI and DoT documents, all read on 27 October 2026.

Get your USA eSIM before you flyInstall it at home, then switch on data roaming for it when you land. From ₹273.15.See USA plans

Verizon also sells physical SIMs in its stores for phones that cannot take an eSIM. If you are weighing a card against a download, our guide explains how eSIM and physical SIMs differ.

What Jio and Airtel charge to roam in the USA

Both networks sell prepaid packs that keep your Indian number working in the USA. Both also say international roaming does not work on prepaid SIMs from the Assam, North East and Jammu and Kashmir circles. These are their main US packs:

The prices look close, but the packs behave differently once you land:

• Airtel counts incoming calls against your minutes, while incoming calls on Jio's pack are free. Long calls from family in India use up an Airtel pack faster.
• When the high-speed data runs out, Jio slows you to speeds of up to 64 kbps. Airtel blocks prepaid data until you buy a top-up, which costs ₹699 for 2 GB.
• Jio's pack covers the USA, Canada, Mexico, the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Australia, but its benefits apply only on Jio's preferred partner network there. On any other network, standard rates apply.
• Airtel prepaid users can book a pack up to 30 days before travel. Its days start only when your phone joins a network abroad and you first use it. Airtel gives the 10-day pack two different prices. Its terms' pack table and its recharge page put it at ₹1,298 with 6 GB. The price table in the FAQs on its international roaming packs page still shows ₹1,198 with 3 GB. Before paying, confirm the amount the Airtel app shows for your own number.
• Vi shows its US packs only after you enter your Vi number on its website.

On your Indian SIM, do not use mobile data abroad without a pack. Jio's standard US rate for data is ₹0.02 per 10 KB, which is about ₹2 for every megabyte. For the wider trade-offs, read our roaming and eSIM comparison.

US carrier plans give you a local number for calls and texts

A US plan makes sense if you want a local number for the trip. The prices below are before taxes and fees.

• T-Mobile's pass starts the moment you pay, and that day counts as day 1, so buy it on the day you land. Setup needs Wi-Fi, so do it on airport or hotel Wi-Fi.
• The U.S. Pass includes talk and text across the US, Mexico and Canada, plus 5GB of high-speed data in Mexico and Canada as a free add-on. You activate it by text when you arrive in either country. T-Mobile says calls beyond North America are not included by default, so calls to India go over WhatsApp or your Indian SIM.
• When a pass ends, you can buy another, and it starts as soon as the current one runs out.
• Verizon and AT&T price by the month, so a two-week trip still pays for a full month.
• If you buy at a store, carry your passport. Apple's travel guide notes that a provider may ask for ID such as a passport, depending on local rules.
• The My Verizon app checks your location before it activates the eSIM, so in India you can only download the app and browse plans.

Pay for a US plan with a card that allows international use

You pay for the T-Mobile and Verizon eSIMs after you land. T-Mobile accepts domestic and international credit and debit cards from select countries. Verizon takes Apple Pay, PayPal or a US credit or debit card.

So check your Indian card before you leave. A Reserve Bank of India circular of January 2020 told banks to issue new cards switched on only for ATMs and card machines in India. The cardholder turns on online and international use. Banks let you change these settings in their app or net banking, and a second card is worth carrying in case the first is declined. Since 1 October 2026, the RBI has also required card issuers to validate one-off overseas online card payments when the overseas merchant asks for authentication. Your bank may then ask you to confirm a payment to a US carrier.

Check your phone is unlocked, works with eSIM and supports VoLTE

A US SIM or a travel eSIM works only on a phone that is not locked to one network provider. On an iPhone, open Settings, tap General, then About. If "No SIM Restrictions" appears next to Network Provider Lock, it is unlocked. Apple says only your network provider can unlock it, and that this may take a few days.

For an eSIM, Apple's guide to using eSIM while travelling lists the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR or later. On Android, confirm your phone supports eSIM before you pay for any plan.

The network matters too. Verizon says 3G phones and 4G phones without Voice over LTE (VoLTE) can no longer make or receive calls or texts, or use data, on its network. Jio's roaming page says the US has fully retired its 2G and 3G networks, so it asks for a 4G/VoLTE or 5G phone there.

Keep your Indian SIM for OTPs and add US data with an eSIM

A HelloRoam plan for the USA carries data only. On 27 October 2026 our USA plan page named Verizon and AT&T as its networks; these can change, so check that page before you buy. Our terms say these plans do not support voice calls, SMS or emergency calls, so do not rely on the eSIM alone to reach emergency services.

Keep your Indian SIM in the phone too if you expect OTPs or other texts on your Indian number. It receives them abroad only while its international roaming service is active. Jio prepaid switches roaming on when you recharge with an international roaming pack, and Jio says all incoming SMS on roaming are free. Airtel prepaid users can turn on roaming for ₹118 for 28 days. That allows unlimited incoming SMS, with calls and data charged at standard rates, and it needs a valid Indian prepaid plan.

On an iPhone, you pick which line uses mobile data under Settings, then Mobile Data. Apple notes that with both lines on, your home line may still incur roaming fees. On a Samsung Galaxy, you choose the data SIM in Settings > Connections > SIM Card Manager. Turn off auto data switching in the same menu: Samsung says it switches networks if the preferred SIM fails, which would put your data on the Indian SIM. On Jio's standard US rates, an incoming call costs ₹2 a minute.

Setup happens before the trip: you scan the QR code at home over Wi-Fi, and the plan starts when your phone first connects to a network in the USA. If your route takes in Canada or Mexico, our eSIM plan for North America covers all three countries on one plan, and our support team answers 24/7.

Each USA SIM option suits a different kind of trip

• A week or two, and you want your Indian number for calls home: a Jio or Airtel pack. Pick Jio if you expect many incoming calls, since Airtel counts them against your minutes.
• You need a US number: a US SIM or eSIM bought from an Indian seller before you fly, or T-Mobile's U.S. Pass, bought on the day you land, for up to 14 days at a time.
• A semester or a long family stay: a monthly prepaid plan from Verizon or AT&T, paid with a card or wallet the carrier accepts.
• You want data the moment you land and your Indian SIM kept for OTPs: a travel eSIM installed at home. Size the plan with our data usage calculator.

HelloRoam sells travel eSIMs, so we are not neutral in this comparison. The editorial policy sets out our rules on conflicts of interest, and the first three options in that list are not our products.