A prepaid SIM card for the USA no longer has to be a card. Two of the three national carriers now sell short passes for visitors as an eSIM, a digital SIM you download to an unlocked phone. T-Mobile’s starts at $25 for seven days. AT&T’s starts at $3.99 for one day of data. Neither needs a contract.
Every figure is from the carrier’s own site, read on October 8, 2026.
T-Mobile U.S. Pass eSIM
T-Mobile launched this in May 2026 for international travelers. Each pass is a one-time purchase with unlimited talk and text in the United States, Mexico and Canada, and “Unlimited 5G data with 50GB of premium 5G data in the U.S.”
| Pass | Price | Hotspot data |
|---|---|---|
| 7 days | $25 | 14 GB |
| 10 days | $30 | 20 GB |
| 14 days | $35 | 28 GB |
| 30 days | $50 | 50 GB |
Taxes and fees are extra. The first three prices are from T-Mobile’s U.S. Pass page. The 30-day price is from T-Mobile’s announcement of the product.
The rules matter more than the prices here:
- You cannot buy it before you arrive. “Your plan must be purchased and activated while in the United States.”
- It starts the moment you pay. “The activation day counts as Day 1.” T-Mobile recommends “buying on the day you’re ready to use it”.
- No ID. T-Mobile’s words: “No contracts. No ID. No hassle.”
- You need Wi-Fi to install it, so do it at the airport or your hotel.
- It does not renew. To stay longer, buy another pass. It starts when the first one ends.
You buy it in the T-Mobile Prepaid eSIM app or on T-Mobile’s site. Calls to countries outside North America are not included.
eSIM by AT&T
AT&T’s version is sold through an app called Connect on Demand by AT&T. Its prices already include tax and fees.
| Days | Data only, US | Talk, text and data, US | Data only, US, Mexico and Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $3.99 | $6.99 | Not offered |
| 7 | $15.99 | $20.99 | $24.99 |
| 15 | $25.99 | $30.99 | $39.99 |
| 30 | $40.99 | $45.99 | $59.99 |
Prices are from AT&T’s eSIM page. Longer passes of 90 and 180 days are listed for talk, text and data, at $128.99 and $249.99.
Each pass includes unlimited data and 5 GB of hotspot data, after which hotspot speed drops to 128 kbps.
One caution. AT&T’s page prices a talk and text option, while its announcement described talk and text as coming later. Check that it is available before you count on a US phone number.
AT&T says you need “a carrier unlocked 5G smartphone that is dual SIM enabled”, and that you buy and activate after you arrive.
Which one
For a week or two with calls, T-Mobile’s pass is the simpler buy. $25 covers seven days with a US number and calls to Canada and Mexico.
For a day or two, or data only, AT&T is cheaper. A single day is $3.99.
For a month, compare totals. T-Mobile’s 30 days is $50 plus taxes and fees. AT&T’s is $45.99 with talk and text, tax included.
What about Verizon?
We found no visitor SIM or eSIM on Verizon’s site. Its TravelPass product is for Verizon customers going abroad, not for people arriving.
Staying longer than a month
Then an ordinary prepaid plan costs less than a string of passes. Tello’s plans run 30 days at a time from $10, and US Mobile’s start at $10 with taxes included. One thing to know first: Tello’s terms say “all orders must have a valid US address for tax purposes”.
Those plans are ranked on our cheapest plans page, and pay as you go covers the lightest use.
Before you travel
Your phone must be unlocked and must support eSIM. T-Mobile lists iPhone XR and later, Samsung Galaxy S series and Note 20 and later, and Google Pixel 7 and later. If your phone is locked to a carrier at home, ask that carrier to unlock it before you leave.