Unlimited data eSIM for travel: what “unlimited” really means

On a travel eSIM, unlimited means full speed up to a daily limit, then a slower connection. Most of our unlimited plans drop to 1 Mbps after 3 GB a day. Thailand, the United States and our Europe-wide plan allow 5 GB a day first. Jio, Airtel and Vi set different rules on their roaming packs.

The daily limits on our unlimited plans

Most of our unlimited plans give 3 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps. We counted 756 unlimited packages on our country pages on 12 Oct 2026 (our count; regional plans not included). 716 slow to 1 Mbps after 3 GB a day, and 24 slow to 1 Mbps after 5 GB a day.

The 24 packages with a 5 GB daily limit are in Thailand, Spain, Italy and the United States, and our Europe-wide plan uses the same limit. Eleven packages, in the UAE and the US Virgin Islands, give 3 GB a day and then slower speeds, with no speed stated. In Guam, four slow to 1 Mbps after 2 GB a day, and one does not state its limit.

Source: our catalogue, 12 Oct 2026. The 5-day total is the daily limit times 5; the limit resets daily, so a light day cannot be saved for a heavy one. Your card is charged in US dollars. Your bank converts the amount at its own rate and may add a foreign-transaction (forex markup) fee. How card payments work.

Hotspot use draws on the same data allowance, and our plan details do not state a hotspot rule. The hotspot guide shows how fast sharing uses each daily limit.

What Jio, Airtel and Vi mean by unlimited abroad

On Indian roaming packs the word “unlimited” means three different things. Jio’s US pack gives a fixed 12 GB at high speed. Airtel’s ₹2,999 postpaid pack is listed as unlimited but slows to 80 kbps after 10 GB. Vi’s Ultra pack prints data as “FREE” only in its 40-country UL zone. We read each document on 12 Oct 2026.

Vi’s non-UL zone includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, China and South Korea, where Ultra packs give 2 to 5 GB. Vi’s country list is an image that we transcribed by hand, so confirm your country in the Vi app. More on Jio, Airtel and Vi roaming.

We sell travel eSIMs, so we have an interest here. The table still shows when your operator pack is the better choice. All three packs include calls on your Indian number. Most of our plans are data-only, and none carries your Indian number.

Unlimited or 10 GB: who needs which

Choose by daily use. Our data guide uses four profiles: 0.3 GB a day for maps and messaging, 0.8 GB for social media and photos, 1.7 GB for videos and video calls, and 3.0 GB for working on a laptop. On an average day none passes the 3 GB daily limit that most of our unlimited plans carry.

At 0.3 or 0.8 GB a day, an unlimited plan buys headroom you do not use: 5 days at 0.8 GB is 4 GB, and a 5 GB plan covers it. For 5 days in Thailand at 1.7 GB a day (8.5 GB), compare the unlimited plan at ≈ ₹1,450 (9 Oct rate) with the 10 GB, 30-day plan at ≈ ₹870 (9 Oct rate), charged US$8.99 by card; your bank may add its own forex markup. The cheaper one that covers your total wins. An unlimited data SIM with a daily limit pays off when your daily use swings or you may pass 10 GB in total. Each country page shows its limit: Thailand, Europe, Vietnam.

Unlimited plans that cannot be topped up

In our catalogue on 12 Oct 2026, unlimited plans (each with a daily limit) for Turkey, Jersey, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Qatar, Taiwan and Guam cannot be recharged. When the days run out, you buy a new plan instead of extending the old one, so a plan that is too short costs you a second purchase.

Choose the length up front: your days in the country plus one spare. These plans count their days from the first connection, not from install. Follow your usage with the check data usage guide.

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