eSIM Services Compared: Save Money on Cellular Data When Traveling

Whether you’re rolling out of bed in Thailand or find yourself drinking at 9 am at a Las Vegas hotel lobby bar, one thing unites every Canadian traveler: the dread of that “roaming enabled” notification. Canada is a country suffering from an effective telecom oligopoly, and this has resulted in some of the highest cellular and roaming charges in the entire developed world.

Fortunately, I have good news: thanks to eSIM technology, getting connected abroad is now cheaper and easier than ever!

In this guide, we’ll break down the best options for Canadian travelers in 2025, from big eSIM players like Airalo and Saily, to alternative providers like Google Fi and Public Mobile, and we’ll even show you how to shop like a pro and avoid paying more for mobile data than your actual vacation.

What is an eSIM & Why Should You Use One When Travelling?

An eSIM (embedded SIM) lets you activate a mobile plan digitally as no physical SIM card needed. Scan a QR code, download a profile, and you’re connected. eSIMs are becoming very mainstream, and if you have a phone from the last couple of years, it is more than likely that your device supports them.

We’re such a fan of the value that eSIMs offer that we’ve previously written about how you can effectively use eSIMs to become a smarter traveler.

Do note that most travel eSIMs are data-only, so you’ll have to use a third-party app like WhatsApp for calls or texts. If you need traditional call connectivity and SMS access, there are options available, and we’ll get to that in the Google Fi section of this article.

Let’s do a quick comparison of what you can expect to pay with a Canadian cell phone roaming plan versus using a data-only eSIM on your next vacation.

If you’re heading to the U.S. for a week, expect to pay $98 with Rogers Roam Like Home or $91 with Bell Roam Better just to keep your phone alive. Going for an Audrey Hepburn Roman Holiday? Rogers and Bell charge $112 CAD for seven days of international roaming, as both charge $16 per day. 

On the other hand, you can easily get an eSIM with worldwide, global functionality for 20-30 GB of data for 30 days for less than that!

The above is a screencap from eSIMDB, and you’d better believe we’ll be getting into them more later.

Regardless, when compared to the normal cost of using your normal cellular provider’s international roaming plans, eSims are a much better option. 

I’d be remiss if I failed to mention that cardholders of the Rogers Red Mastercard and Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard get 5 free Roam like Home days a year as a benefit for holding either of these cards.

Rogers Red Mastercard

Apply Now Learn More Earn $50 in FlyerFunds upon approval.

Rogers Red Mastercard

With the Rogers Red Mastercard, Rogers, Fido and Shaw postpaid customers can earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases and get a 1.5x redemption bonus on Rogers, Fido and Shaw purchases – a 3% cash back value.

Check out our Rogers Red Mastercard review for more details.

BONUS
$60 cash back

MINSPEND
$0

EST. VALUE
$110+

ANNUAL FEE
$0.00

FOREX FEES
Yes

EXPIRY
–

This is an excellent value if you, like me, are already a Rogers mobile customer. However, it’s only good for five days per year, so if you have a trip that goes any longer, you’d still be on the hook for between $14 and $16 a day to use your existing mobile phone plan outside of Canada.

The Big eSIM Providers: Airalo vs. Saily

If you’ve spent any time on Instagram or YouTube lately, you’ve probably been stalked by Saily’s ads, gently reminding you that yes, your phone bill is stupid and yes, they’d like to monetize your existential crisis. 

Right alongside them is Airalo, the original eSIM giant, which is the sort of “vanilla” option many customers default to when eSIMs are mentioned.

Both are basically comparable products, with many identical regional connectivity partners. Never forget that if they have money for ads, they are passing those marketing costs onto you. They both are great services, though, and I’ve covered some high-level highlights in the table below:

I’ve made a point of highlighting hotspotting capabilities. This is the ability to share your phone’s data with other devices like a laptop or tablet. If you’re planning to work remotely or stream as much of the Miles Ahead podcast as your brain can handle, unlimited hotspotting can be a major perk, and on this front, Saily is the winner.

Airalo is the biggest name in the business, and their app looks and feels super intuitive. Koho cardholders can also receive a free 3G eSIM through them as a benefit for holding an eligible card (more details here).

However, Saily is sometimes cheaper and offers unlimited hotspotting, which is perfect if you plan to turn a café into your mobile office. They also feature 24/7 live chat, which makes resolving issues much faster and easier than Airalo’s old-school email ticket system.

Of course, this isn’t always the case. Let’s look at eSIMs from both Saily and Airalo for an Australian getaway to give you a clearer idea of the pricing and packages available. 

First up is Saily, which charges $10.99 USD for 5 GB of data, good for 30 days:

And next is Airalo, which charges $18 CAD for 5 GB of data, good for 30 days:

As you can see, Saily is charging in USD and Airalo in CAD, but both products are roughly equivalent. Even the unlimited data option on Airalo, which is cheaper, is also 33% shorter in length of days than the Saily option. 

Data coverage between the two is virtually the same, so unless you’re livestreaming from the Tasmanian wilderness, the eSim you choose really comes down to price. That being said, don’t feel bound to these providers at all. We’ll go into how you can compare eSIM products, even outside of these providers, to find the best option for your needs below.

How to Find the Cheapest eSIM

Before committing to an eSIM provider, it’s worth a quick visit to eSIMDB, which is a website that aggregates all eSIMs on the market. Do note that by default, it lists all prices in USD, so make sure to either switch it to CAD or remember the markup before making a purchase.

Start by entering your destination and filtering by how much data you’ll realistically need. If it’s just for checking emails and maps, a small package is fine. If you, like me, intend on waking up at 3 AM to watch Oilers games from a hotel in Prague, you’ll need something a bit more substantial.

As you review results, consider focusing more on price per gigabyte rather than just the lowest upfront cost, and also how long the plan is valid; some of the cheaper ones might expire in just a few days. From the above example, if I’m in Prague for only a week and want to watch a LOT of hockey without wifi, then the ESIMFUN plan (a Taiwanese company) is probably decent for my needs.

If you need hotspotting, make sure to take a closer look at the fine print, as some of the no-name providers on the database cost less because they don’t allow this. Also, utilize the available search filters. And make sure to use the one that excludes any carrier that might be engaging in data throttling!

Let’s take a look at some more examples of some of the options for, say, a trip of at least 2 weeks to East Asia:

As we can see, 20GB on Airalo for 30 days is $69.50, or $3.48 a gigabyte. There are plans for similar, or even more, data for less than a third of the cost of Airalo’s offering.

Obviously, you may need to do your own research on some of these providers, and not all of them are perfect, but many do connect to the same mobile providers as Saily and Airalo do and won’t give you any trouble at all. 

Never forget: you do often get what you pay for, but that doesn’t mean you have to overpay. At the very least, you don’t have to buy the most expensive item just to get decent service!

For those who do need to have traditional call/SMS functions when traveling, whether it’s for 2-factor authentication or because you just miss getting robocalls even when on the Amalfi coast, other alternatives are available that might better suit your needs.

Full Coverage eSIM Alternatives: Google Fi & Public Mobile

If you absolutely need to have a working phone number as well as good amounts of data while traveling abroad, then Google Fi is your ticket.

With a U.S. billing address (which could potentially be a mail forwarder like 24/7 Parcel) and an eSIM-compatible phone, Google Fi gives you full mobile service in 200+ countries. While you’ll need to visit the United States to activate your service, the Frugal Flyer team loves Google Fi, as several contributors use this service regularly for their travels worldwide with no issues.

Their pricing is as follows:

A huge advantage of Google Fi is that you can pause service between trips, which means you are only ever being charged while you are traveling. Google won’t let you roam indefinitely without visiting the United States, so plan an American layover or getaway and remember to hit that “pause” button when you’re home.

If you prefer to keep things Canadian and avoid U.S. account setups, certain Canadian carriers such as Koodo and Public Mobile offer simple, competitive plans for travelers regularly visiting Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Note that these only work in North America; if you travel outside of these areas, you’ll eat the usual egregious roaming charges.

With Public Mobile, plans start at $29 CAD per month for 10 GB of data, and there’s more at much higher tiers, as this screenshot from their website shows:

For frequent North American travelers, Public Mobile lets you keep your Canadian number and avoid roaming fees without the hassle of SIM swaps or tracking roaming limits. Also note that Public Mobile works on the Telus network, so connectivity shouldn’t be an issue anywhere you can get Telus.

Conclusion

Canadian telecoms charge customers a lot of money, especially when traveling abroad. We hope we’ve shown you that using eSims, or other service providers like Google Fi or Public Mobile, can save you a lot of money.

I’d like to sum up by saying that if you don’t want to think at all and use a simple app, there’s nothing wrong with sticking with either Airalo or Saily. That being said, you can potentially save big bucks if you spend the time and effort combing through eSIMDB.

If you legitimately need a working phone number, then Google Fi remains your first choice, with frequent North American travelers having the option of Public Mobile, as well.

Whatever you do, don’t pay $14–16 a day just to text your Airbnb host. Your wallet, and frankly, your dignity, deserve better.