If you want to send a picture of your ski vacation abroad or show your friends and families the beautiful scenery of the Alps via mobile phone video call, you need an internet connection. For this purpose, travelers can purchase special so-called roaming data packages from the mobile phone provider.
Ralf Beyeler is a telecom and money expert at the Moneyland comparison service. “Today, many mobile subscriptions are already equipped with roaming data packages,” he says. This makes sense if someone travels a lot. This means that you pay for a mobile phone subscription every month and that already includes surfing, calling and text messaging across Europe, for example.
Otherwise, you must purchase a roaming data package that is limited to a certain number of gigabits (GB) or a period of time.
These are the most popular roaming data packages for Europe.
| sunrise | 30 days | Unlimited data usage | 49.90 francs |
| Salt | 365d | 3 gigabits (GB) | 34.95 francs |
| Swisscom | 12 months | 3GB | 39.90 |
However, depending on the length of your stay abroad, roaming data packages may not be enough. If you run out of data, you have to buy a pack again. This can be expensive.
Beyeler says a cheaper alternative is eSIM. eSIM is a digital SIM card that you can install in your mobile phone. “You can install an eSIM online on your mobile device using a QR code from mobile phone providers abroad.”
As with data packets, they are limited to a certain time or a certain volume of data. On Maya Mobile website, customers pay CHF 11 for 5GB for 30 days. But Beyeler advises: “Before you travel, you should find out which providers are available in your desired country. Then you should compare the prices of different eSIM providers.”
There are also very expensive eSIM cards that can cost up to 46 francs.
Prepaid SIM cards are the cheapest solution
However, eSIM has a downside. «Basically, eSIM cards are only supported by Apple. Android users have a downside here,” says Beyeler.
Another option for effortlessly navigating abroad is the local prepaid SIM card. This can be purchased in the respective travel country. If passengers purchase a 5GB local prepaid SIM card for 14 days for the European region, they pay CHF 26.94 from the “Travel Sim” provider. “Prices online are significantly different from prices at a local store,” Beyeler says.
In South America, for example, there are SIM cards you can buy for 1.50 francs, says Ralf Beyeler. So it’s worth the wait and only worrying about a SIM card when you get to your destination.