Last updated on 2 November 2026
A prepaid line for visitors to the USA costs from $25 (about €22.38) plus tax: T-Mobile’s U.S. Pass gives you 7 days of unlimited data with 50 GB at priority speed, sold as an eSIM in T-Mobile’s app and switched on only once you are in the country. The POVNOMAD USA eSIM starts at €3.90 for 1 GB over 7 days, 7 days of Unlimited Smart cost €11.90, and you install it at home before you fly. As of 30 October 2026.
For a trip of one or two weeks the travel eSIM costs less, as long as 1 to 2 GB a day covers your use. The local line pays off when you need more data than that every day, or a US number for calls and texts. Keep in mind that US carriers quote prices before tax, so the amount you pay is higher than the one on their website.
Local SIM, travel eSIM or roaming: what is the difference in the USA?
| Local prepaid (T-Mobile U.S. Pass, Verizon Prepaid) | Travel eSIM (POVNOMAD) | Roaming on your home contract | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | U.S. Pass $25 (€22.38) for 7 days, $50 (€44.75) for 30 days; Verizon Prepaid from $45 (€40.28) for the first month; tax on top | €3.90 for 1 GB/7 days, €14.90 for 10 GB/30 days, €11.90 for 7 days Unlimited Smart | the USA is outside EU roaming, you need a pass from your provider |
| What you need | unlocked phone; for the U.S. Pass an eSIM-capable phone and T-Mobile’s Prepaid eSIM app | eSIM-capable, unlocked phone | a pass booked in your provider’s app |
| When you get online | U.S. Pass: only after you arrive, T-Mobile requires you to be in the USA to activate | on landing, installed at home beforehand | on landing |
| Calls and SMS | yes, with a US number; the U.S. Pass includes calls and texts in the USA, Canada and Mexico | no, data only; WhatsApp calls run over data | yes, at your provider’s rates |
| Hotspot | U.S. Pass 14 GB (7 days) to 50 GB (30 days); Verizon Unlimited 5 GB | yes, no separate limit | depends on your contract |
| Network | T-Mobile or Verizon, the one you buy from | T-Mobile or Verizon, depending on the plan, according to the product page | your provider’s partner network |
As of 30 October 2026. Verizon prices from verizon.com (Verizon Prepaid plans), U.S. Pass terms from two reports on T-Mobile’s launch announcement of 7 May 2026, POVNOMAD prices from the USA product page. Converted at the ECB reference rate of 30 October 2026 (€1 = $1.1172).
How much does a prepaid SIM card cost in the USA?
The USA has three national networks: AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. On 30 October 2026 only Verizon showed readable prepaid prices. T-Mobile’s website refused our requests (HTTP 403), so the U.S. Pass figures come from tmo.report and the Mobile Internet Resource Center, which both reported T-Mobile’s announcement on 7 May 2026. AT&T’s website sent our request to its Mexican page, so we quote no AT&T prices.
| Offer | Price | in euros | Data | Validity | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile U.S. Pass 7 days | $25 | €22.38 | unlimited, 50 GB at priority speed | 7 days | 14 GB hotspot, calls and texts in the USA, Canada and Mexico |
| T-Mobile U.S. Pass 10 days | $30 | €26.85 | as above | 10 days | 20 GB hotspot |
| T-Mobile U.S. Pass 14 days | $35 | €31.33 | as above | 14 days | 28 GB hotspot |
| T-Mobile U.S. Pass 30 days | $50 | €44.75 | as above | 30 days | 50 GB hotspot, 5 GB data in Canada and Mexico |
| Verizon Prepaid 15 GB | $45 (first month) | €40.28 | 15 GB | 1 month | hotspot from the 15 GB |
| Verizon Prepaid Unlimited | $60 (first month) | €53.71 | unlimited | 1 month | 5 GB hotspot |
Sources: verizon.com, Verizon Prepaid, retrieved 30 October 2026; tmo.report, 7 May 2026 and Mobile Internet Resource Center, 7 May 2026. All prices before tax. Euro amounts at €1 = $1.1172 (ECB, 30 October 2026).
“Unlimited” at T-Mobile means 50 GB at full priority. After that you keep surfing, but a busy cell can slow you down first. The Mobile Internet Resource Center adds that video streams at up to 2.5 Mbit/s. Verizon’s monthly prices drop after the first month with Auto Pay, which matters little for a holiday.
Compare that with travel eSIMs bought before departure, as of 30 October 2026:
| Plan | POVNOMAD | Airalo | Holafly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | €3.90 (7 days) | €4.00 (3 days) | – |
| 5 GB, 30 days | €8.90 | €12.50 | – |
| 10 GB, 30 days | €14.90 | €21.00 | – |
| 20 GB, 30 days | €21.90 | €34.00 | – |
| 50 GB, 30 days | €41.90 | €39.00 | – |
| Unlimited, 7 days | €11.90 (1 GB a day at full speed) | €23.00 | €25.50 |
| Unlimited, 30 days | €31.90 (1 GB a day at full speed) | €62.50 | €68.90 |
Read on 30 October 2026 on povnomad.com, airalo.com/de/united-states-esim (EUR view) and esim.holafly.com/de/esim-usa/. Holafly sells unlimited plans only. “–” = no such plan. POVNOMAD Unlimited Smart gives 1 GB at full speed per 24 hours, then unlimited at up to 1 Mbit/s; Unlimited L with 2 GB a day costs €16.90 for 7 days.
At 50 GB Airalo is cheaper than we are, €39.00 against €41.90. All durations of the unlimited plans are in our USA eSIM provider comparison.
Why do you pay more at the checkout than the plan price?
Because US carriers advertise their plans without tax. Verizon writes under its prepaid prices that additional taxes and fees may apply, and the Mobile Internet Resource Center describes the 30-day U.S. Pass as “$50 + taxes/fees”.
How much comes on top depends on the state. The Tax Foundation puts taxes, fees and government surcharges at 28.8 percent of a typical monthly wireless bill in 2026. Of that, 14.42 percent are state and local taxes, which range from 3.4 percent in Idaho to more than 25 percent in Illinois (Tax Foundation, 28 September 2026). These figures describe a contract bill. We found no nationwide figure for prepaid top-ups, so plan for a surcharge without being able to name it exactly.
The price on our product page is the price you pay. It already includes everything, and it does not change with the state you land in.
Do you need a passport for a US SIM card?
No. The USA has no law that requires prepaid SIM users to register. The GSMA, the mobile industry association, lists the USA among the countries that decided against such a rule (GSMA Mobile Policy Handbook, retrieved 30 October 2026). For the U.S. Pass, T-Mobile said at the launch that no paperwork or ID is needed.
The hurdle sits elsewhere. According to T-Mobile’s support page, quoted by the Mobile Internet Resource Center, you must be located in the USA when you activate the U.S. Pass, and you need a working data connection to do it. You buy it only in the T-Mobile Prepaid eSIM app. So you land without mobile data and set up the line on airport Wi-Fi.
Will you have signal in the national parks?
Often not, and no SIM changes that. The National Park Service writes about Yellowstone that cellular service is “extremely limited”. Towers at Mammoth Hot Springs, West Yellowstone, Old Faithful, Grant Village, Lake Village and Mount Washburn cover most developed areas and the North and West entrances (NPS, Yellowstone Goods and Services, retrieved 30 October 2026). In 2022 the park put coverage at about 8 percent of its area, meant for developed areas, not for roads or the backcountry.
In summer the park says the network can be so full that calls, texts and data fail; texting tends to get through first. Download maps and tickets before you enter a park. Holafly, too, warns of weak signal in desert and mountain regions and at some points in the Grand Canyon (esim.holafly.com, 30 October 2026). For routes through New York, Florida and the West Coast, see our USA eSIM guide by region.
The POVNOMAD USA eSIM uses T-Mobile or Verizon, depending on the plan, according to the product page. After purchase you see the network in use in the POVNOMAD app under “Available networks”.
How do you buy the local SIM the right way?
- Check that your phone is unlocked. A phone locked to a German network will not take a US line.
- For the U.S. Pass, download T-Mobile’s Prepaid eSIM app at home, but activate it only after you land. T-Mobile requires you to be in the USA.
- Get on airport Wi-Fi first. The activation needs a data connection.
- Budget for tax on top of the advertised price. The rate depends on the state.
- Keep your German SIM in the phone as a second line if your phone supports dual SIM. Otherwise you will not receive SMS codes from your bank.
- Note when the plan ends. The U.S. Pass runs for a fixed number of days.
When is the eSIM the better choice, and when is it not?
For most holidays of one to two weeks the eSIM costs less. Seven days of Unlimited Smart cost €11.90, the 7-day U.S. Pass $25 (€22.38) plus tax. For two weeks you pay €19.90 for 15 days of Unlimited Smart, against $35 (€31.33) plus tax for 14 days of U.S. Pass. You are online at the gate, without an app, without Wi-Fi at the airport and without tax on top. Install the eSIM at home on Wi-Fi (instructions for iPhone and Android); validity starts on first contact with a US network.
The local line is the better deal in these cases:
- You use more than 2 GB a day. Our Unlimited XL with 3 GB a day costs €26.90 for 7 days, more than the U.S. Pass with 50 GB at priority speed.
- You need a US number for calls and texts, including to Canada and Mexico.
- You stay a month and stream a lot. The 30-day U.S. Pass costs $50 (€44.75) plus tax, our Unlimited L for 30 days €60.90.
One honest point more: for 50 GB over 30 days Airalo charges €39.00, we charge €41.90. If the USA is one stop of several, the North America eSIM covers the USA, Canada and Mexico on one profile, from €3.90 for 1 GB over 7 days. For cash on the ground, see our guide to ATM fees in the USA. This guide is also available in German.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a SIM card cost in the USA?
T-Mobile’s U.S. Pass costs $25 (about €22.38) for 7 days and $50 (€44.75) for 30 days, each with unlimited data and 50 GB at priority speed. Verizon Prepaid starts at $45 (€40.28) for the first month with 15 GB. Tax comes on top. As of 30 October 2026, at €1 = $1.1172.
Do I need a passport to buy a SIM card in the USA?
No. The USA does not require prepaid SIM registration, and the GSMA lists it among the countries that decided against it. T-Mobile said at the launch of the U.S. Pass on 7 May 2026 that no paperwork or ID is needed.
Can I activate the T-Mobile U.S. Pass before I fly?
No. T-Mobile requires you to be in the USA when you activate the line, and you need a data connection for it. You buy the pass only in the T-Mobile Prepaid eSIM app. A travel eSIM such as ours you install at home, and it connects when you land. As of 30 October 2026.
Are taxes included in US phone plan prices?
No. Verizon and T-Mobile quote their prices before tax. According to the Tax Foundation, taxes and surcharges make up 28.8 percent of a typical wireless bill in 2026, with state and local taxes from 3.4 percent in Idaho to over 25 percent in Illinois. For prepaid top-ups we found no nationwide figure.
Will my phone have signal in Yellowstone or other national parks?
Only in parts. The National Park Service calls cellular service in Yellowstone extremely limited and in 2022 put coverage at about 8 percent of the park. That applies to every SIM and eSIM. Download maps before you go in.
Is a local SIM cheaper than an eSIM in the USA?
For short trips, no. Seven days of POVNOMAD Unlimited Smart cost €11.90, the 7-day U.S. Pass $25 (€22.38) plus tax. The local line wins if you use more than 2 GB a day or need a US number. As of 30 October 2026.
Which networks does the POVNOMAD USA eSIM use?
T-Mobile or Verizon, depending on the plan, with 5G where available, according to the product page. Data plans up to 30 days come with a US IP address. You see the network in use in the POVNOMAD app after purchase.
How do I know if these prices are still current?
We read every price on 30 October 2026 on verizon.com, povnomad.com, airalo.com and esim.holafly.com. The U.S. Pass prices date from T-Mobile’s launch on 7 May 2026, because t-mobile.com blocked our requests. Check the carrier’s page before you buy.
Last updated on 30 October 2026. Prices read on that day on verizon.com, povnomad.com, airalo.com and esim.holafly.com; T-Mobile U.S. Pass from reports of 7 May 2026; exchange rate of the ECB of 30 October 2026. Prices and rules may change at any time.