The best US SIM card for tourists in 2026 (with a phone number)
September 30, 2026 · United States
Most “USA eSIMs” are data only. That's fine for maps and WhatsApp, but in the US a lot depends on a phone number: bank and payment apps, sign-up codes, restaurants that call back, landlords and employers. (Not sure you need one? Read do you need a US phone number.) We compared the ways a visitor can get one, with prices from each provider's site on September 30, 2026.
The options at a glance
| Option | Price | US number | Data | Buy before you fly? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haxzu United States | $19.99 for 30 days | Yes, unlimited talk and text | Unlimited, 15 GB at full speed | Yes |
| T-Mobile U.S. Pass | $25 for 7 days, $30 for 10, $35 for 14 (plus taxes) | Unlimited talk and text | Unlimited, 50 GB premium | No, starts when you buy |
| Airalo Change+ | From $6 (1 GB, 10 min, 10 texts, 3 days) to $59 (50 GB, 500 min, 500 texts, 30 days) | Yes, with set minutes and texts | Fixed amount | Yes |
| Holafly USA | $27.50 for 7 days | No | Unlimited | Yes |
| Mint Mobile | 3 months upfront; $15/month on a new-customer offer at the time | Yes | 6 GB to unlimited | Yes, minimum 3 months |
| Lycamobile (direct) | $29 for 15 GB, 30 days (promotions on longer terms) | Yes | From 5 GB | Yes |
| Ultra Mobile | $19 for 4 GB, 1 month | Yes | From 4 GB | Yes |
Haxzu United States: a full US line for $19.99
Our United States plan is a Lycamobile line on the AT&T or T-Mobile network (you choose), sold as an eSIM you install before you travel. For $19.99 you get a new US number, unlimited talk and text, unlimited 5G data with 15 GB at full speed, and calls to 90+ countries, for 30 days. Renew it to keep the number, or let it lapse when you go home. Need more full-speed data? Data Boost raises it to 60 GB.
T-Mobile U.S. Pass: generous data, short trips
T-Mobile's visitor eSIM replaced its old Tourist Plan in 2026. It includes unlimited talk and text in the US, Mexico and Canada, and unlimited 5G data with 50 GB of premium data, which is more full-speed data than ours. It's priced for short trips ($25 for a week) and you buy it in the T-Mobile Prepaid eSIM app. Because it starts as soon as you buy it, T-Mobile says to buy it after you land, so you arrive without a working US line. Even for a single week, $19.99 for 30 days costs less, but if you need lots of full-speed data for a short trip, the U.S. Pass gives you more.
Airalo and Holafly: built for data
Holafly's US eSIM is data only, at $27.50 for 7 days of unlimited data. Airalo's Change+ plans add a US number on T-Mobile, but with a fixed allowance of minutes and texts (incoming calls count against it) and no outgoing international calls. They're handy for receiving the odd verification code; they're not a full phone line.
Mint, Lycamobile and Ultra: built for residents
These are US prepaid carriers. They can be very cheap per month, but their best prices come from paying for several months upfront (Mint sells only 3, 6 or 12-month plans) or from new-customer promotions on long terms. That makes sense if you're moving to the US for a semester or longer. For a trip of a few weeks, you'd pay for months you don't use.
Our pick
- Trips of 10 days to a month: Haxzu United States, $19.99, installed before you fly.
- One week, lots of data: T-Mobile U.S. Pass, if you don't mind setting it up after you land.
- Also visiting Canada or Mexico: Haxzu North America Unlimited, with a US number and data in all three countries ($30 for 14 days or $50 for 30).
- Staying three months or more: a US prepaid carrier such as Mint.
Sources
Competitor prices and terms were checked on September 30, 2026 on each provider's own website, in US dollars as shown to US visitors. They change often, and promotions come and go, so check the provider's site before you buy. Airalo, Saily, Holafly, Nomad, Ubigi, Mint Mobile, T-Mobile, Lycamobile and Ultra Mobile are trademarks of their owners; Haxzu isn't affiliated with them.