India SIM card, your US carrier or an eSIM? A month in India, priced each way
In short
Thirty days in India on Verizon’s TravelPass, $12 a day on postpaid plans, come to $360 per line (our arithmetic). Verizon’s $100/mo Monthly Plan is “Perfect for trips of 9 days or more.” Our India plan with 20GB for 30 days is $37.99, data only (checked on October 29, 2026).
Information verified on October 29, 2026 at the official sources listed below. Carriers change prices and terms; your own plan decides what you pay.
On this page
eSIM for India from $3.99 — see plans
This site is not affiliated with any carrier named on this page; we sell eSIMs. How we compare
You may not need an eSIM. AT&T Elite 2.0, Google Fi Unlimited Premium, and T-Mobile Experience Beyond and More include high-speed data in India. Verizon Unlimited Ultimate prints no country list, so ask Verizon about India.
The allowance runs from 5GB on More to 50 GB on Fi Premium. If your visit fits inside it, stay on your carrier and skip the India SIM card question.
Two bill traps come first. Without a pass, AT&T bills $2.05 per MB (AT&T’s pay-per-use rates). On Verizon, background data, a call you make or answer or a text you send can open a $12 TravelPass day (Verizon TravelPass FAQs).
We compare public packages; check your own plan.
Does your US phone work in India? Carrier by carrier
Yes: India is on the published list of all 12 carriers below that print one (checked on October 29, 2026). Mint, Straight Talk and Verizon Prepaid print none. Over a month, what differs is the cap and how many passes you buy.
| Option | Price | What you need | Weak point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roaming with your US carrier | May be included on some postpaid or prepaid plans of 5 of 9 US carriers otherwise $10.00 to $100.00 a day or pass from about $2.50 per GB | Data roaming on; with some carriers a pass added before you fly | Paid passes cost more per GB than the eSIM |
| Pocket Wi-Fi router | Not verified | Collect it, keep it charged and return it | One connection for the group, only while you stay together |
| Local SIM bought on arrival | Not verified | A free SIM slot and a shop after landing | An iPhone 14 or later bought in the US works with eSIM only |
| Travel eSIM from this site | from $3.99 by card; from $1.90 per GB | An eSIM phone that is not locked to your carrier | Data only: no calls or texts on your US number |
Roaming prices as published by US carriers, before taxes and fees, checked on October 29, 2026; price per GB is our derivation (price ÷ GB). eSIM prices are in US dollars: your card is charged exactly that amount. This site is not affiliated with these carriers; we sell eSIMs.
Each row gives the carrier’s own India figure and, where we add it up, what 30 days come to.
| Carrier and plan | India | For a month |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T postpaid | Day Pass list | $12 a day per line; the month table below applies AT&T’s 10-day cap (checked on October 29, 2026, AT&T); AT&T destinations |
| AT&T Elite 2.0 | Elite 2.0 list | 20GB a month included, then up to 512Kbps, so a month inside 20GB costs nothing extra (checked on October 29, 2026, AT&T); India listed (checked on October 30, 2026, AT&T Elite 2.0 destinations) |
| AT&T Prepaid | Add-on list | A 7-day add-on is $40 with 5GB; five in a row cover 30 days for $200 (our arithmetic) (checked on October 29, 2026, AT&T Prepaid) |
| Verizon postpaid | TravelPass list | $12 a day on TravelPass (5 GB at high speed each session, then 3G) or $100/mo per line on the Monthly Plan (20GB, then 3G) (checked on October 29, 2026, TravelPass, Monthly Plan); Verizon in India |
| Verizon Unlimited Ultimate | No list for this plan | 15 GB a month in 210+ countries and destinations, then 1.5 Mbps; ask Verizon about India (checked on October 29, 2026, Verizon) |
| Verizon Prepaid | Check the list | $12/line per day in 140+ countries and destinations, with a voice plan; the country list is a search box (checked on October 29, 2026, Verizon Prepaid) |
| T-Mobile postpaid | Included | Beyond: up to 15 GB at high speed; More: up to 5GB; then up to 256Kbps. Essentials has no data abroad without a pass: $75 buys the 30 Day Pass with 30GB. For a long stay, note the plan page’s “Not for extended international use” (checked on October 29, 2026, T-Mobile); T-Mobile destinations |
| Google Fi | Included, on Fi’s 5G list | Premium’s 50 GB at high speed (then 256 kbps) is part of your monthly high-speed data; Flexible pays $10 per GB, up to $60 for data (Bill Protection, one person) and high speed up to 15 GB, then 256 kbps (checked on October 30, 2026, Fi plans) (checked on October 29, 2026, Google Fi, 5G list); Google Fi destinations |
| US Mobile | Light Speed, Warp and Dark Star lists | Unlimited Premium includes 20 GB, 200 minutes and 250 texts abroad (checked on October 29, 2026, US Mobile) |
| Mint Mobile | Check the list | 180+ countries, listed only in a search box; a 10-day Minternational Pass is $20 for 10GB, and the 30-day one carries no data (checked on October 29, 2026, Mint); Mint Mobile |
| Visible | Global Pass list | Base Visible pays $10 a day for talk, text and 2GB; a month of days is $300 (our arithmetic) (checked on October 29, 2026, Visible); Visible |
| Cricket | Passport list | The daily pass is $10 per line; after 10 consecutive days in a 30-day period, Cricket gives “up to an additional 20 days of usage at no extra cost.” So 30 days come to $100 if every free day applies and $300 if none does (our arithmetic); no hotspot (checked on October 29, 2026, Cricket); Cricket |
| Boost Mobile | Global Roaming list | 1 GB for $10 a month (an introductory price), then $10 per GB up to 10 GB: $100 in all (our arithmetic) (checked on October 29, 2026, Boost Mobile) |
| Xfinity Mobile | Destinations list | 10 GB each cycle on Plus and Select, then up to 14 Mbps; needs Xfinity Internet (checked on October 29, 2026, Xfinity, list); Xfinity Mobile |
| Spectrum Mobile | Day Pass and Unlimited Plus lists | Unlimited Plus includes 10 GB a month at high speed, then reduced speed; a Global Day Pass is $10 per 24 hours with 1 GB at high speed (checked on October 29, 2026, plans, Day Pass); Spectrum Mobile |
| Straight Talk | Check the list | No published country list; the perk is $20 for 7 days with 5 GB and 300 minutes, in 140+ destinations (checked on October 29, 2026, Straight Talk) |
| Total Wireless | Roaming list | 10 GB and 300 minutes a month on MAX 5G, MAX 5G BYO and ALL ACCESS (checked on October 29, 2026, Total Wireless) |
| Tello | Roaming list | Charged to your Tello balance; we captured no India rate: type India in “Traveling to” on Tello’s roaming page (checked on October 29, 2026) |
Tello, Total Wireless, Straight Talk, Boost Mobile and US Mobile have no page of their own here; international roaming plans sums them up.
Our eSIM for India at a glance
- Purchase QR code by email · after payment
- Installation profile on your phone · up to 365 days
- Activation first network on the trip · the clock starts
eSIM for India: selected plans
The entry plan, our pick and a bigger one. “Our pick” is a mid-size plan chosen by us, not a sales ranking.
You are charged exactly the price shown, in US dollars. The seller is a company registered in the United States, so this is a payment to a US business — how card payment works. It appears on your statement as JET SHARING. You pay on the secure Stripe checkout page, by card, or Apple Pay or Google Pay if Stripe shows them on your device.
What it costs per day
The plan price is what you pay for the trip; a day is that price over the plan’s own days, so a longer plan costs less a day only if you use those days. Pick by your trip length first.
A month in India: pass, monthly plan or eSIM
On October 29, 2026, we priced one phone for 30 days in India three ways: a carrier pass, a monthly plan and a data-only eSIM. Thirty Verizon TravelPass days come to $360 (our arithmetic), against $100 for Verizon’s Monthly Plan.
The criteria: cost for the whole stay, GB, network and what your phone needs. No seller is named or ranked.
Market prices set the scale. We checked 11 travel-eSIM sellers from a US IP. Across 29 destinations, the middle price for 10GB over 30 days was $19.00 (155 prices, middle half $16.00 to $25.00).
For 20GB it was $27.25 (144 prices, middle half $21.00 to $37.80). Both baskets pool 29 destinations, so neither is an India-only figure.
AT&T’s Day Pass page prices days, not months. Its cruise page says land-only travel costs “$12 per day for 10 days within a single billing cycle” (checked on October 29, 2026, AT&T).
Most 30-day stays span two billing cycles, and 10 paid days in each come to $240 (our arithmetic). If all 30 days fall inside one cycle, the cap leaves $120. The Day Pass page itself is silent on the cap, so ask AT&T to confirm it for your line.
| One phone, 30 days in India (our arithmetic) | Cost |
|---|---|
| 30 AT&T Day Pass days (postpaid) | Up to $240 across two billing cycles; $120 if all 30 days fall in one |
| 30 Verizon TravelPass days (postpaid) | $360 (30 × $12) |
| One Verizon Monthly Plan | $100/mo per line (20GB at high speed, then 3G) |
| T-Mobile Essentials + 30 Day Pass | $75, 30GB |
| T-Mobile Experience Beyond / More | $0 within 15 GB / 5GB |
| Google Fi Unlimited Premium | $0 within 50 GB |
| Our India plan: 10GB, 30 days, data only | $23.99 |
| Our India plan: 20GB, 30 days, data only | $37.99 |
Past day 8, Verizon’s Monthly Plan undercuts TravelPass. Nine days at $12 come to $108, so from day 9 the $100 plan costs less (our arithmetic; checked on October 29, 2026, Verizon). On T-Mobile Essentials, one 30 Day Pass at $75 covers the month with 30GB (checked on October 29, 2026, T-Mobile).
Fi Unlimited Premium draws India data from your home allowance: “Data counts towards your monthly high-speed data usage” (Google Fi).
Over 30 days, our 10GB plan is about 0.33GB a day and the 20GB plan about 0.67GB a day (our arithmetic). For heavier use, our 30-day plan is Unlimited — 3 GB/day at full speed, then reduced to 1 Mbps — at $98.99, data only. That allows up to 90GB at full speed over the month (our arithmetic).
Our monthly plans run 30 days at most, so a five-week visit takes a second plan.
Where an eSIM does not win: on Beyond, More, Elite 2.0 or Fi Premium, a month inside the included data costs nothing extra. A carrier pass or monthly plan leaves calls and texts on your US number; ours carries data only. The plan doesn’t state a hotspot rule — check the plan page.
Roaming or eSIM puts your own dates and data into the same comparison.
An India SIM card or a travel eSIM?
Apple says iPhone 14 models or later “purchased in the United States can only be activated with an eSIM” (checked on October 29, 2026, Apple). That rules out a physical India SIM card on those models.
On a phone with a SIM tray, a SIM card from Jio, 
Airtel or Vi needs ID checks we haven’t verified; check with the carrier. We put no price on that option.
Physical SIM cards are not something we sell. Do iPhones have SIM cards? lists the models that keep a tray.
An eSIM needs an unlocked phone that supports it. Before you buy, run Is my phone unlocked? and Does my phone support eSIM?. Then install at home on Wi-Fi; how to install an eSIM has the steps.
Keep your US number on for codes and texts
Apple says that with both lines on, “the capabilities on your primary line will continue to work” (Apple). Your travel eSIM carries the data, and your US number stays on for 2FA codes and texts through the visit.
Apple adds a catch: “You might still incur roaming fees from your home eSIM.” Set the US line’s data roaming to off (data roaming). Even then, a call or a text you send on that line can trigger a $12 day on AT&T or Verizon.
Many of these trips are family visits. About 3.16 million US residents were born in India (Census Bureau, ACS 2024, table B05006). In 2024, visiting friends and relatives was the main purpose of 27% of overseas trips (NTTO).
The U.S. Department of State rates India Level 2: “Exercise Increased Caution” (updated June 15, 2025, travel.state.gov).
Dual SIM explains the two-line setup, and keep your US number lists what still reaches you.
What our India plan covers
Our India plan lists Vi India (4G) as its network, but the same plan’s notes say it operates on the Jio network. The two disagree, so we promise neither; check coverage where you will stay (plan details as of October 29, 2026).
The plan is data only and counts its days from its first connection in India, not from the day you buy it. To size the GB, how much data do I need? walks through typical use.
Check before you fly
What if the eSIM doesn’t work when you land in India?
Check four settings, in this order, before you write to us.
The first is the line for cellular data. In the phone’s SIM settings, pick the travel line for cellular data; your US line stays on for calls and texts, with its cellular data off.
The second is data roaming, for the eSIM line only. The eSIM is a foreign profile, so the phone treats India as roaming for it.
The third is the APN. On this plan it sets itself, so leave it alone; you don’t need to type one.
The fourth is a restart. Restart the phone or switch Airplane Mode on and off, and let it find Vi India; this can take a few minutes after you leave the plane.
Still no data? Write to us on WhatsApp or at support@esimworld.us with your order number, or go through the no-signal checklist. Do not delete the eSIM to “try again”: a deleted profile usually cannot be installed twice from the same code. If the eSIM doesn't work and it isn't your phone's fault, we refund the payment whether or not it was installed.
What I’d choose (and when NOT to buy the eSIM)
For a week of maps, rides and messaging I’d take 1 GB for 7 days, $3.99. For two weeks or more, with photos and social media, I’d go for 5 GB for 30 days, $13.99. If you video-call and stream every day, take the unlimited plan for 7 days, $38.99, with 3 GB a day at full speed, then reduced to 1 Mbps.
I would not recommend the eSIM in three cases. If your US plan already includes India and its limit is enough for you, roaming costs you nothing extra and keeps your number (compare the carriers). If your phone has no eSIM or is locked to your carrier, it cannot take the plan: check if your phone is unlocked. And if your group travels together all day and shares one connection, a pocket Wi-Fi can cover everyone.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy an eSIM for India from the USA?
Yes. Our India plans are data only, and you install the eSIM at home on Wi-Fi before the flight. The phone must be unlocked and support eSIM, so check both first; the days start when the eSIM first connects in India.
Does eSIM work well in India?
We can’t rate it: we have run no coverage test in India. Our plan lists Vi India (4G), while its notes say Jio, so check coverage where you’ll stay. If your US plan already includes data in India, a visit inside that allowance may not need an eSIM at all.
Can a US citizen get a local SIM card in India?
We haven’t verified it. The ID checks Indian carriers run for visitors are not among the facts we checked, so ask Jio, Airtel or Vi before you go. On a US iPhone 14 or later, Apple says activation is by eSIM only, so a physical SIM card is not an option there.
Is there a monthly India eSIM for family visits?
Yes. Our monthly plans run 30 days with 10GB or 20GB, or with 3 GB/day at full speed, then reduced to 1 Mbps. All are data only, so your US number stays on for 2FA codes and texts; a visit longer than 30 days needs a second plan.
Sources checked: AT&T: Day Pass · AT&T: the 10-day cap per bill · AT&T: pay-per-use rates · Verizon: TravelPass FAQs · Verizon: TravelPass countries · Verizon: Monthly Plan · T-Mobile: plans abroad · T-Mobile: International Pass · Google Fi: rates abroad · Google Fi: plans and Bill Protection · Google Fi: 5G destinations · Cricket: international roaming · Xfinity: destinations list · Apple: iPhones with eSIM only · Apple: eSIM while traveling · Census Bureau: ACS 2024, place of birth (table B05006) · NTTO: US outbound travelers, 2024 · State Department: India advisory.
Sources are linked in the text. Carrier terms change: for the terms of your own plan, check with your carrier.
When you’re ready, our India plans list every package for the trip.
Unfamiliar term? See the eSIM glossary.
Get an eSIM for India, from $3.99 Pay by card. The seller is a company registered in the United States, so this is a payment to a US business. Install the profile at home on Wi-Fi before you fly. The QR code arrives by email after payment. See plans