US Travel eSIM: Only 12 of Airalo's 30 US Plans Include Calls and Texts

Disclosure: we earn a commission if you book through the affiliate store links on our checklist page linked below.

The "United States eSIM" button below goes to that checklist page; the store links there are affiliate links. This post was drafted with AI assistance and checked line by line against Airalo's public pages; Airalo did not provide or review it.

Go straight to the store link: United States eSIM button on our checklist page. That button opens Airalo's US country page, not a preselected plan, so you still choose the plan and see the final total there.

Observed on from Airalo's public United States eSIM page and two of its help articles. Listings change; read the plan details again before you pay.

Most of the 30 US listings are data only

The United States page listed 30 plans at the time of this observation. They fall into three groups:

  • 12 fixed-data plans (operator name "Change") from 1 GB for 3 days up to 50 GB for 30 days. The plan details describe them as data-only. No SMS or call minutes are listed.
  • 6 unlimited plans for 3, 5, 7, 10, 15 or 30 days, also data-only. Each one carries the same fair-use line: "Lower speed rate of 1 Mbps after 5 GB usage per day." Unlimited here does not mean unlimited full-speed data.
  • 12 plans with data, SMS and minutes (operator name "Change+"), from 1 GB with 10 SMS and 10 minutes for 3 days up to 50 GB with 500 SMS and 500 minutes for 30 days.

So 18 of the 30 listings include no texts or calls at all. If you only need maps, messaging apps and browsing, a data-only plan matches that. If you expect to send ordinary SMS or make local calls, only the Change+ group lists them.

Read the minutes line twice

The Change+ plans carry two lines that are easy to skim past. One says, for example, "Voice minutes includes a total of 50 incoming and 50 outgoing minutes." The other says "Incoming calls are deducted from the minutes balance. Outgoing international calls are not allowed." Taken together, the safe reading is: plan for calls inside the United States only, and expect answered calls to use part of your allowance. If calls matter to you, open the plan and read its own terms before buying.

The page does not say whether a given app or bank will accept the plan's number for verification codes. That depends on the service sending the code, so check with that service rather than assuming.

Coverage and activation, as listed

  • Coverage text: "eSIM covers the United States, including Hawaii and Puerto Rico, with limited availability in Alaska."
  • Networks named in the plan details: T-Mobile and Verizon, with the data-only plans also mentioning U.S. Cellular. The Change+ plans, the only ones with calls and texts, describe themselves as operating on the T-Mobile network, even though their network rows also list Verizon. Check the network list on the specific plan you choose.
  • Activation policy in the page data: first usage. The plan details also say "Rechargeable online with no expiry."
  • Airalo's store FAQ says you can install the eSIM before you arrive, as long as you have a stable internet connection, and that in many cases you can top up instead of buying a new eSIM.

Check your phone before you pick a plan

The plan details do not matter if the phone cannot take an eSIM. Airalo's own help articles give these checks:

  • iPhone: Settings, General, About. Tap Model Number until it shows a code starting with A, and confirm it is not a China mainland, Hong Kong or Macao model. In the same screen, Carrier Lock should read "No SIM restrictions". Apple's own setup page lists iPhone XS, XS Max, XR or later as eSIM-capable, with fewer supported models for China mainland.
  • Samsung Galaxy: Settings, Connections, SIM Manager. If "Add eSIM" is available, the phone likely supports eSIM.
  • Google Pixel: Settings, Network & Internet, then the plus sign beside SIMs. A "Download a SIM instead?" option means the phone is eSIM-capable.
  • Other Android phones: dial *#06#. If the phone supports eSIM, an EID (the eSIM identification number) should appear.

The help articles add that the phone must also be carrier-unlocked, and that the final word on eSIM support comes from the manufacturer, the seller or your home carrier.

A four-question shortlist

  1. Does my phone show an EID or an "Add eSIM" option, and is it unlocked?
  2. Do I need SMS or call minutes, or is data enough?
  3. How many days will I actually be in the United States, including the travel day?
  4. If I pick an unlimited plan, is 5 GB a day at full speed enough for me?

With those four answers you can usually narrow 30 listings down to two or three, then compare the final totals on the plan page.

Ready to compare? Open the United States eSIM button on our checklist page (that page contains affiliate links).

Sources checked

  • Apple Support: Set up eSIM on iPhone (supported models and the China mainland exception)
  • Airalo website, United States eSIM page: plan list, plan details and store FAQ (read 30 October 2026). The store button on our checklist page opens this page.
  • Airalo help center: "How do I check if my iOS device supports eSIM?" and "How do I check if my Android device supports eSIM?" (read 30 October 2026)

Limits of this page: plan counts and wording are from one observation of the public page; prices are left out on purpose because they change; network quality and speeds were not measured. AI assistance was used for drafting; every count and quote was rechecked against the saved page.

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