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Does It Deliver? · Evaluation

The Best eSIMs and Roaming Plans for Business Travel

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By Rachel Julian, Editor-in-Chief · · 4 min read

The demo doesn’t care which country you’re in. International data options ranked on published commitments — honest pricing, stated limits, tethering rights, and what happens when the plan runs out.

Direct answer: By the Roaming Index, the top-scoring international data plan for business travel is T-Mobile (included intl) at 93/100, scored on 15 published commitments across pricing transparency, data honesty, tethering & reach, setup & self-serve, support & renewal — what each one commits to in writing, not marketing. The field of 10 averages 72/100. The Sales Traveler scores on published commitments only; a partnership buys reach, never a rating.

The demo doesn’t care which country you’re in — but your data plan does. We scored carriers and travel eSIMs on what they commit to in writing: honest pricing, stated data limits, tethering rights, and what happens when the plan runs out mid-trip. “Unlimited,” it turns out, usually isn’t.

The ranking

#ProviderScoreP·D·W·S·N
1T-Mobile (included intl)933·3·3·3·2
2Google Fi873·3·3·3·1
3Airalo733·1·2·3·2
4Holafly733·1·2·3·2
5Saily733·1·2·3·2
6Verizon TravelPass732·2·3·2·2
7AT&T Intl Day Pass672·2·3·2·1
8Nomad673·1·2·3·1
9Ubigi603·1·2·3·0
10GigSky533·1·2·2·0

Scored on 15 published commitments (P·D·W·S·N, each of 3 → /100). Source: the The Roaming Index, 2026-07. Published commitments only — no amenity lists, no marketing.

How they’re scored

Each provider is scored on five dimensions, three published checks each (15 total), and a check scores Yes only where the commitment is documented — brand standards, official policy pages, app documentation. “Usually” and “varies” score No:

  1. Pricing transparency — Per-day/per-GB pricing published; Coverage list per plan published; Taxes/fees included stated.
  2. Data honesty — Data caps stated; Throttle thresholds stated; Speed expectations stated.
  3. Tethering & reach — Hotspot/tethering rights stated; Calls/number option available; Regional/multi-country plans.
  4. Setup & self-serve — Instant eSIM issue; Pre-trip install supported; In-app top-up.
  5. Support & renewal — Refund policy published; Live chat support stated; Extension/rollover terms stated.

How to read it

The score is the floor each one will put its name to — the only thing you can plan on. A high score means the commitments are published; it doesn’t grade any single experience on the day. Use it to shortlist, then verify the current specifics before you commit. The full 10-provider table and every breakdown live in the The Roaming Index.

The Roaming Index

All 10 scored, in full.

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Scored from the Roaming Index (published commitments only, 2026-07). Independent and reader-funded — a partnership buys reach, never a rating.
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