Traviva is an independent travel eSIM and car hire comparison, written in Adelaide for Australian travellers. We compare seven eSIM providers — Saily, Airalo, Nomad, Ubigi, Holafly, Maya Mobile and Simify — across 13 destinations, checking prices by hand on each provider’s own site and publishing the daily data caps, hotspot limits and phone-number options that checkout pages leave out. New to eSIMs? Read what an eSIM is and how it works. Start with our most-read guides: Bali (Indonesia), Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, the USA and Europe, or see every eSIM compared. We also cover car hire in New Zealand and car hire excess.
Updated · Prices in US dollars unless marked A$; figures marked “checked October 2026” were read off each provider’s own site on 7–8 October 2026.
Cheapest 10GB, 30-day eSIM by destination
Prices in US dollars, checked 7–8 October 2026 on each provider’s own site.
| Destination | Provider | Plan / data | Validity | Price | Hotspot | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bali (Indonesia) | Ubigi | 10GB | 30 days | US$16 | Yes | Our pick is Nomad (US$19) for its Telkomsel network. Price checked October 2026. |
| Japan | Nomad | 10GB | 30 days | US$16 (sale; normally US$18) | Yes | Ubigi US$16.50, Saily US$17.99. Price checked October 2026. |
| USA | Ubigi | 10GB | 30 days | US$14 | Yes | Nomad US$15. Ubigi covers Hawaii, not Alaska. Price checked October 2026. |
| Europe | Ubigi | 10GB | 30 days | US$15 | Yes | 38 countries incl. UK and Switzerland. Nomad US$23. Price checked October 2026. |
| South Korea | Ubigi | 10GB | 30 days | US$14 | Yes | Nomad US$18 (sale). Price checked October 2026. |
| Hong Kong | Ubigi | 10GB | 30 days | US$14 | Yes | Nomad US$16. Price checked October 2026. |
| United Kingdom | Ubigi | 10GB | 30 days | US$11 | Yes | Saily US$18.99. Price checked October 2026. |
Where are you going?
Prices differ enormously by destination, and the cheapest provider changes with the country. There is no single winner — anyone telling you otherwise hasn’t checked.
Indonesia (Bali)
Indonesia is the single biggest overseas destination for Australians, and Bali is most of that. It is also the destination where eSIM pricing diverges…
Compare eSIMs →Japan
Japan is the fastest-growing destination for Australian travellers — up roughly 85% since 2023 — and the most seasonal. If you're going for the snow b…
Compare eSIMs →China
In China the price is the second question. The first is whether Google, WhatsApp, Gmail and Instagram will work at all — and the answer depends …
Compare eSIMs →Vietnam
Vietnam is where Australian travel is growing fastest, and it is one of the cheaper places to buy mobile data — a 10GB month runs from $12.90. It is a…
Compare eSIMs →Thailand
Thailand is the cheapest destination in this comparison for mobile data, and the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive provider is absurd: $…
Compare eSIMs →Fiji
Fiji is the most expensive destination in this comparison for mobile data, and the one where the choice of local network matters most — most providers…
Compare eSIMs →Singapore
Singapore is the cheapest destination in this comparison for a 10GB month, at $13. It is also the one where the choice of local network matters most: …
Compare eSIMs →New Zealand
New Zealand is the second-biggest destination for Australians and the shortest trip on average, at around eight days. That short duration changes the …
Compare eSIMs →United States
The US is the one major destination where Australian travel is going backwards. It is also where the price spread between providers is widest for larg…
Compare eSIMs →Europe
Regional Europe plans are the best value in eSIM, because one plan covers a whole trip. Check the country count before you buy, though — the plans mar…
Compare eSIMs →South Korea
Ubigi’s 10GB for 30 days at US$14 is the cheapest verified plan by US$4. Nomad is the only seller that names all three Korean networks, and it uses different ones for fixed-data and unlimited plans.
Compare eSIMs →Hong Kong
Ubigi’s 10GB for 30 days at US$14 is the cheapest verified plan. If you are crossing into mainland China, check the provider’s China plan first — most sell the two separately.
Compare eSIMs →United Kingdom
Ubigi’s 10GB for 30 days at US$11 undercuts everyone by almost US$8, and its Europe plan covers the UK for US$15 if you are going on to the continent.
Compare eSIMs →What “unlimited” buys you before the brakes come on
Every provider here throttles. The difference is when, how hard, and whether you can share the connection with a laptop. None of this appears at checkout.
| Provider | Full speed until | Then throttled to | Hotspot | Phone number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saily | 5GB/day | 1 Mbps | Unlimited | Optional paid add-on |
| Airalo | 3GB/day | 1 Mbps | Unlimited | On some Data, Voice & Text packages and Discover+ |
| Nomad | 2GB/day | 512 kbps | Supported | Thailand 50GB plan only, per review; otherwise unclear |
| Ubigi | No daily cap — 60GB per 30-day plan (5GB in China) | 2 Mbps | Unlimited | Never — data only, no SMS |
| Holafly | ~2–3GB/day per third-party analysis; Holafly publishes no figure | 256–1024 kbps | 1GB/day | Never |
| Maya Mobile | 3GB/day | 10 Mbps, then 1 Mbps | Allowed, with guidance | No — data only, on every plan |
| Simify | No firm figure published — a help article says around 1–1.5GB | around 3 Mbps | Allowed | No — data only |
Providers, honestly
Saily
Best daily allowance of any provider, and the only one selling a phone number as a clean add-on. Newest brand here, so the least field-tested.
Airalo
The default choice, and the one people search for by name. Middling cap, unrestricted tethering, and a support operation that draws consistent complaints.
Nomad
Cheapest in Thailand by a distance, and the best-documented affiliate program. Harshest throttling, and prices move constantly because half the catalogue is permanently on sale.
Ubigi
Runs on its own network infrastructure rather than reselling, and it shows in reliability. Cheapest for large data in the US and Europe. Its unlimited plans swap a daily cap for a fixed full-speed allowance.
Holafly
One flat price everywhere, which makes it the worst value in cheap destinations and defensible only where data is expensive or your usage is unpredictable. The hotspot cap rules it out for anyone travelling with a laptop.
Maya Mobile
One global plan at one price, wherever you go, and the clearest fair-use wording in the category. Sells no fixed-data plans at all, so it only competes if you want unlimited.
Simify
The only provider here that charges Australians in Australian dollars, which quietly saves the foreign transaction fee every other price on this page attracts. Its fair-use policy is the vaguest of the lot.
Hiring a car in New Zealand
Same approach, different product. We read all ten New Zealand rental suppliers’ terms to find out what they actually permit on a gravel road — because the answers range from “go ahead” to “your cover is void”, and no booking page says which.
The New Zealand gravel clause
Ten suppliers, three completely different rules, and the roads each one excludes by name.
Read the comparison →Excess, bond and the cover that doesn’t apply
Three different numbers that get confused, and the exclusion no product buys back.
How the excess works →Three things that decide this more than price
The daily cap is the real product spec. Saily gives you 5GB a day at full speed, Nomad gives you 2GB then drops to 512 kbps. If you stream or tether, you will hit these on day one.
Hotspot policy splits the field cleanly. Airalo, Saily and Ubigi allow unrestricted tethering. Holafly caps it at 1GB a day. Travelling with a laptop makes that disqualifying regardless of price.
Almost nobody gives you a phone number. Ubigi and Holafly never do. If you need SMS for two-factor codes, Saily’s add-on or Airalo’s voice packages are effectively the only answers.
Travel eSIM questions travellers ask
What is Traviva?
Traviva is an independent comparison site for travel eSIMs and car hire, written in Adelaide for Australian travellers. Every price and policy is read off the provider’s own pages and dated, and we say plainly when a figure is not published.
What is the cheapest travel eSIM?
It depends on where you are going. For a 10GB, 30-day plan checked in October 2026, Ubigi was cheapest in the USA (US$14), Europe (US$15) and Bali (US$16), and Nomad was cheapest in Japan (US$16, a sale price).
Are unlimited travel eSIMs really unlimited?
No. Every unlimited plan we compare slows down after a daily allowance: Saily after 5GB a day, Airalo and Maya Mobile after 3GB, and Nomad after 2GB. Holafly publishes no figure, and Simify gives only a rough 1–1.5GB in a help article.
Which travel eSIMs let you use a hotspot?
Saily, Airalo and Ubigi allow tethering without a separate hotspot limit, and Nomad supports it. Holafly caps hotspot sharing at 1GB a day. Hotspot use still counts against your data allowance or daily cap.
Which travel eSIMs come with a phone number?
Most do not. Ubigi and Holafly never include one. Saily sells a phone number as an optional paid add-on, and Airalo includes one on some Data, Voice & Text packages.
Do Australians pay extra for eSIMs priced in US dollars?
Usually, yes. Most providers bill in US dollars, so an Australian card typically adds a foreign transaction fee of around 3%. Simify bills in Australian dollars, which avoids it.
How does Traviva make money?
Traviva earns a commission when you buy through some of our links, at no extra cost to you. Commissions do not change which plan we call cheapest, and our affiliate disclosure page lists which links earn.