Traviva’s pick for New Zealand is Ubigi: 10GB for 30 days at US$16, the cheapest verified plan, with tethering allowed. Nomad is close at US$18, and for a typical eight-day trip a smaller plan such as Ubigi’s 3GB for US$7 or Nomad’s 5GB for US$13 is often enough. It suits travellers with an unlocked, eSIM-capable 4G phone with VoLTE — New Zealand has switched off 3G — but no eSIM fixes the coverage gaps on roads such as the Haast Pass and Milford Road.
Updated · Prices in US dollars unless marked A$; figures marked “checked October 2026” were read off each provider’s own site on 8 October 2026.
New Zealand eSIMs at a glance
The 10GB, 30-day plan from each provider, or its unlimited plan where it sells no fixed data. Hotspot rules come from each provider’s own terms.
| Provider | Plan / data | Validity | Price | Hotspot | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ubigi | 10GB | 30 days | US$16 | Yes | Network not disclosed. Unlimited: US$65 for 30 days (60GB at full speed, then 2 Mbps). Price checked October 2026. |
| Nomad | 10GB | 30 days | US$18 | Yes | Network not disclosed. Price checked October 2026. |
| Saily | 10GB | 30 days | US$23.99 | Yes | Network not disclosed. Price checked October 2026. |
| Airalo | 10GB | 30 days | US$24 | Yes | Spark. Price checked October 2026. |
| Holafly | Unlimited | 30 days | US$76.50 | 1GB a day | Spark. No fixed-data plans. Price checked October 2026. |
| Maya Mobile | Unlimited | 30 days | US$49.99 | Allowed, with guidance | Spark. 3GB a day, then 10 Mbps, then 1 Mbps. Price checked October 2026. |
| Simify | 10GB | 30 days | A$49 | Allowed | One NZ (Vodafone). Billed in A$. Price checked October 2026. |
“99% coverage” is a population figure, and the gaps are where you will be driving
New Zealand’s networks quote coverage in the high nineties. Both carriers say in their own words that this counts people, not land — and a government paper names a 200-kilometre stretch of tourist highway with none.
Spark says its 4G and 5G networks reach “99% of New Zealanders”. One NZ says its networks cover “99% of the places you work, live and play”. Neither is a claim about the map. Spark’s own coverage page adds that the levels shown are indicative of outdoor coverage and do not guarantee you will connect.
A Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment paper on cellular infrastructure names the gaps directly: “a 200-kilometre stretch between Fox Glacier and Makaroa through the Haast Pass”, and separately that the route from Te Anau to Milford Sound “also does not have good cellular coverage”.
The Department of Conservation’s current page on the Milford Road says fibre has been installed along it but “mobile phone reception is limited”, naming reception at three points only — Te Anau Downs, The Divide and Milford Sound itself. An older transport brochure went further and said there was no coverage at all between Te Anau and Milford; the honest current answer is the Department’s.
One thing nobody appears to have reconciled. The MBIE paper naming the Haast notspot dates from 2016. In 2018 the government funded remediation — described at the time as a 3G tower at Haast plus six to eight small roadside sites on State Highway 6. Every 3G network in New Zealand has since been switched off. Whether those roadside sites were upgraded to 4G, we could not establish. It is a reasonable question to ask before relying on them.
New Zealand is a 4G and 5G country now, as of March 2026
2degrees completed its 3G shutdown on 2 February 2026. One NZ completed both 2G and 3G on 23 March 2026, stating that from that day customers without 4G phones cannot call, text or reach emergency services. Spark closed its 3G on 31 March 2026.
So a 3G-only handset, or a 4G handset without VoLTE, gets nothing in New Zealand now — no matter which eSIM is loaded on it.
We also looked for evidence that the Crown Range and the Catlins are mobile notspots, because both get named as such constantly. No government, regulator or carrier source names either. We are not going to repeat it.
What a 10GB month costs in New Zealand
Same plan, same duration, four sellers. Prices in US dollars, checked 8 October 2026.
Holafly sells no fixed-data plans anywhere — its 30-day unlimited plan is $76.50, which is a different product and so is not plotted on the same scale.
Ubigi
Ubigi’s 10GB for 30 days at $16 is the cheapest verified plan, and Nomad’s $18 is close. For a typical eight-day trip, a smaller plan is usually enough — don’t pay for a month you won’t use.
See Ubigi New Zealand plans →Every verified plan
Prices in US dollars, read off each provider’s own page. Where we could not confirm a price, we say so rather than estimate.
| Provider | Fixed data plans | Unlimited |
|---|---|---|
| Saily | 1GB/7d $3.99 · 3GB/30d $9.99 · 5GB/30d $13.99 · 10GB/30d $23.99 · 20GB/30d $37.99 | Not verified in October 2026 |
| Airalo | 1GB/3d $4 · 3GB/3d $9 · 3GB/7d $10 · 5GB/7d $13 · 10GB/7d $23 · 5GB/15d $13.50 · 10GB/15d $23.50 · 20GB/15d $37 · 5GB/30d $14 · 10GB/30d $24 · 20GB/30d $38 · 50GB/30d $49 | 3d $11.50 · 5d $18.50 · 7d $27 · 10d $34.50 · 15d $48 · 30d $71 |
| Nomad | 1GB/7d $4.50 · 3GB/30d $9 · 5GB/30d $13 · 10GB/30d $18 · 20GB/30d $28 | 3d $11 · 5d $18 · 7d $25 · 10d $33 |
| Ubigi | 3GB/30d $7 · 10GB/7d $14 · 10GB/30d $16 · 25GB/30d $35 | 7d $29 · 15d $44 · 30d $65 The 30-day plan runs at full speed for the first 60GB, then 2 Mbps. |
| Holafly | No fixed-data plans — unlimited only | 3d $11.90 · 5d $20.50 · 7d $27.50 · 10d $37.50 · 15d $51.50 · 30d $76.50 |
| Maya Mobile | No fixed-data plans — unlimited only Maya sells no fixed-data plans anywhere; its product is one global unlimited plan. | 3d $9.99 · 7d $19.99 · 14d $27.99 · 30d $49.99 The same four prices apply in every country Maya covers. |
| Simify | 5GB/7d A$29 · 10GB/30d A$49 · 20GB/30d A$75 · 30GB/30d A$99 · 45GB/45d A$135 · 60GB/60d A$159 · 100GB/90d A$219 | Not verified in October 2026 |
Provider names link to their own site. Some of those links earn us a commission — the disclosure page says exactly which, and it plays no part in which plan we call cheapest.
Every price on this page is in US dollars except Simify’s, which are in Australian dollars because it bills in A$. An Australian card adds a foreign transaction fee of around 3% to the rest, which none of them mention at checkout — what that actually costs you →
Before you choose on price
Every unlimited plan sold in New Zealand slows down at some point, so none of them is truly unlimited. Airalo gives you 3GB a day before dropping to 1 Mbps; Nomad gives you 2GB a day before dropping to 512 kbps; Ubigi sets no daily cap, but its 30-day plan runs at full speed for 60GB, then 2 Mbps; Holafly publishes no figure at all, though third-party analysis puts it near 2–3GB a day; Maya Mobile gives you 3GB a day before dropping to 10 Mbps, then 1 Mbps; Simify, where it sells unlimited, publishes no firm figure at all — only an approximate 1–1.5GB, and only in a troubleshooting article rather than on any plan page.
The cap matters less than what happens after it, and it decides whether a cheaper fixed-data plan would serve you better. Every provider’s daily cap and throttled speed, in one table →
Which network you actually roam onto
An eSIM is a roaming agreement with a local carrier. In New Zealand, that means:
| Provider | Local network |
|---|---|
| Holafly | Spark |
| Airalo | Spark |
| Saily | Not disclosed |
| Nomad | Not disclosed |
| Ubigi | Not disclosed |
| Maya Mobile | Spark |
| Simify | Vodafone |
If you are hiring a car, read the contract before you read the coverage map
Most Australians who fly to New Zealand drive once they land, and the thing most likely to cost you real money there is not your data plan — it is the unsealed-road clause in your rental agreement. Of the ten suppliers we read, some permit formed gravel, one voids your cover on any unsealed road at all, and two publish no policy whatsoever.
What each New Zealand rental supplier actually permits on gravel →
When Australians go to New Zealand
Peaks hard in January at 205,710 trips against 81,060 in June — a 2.5x swing driven by the Australian summer break.
New Zealand eSIM questions travellers ask
What is the best eSIM for New Zealand?
Traviva’s pick is Ubigi: 10GB for 30 days at US$16 in October 2026, the cheapest verified plan. Nomad is close at US$18; Saily (US$23.99) and Airalo (US$24) cost more for the same allowance.
How much data do I need for a week in New Zealand?
Most travellers who are not streaming video use between 500MB and 1.5GB a day, so a 5GB to 10GB plan covers a typical eight-day trip. Ubigi’s 3GB for 30 days is US$7 and Nomad’s 5GB is US$13.
Will my eSIM work on the Milford Road and Haast Pass?
Not reliably. A government paper names a 200-kilometre stretch through the Haast Pass with no coverage, and the Department of Conservation says mobile reception on the Milford Road is limited to Te Anau Downs, The Divide and Milford Sound. Every eSIM roams on the same New Zealand networks, so none can fix this.
Does 3G still work in New Zealand?
No. 2degrees, One NZ and Spark all closed their 3G networks between February and March 2026, so you need a 4G phone with VoLTE to make calls.
Can I use a New Zealand eSIM as a hotspot?
Yes with Ubigi, Nomad, Saily and Airalo, which allow tethering. Holafly limits hotspot sharing to 1GB a day. Tethering uses the same data allowance as your phone.
Which New Zealand network will my eSIM use?
Airalo, Holafly and Maya Mobile use Spark, and Simify uses Vodafone. Saily, Nomad and Ubigi do not disclose their New Zealand network.
Related
- Ubigi is cheapest in New Zealand, but Airalo is the name most people search for — what you get for the premium →
- Airalo and Holafly both sell New Zealand plans and are the two most-searched eSIM brands, but they work in completely different ways — we put them side by side →
- None of these gives you a New Zealand phone number by default — which travel eSIMs actually include one →