Data roaming means your phone uses mobile data on a network abroad that is not your carrier's. Your carrier bills it on top of your plan: US carriers charge about $12 a day, while EU plans roam at home prices inside the EU. A travel eSIM is a prepaid data line for the trip, so roaming on your home SIM can stay off.
What the setting does
Every phone has a Data Roaming switch for each line. When it is on and you are outside your carrier's country, that line may use mobile data on networks abroad; when it is off, the line uses no mobile data abroad. Calls and SMS are separate: the line still receives them with data roaming off, at your carrier's rates.
What roaming costs
- US carriers: AT&T International Day Pass and Verizon TravelPass cost $12 a day (checked October 2026); AT&T charges at most 10 day fees per bill period, Verizon has no cap.
- EU plans: inside the EU and the EEA, Roam Like at Home lets you use your plan at home prices within its fair-use limit; Ukraine and Moldova joined on 1 January 2026. Outside that area, for example in Switzerland, the UK or Turkey, your carrier sets the price.
- Without a pass: pay-per-use roaming is billed by the megabyte, the most expensive way to use data abroad. Check your carrier's price list before you go.
Where a travel eSIM fits
A VoyaSIM eSIM is a second, prepaid line for the trip. It also reaches you through partner networks abroad, which is why its own Data Roaming switch must be on, but you have already paid for it and nothing is billed afterwards. Your home SIM keeps your number for calls and SMS with its data roaming off.
Frequently asked questions
Is data roaming free in the EU?
For EU and EEA phone plans, yes within your carrier's fair-use limit, under the EU's Roam Like at Home rules, which have covered Ukraine and Moldova since 1 January 2026. A plan from outside the EU gets no such rule there.
Will I be charged for roaming with a VoyaSIM eSIM?
No. You pay the plan price at checkout; the eSIM uses data until the plan's data or days run out, and nothing is billed afterwards.
Does Wi-Fi count as roaming?
No. Wi-Fi never uses roaming; only mobile data, calls and SMS on a foreign network do.
Sources & methodology
Plan prices and network lists on this page come from the live VoyaSIM catalog. Third-party figures were checked against the sources below as of October 31, 2026.