$16.50about $1.65 a day
Get UbigieSIM vs physical SIM
An eSIM is the better pick for a trip abroad: you install it at home, switch your data to it when you land, and your US SIM never leaves the phone. For a trip to Japan, the one to get is Ubigi: 10 GB for about $16.50. A physical SIM card still wins on a phone too old to take an eSIM.
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No eSIM yet? The one to buy for your trip.
$31.00about $3.10 a day
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eSIM vs physical SIM card: the differences
Both hold the same thing, the line that tells a network who you are. What changes is how you get it, and whether your US line stays in the phone.
A physical SIM, or pSIM, is the small card in your phone's SIM tray: on recent phones, a nano SIM, the smallest of the card sizes. An eSIM is the same line downloaded onto a chip that is already soldered inside the phone, from a QR code or an app. Abroad, both connect to the same local networks.
| eSIM | Physical SIM | |
|---|---|---|
| How you get it | Downloaded, from home | A shop, a kiosk or the mail |
| Phones it works in | iPhone XS and later, most recent Pixels and Galaxys, unlocked | Any unlocked phone with a tray |
| Your US line | Stays on the phone | The card comes out, unless the phone holds two |
| Lost or stolen phone | Can't be pulled out | A thief can remove it |
| New phone | A transfer, or a new eSIM | Move the card |
eSIM vs physical SIM: signal strength and speed
Your bars come from the network and the phone's antenna, whichever way the line got in.
Same antenna, same signal
The SIM, card or eSIM, only identifies you. The radio that finds the network is the phone's own, so the same phone on the same network gets the same bars either way.
What decides speed abroad
Which local network your plan runs on. A travel eSIM rides on a local carrier: Ubigi uses NTT Docomo and KDDI in Japan. Any plan, card or eSIM, can sit on a weaker one, so check the network the plan names before you buy.
eSIM or SIM card for travel abroad?
The benefits of an eSIM over a physical SIM show on the day you land.
A travel eSIM: done before you fly
You buy and install it at home, and on landing you point your data at it. Your US SIM stays in the phone, so your number still gets calls and texts, bank codes included. For 10 days in Japan, the eSIM costs about $16.50 against $120 on a carrier day pass.
A local SIM card: bought on arrival
You find a counter or a shop after landing, often after a long flight, and swap the card in with the little ejector tool. Unless your phone takes a card and an eSIM at once, your US SIM comes out for the whole trip, and with it every text sent to your US number.
If you do take your US SIM card out, keep it in a small bag inside your passport cover. It's the size of a fingernail, and without it you can't get texts on your US number until your carrier replaces it.
Still choosing one? Start with the best international eSIM for your trip. Ready to install it? Every screen is in the iPhone eSIM guide, and the Samsung and Pixel menus are in the Android guide.
Who should still buy a physical SIM card
If none of these is you, get the eSIM.
Your phone can't take an eSIM
Older iPhones, before the XS and XR, and many budget Android phones only take a card. On those, a local SIM is the way to get local data.
You want a local phone number
Most travel eSIMs are data only. If you need to call restaurants or receive texts on a local number, a local SIM card with calling is the simpler buy, in the countries that sell them to tourists. For messages to people at home, WhatsApp or iMessage over the eSIM's data does the job.
You switch phones on the road
A card moves to a spare phone in seconds. An eSIM has to be transferred, and most providers issue the code for a single install, so a broken phone means asking their support for a new one.
eSIM vs physical SIM on iPhone
On a US iPhone, the choice has mostly been made for you.
iPhone 14 and later bought in the US: eSIM only
These models have no SIM tray at all. Apple says they store eight or more eSIMs and run two at the same time: your US line plus a travel eSIM.
Older iPhones or ones bought abroad: both
With a tray, you can run a SIM card and an eSIM side by side. iPhone 13 and later can also run two eSIMs at once. Some US carriers can turn your SIM card into an eSIM from Settings > Cellular, so there's no card to lose on the trip.
Never erase your US eSIM to make room for a travel one. An iPhone holds both, and an erased eSIM can only come back from your carrier. When the trip ends, delete the travel eSIM and leave the US line alone.
Not sure how big a plan to buy? The data calculator turns your trip into a plan size.
eSIM and SIM card questions
What are the disadvantages of eSIM?
You need a phone that takes one, unlocked by your carrier, and moving it to a new phone takes a transfer instead of a card swap. Erase an eSIM by mistake and your carrier has to issue a new one. Most travel eSIMs are data only, with no local phone number.
Can I go back to physical SIM from eSIM?
On a phone with a SIM tray, yes: your carrier can issue a SIM card and move your number onto it. iPhone 14 and later models bought in the US have no SIM tray, so they stay on eSIM.
What is a dual SIM phone?
A phone that runs two lines at once: a SIM card and an eSIM, or two eSIMs. That's what lets a travel eSIM carry your data abroad while your US number still gets calls and texts. Most phones sold in the last few years work this way.
Do I turn off the primary SIM when using eSIM?
No. Keep your US line on so calls and bank codes reach you, and turn Data Roaming off on that line. The travel eSIM takes the data. On some carriers, a call or a normal text you send from the US line starts a day pass too, so text with iMessage or WhatsApp.
Ubigi for Japan10 GB, 30 days, $16.50
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