Phone abroad: roaming or eSIM, what it really costs

ByAffilReviews360 Editorial

Paid link. This page contains an affiliate link to Saily. If you buy through it, Saily pays a commission to InnovE-Tech Solutions inc., publisher of this site, through the Travelpayouts network. We add nothing to the price, which is set by the brand. The table shows the prices recorded on the official pages: the commission changes neither the prices shown nor the order of the rows. The other providers pay us nothing. See our affiliate disclosure.

As of November 2, 2026. What does your phone cost for a week in the United States, two weeks in France or a week in Mexico? The table compares the options of 10 carriers available in Quebec and 5 travel eSIMs, with prices from the official pages, without currency conversion.

The trips compared

  • United States, 7 days, about 5 GB
  • France, 14 days, about 10 GB
  • Mexico, 7 days, about 5 GB

This is not a like-for-like comparison: carrier passes keep your number, calls and texts, and draw on the data of your Canadian plan; an eSIM sells data only, without a Canadian number.

United States, 7 days, about 5 GB

ProviderOption usedCost of the trip
Carriers (roaming)
FizzTravel add-on 5 GB, United StatesCA$15
Koodo7-day U.S. passportCA$40
TelusTravel Connected United States passport – 7 daysCA$40
FidoUnited States travel pass – 7 daysCA$50
RogersUnited States travel pass – 7 daysCA$50
Bell14-day United States passportCA$60
Virgin Plus14-day United States passportCA$60
Vidéotron24-hour traveller option, United StatesCA$91
CA$13/day × 7 days
Lucky MobileNo roamingNo roaming: Lucky Mobile only offers its service in Canada. Abroad, you need an eSIM.
Public MobileU.S. roaming option (15 days)The U.S. roaming option exists (15 days), but its price is not published on any public page.
Travel eSIMs
Nomad5 GB / 30 daysCA$12.57
Ubigi10 GB / 7 daysCA$17
Airalo5 GB / 7 daysCA$18
HolaflyUnlimited 7 daysCA$38
Saily (paid link)5 GB / 30 daysUS$13.99

France, 14 days, about 10 GB

ProviderOption usedCost of the trip
Carriers (roaming)
FizzTravel add-on 10 GB, FranceCA$25
Koodo14-day passport in EuropeCA$50
TelusTravel Connected EUR pass – 14 daysCA$50
FidoEurope travel pass – 14 daysCA$70
RogersEurope travel pass – 14 daysCA$70
Bell14-day Europe passportCA$75
Virgin Plus14-day Europe passportCA$75
Vidéotron24-hour traveller option, InternationalCA$210
CA$15/day × 14 days
Lucky MobileNo roamingNo roaming: Lucky Mobile only offers its service in Canada. Abroad, you need an eSIM.
Public MobileNo roaming option outside the U.S.No roaming option for Europe: of the three published categories of add-ons, the only one for travel abroad covers the United States.
Travel eSIMs
Ubigi10 GB / 30 daysCA$14
Nomad10 GB / 30 daysCA$19.55
Airalo10 GB / 15 daysCA$23.50
HolaflyUnlimited 14 daysCA$66
Saily (paid link)10 GB / 30 daysUS$16.99

Mexico, 7 days, about 5 GB

ProviderOption usedCost of the trip
Carriers (roaming)
FizzTravel add-on 5 GB, MexicoCA$13
Koodo7-day Caribbean and Mexico passportCA$50
TelusTravel Connected Caribbean and Mexico passport – 7 daysCA$50
FidoCaribbean and Mexico travel pass – 7 daysCA$55
RogersCaribbean and Mexico travel pass – 7 daysCA$55
Bell14-day Caribbean and Mexico passportCA$70
Virgin Plus14-day Caribbean and Mexico passportCA$70
Vidéotron24-hour traveller option, InternationalCA$105
CA$15/day × 7 days
Lucky MobileNo roamingNo roaming: Lucky Mobile only offers its service in Canada. Abroad, you need an eSIM.
Public MobileCanada-U.S.-Mexico plan 70 GBNo roaming option for Mexico: you have to switch to a Canada-U.S.-Mexico plan.
Travel eSIMs
Nomad5 GB / 30 daysCA$15.36
Airalo5 GB / 7 daysCA$17.50
Ubigi3 GB / 30 days × 2CA$26
HolaflyUnlimited 7 daysCA$34
Saily (paid link)5 GB / 30 daysUS$14.99

What tips the balance

  • You want to keep your number and call without an app: your carrier's pass remains the simplest route.
  • You mostly want data: on all three trips, the cheapest option in the table is an eSIM or Fizz's data add-on; an eSIM requires an unlocked, compatible phone.
  • Lucky Mobile offers no roaming, and Public Mobile only has an option for the United States: with them, an eSIM is the way to go in France. For Mexico, Public Mobile asks you to switch to a Canada–United States–Mexico plan.
  • The CRTC Wireless Code caps data roaming charges per billing cycle: beyond the cap, the carrier must get your explicit consent.
  • Saily shows its prices in US dollars: we do not convert them.
  • None of the carrier pages read states whether taxes are added to the prices shown; the CRTC Code requires the contract to say so.

Our provider reviews

Method

Prices recorded on November 1 and November 2, 2026 on each provider's official pages, without currency conversion. No plan was bought or tried: this is a document-based comparison. How we evaluate.

Sources

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