Truly unlimited eSIM: which ones have no daily cap (2026 comparison)

"Unlimited" is the most abused word in travel eSIMs. Most brands sell an unlimited plan that is really unlimited at low speed: you get a daily allowance of fast data, and once you pass it the connection drops to about 1 Mbps until midnight. That is still enough for maps and chat, but not for much else.

This page shows who caps what, where each rule is published, and what actually breaks when you are throttled. If you want the price for your trip, run it in the price simulator.

Unlimited vs. unlimited high-speed: the difference that matters

There are two very different products sold under the same word.

• Unlimited with a daily high-speed cap: you use fast data up to a set amount each day, then the carrier reduces your speed for the rest of the 24-hour window. Nothing stops working; everything gets slower.
• Unlimited with no cap: speed stays whatever the local network gives you, all day, every day of the plan.

VoaSim sells the second type. No daily allowance, no throttling after a threshold, no "fair use" clause hidden in the terms. You connect automatically to local networks on 4G and, where available, 5G.

Neither model is wrong. If you mostly use maps, WhatsApp and email, a capped plan can be plenty and you may never notice the limit. If you stream, upload video, work on calls or travel with heavy phone habits, the cap is the thing that decides your day. Read more in our fair use policy guide.

Daily caps by provider (2026)

Here is what each brand publishes in its own terms. Prices are not shown here on purpose — compare them live in the VoaSim eSIM Price Index, updated daily.

Details per brand: Airalo, Holafly, Nomad.

What still works at 1 Mbps (and what doesn't)

Being throttled is not being offline. At roughly 1 Mbps you can still:

• Use Google Maps and Waze, including live navigation
• Send and receive WhatsApp messages, voice notes and photos
• Browse normal web pages, book a table, check in for a flight
• Make voice calls over apps, usually fine

What gets painful:

• Video calls with camera on, especially for work
• Streaming in HD, and sometimes even standard definition
• Uploading photos or video to cloud and social apps
• Loading heavy sites, map tiles in a new city, large attachments
• Sharing the signal with a laptop, when the provider allows it at all

So the honest question is not "capped or not capped". It is: how many days of your trip will you cross that line? Three people in a family all hitting a 2 GB daily allowance by 3 p.m. is a very different trip from one light user.

How to read the terms before you buy

Five minutes of reading saves a bad week abroad. Look for these words on the provider's own page, not on a review site:

1. "Fair use" — almost always means there is a limit somewhere. Find the number.
2. "High-speed data" — if the page says X GB of high-speed data per day, the plan is capped.
3. "Reduced to 1 Mbps" or similar — that is the speed you get for the rest of the day.
4. Hotspot / tethering — check whether it is allowed, capped, or counted against the same allowance.
5. Validity — when do the days start? With VoaSim, the clock starts at the eSIM's first connection at the destination, not at purchase.

One more: who answers when it breaks. VoaSim has human support by email at hola@voasim.com and on-site chat, plus the free eSIM Rescue tool that diagnoses an eSIM of any brand with no signal.

VoaSim prices: by destination and trip length

160+ destinations on every continent, including Brazil, the US, Japan and the Europe plan that covers 39 countries with one eSIM. Today's prices include the 15% promo:

Trips of 1–4 days pay the 5-day package; the maximum is 90 days per eSIM. Buying 2 to 4 eSIMs in the same order gets an extra 10% off each additional one — useful, because hotspot is not allowed and each traveler needs their own line. See all destinations.

Rules and limits you should know

Being plain about the fine print is part of being unlimited.

• Data only. No phone number and no traditional voice calls. WhatsApp, app calls and maps run over data, and your own number stays on your physical SIM.
• No hotspot. Sharing the connection can get the line blocked by the local carrier. Each traveler uses their own eSIM.
• No island Caribbean coverage right now (Dominican Republic, Cuba, Jamaica, Bahamas, Aruba, Curaçao). Puerto Rico works on US networks.
• Cruises: works on land at ports, not at sea.
• Compatibility: iPhone XR or newer, Galaxy S20 or newer, Pixel 3 or newer and most phones from 2020 on. Dial *#06# — if an EID shows, you have eSIM. Carrier-locked phones must be unlocked.

Delivery is by email within minutes after paying by international card in USD via Stripe. Install before you fly, keep the line off until you land, and turn off your home carrier's data roaming. If it will not connect and support cannot fix it, you get a 100% refund — see how our guarantee works.

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