Best prepaid SIM Cards for U.S. travelers and tourists 2024

Whether you're going on a quick vacation or moving for good, it's never a bad idea to get one of the best prepaid SIM cards so you can stay in touch with loved ones back home. Unfortunately, finding the right SIM card provider for all your needs can be a bit overwhelming. Fear not, good people: we've simplified the process by gathering all the best prepaid SIM cards for U.S. travelers and tourists into one simple guide. 

As long as your Android phone is unlocked for international usage and compatible with local networks such as T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T, ordering a SIM card online or through a nearby retailer should be a fairly simple affair. 

Keep reading for all the best prepaid SIM cards for U.S. travelers and tourists alike. If you want to go even deeper, you can also check out our guide to the best MVNO carriers or save some cash with the best MVNO deals of the month.

Patrick Farmer

Patrick is an experienced deal hunter with a particular interest in helping people save money on their phone bills. Whether you're switching to an affordable MVNO or upgrading to one of the Big Three, utilizing Patrick's years of experience in the eCommerce space can help you cut through the noise and find the carrier that works for you. 

At a glance

Best overall

Mint Mobile is among the best MVNO carriers available today and uses T-Mobile's (its parent company) 4G LTE and 5G network infrastructure, and that makes it a solid prepaid SIM card to get if you plan on staying in the U.S. for at least three months. As we found in our Mint Mobile review, the carrier's 5G connectivity is strong, and its phone compatibility is one of the best in the country.

With Mint Mobile, you need to purchase at least three months of service in advance. After that, the best deals are available when you sign up for either six or 12 months. For three months on the unlimited plan as a new customer, you'll pay $90 and enjoy unlimited talk, text, and data, 10GB of mobile hotspot, and free calls to Mexico and Canada. Calling to other international locations is available at a per-minute rate but if you use an app (e.g., WhatsApp, Line) to call your friends, you'll only need data.

Joining Mint Mobile is easy, and you can even sign up for a trial online to get a free Mint Mobile SIM card. It's even simpler if your phone is compatible with an eSIM as you can then activate the eSIM straight from your phone, and then later continue the service if you like it. You can also get a Mint SIM card from Target, Best Buy, Walmart, or Amazon.

Best for short stays

Ultra Mobile is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) using T-Mobile's network, meaning that you'll get great T-Mobile coverage at a lower price. Our Ultra Mobile review showed strong coverage and speeds. Although the carrier offers its own set of prepaid plans, the Ultra Mobile 3GB plan is a perfect fit for anyone visiting the U.S. for a month or less.

With this plan, you get a a more traditional SIM and after 30 days, the plan's validity will end, thus making it great for users who just want simple talk and text to a wide range of destinations and don't need a lot of data during their travels. For a monthly cost of $19 (before taxes and fees) with the SIM kit included, you'll get unlimited talk and text to more than 90 countries worldwide, plus free Wi-Fi calling and up to 4GB of 5G/4G LTE data, so you should have no issue staying connected with friends and family back home.

Best budget

Lycamobile is unique because it's a global MVNO, and in the U.S., it's an MVNO using T-Mobile's network. To check whether your phone is compatible, the easiest thing to do is type in your IMEI number on Lycamobile's website, but most GSM unlocked devices should work without any issues.

Lycamobile offers several plans to pick from and primarily caters to those who need unlimited nationwide talk and text and international calling and texting to more than 100 countries. Each plan includes these features at no additional charge, making this the perfect plan if you want to be able to call abroad whenever you want.

When it comes to data, you have multiple options starting at just 500MB and going up to 60GB. The cheapest 500MB plan costs $15 a month, while the most premium unlimited data plan costs $59 a month (It's currently available at a heavily discounted rate). Each plan includes slightly different bonus features, so you'll have to pick what makes the most sense for you.

Fortunately, Lycamobile SIM cards are pretty easy to get a hold of. They're sold online on Lycamobile's website and Amazon, but you can also find Lycamobile's SIM cards at several retailers like 7-Eleven, pharmacies, and local convenience stores. If you have any doubts, you can also use the online store locator to find the nearest retailer near you.

Best non-MVNO

Known for its amazing coverage, AT&T is also an excellent carrier to consider getting a SIM card from when visiting the U.S. and as such, it offers one of the best prepaid phone plans. It tends to have better coverage in rural areas than other carriers, so it's also a great option if you plan to be on the road a lot. For $30 a month (taxes and fees extra), AT&T Prepaid will get you 5GB of high-speed data, which is then throttled to 128Kbps after you've utilized the data allotment. As always, you should check your device's compatibility with AT&T online before signing up for the plan.

On this plan, you're able to use your mobile hotspot, and you can text to more than 230 countries around the world. You can also talk, text, and use data in Mexico and Canada, although data speeds may be slow. And if you think you'll need more than 5GB of data, you can always upgrade to the 15GB prepaid plan for just $40 a month, which is a great deal and definitely worth considering.

Best prepaid data plan

T-Mobile not only offers some of the best cell phone plans you could get today, but it also has an excellent prepaid service that will suit the needs of most travelers and tourists needs when visiting the U.S. As T-Mobile's network has improved vastly over the past few years and its 5G network offers some of the most expansive coverage and fastest speeds in the nation, you'll likely get excellent service with T-Mobile when traveling to major cities during your stay in the country.

There are four T-Mobile prepaid plans to pick from, but the most ideal plan for most visitors will be T-Mobile's 10GB prepaid plan that costs $40 per month, before taxes and fees. It includes unlimited domestic talk and text, up to 10GB of high-speed data, free mobile hotspot data, and a nifty 'Music Unlimited' feature which means that any music you stream won't eat up your data. If you want to add international calling, it can be done for an extra $15 per month, or if you're traveling to Mexico or Canada for a few days, you can add talk, text, and 5GB of data to use over there for an extra $5 per month.

Best data-only plan

If you don't think you'll need minutes during your stay in the U.S. and really just want data, you could consider a data-only plan from Cricket Wireless, which is an MVNO AT&T's network (and also owned by AT&T). For $35, you'll get 20GB of data to use for a full month, while spending $55 will give you 100GB of data for a month.

Again, this plan doesn't come with any talk time minutes, so you'll have to make sure you're fine using apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or Skype to connect with family or friends back home. It does come with text and picture messages across the U.S., as well as usage in Mexico and Canada if you plan on visiting those countries as well. It's the perfect plan for anyone who'll be spending a lot of time on the road and wants to be able to stream, download, and do some high-speed browsing.

You can get a Cricket Wireless SIM card by just walking into a Cricket Wireless retailer store, which you can locate with the carrier's online store locator tool. Other popular retailers such as Amazon, Target, Best Buy, and Walmart also sell Universal SIM card activation kits for Cricket Wireless. The good news is that if you do end up wanting minutes, you can always switch to another one of the carrier's plans with the same SIM card.

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How to choose

Which prepaid SIM card is best for you?

You really can't go wrong with a prepaid SIM card using T-Mobile or AT&T's network when visiting the U.S., and the right fit for you will depend on the length of your stay and whether you need features like being able to call back home. If you're traveling for only three weeks or less, Ultra Mobile's 3GB plan is the best choice and offers just enough talk, text, and data to stay connected.

On the other hand, if you'll be in the U.S. for a few months, Mint Mobile will give you the best multiple-month value. And if you're somewhere in between, a prepaid plan from either T-Mobile or AT&T will be easy, reliable, and guaranteed to give you great coverage.

Should you use your current carrier's add-ons?

Many carriers have partnerships with international carriers to offer greater service to their own customers. Luckily, this often goes both ways, so there may be a plan add-on that can give you plenty of data without needing to set up and activate a new SIM. While these travel add-ons can be quite pricey, the simplicity of this option will make it worth it to many people. It also gives you the chance to have a connection if you're waiting for a connecting flight in another country.

What about eSIM apps?

Another emerging option is eSIM apps. These apps can use your phone's built-in eSIM slot to quickly activate and pay for a phone plan without needing to remove your old SIM or worry about shipping a physical SIM in the first place. Airalo, for example, allows customers to buy as little as 1GB for a week. If you just need enough data to get around in a new city, this is a good option. It works with Google Pay, credit card, PayPal, and even Alipay.

If you have an iPhone, there's even an official T-Mobile Prepaid eSIM app that accepts credit card payments from a number of countries. Regrettably, this app isn't available on Android though there are still other eSIM providers on the platform.

Just be sure to confirm compatibility before taking off. Still, there are other apps available on Android that offer solid deals on data without contacts or physical SIMs necessary.

• MVNO deals: Mint Mobile | Visible | Boost | Tello | Cricket