These 6 prepaid SIM cards for U.S. tourists will take your 2026 travels to the next level

With the best prepaid SIM cards for U.S. travelers and tourists, your visit to the United States will end up being a joy, as you'll be able to stay connected with friends and family members back home with little to no effort. There are numerous plans from dozens of service providers to choose from, so picking the right SIM card (and by extension, wireless carrier) can often prove to be a daunting affair. Which is why we've shortlisted some of the finest options available out there to make things a bit easier for you.

And the best part? You don't even have to visit a store to get a SIM card. Sure, that's still possible if you'd prefer that, but all thanks to the convenience of online ordering, you can do everything with a few taps (or clicks) from the comfort of your home. Whether you want a mainstream carrier such as AT&T, or a prepaid service provider like Mint Mobile, you're all ready to go as long as you have a fairly recent smartphone. While you're at it, we also recommend checking out some of the best MVNO deals that can help you save even more cash.

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

Easily one of the best MVNO carriers available, Mint Mobile utilizes the network infrastructure of T-Mobile (its parent company) to give you reliably good 4G LTE and 5G coverage. This makes it a solid prepaid SIM card if you plan on staying in the U.S. for at least three months. Our Mint Mobile review highlighted the service provider's strong 5G connectivity and phone compatibility, which are among the best you can get in the country at the moment.

It's worth noting that with Mint Mobile, you have to buy at least three months of service upfront. After that, the best deals are available when you sign up for either six or 12 months of service. For three months on the unlimited plan, you'll have to pay $90 (before regular promotional discounts) and get to enjoy goodies such as unlimited talk, text, and data, 20GB of mobile hotspot data use, and free calls to Mexico, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Mint Mobile has also removed data caps from its unlimited plan, making it better than ever, although speeds will be reduced if you use over 50GB. For the base 5GB plan, you would be paying $15 for each of the first three months in the form of $45 as a one-time advance payment. Calling other international locations is available at a per-minute rate, but if you use an app (e.g., WhatsApp, Line) to stay in touch with friends as well as family members, you'll only require data.

Joining Mint Mobile is simple; 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 activate the eSIM straight from your phone, and then later continue the service if you end up liking it. You can also buy a Mint Mobile SIM card from retailers like Target, Best Buy, Walmart, or even Amazon.

Best for short stays

Ultra Mobile is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) on T-Mobile's network, which means that you'll get fabulous T-Mobile coverage, but at a lower price. In our Ultra Mobile review, we noticed strong coverage and speeds. We recommend going for the Ultra Mobile 4GB plan if you only plan to visit the U.S. for a month or less. But if things change and you end up staying a bit longer, you can still enjoy tempting discounts by signing up for multiple months of service.

With the 4GB plan, you get a regular SIM and after 30 days, the plan's validity will end; this makes it great for users who just want simple talk and text functionality to a wide range of destinations without relying a whole lot on data during their stay. At a monthly cost of just $19 (taxes and fees not included), you'll get a SIM kit offering unlimited talk and text to more than 90 countries worldwide, as well as free Wi-Fi calling and up to 4GB of 5G/4G LTE data, so you should have no issues staying connected with your friends and family. The plan also has a monthly $1.50 international calling credit and a one-time $5 international roaming credit, along with perks like unlimited talk and text in Mexico and Canada, and mobile hotspot usage.

Best budget

What differentiates Lycamobile from all other options on this list is the fact that it's a global MVNO, and in the U.S., it's an MVNO using T-Mobile's network. To find out if your phone is compatible, all you have to do is enter your IMEI number on the Lycamobile web portal but generally, majority of the unlocked GSM phones should work without any issues.

Lycamobile offers multiple plans to choose from, although it mainly serves those who require unlimited text and talk. The plans also include international calling and texting to more than 100 countries, and you can enjoy these features at no additional cost. With these benefits, it's difficult not to lean towards Lycamobile.

When it comes to data, you have several options, starting at a just 1GB and going up to 40GB. The cheapest 1GB plan costs just $15 per month, while the unlimited plan (highest tier) having 40GB of data can be had at an effective price of $21 per month, if you pay for an entire year. The data and other bonus features that you get vary slightly with each plan, so make sure to take the time to choose the right one for you.

You can effortlessly obtain one of Lycamobile's SIM cards. These can be bought online on Amazon or via the carrier's official website. Alternatively, you can even buy them at pharmacies, 7-Eleven stores, and local convenience stores. If you have questions, you can use the online store locator to find the retailer nearest to you.

Best non-MVNO

AT&T is one of the best carriers for getting a SIM card when you're visiting the U.S. The operator has fantastic coverage and offers you one of the best prepaid phone plans. It also tends to have slightly better coverage in rural areas in comparison to the other carriers, so it's a great option if you plan to be on the road a lot. For $30 a month (taxes and fees extra), AT&T Prepaid offers 5GB of high-speed data, and it is then throttled to 128Kbps after you've used the data allotment. As always, you should still check your phone's compatibility with AT&T's network before you sign up for it.

This plan offers texting to more than 230 countries and shared mobile hotspot. If 5GB is not enough for you, you can always switch to the 30GB prepaid plan that costs just $40 per month with autopay discounts. This plan includes data usage in/between the United States, Mexico, and Canada as well. Also, the 5GB plan's rollover data feature means your unused data gets added to next month's data allotment. The top-tier plan costs $65 per month (with autopay discounts, and before taxes and fees) and gives you unlimited high-speed 5G access, as well as 500 minutes of international long-distance calling to over thirty countries and 35GB of dedicated mobile hotspot data.

Best prepaid data plan

Not only does it have some of the best cell phone plans out there, but T-Mobile comes with solid prepaid services as well, suitable for most tourists and travelers who visit the country. The T-Mobile network has improved a lot over the past few years, with the carrier's 5G network having some of the finest general coverage and the fastest speeds in the business. As a result, you'll get excellent network coverage when traveling in most major cities during the course of your stay in the United States.

There are three T-Mobile prepaid plans to pick from, but the ideal plan for most visitors will be T-Mobile's 15GB (Starter Monthly) prepaid plan, which costs $40 per month with autopay discounts, and before taxes and fees for one line. It has unlimited domestic talk and text, up to 15GB of high-speed data, shared mobile hotspot usage, and MLB.TV access (subject to availability), along with scam call blocking and a five-year price guarantee. If you want to add international calling, you can do so for an extra $15 per month, or if you're just going to be traveling to Mexico or Canada for a few days, you can add talk and text to use in these two countries for an added $5 per month.

Best data-only plan

If you don't think you'll be requiring talk time minutes during your United States stay and just data, we recommend considering a data-only plan through Cricket Wireless, an MVNO that uses (and is owned by) AT&T. For $35, you'll get 20GB of data for a whole month. If you need more data, you can go for the $55 plan with 100GB of data for a month. You can also get 150GB of data for $90 per month if you need even more.

Again, this plan doesn't have any talk time minutes, so you'll have to ensure that you're fine solely using messaging apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger to get in touch with family members or friends back home. The plan also comes with text and picture messages across the U.S. and usage in Mexico and Canada if you plan on visiting those countries. The plan is quite good if you're planning on streaming, downloading, and doing some high-speed browsing on those long road trips.

Walking into a Cricket Wireless store and getting a SIM card instantly is also quite possible, and the online store locator tool can help you locate your nearest store. Popular retailers like 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 talk time minutes, you can always switch to another one of the carrier's full-fledged plans using the same SIM card.

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How to choose

Know your requirements before getting a prepaid SIM card

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Thanks to the ever-improving network infrastructure and a wide range of plans, you can't go wrong with any wireless service provider these days, be it a regular carrier or an MVNO. Selecting the right prepaid SIM card primarily depends on your usage. If you'll only be staying for a few days, we suggest Ultra Mobile's 4GB plan. It includes Wi-Fi calling, unlimited talk and text, hotspot, and even monthly international calling credit.

Conversely, if you'll be staying for a few months, any of Mint Mobile's plans will be ideal. Owned by T-Mobile, it gives you excellent network coverage and benefits like mobile hotspot functionality and even free calls to Mexico, Canada, and the United Kingdom. You can also avail a free trial, and if you like the service, sign up for multiple months for great savings.

AT&T offers excellent coverage and is perfect if you travel a lot. Although you'll pay more, you'll get good speed and coverage.

Should you get an international add-on with your current service provider?

Almost every mobile operator in the world has partnerships with many (if not all) of the service providers in other countries. This alternative seems better because it simplifies things: you only have to deal with your current service provider, and not the one you're unfamiliar with. You can activate a suitable international add-on on your existing SIM card before coming to the country and even have wireless service when waiting for a connecting flight. However, note that these add-ons are often quite expensive, and network coverage might not be as good as it would be with a local carrier based and operating in the United States.

How about eSIM platforms?

If your smartphone supports eSIM functionality, you can go for one of the many eSIM apps/platforms to quickly buy and activate a wireless service plan. This will save you the hassle of ordering a physical SIM card and waiting for it to arrive so you can put it in your phone and start using it.

One such platform is Airalo, which lets you get an eSIM with as little as 1GB of data and a one-week validity. T-Mobile also has an app (available for iOS & Android) that allows you to order and activate your eSIM with little to no effort.

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