eSIM USA
US eSIM With a Phone Number: Calls, Texts and Data
Oct
Quick Answer
eSIM4 has two ways to get calls and texts in the US. One is a US plan with minutes and texts built in, from $4.98 for 1GB over 3 days with 10 texts and 10 minutes.
The other is any US data plan, from $2.98 for 1GB over 7 days, plus a real US phone number from the Yabb app. If businesses need to call you back on a US number, use the second route.
Your usual number keeps working on WhatsApp and FaceTime over data either way.
With every eSIM4 plan
- Hotspot sharing
- Days start when the eSIM first connects
- Top up online if you run low
- Refund within 30 days if not installed
- Delivery by email
- No ID check
Two Ways to Get Calls and Texts in the US
Most eSIM4 plans are data plans. They give your phone a connection, and calls and texts happen through apps or through your home SIM.
The US also has plans with a set number of minutes and texts on top of the data. For a real US phone number, use the Yabb app.
| Option | What you get | From |
|---|---|---|
| US plan with minutes and texts | Data, minutes and texts in one eSIM | $4.98 |
| US data plan plus Yabb | Data from eSIM4, plus a real US number, calls and texts from the Yabb app | $2.98 for the data plan |
Prices in USD from the eSIM4 shop, checked 30 September. Yabb prices are set in the Yabb app.
US Plans With Minutes and Texts Built In
eSIM4 sells 15 US plans with minutes and texts as well as data. Here they all are.
| Data and days | Texts | Minutes | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1GB, 3 days | 10 | 10 | $4.98 |
| 1GB, 7 days | 10 | 20 | $5.98 |
| 2GB, 15 days | 20 | 40 | $10.98 |
| 3GB, 3 days | 30 | 30 | $9.98 |
| 3GB, 7 days | 30 | 30 | $10.98 |
| 5GB, 7 days | 50 | 50 | $15.98 |
| 5GB, 15 days | 50 | 50 | $16.98 |
| 5GB, 30 days | 50 | 100 | $17.98 |
| 10GB, 7 days | 100 | 100 | $26.98 |
| 10GB, 15 days | 100 | 100 | $27.98 |
| 10GB, 30 days | 100 | 200 | $28.98 |
| 10GB, 365 days | 30 | 75 | $56.98 |
| 20GB, 15 days | 200 | 200 | $43.98 |
| 20GB, 30 days | 200 | 400 | $45.98 |
| 50GB, 30 days | 500 | 500 | $57.98 |
Prices in USD from the eSIM4 shop, checked 30 September.
All of them share these rules:
- They run on the T-Mobile network.
- They cover the US states except Alaska, plus Puerto Rico.
- Incoming calls use your minutes, so the allowance drops when people ring you as well as when you ring them.
- Outgoing international calls aren’t allowed.
- Hotspot sharing is allowed.
The 365-day plan at $56.98 gives you 10GB with 30 texts and 75 minutes. It’s the one to look at if you visit the US often.
Choosing a Minutes Plan by Trip Length
The cheapest of the 15 is $4.98, for 1GB over 3 days with 10 texts and 10 minutes. It suits a short stop where you only need a few local calls.
For a week, the $5.98 plan gives 1GB with 10 texts and 20 minutes ($0.85 a day). For a month, $17.98 gets you 5GB with 50 texts and 100 minutes ($0.60 a day).
If you’ll lean on your phone more, $28.98 buys 10GB with 100 texts and 200 minutes for 30 days. The biggest plan, at $57.98, has 50GB with 500 texts and 500 minutes.
A minutes plan costs more than a data plan of the same size. 5GB for 30 days is $11.98 as a data plan and $17.98 with minutes and texts. Pay for the minutes only if you’ll use them.
Getting a Real US Number With Yabb
For a US number of your own, get it in the Yabb app. Yabb sells calls, texts and virtual numbers, including a real US number. Its pages cover virtual numbers, international calling and SMS messaging.
Pair it with an eSIM4 US data plan. The data plan connects your phone and Yabb handles the number.
| Data and days | Price | Per day |
|---|---|---|
| 1GB, 7 days | $2.98 | $0.43 a day |
| 2GB, 15 days | $5.98 | $0.40 a day |
| 3GB, 30 days | $7.98 | $0.27 a day |
| 5GB, 30 days | $11.98 | $0.40 a day |
| 10GB, 30 days | $20.98 | $0.70 a day |
| 20GB, 30 days | $34.98 | $1.17 a day |
Prices in USD from the eSIM4 shop, checked 30 September. Unlimited plans are covered in the US unlimited guide.
Yabb sets its own prices, so check them in the app before you buy. On the eSIM4 side, a week in the US on the first row works out at $0.43 a day.
Which Option Fits What You Need
Calling US businesses and getting called back
Use a Yabb number. Restaurants, hotels and tour companies will call the number you gave them, so give them a US number you’ll keep for the whole trip.
Local calls and texts in one eSIM
A minutes plan does this in one eSIM. It suits quick calls to book a table or tell a driver where you are.
Receiving texts
A minutes plan comes with texts. For a US number that people can text, use Yabb’s SMS messaging.
Calling home
The US minutes plans don’t allow outgoing international calls. Yabb’s international calling is the route for that.
Keeping Your Usual Number on WhatsApp and FaceTime
WhatsApp, FaceTime and other calling apps run over data. A data plan from $2.98 is enough for them, and people still reach you on your usual number.
If you keep your home SIM in the phone alongside the eSIM, check your home carrier’s roaming charges first.
For more on how numbers work with an eSIM, see does an eSIM give you a phone number, can you make phone calls with an eSIM and do eSIMs include texts.
Setting Up Before You Fly
Your phone needs to support eSIM and be carrier-unlocked. On iPhone, eSIM works on the XS, XS Max, XR and every later model. US models of iPhone 14 and later have no SIM tray, so eSIM is how they connect.
- Pick your planChoose a data plan, or a minutes plan if you want minutes and texts in the same eSIM.
- Buy it and check your emailThe eSIM arrives by email with setup steps for iPhone and Android. There’s no ID check.
- Install the eSIMYou can do it before you fly. Your days only start when the eSIM first connects to a network in the US.
- Add Yabb if you want a numberSet up the Yabb app and get your US number there.
The full walkthrough is in how to activate your eSIM in the USA. If you run low on data, you can top up online.
FAQ
Yes. Buy a US data plan from eSIM4 and get a real US number in the Yabb app. eSIM4 also sells US plans with minutes and texts built in. For a US number you can rely on, use Yabb.
The cheapest US plan with minutes and texts is $4.98 for 1GB over 3 days, with 10 texts and 10 minutes. For 7 days, the cheapest is $5.98 for 1GB with 10 texts and 20 minutes.
Yes. On the US plans with minutes and texts, incoming calls use your minutes.
Not on the US minutes and texts plans, which don’t allow outgoing international calls. Yabb’s international calling covers that.
The plans with minutes and texts run on T-Mobile. The US data and unlimited plans run on T-Mobile, Verizon and U.S. Cellular.
The minutes and texts plans cover the US states except Alaska, plus Puerto Rico. The US data and unlimited plans cover Hawaii and Puerto Rico, with limited availability in Alaska.
Yes. They run over data, so a data plan is enough and people reach you on your usual number.
Yes. Every eSIM4 plan allows hotspot sharing.
About the author
Peter Moore, eSIM Content Writer
Peter writes eSIM4’s price guides and keeps them in line with the shop as plans change.
