Mobile internet in New York for visitors
New York runs on the phone: you tap it at the subway turnstile, check the next train in the MTA app and book a ride when the rain starts. The United States eSIM connects to Verizon and AT&T and is data only, so your usual number stays on for calls and texts.
At a glance
- Does an eSIM work in the United States?
- Yes. It connects to Verizon, AT&T (5G).
- Price
- From 5,99 € (3 GB, 15 days).
- For a one-week trip
- 5 GB for 30 days: 8,99 €.
- Does an EU phone plan work there?
- No: The United States is outside EU roaming, so even a plan from an EU country charges it as abroad.
- When does the plan start?
- When your phone first connects to a network in the United States. The QR code arrives by email within minutes.
Three airports, three ways into the city
From JFK, AirTrain JFK links every terminal with two stations: Jamaica, for the E, J and Z subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road, and Howard Beach, for the A train. The AirTrain turnstiles take a contactless card or a phone. Ride-app pickup points at JFK have moved with the terminal works, so follow the signs after baggage claim and check the spot in the app before you request.
At LaGuardia, the Q70 LaGuardia Link bus is free and runs to Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av (E, F, M, R and 7) and to Woodside for the LIRR. From Newark, AirTrain Newark takes you to the airport rail station, where NJ Transit trains run to New York Penn Station. Buy the ticket in the NJ Transit app before boarding, and do not get off at Newark Penn, which is a different station.
eSIM for United States
Data on your phone the moment you land in United States. No account, no app, no shop.
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For one to two weeks of maps, messaging and the odd video.
Buy up to 180 days before you fly: the plan only starts when the eSIM connects at your destination.
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Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
Not sure about your model? Ask us before you pay and we will tell you — a person answers within 24 hours.
How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
Tap, track and cross the Hudson
The subway and buses take OMNY: you tap a contactless bank card or a phone wallet at the reader, with no ticket to buy. The official MTA app shows real-time arrivals for subways and buses, service changes and maps, which helps on weekends when works reroute a line. For the LIRR and Metro-North, the MTA's TrainTime app sells tickets and tracks the trains.
PATH trains run under the Hudson to Hoboken and Jersey City and accept contactless payment through TAPP, so the same card or phone works. New Jersey is still the United States, so the pack keeps working on the other bank. On a day spent walking, with the map open and photos going out, the battery runs out before the data does: carry a power bank.
Liberty Island, the Hudson Valley and Niagara
The ferries to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are run by Statue City Cruises from Battery Park, next to South Ferry on the 1 train. There is airport-style security before boarding, so keep the ticket on the phone and saved offline. The official operator warns about unauthorised sellers in the park who try to talk you out of your ticket.
Metro-North's Hudson Line follows the river north to towns such as Beacon, with the ticket in TrainTime. The long trip is Niagara Falls: Amtrak's Maple Leaf runs from Penn Station to Niagara Falls, New York, and from there the Rainbow Bridge crosses on foot to Canada. On the Canadian side this pack has no data; for that part you need the Canada eSIM.
How much data for New York
For three or four days of subway, museums and maps, with wifi at the hotel, the 3 GB pack, valid for 15 days, is enough. A full week with a day upstate, app rides at night and videos sent home fits better in 5 GB, valid for 30 days. If you share the connection with a laptop to work, go up to 10 GB; the hotspot is included.
Buy it up to 180 days before the trip and install it at home on wifi: the plan only starts when it first connects in the United States. If you run short, top up the same eSIM without reinstalling it. The data calculator gives a figure for your own days, and all the packs are on the United States page.
Can I use the eSIM to pay for the subway?
No. OMNY charges a contactless bank card or the card in your phone wallet, not the eSIM. The eSIM gives the phone data for the MTA app and the map.
Does it work in New Jersey, on PATH or at Newark airport?
Yes. New Jersey is part of the United States, so the pack works there exactly as it does in Manhattan.
Will it work at Niagara Falls?
On the New York side, yes. Once you cross the Rainbow Bridge into Canada it stops giving data, so for time on the Canadian side add a Canada eSIM.
Can I book an Uber or Lyft at JFK as soon as I land?
Yes, the apps work once the eSIM connects after landing, and your account keeps the number you signed up with. Pickup areas at JFK change with the construction, so follow the airport signs before you request.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
See eSIMs for the United States