You land after an eight-hour flight and switch off Airplane Mode. Within seconds, your carrier texts you:
Your carrier
“Welcome abroad! We’ve automatically activated your International Day Pass for just $12/day. Enjoy unlimited connectivity!”
now
It sounds convenient. Almost harmless.
Until you do the math.
Worse: you don’t have to make a call. A background email sync or app update is enough to trigger the full 24-hour fee.
THE REAL COST OF A 10-DAY TRIP ABROAD
Solo traveler
1 line · $12/day × 10 days
$120
Couple
2 lines
$180–$240
Family of 4
$300–$480
Unpack welcome offer
1 GB high-speed local data
$1
Typical 10-day usage
6 GB Tier-1 plan
$12
Typical savings
Over 90%
Why carriers charge so much
Your carrier doesn’t own a single cell tower outside the US.
Abroad, your phone runs on local networks. Carriers buy that data wholesale for fractions of a penny per megabyte, then resell it to you at steep retail markups.
The old workarounds all hurt:
1
Data off.
No Maps, no Uber, and risky café Wi-Fi.
2
Airport SIM kiosk.
45-minute lines, $45, and a paperclip.
3
Sketchy eSIM sites.
Slower speeds, higher price, strange tariffs.
Then engineers unlocked a feature already inside your phone.
The fix is already inside your phone
Phones made after 2018 (iPhone XS/XR+, Galaxy S20+, Pixel 3+) have an eSIM: a built-in SIM you activate with software. No card swap: your phone downloads a profile in seconds. That’s exactly what Unpack’s eSIM runs on.
HOW TOGGLE BYPASSES THE CARRIER MIDDLEMAN
Solo traveler
Bypasses US carrier roaming markups
Toggle app
Installs your digital profile
Local Tier-1 5G towers
Direct in 190+ countries
Toggle connects you straight to vetted Tier-1 networks in 190+ countries. No carrier hub in between, no markup.
Setup happens in the app: choose, pick, install, done.
The result?
Local speeds.
5G and LTE, no throttling.
Wholesale pricing.
From $1 for 1 GB; 6 GB for $12.
No subscription.
Pay once. No auto-renewals or surprise charges.
Keep your US number
The biggest fear: losing your home number.
“Will my bank texts still come through?”
“Can my family still reach me on iMessage or WhatsApp?”
Your phone runs both lines side by side:
LINE 1 · YOUR US SIM
Calls, texts & security codes
Calls, texts and bank 2FA codes.
LINE 2 · Unpack eSIM
High-speed international data
Maps, Uber, browsing, FaceTime.
Turn Data Roaming off on your US line and pick Unpack for data. The $12/day pass never triggers.
From your couch to the runway
Here is what a traveler experiences from departure to arrival.
Illustrative scenario based on the standard Unpack setup and arrival flow.
1 · BEFORE YOU LEAVE
Set up in under 60 seconds
Pick your destination, choose the $1 welcome offer and tap Install. Confirm the “Add eSIM” prompt.
2 · WHEELS DOWN
Connected before you deplane
Switch off Airplane Mode. Your phone joins the strongest local network. Open Maps, book a ride, text home.
3 · DURING YOUR TRIP
Top up in two taps
Need more? Add 6 GB for $12 in the app. Your US number stays on for calls and bank codes.
Back home: carrier roaming fees
$0.00
Trip in the next 30–60 days? Fix your connectivity now, not at the airport.
NEW TRAVELER WELCOME OFFER · PRE-PAID TRAVEL DATA
1 GB for $1.00
High-speed local 5G · UK, France, Turkey and 190+ destinations
100% pre-paid, never an auto-renewing subscription
Setup completed in under 60 seconds from your couch
Keeps your primary US phone number and iMessage active
Check compatibility & claim $1 offer
4.5
Apple Pay & Google Pay
US-based company
24/7 support
The 30-Day Traveler Guarantee
- Plans change or phone not compatible? Full refund in clear cases.
- 24/7 help in the app and by email.
Nothing to lose and hundreds in fees to save.
What doing nothing actually costs you
Your four options for a 10-day trip:
US carrier day pass
Zero effort · Overpriced; daily trap
$120–$240+
Airport plastic SIM
45-min customs lines · Risk of losing home SIM
$35–$55
Free public Wi-Fi
Constant hunting · High cyber-theft risk
$0 (deceptive)
Unpack eSIM by Unpack
60 seconds at home · Bank-grade 5G security
From $1 total
What verified travelers say
Travel buddy
“From now on this is going to be my go to app for data whenever I travel. Extremely user friendly design and easy to use! Definitely recommend!”
flawsomesofi · App Store
Jun 20, 2026
Great app!
“Easy to set up and worked instantly when I landed. No hassle, fast connection. Highly recommend for travel.”
erikamg7 · App Store
Feb 9, 2026
“I’ve used several eSIM apps while traveling, but Toggle stands out as the best overall. I appreciate its simplicity and straightforwardness. The customer support is also impressive: they respond quickly and are friendly. I’ll definitely be using this app on my travels from now on.”
Maksim Sianko · Google Play
May 8, 2026
COMPATIBILITY CHECK
Does your phone support Unpack eSIM?
THE 5-SECOND TEST
*#06#
Dial it on your Phone keypad. See an EID number? Your phone has a digital SIM.
Apple iPhone
iPhone 16 / 15 / 14 / 13 / 12 / 11 series, XS, XS Max, XR, SE (2nd gen or newer).
Samsung Galaxy
Galaxy S24, S23, S22, S21, S20 series, Note 20, Z Flip and Z Fold.
Google Pixel & others
Pixel 9 to Pixel 3 / 3 XL. Motorola Razr (2019+) and other unlocked flagships.
* Your phone must be carrier-unlocked.
Five questions travelers ask before setting up their first digital SIM
Every iPhone released since 2018 (iPhone XS, XR, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and SE 2nd/3rd Gen) comes with built-in eSIM hardware. Most flagship Android devices (Samsung Galaxy S20 through S24, Google Pixel 3 through 9) are fully compatible.
The only requirement: your smartphone must be carrier-unlocked. Check in 5 seconds under Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock: “No SIM restrictions.”
Your connection never cuts off with surprise overage penalties. Unpack eSIM notifies you at 80% and 100% of your plan, and you can top up (such as 6 GB for $12) inside the app with a single tap, without reinstalling a new profile.
1 GB is a great start. Here’s what a typical day out actually uses (~75 MB):
1+ hrs
Google Maps navigation
50+
WhatsApp / iMessage texts
20
mobile web pages
4+
Uber, Lyft or Bolt rides
At ~75 MB a day, 1 GB easily covers 10 to 13 days of everyday essentials.Estimates based on ~25 MB/hr navigation, ~250 KB per text/photo thread, ~1.5 MB per web page (~670 pages/GB), and ~2 MB per ride request (~500 rides/GB). Actual usage varies by app settings and background activity.
Yes. Your primary home SIM stays active in standby, so SMS verification codes from Chase, Bank of America, American Express or Google arrive instantly on your primary number at zero roaming cost.
Unpack provides 24/7 in-app support and email assistance. Whether you need help before departure or after landing in another time zone, help is available directly inside the app.
The fork in the road
PATH 1 · THE DEFAULT ROUTE
Do nothing. Pay $12 a day, or spend the trip hunting for Wi-Fi.
PATH 2 · THE SMART TRAVELER’S ROUTE
Take 60 seconds now. Install for $1 and land connected.
You’ve read this far, so you already know the markup isn’t necessary.
Get 1 GB for $1.00
190+ countries · 60-second setup · 30-day guarantee
Get Offer
Secure checkout via Apple Pay, Google Pay & cards · US-based company · 24/7 support
This article is an advertisement paid for by Unpack. Results described may vary by device, destination and network. Prices shown in USD at time of publishing.