Internet in the United States: how to get online as a tourist
Four options: hotel and café Wi-Fi, plentiful but useless in the street; an American SIM bought over there, which demands a shop and sometimes paperwork; your operator's roaming, which on Movistar's daily rate is 6,05 € a day for 500 MB (checked on 22 August 2026); or an eSIM installed before you fly, from 2,90 €.
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In the United States nearly everything runs through your phone: ordering the car, showing your ticket, opening your room, paying for parking, showing the restaurant reservation. It's a country designed for people with data. Being there without it isn't inconvenient — it's outright hard.
The Wi-Fi
There's a huge amount of it and it's almost always free: hotels, cafés, shopping malls, airports, a good share of restaurants and even some gas-station chains. As a backup network it works better than in almost any other country.
And it still doesn't solve the problem, because the moment you need data is the pavement moment: hailing the car, checking whether this is the right subway exit, confirming the address. That happens outside.
The American SIM
It can be done. There are prepaid plans from the big operators and from brands reselling their networks, sold in shops and some big-box stores. They work fine and some come out reasonable if you're staying for weeks.
The costs are the usual ones: finding the shop, the sign-up wait, and losing your Spanish number for the length of the trip if you have to take your SIM out. For a one or two-week trip, it's almost never worth it.
Roaming
It's the do-nothing option, which is why it's the dearest. The United States sits outside the European Union, so your tariff doesn't travel with you. Movistar's daily rate there is 6,05 € a day with 500 MB included, per their website on 22 August 2026, and it activates by itself the moment any app uses data.
The eSIM
You buy and install it from home and it connects by itself when you land, on Verizon and AT&T. Your Spanish number stays in as the main line, so you keep receiving calls and messages. From 2,90 € for 7 days with 1 GB.
| Option | Hassle on arrival | Your Spanish number | Rough cost, 7 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | None | Stays in | Free, and doesn't cover the street |
| American SIM | Find a shop and sign up | Comes out of the phone | Depends on the operator |
| Movistar roaming | None | Stays in | 42,35 € if you use data all 7 days |
| eSIM | None | Stays in, as a second line | 2,90 € |
Things taken for granted over there
- Transport, tickets and many admissions live on your phone and need a connection to load.
- Tips and payments are almost always settled by phone or card; cash gets little use.
- Toll-free numbers starting with 800 don't always work from a foreign line.
- In the national parks and on long stretches of road out west there's no coverage from anyone: download the maps beforehand.
Do I need an American number for anything?
For almost nothing as a tourist. Ride apps, maps and bookings work with your usual account and data. A local number is only needed if some service insists on verifying you by SMS to a United States number, which is rare.
Is there free Wi-Fi at the airports?
Yes, at practically all the big ones, and it usually works well. Even so, install the eSIM at home: landing and depending on airport Wi-Fi to set up your phone is starting the trip with homework due.
What's coverage like in the national parks?
Patchy and often nonexistent, and that goes for any card. In the canyons, the desert and mountain country there's no signal from any operator. Download the area's maps before you leave the last town with coverage.
Can I carry the eSIM and my Spanish line at the same time?
Yes, and it's the recommended setup. The eSIM carries the data and your usual SIM stays in to receive calls on your number. You just have to turn off data roaming on the Spanish line so its rate never kicks in.
See the plans for the United States
Something off, or a price changed? Write to ayuda@zasesim.com and we'll fix it. Data when you land.