Movistar roaming in the United States: what it costs
Movistar's daily rate for the United States is 6,05 € a day and includes 500 MB of data, checked on their website on 22 August 2026. It activates by itself the moment you use data there and is charged for every day you do: fourteen days come to 84,70 € and get you 500 MB a day. A local eSIM for the same fourteen days costs 5,90 € with 3 GB for the whole trip.
Updated on
The bill arrives in the middle of the following month, when you're already back, you've told the story of the trip twice and posted the photos. That's the exact moment you find out how many days you switched data on without noticing, checking your phone while you waited for an elevator.
What Movistar charges
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tariff | Tarifa diaria Estados Unidos |
| Price | 6,05 € a day |
| Data included | 500 MB a day |
| How it activates | By itself, the moment you use data in the United States |
| When it's charged | For each calendar day on which you use data |
Check your own tariff before you fly. Roaming terms depend on the contract you're on and change over time; the figure above is the rate published on the date shown, not a promise about your line.
What the whole trip comes to
The sum is simple, which is why it stings: multiply by the days you'll look at your phone. And you'll look at it every single one, because the map, the transport and the restaurant booking all live there.
| Length | With Movistar's daily rate | With a Zas eSIM |
|---|---|---|
| 7 days | 42,35 € · 500 MB a day | 2,90 € · 1 GB for the trip |
| 14 days | 84,70 € · 500 MB a day | 5,90 € · 3 GB for the trip |
| 30 days | 181,50 € · 500 MB a day | 6,90 € · 5 GB for the trip |
The rate's 500 MB a day adds up to more gigabytes in total than the eSIM plan. That's true and it needs saying. What's also true is that most people don't use 500 MB a day on a trip, and that if you do, they run out on you all the same.
How to turn off data roaming
- On iPhone: Settings, Mobile Data, pick your Spanish line and switch off “Data Roaming”.
- On Android: Settings, Network & Internet, SIMs, pick your Spanish line and switch off “Data roaming”.
- Do it with the eSIM already installed and active, so you're not left with nothing while you switch.
- Check that the default data line is the eSIM, not your usual SIM.
Turning off data roaming doesn't turn off calls or SMS, which still carry their own rates. If you want no surprises at all, leave voicemail switched off for the trip too.
Does roaming activate even if I do nothing?
The daily rate kicks in the moment your phone uses data in the United States, and plenty of apps do that on their own in the background the second you switch the phone on after landing. That's why it pays to disable data roaming before take-off, not after.
Can I have the eSIM and my Movistar line at the same time?
Yes, and it's the recommended setup. The eSIM carries the data and your Movistar line stays in to receive calls and SMS on your usual number. You just have to make sure mobile data goes through the eSIM and that roaming on the Spanish line is off.
What happens if I use up the day's 500 MB?
Depends on your tariff's terms: the speed may drop, or the excess may be billed separately. That lives in your contract's terms, not on this page; check your customer area before travelling.
And with Orange or Vodafone?
Vodafone comes out considerably better: its Bono Diario Viaje EEUU is 3 € a day with 3 GB, checked on 22 August 2026. Half the price and six times the data of Movistar's rate. For Orange we give no figure because on that day it wasn't publishing its bundle prices on any page that would open.
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.