For six weeks to three months in Europe, the cheapest option in our catalogue is not a long plan. It is a new 30-day plan each month. At about 1 GB a day, six weeks costs $31.33, 70 days $48.20 and 90 days $60.99, all on plans that cover Switzerland and the UK. That was cheapest, or tied for cheapest, in every one of the nine trips we priced. Topping up a single eSIM costs a little more. Plans valid for 60 or 365 days cost more again, and are worth it only if you never want to think about data mid-trip.
Most Europe eSIM advice is written for a ten-day holiday. Longer trips raise different questions. You will outlast a 30-day plan, so you need to decide whether to renew or top up. A route that adds London, Zurich or Belgrade needs a plan that actually covers them. We split each trip into 30-day blocks and priced every block with the plans we sell, using our catalogue on 6 October 2026. The route was France, Italy, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, the UK and Portugal.
- Cheapest at 1 GB a day: $31.33 for six weeks, $48.20 for 70 days, $60.99 for 90 days, with a new plan each month.
- One eSIM, topped up monthly: $35.15, $53.11 and $66.31 for the same trips. Some top-ups cost exactly what a new plan costs; eSIMGo top-ups of 10 GB or more cost 11% to 40% more.
- Longest plans: 40 GB for 365 days costs $41.40, and 50 GB for 60 days $39.10. Both cost more than monthly plans for the same data.
- The Balkans: plans that cover Bosnia and North Macedonia cost about 70% more per GB, so buy one only for the Balkan part of the trip.
What a long Europe trip costs
Three usage levels: about 500 MB a day for maps, messaging and browsing; 1 GB a day with some video; 2 GB a day with daily video or a laptop on hotspot. Our travel data guide explains the estimates. Every plan below covers all ten countries on the route, Switzerland and the UK included.
| Trip | Data | Cheapest: a new plan each month | Total | One eSIM, topped up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 weeks | 21 GB | Europe and USA 15 GB, then Europe 10 GB | $20.14 | $22.50 |
| 6 weeks | 42 GB | Europe 30 GB, then Europe and USA 12 GB | $31.33 | $35.15 |
| 6 weeks | 84 GB | EU 100 GB + unlimited calls, then Europe 30 GB | $60.32 | $70.88 |
| 70 days | 35 GB | Europe and USA 15 GB twice, then Europe Special 5 GB | $31.20 | $31.20 |
| 70 days | 70 GB | Europe 30 GB twice, then Europe 10 GB | $48.20 | $53.11 |
| 70 days | 140 GB | EU 100 GB + unlimited calls twice, then Europe 20 GB | $93.01 | $116.46 |
| 90 days | 45 GB | Europe and USA 15 GB, three times | $37.80 | $37.80 |
| 90 days | 90 GB | Europe 30 GB, three times | $60.99 | $66.31 |
| 90 days | 180 GB | EU 100 GB + unlimited calls, three times | $119.97 | $146.64 |
The Europe plans cover 34 countries and the Europe and USA plans 43 destinations, 40 of them in Europe. The EU 100 GB plan also gives you a French number with unlimited calls in its 34 countries; our Europe eSIM with a phone number guide covers what that number can and cannot do. Heavy users get it almost free: at 2 GB a day it is already the cheapest single plan for a month.
Browse every regional plan: the Europe eSIM page lists them all with price, data, validity and countries. For shorter trips, our cheapest Europe eSIM comparison sorts them by price per GB.
New plan each month, or top up the same eSIM?
Topping up adds data to the eSIM already on your phone: nothing to reinstall, and the line keeps its place in your settings. A new plan means one more purchase and one more profile to install. Our top-up audit explains the difference in detail. For a long trip, the difference that matters is price.
| Plan family | Size | New plan | Top-up | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europe (eSIMGo), 34 countries | 10 GB | $7.54 | $9.79 | +30% |
| Europe (eSIMGo) | 20 GB | $13.03 | $18.19 | +40% |
| Europe (eSIMGo) | 30 GB | $20.33 | $22.99 | +13% |
| Europe (eSIMGo) | 50 GB | $31.41 | $34.95 | +11% |
| Europe and USA (Sparks), 43 destinations | 15 GB | $12.60 | $12.60 | Same |
| Europe and USA (Sparks) | 30 GB | $24.15 | $24.15 | Same |
Among the plans that cover Europe, top-ups from Sparks, NextLink, Airalo, Ubigi and Three cost the same as a new plan of the same size. eSIMGo is the exception. So if you want one eSIM for the whole trip, start on a Sparks plan such as Europe and USA 30 GB and top it up each month. At 500 MB a day that costs 0% to 12% more than the cheapest route; at 1 GB a day, 12% to 21% more. If you want the lowest price, buy a new eSIMGo plan each month instead of topping it up.
One detail: some top-ups start their validity the moment you buy them, not when you start using them. In our catalogue that applies to Airalo and Three top-ups. Buy those when you need the data, not in advance.
Long-validity plans: when they are worth it
These plans last longer than 30 days, so one purchase can cover a whole trip.
| Plan | Price | Countries | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe 50 GB, 60 days (NextLink) | $35.88 | 36, incl. UK | No Switzerland |
| Europe Special 50 GB, 60 days | $39.10 | 35, incl. Switzerland and UK | No Balkans outside the EU |
| Europe and USA 60 GB, 60 days | $48.88 | 43, incl. Switzerland, UK, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro | No Bosnia or North Macedonia |
| Europe and USA Yearly 40 GB, 365 days | $41.40 | Same 43 | 40 GB is about 1 GB a day for six weeks |
| Best World 25 GB, 90 days (Ubigi) | $64.40 | 174, incl. Kosovo and Monaco | Expensive per GB |
| Half Global 30 GB, 365 days (Three) | $32.20 | 52, incl. Switzerland, UK and the Balkans except Kosovo | Hong Kong IP; starts when installed |
Compared with buying a new plan each month, one purchase costs a little more. For six weeks at 1 GB a day, Europe Special 50 GB for 60 days costs $39.10 against $31.33 for two monthly plans. For 70 days at 500 MB a day, the 365-day 40 GB plan costs $41.40 against $31.20. You pay about $8 to $10 to install once and never buy data mid-trip. Many travellers find that worth it.
Check where the data exits before choosing Half Global. Its traffic exits in Hong Kong, and ChatGPT and Claude do not serve Hong Kong, so neither works on that plan. The Sparks and NextLink plans above exit in the UK or Western Europe. Half Global also starts counting its 365 days when you install it, not when you first use it.
Adding the Balkans, or the UK and Switzerland
Long trips often mix the Schengen area with the UK or the Balkans, partly because visa-free visitors can stay at most 90 days in any 180 inside Schengen. Coverage is where generic “Europe” plans fall short:
- Switzerland: covered by the Europe, Europe Special, Europe and USA and EU 100 GB plans in this article; not by NextLink Europe or Airalo EUconnect. Our Switzerland and UK coverage check has the full list.
- The UK: covered by every plan in the cost table above. The exception in this article is Europe Premium Unlimited.
- Serbia, Albania and Montenegro: covered by Europe and USA plans at Western European prices, but Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia are not.
- All five Balkan countries outside the EU: Balkans Special covers Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia, plus Switzerland, the UK and all 27 EU countries: 40 in total. It costs $12.80 for 10 GB and $22.60 for 20 GB, about 70% more than the same sizes on the Europe plan.
- Kosovo: among multi-country plans, only Ubigi Best World and Airalo Discover Global list it. Balkans Special does not, but Kosovo-only plans start at $5.50 for 1 GB for 7 days.
Because Balkans plans cost more, buy one only for the Balkan weeks. For six weeks at 1 GB a day, four in the west and two in the Balkans, Europe 30 GB ($20.33) followed by Balkans Special 20 GB ($22.60) costs $42.93. Covering all six weeks with Balkans Special plans costs $54.20. Our Schengen and Balkans coverage table checks every plan country by country.
Is unlimited worth it for a long trip?
| Plan | Price | Per day | What “unlimited” means | Gaps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EUconnect Unlimited, 10 days | $14.00 | $1.40 | 3 GB a day at 20 Mbps, then 1 Mbps | 28 countries, no Switzerland, no top-up |
| Europe Premium Unlimited, 15 days | $37.95 | $2.53 | 90 GB at full speed, then 2 Mbps | 35 countries, no UK, no top-up |
For 90 days, that is $126.00 on EUconnect Unlimited or $227.70 on Europe Premium Unlimited. A new fixed plan each month at 2 GB a day costs $119.97 for 90 days, about $1.33 a day, and covers Switzerland and the UK. At about 3 GB a day the two are close: the cheapest fixed option costs $1.33 to $1.61 a day depending on trip length, against $1.40 on EUconnect Unlimited, which skips Switzerland and slows to 1 Mbps after 3 GB a day. Our explainer on whether unlimited eSIM data is really unlimited covers the caps.
How to run a long trip on monthly plans
- Buy and install the first plan at home. The Europe plans in this article start on first data use in a covered country, so installing early costs nothing. Most must be started within about two months of purchase; our guide to when an eSIM starts counting explains the deadlines.
- Buy the next plan a few days before you need it, when the first one is nearly used up or close to its 30 days, and install it over hotel Wi-Fi. You cannot buy data on a line that has none left, so do not wait for 0%. Our guide to what happens when an eSIM runs out of data covers the fallback.
- If you install several at once, switch the spare lines off. On iPhone that is Settings › Cellular › the line › Turn On This Line; Android has the same switch under SIMs. Pay attention to Half Global, which starts when installed rather than on first data use.
- Move cellular data to the new line, check it works, then delete the expired profile. Giving each line a label such as “Europe 1” and “Europe 2” makes this easy.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest eSIM for three months in Europe?
A new 30-day plan each month. On 6 October 2026, three Europe and USA 15 GB plans cost $37.80 for about 500 MB a day, and three Europe 30 GB plans cost $60.99 for about 1 GB a day. Both cover Switzerland and the UK. No single plan valid for 90 days or more was cheaper for the same data.
Is there a Europe eSIM that lasts 90 days or more?
Yes. Ubigi Best World gives 25 GB for 90 days at $64.40. Europe and USA Yearly gives 40 GB for 365 days at $41.40. Half Global gives 30 GB for 365 days at $32.20 but exits in Hong Kong. All three cost more per GB than buying a 30-day plan each month.
Should I top up my eSIM or buy a new one each month?
A new plan is cheaper or the same price. eSIMGo Europe top-ups of 10 GB or more cost 11% to 40% more than new plans of the same size, for example $9.79 against $7.54 for 10 GB. Sparks Europe and USA top-ups cost the same as its plans. To keep one eSIM for the whole trip, start on a Sparks plan.
Which Europe eSIM covers the UK, Switzerland and the Balkans?
Balkans Special covers 40 countries, including the UK, Switzerland, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia: $12.80 for 10 GB or $22.60 for 20 GB for 30 days. It does not cover Kosovo. Europe and USA plans cover Serbia, Albania and Montenegro but not Bosnia or North Macedonia.
How much data do I need for 70 days in Europe?
About 35 GB at 500 MB a day, 70 GB at 1 GB a day, or 140 GB at 2 GB a day. With a new plan each month, those cost $31.20, $48.20 and $93.01 on 6 October 2026, with Switzerland and the UK included.
Is an unlimited eSIM worth it for a long Europe trip?
Only above about 3 GB a day. EUconnect Unlimited costs $1.40 a day but excludes Switzerland and slows to 1 Mbps after 3 GB a day. At 2 GB a day, monthly fixed plans cost about $1.33 a day, $119.97 for 90 days, and cover Switzerland and the UK.
On a long trip, the cheapest Europe eSIM is a 30-day plan you buy again each month. Pay more only for something you actually want: one eSIM for the whole trip, no purchases on the road, or coverage beyond Western Europe.
Last reviewed 6 October 2026. All prices, country lists, top-up prices and validity come from our own catalogue and product pages on that date and change often; product pages are authoritative. Totals assume 30-day blocks and the usage levels stated. “Cheapest” refers to plans in our catalogue only. Airalo, eSIMGo, Sparks, NextLink, Ubigi and Three are trademarks of their owners; this article is independent of them.