US SIM and eSIM for Orlando: compare

Theme park days burn through data: park apps, virtual queues, maps and photos. UK roaming fees add up fast. The catch is that most cheap travel eSIMs give you data only, with no US phone number, and the restaurant apps with the best freebies text a code to a US number. Here's how to get both without overspending.

Last checked: 23 Oct 2026

Quick version

Data-only travel eSIMs (Airalo's standard plans, Holafly, Saily and similar) don't give you a US number. They're great for data, but you can't get restaurant app text codes on them.
UK roaming keeps your UK number but usually costs £6–£8 a day per phone. That's about £84–£112 per person for 14 days.
One US-number line for the family, plus cheap data eSIMs for everyone else, is usually the cheapest setup that still gets you the restaurant freebies.
The simplest US-number option we found is T-Mobile's U.S. Pass eSIM: $35 for 14 days (≈ £26.21, plus tax), with unlimited talk, text and data. You buy it after you land.
Google Voice isn't an option for most UK visitors, because setting it up needs an existing US number.

£ figures are approximate, at the ECB rate on 20 Oct 2026 ($1 = £0.749) Frankfurter/ECB. US prices usually exclude sales tax. We don't use affiliate links on this page.

Why a US number matters

Restaurant rewards apps (Denny's, Cracker Barrel, BJ's and others) ask for a mobile number when you join, and some send a code by text to prove it's yours. Many staff also look you up by phone number at the till. A UK number often won't fit the form. A US number from a proper mobile network is the safest bet. Some apps reject "virtual" internet numbers, and travel-eSIM numbers don't always receive texts from short codes, so we can't promise every app will accept every number.

See which restaurants need a number on our restaurant sign-up and birthday freebies page.

Options compared (checked 23 Oct 2026)

Option	Price (checked)	Data, calls & texts	Shortest plan	US number?	UK passport, card & address	eSIM?
T-Mobile Prepaid U.S. Pass T-Mobile	7 days $25, 10 days $30, 14 days $35 (≈ £26.21), 30 days $50, plus taxes and fees	Unlimited US talk and text, unlimited 5G data (50GB at full priority), 14–50GB hotspot	7 days	Yes, a new US number	T-Mobile says no contract or ID needed. You buy and activate it once you're in the US. Whether every UK card is accepted: unconfirmed.	Yes (eSIM only)
Lyca Mobile USA Lyca plans Lyca tourist guide	30-day plans: 5GB $10 (offer, was $19), 8GB $15 (was $23), 15GB $29	Unlimited US talk and text, plus calls and texts to 100 countries	30 days	Yes	Lyca says tourists can buy the eSIM from home and activate it on landing. Whether a UK card works at checkout: unconfirmed.	Yes
Ultra Mobile Tourist SIM Ultra	$30 (≈ £22.47) for 21 days	Unlimited US talk and text, 100 international minutes, 3GB fast data then slowed (T-Mobile network)	21 days (can't be topped up)	Yes	Sold as a physical SIM (Ultra points to eBay). You activate by text with a US ZIP code. UK card: depends on the seller.	No, physical SIM
Airalo USA "Data / Calls / Texts" plan list, Code eSIM, 12 Oct 2026	From $6 (1GB, 3 days, 10 mins, 10 texts) to $19 (5GB, 30 days, 50 mins, 50 texts)	Small bundles of minutes and texts. Incoming calls use up minutes.	3 days	Yes, a +1 number	Bought online from the UK. Delivery of app text codes from short codes is not guaranteed.	Yes
SimCorner USA SIM (UK seller) SimCorner	£35 for 30 days (£38 with Canada and Mexico, £43 with international calls)	Unlimited 5G data, calls and texts	30 days	Yes	UK company, pay in pounds, posted to a UK address before you fly.	Physical SIM (check the listing)
Airalo USA data-only Airalo	Unlimited data: 7 days $25, 10 days $34, 15 days $46 (≈ £34.45)	Data only	3 days ($11.50)	No	Bought online from the UK. Works with a UK card.	Yes
Holafly, Saily, Nomad, Ubigi	Varies. For example, Holafly USA 15 days unlimited is about $50.50 and Saily 10GB/30 days $22.99 (from search results; their own pages didn't load for us).	Data only on the US plans we looked at	Varies	No (Nomad and Ubigi: unconfirmed)	Bought online from the UK.	Yes
Mint Mobile Mint	From $15 a month, paid 3 months upfront ($45)	6GB to unlimited data, unlimited talk and text	3 months	Yes	Needs a US address to sign up, so it's not a good fit for UK visitors.	Yes
Tello Tello help	varies or unconfirmed	Talk, text and data plans	1 month	Yes	Tello says you must be in the US to activate. UK card acceptance is mixed in user reports.	Yes
eSIM by AT&T AT&T	From $3.99	Data passes with 5GB hotspot. Talk and text were listed as "coming soon" in May 2026.	7 days	Unconfirmed	You activate it on landing in the AT&T app.	Yes

"Unconfirmed" means we couldn't confirm it on the provider's own page. Check the checkout page before you pay. T-Mobile launch details: T-Mobile newsroom.

UK roaming in the USA: daily costs

If you keep your UK SIM switched on for data, these are the charges we found for the USA.

UK network	USA cost	Notes
EE Saily guide EE terms	£6 for a 24-hour pass	Included on Full Works plans.
O2 O2 O2 Travel Inclusive Zone	£7 a day, only on days you use it	Data speed capped at 2Mbps. Free on Volt and some Plus plans. Not for Pay As You Go.
Vodafone Vodafone	£8 a day (from 14 Apr 2026)	Included with Global Roam. £6 a day on plans started before 11 Aug 2021.
Three Three	£7 a day (joined 1 Oct 2021–17 Dec 2025) or £8 a day (joined from 18 Dec 2025)	A 3-day pass is £17.50. 12GB fair use.
giffgaff esimlounge, 14 Oct 2026	Plans don't work in the USA. From credit: 20p per MB, £1 a minute to make or take calls, 30p a text	There's a USA data add-on in the app. Turn data roaming off otherwise.
SMARTY SMARTY	10p per MB, 50p a minute to call, 5p a minute to receive, 20p a text	Pay as you go. Easy to run up a bill on data.
Lebara	8 days £5 (4GB, 30 mins, 30 texts) or 15 days £10 (7GB)	From a search summary. Lebara's own page didn't load, so check before you buy.
VOXI	£16 for 8 days (2GB, 100 mins, 100 texts)	From a search summary. Check before you buy.

Skint tip: even with a US eSIM, leave your UK SIM switched on for calls and texts from your bank, but turn its data roaming off. On most daily-pass plans, it's using data that starts the daily charge.

Google Voice: why it doesn't help

Google Voice gives you a free US number, and most calls to the US and Canada are free from the US. But setup texts a code to a phone number you already have Google Voice help. Google Voice community threads say it needs an existing US mobile number (not a virtual one), and you need to be in the US with a US payment profile. So for most UK visitors it isn't an option, and many restaurant apps reject internet-only numbers anyway.

What we'd pick for a 2-week family trip

One US-number line + data eSIMs for everyone else.

The lead adult: T-Mobile U.S. Pass, 14 days, $35 (≈ £26.21, plus tax). It comes with unlimited data, so this phone can share a hotspot (up to 28GB on the 14-day pass) T-Mobile. Buy it on the airport Wi-Fi after you land. The purchase day counts as day 1.
Everyone else: a data-only eSIM. Airalo's 15-day unlimited plan is $46 (≈ £34.45) each Airalo. Or use the free park and hotel Wi-Fi and the lead phone's hotspot.
Example for 4 people: $35 + 3 × $46 = $173 (≈ £130). Roaming on four UK phones at £7 a day for 14 days would be £392.
Cheaper again, if it works for you: Lyca's 30-day 5GB plan was $10 on 23 Oct 2026, and each phone gets its own US number Lyca. Four lines would be $40 (≈ £29.96). We couldn't confirm that Lyca's checkout accepts UK cards, though, and 5GB is tight on a heavy park day.

The timing catch: the T-Mobile number only exists once you land. Sign up to the email-only restaurant clubs 1–2 weeks before you fly, and do the ones that need a phone number on day 1. If you want a US number before you travel, Lyca says you can buy its eSIM from home Lyca. Check whether the number works before activation. The number on a short-term pass also lapses when the pass ends, so use your email as the login wherever you can.

Is your phone ready?

Unlocked? UK networks have been banned from selling locked phones since December 2021, but older or second-hand phones may still be locked Ofcom. Ask your network to unlock it before you go. On an iPhone, Settings › General › About should say "No SIM restrictions" Apple.
eSIM-ready? iPhone XS, XR and later support eSIM Apple. On Android, dial *#06#. If it shows an "EID", the phone supports eSIM.
Install data eSIMs on home Wi-Fi before you fly and leave them switched off until you land. Don't delete an eSIM until you're home, because you may not be able to reinstall it.

More planning: before you fly checklist · restaurant freebies · money & tipping.