How we compare and rank plans

What gets listed

A plan is listed only when we have read it on the provider's own public website (or, in future, received it through an authorised partner feed). For each plan we record the page we read and the date we read it. Today that's 3562 plans from 17 providers.

We don't list a plan when:

• the price is shown in a currency we can't compare directly (for example, a one-day plan priced only in euros on a page otherwise in US dollars);
• the provider shows prices localised to the visitor, so we can't record a stable price;
• a multi-country plan gives a country count but not the list of countries it covers.

How prices are checked

Prices are in US dollars as displayed on the provider's page on the check date shown on every plan. We don't add or remove taxes or fees. When a check is more than 30 days old, the page flags it as possibly out of date until we re-check it.

If you choose another currency, we convert the US dollar price at the European Central Bank's daily reference rate and mark it with “≈”. Conversion is display only: ranking, sorting and filters always use the US dollar price, and what you pay is the provider's price in the currency shown at checkout.

Three answers: yes, no, not documented

For hotspot use, 5G, calls and SMS, and top-ups, we record what the provider states. If the provider doesn't say, we show “Not documented” rather than guessing. When you require one of these in the trip finder, plans that don't document it are listed separately, with the reason.

The order of results

In the trip finder, a plan first has to meet every requirement you set: it covers the destination, lasts at least as many days as your stay, has enough data (or is unlimited if you asked for unlimited), documents each must-have, and fits your budget. Those plans are then ordered by:

1. Lowest total price.
2. If prices are equal: the plan whose provider documents more of its terms — hotspot, 5G, whether it's data-only, top-ups, the full list of networks, and the fair-use policy (a fixed-data plan counts as documented here).
3. Then: more data.
4. Then: shorter validity — the closest fit to your trip.

In the trip finder you can re-sort the plans that meet every requirement by most data, lowest price per GB or longest validity. Re-sorting never moves a plan that misses a requirement into that list. On destination pages you can re-sort by price, price per day, data, validity or price per GB. The “Lowest price shown” label marks the cheapest plan among those currently displayed — it's a fact, not a recommendation.

Choosing providers in the trip finder only leaves the other providers' plans out. The plans that remain keep the same order, and nothing about a provider's commission is part of it.

Plans that nearly fit are shown underneath, ordered by how many requirements they definitely fail, then by how many are undocumented, then by the same rules.

For a trip across several countries, plans that cover every stop come first. If some cover every stop but none meets every requirement, we say so and show the closest, each with what doesn't fit. We also show the best plan for each stop and what they cost together; your budget applies to each plan on its own, and we point out when that total is higher than it.

Provider picks

The providers page names a provider only for a measure we can count from the plans we list: the lowest price for a 10-day trip with 10 GB in the most destinations, the lowest unlimited price for 10 days in the most destinations (ties count for each provider), and the most terms documented per plan on average. A measure every provider ties on is left out. There's no overall score, no speed figure and no rating, because we haven't tested speeds or collected reviews.

Price per day

In trip results, “per day” is the plan's total price divided by the days of your trip (or of that stop), because that's what you'll use it for — a 30-day plan bought for a 10-day trip costs its full price either way. Side-by-side does the same when the plans were picked from your trip results. On destination pages, where we don't know your trip, it's the price divided by the plan's validity. Ordering by best match always uses the total price.

Limits shown before you leave

Each plan card lists the provider's stated restrictions (for example, a plan that can't be used in a neighbouring country) and, for unlimited plans, the fair-use terms — or that the provider doesn't document any. They sit above the button to the provider's site, not inside the plan details.

What commission does and doesn't do

We may earn a commission when you buy through a provider link. Commission isn't an input to any ranking: our plan data has no commission field, and the ordering code only reads the fields described above. Commission could influence which providers we prioritise verifying next; it can't buy a position in results. Read the full affiliate disclosure.

What we don't do (yet)

• We don't speed-test plans, and we don't claim to.
• We don't publish ratings or reviews. If we add them, this page will explain how they're produced.
• We don't convert currencies yet; all prices are US dollars.

Corrections

If a price or term on this site is wrong, tell us. We re-check the provider's page and update the plan with a new check date.