(Sponsored) This article, supplied by an advertiser, explains how to keep a phone connected on trips across Mexico, the US and Canada.
The 2026 World Cup, played across Mexico, the United States and Canada, sent many fans over North American borders within a single trip. Business travellers based in Latin America often do the same: a meeting in Mexico City, a conference in Texas, a few days in Toronto.
One practical question follows every traveller across those borders: how to keep a phone connected without running up a large roaming bill.
Why roaming is still a problem
Travellers on Brazilian, Argentine, Colombian or Chilean plans often pay daily roaming fees in North America, and the included allowances can be small. Prices vary widely by operator and plan, so the first step before any trip is to check your own provider’s roaming page.
Some Mexican plans include usage in the US and Canada, which helps residents of Mexico. Visitors from South America and further afield are less likely to have that benefit.
Local SIM cards: cheap, but one country at a time
Buying a prepaid SIM on arrival remains a sensible option for a long stay in one country. On a trip that crosses two or three borders, however, it means buying and registering a new card in each place, and removing the home SIM that receives bank verification codes.
Regional eSIMs: one plan, three countries
An eSIM is a digital SIM installed on the phone, with no physical card to swap. Regional eSIM plans cover several countries under one plan, so data keeps working when the traveller lands in another country or crosses a land border.
For North America, providers such as the Australian company ZenSim sell a North America travel eSIM that covers the USA, Canada and Mexico, with plans of 5, 15 or 30 days. Like most travel eSIMs, it is data only: calls run through apps such as WhatsApp, while the traveller’s home SIM stays in the phone for calls, texts and banking codes.
What to check before buying
Travellers comparing plans should confirm four things. The phone must be unlocked and support eSIM, which rules out some older or operator-locked handsets.
The plan must cover every country on the itinerary. The validity period should match the length of the trip.
And if a laptop or a second device needs to connect, the plan should allow hotspotting. It is also worth installing the eSIM at home on Wi-Fi, a day or two before departure, and switching off data roaming on the home line to avoid accidental charges on arrival.
When an eSIM is not the best option
A regional eSIM is not always the cheapest choice. Mexican residents whose plans already include the US and Canada may not need one.
Visitors staying several months in one country will usually pay less with a local prepaid SIM. And anyone who needs a local phone number for calls will still need a physical SIM or a local plan.
For short and medium trips across more than one North American country, though, a single regional plan removes the need to hunt for SIM shops at every stop, and keeps the costs predictable.
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