A four-week family visit is a different trip from a holiday. You want to be online the moment you land in Delhi or Mumbai — the first WhatsApp goes out from the taxi, not from the house — you may be setting up a parent’s phone as well as your own, and nobody wants to spend the first morning at a phone counter.
The three options, honestly priced
A local Indian SIM is by far the cheapest per GB — roughly $0.10-0.20 per GB, well under what any travel eSIM costs per GB, including ours ($48.00 for 20 GB), and we’re not going to pretend otherwise. The catch is getting one as a visitor: it requires documents and activation time, and many people arriving on an OCI card or tourist visa report friction. If you have the time, patience and paperwork, it’s a fine choice.
Your US carrier for 30 days: T-Mobile’s 30-day International Pass is $75 for 30 GB — the best of the carrier options. AT&T or Verizon daily passes over thirty days total $360 per phone, which nobody actually pays; most families switch to Wi-Fi and go dark outside the house.
A FairWave India 30-day eSIM: $48.00 for 20 GB, valid 30 days from first use, installed at home before you fly. One order covers the family — one QR per phone in the same checkout, so a parent’s phone is handled in the same five minutes.
Before you fly
Run the check — Android matters on this corridor: several popular Galaxy A-series phones can’t take an eSIM at all, and we’d rather tell you now than at Terminal 4. Install on home Wi-Fi. Land, switch the data line, text the family group from the taxi.
FAQ
Can a US visitor just buy a local SIM in India?
Often yes, but it takes documents and activation time, and experiences vary by store and visa type. An eSIM installed before you land skips the counter entirely.
What’s the cheapest 30-day option from a US carrier?
T-Mobile’s $75/30 GB International Pass. Verizon and AT&T have no monthly pass — daily rates would total $360.
Can I put an eSIM on my mom’s phone too?
Yes — one order, one QR code per phone. Check her phone model first, especially Galaxy A-series.
Sources
Per-GB range from the persona validation of 4 Sep (sourced there); T-Mobile pass price from T-Mobile’s page, read 7 Sep 2026.
Prices and policies last checked 2026-09-07; we re-check monthly.