A prepaid eSIM data plan is a cheap and easy way to get high-speed data while visiting Austria and the rest of Europe, so don’t waste your money on the expensive international data package offered by your current plan. To help you find the best prepaid eSIM plan for Austria, I’ve crunched the numbers and compared multiple plans to help you find the best option for your trip.
In a hurry? I recommend purchasing an eSIM plan from either of them. Simulation Options or HolaFlyBoth companies offer multiple, affordable prepaid data plans – read on for more detailed and specific recommendations.
The downside of using your current plan’s international data bundle
Almost every mobile phone provider offers an international data plan option, but there are two major drawbacks:
- They are expensive.
- The service is often slow, inconsistent, and has limited data allowances.
For example, AT&T International Day Ticket The subscription costs $10 per day. They also offer the AT&T Passport plan, which is a monthly plan that costs either $70 per month for 2GB of data or $140 per month for 6GB. Then they charge a hefty additional fee of $30 per GB.
And many T-Mobile Customers get free “unlimited” international data, but you’re only guaranteed 2GB data speeds… which will make it hard to load Google Maps or even email. You can pay more for better speeds, but you’ll pay extra.
These “international data plans” cost 5 times more than purchasing a prepaid eSIM data plan from a third-party provider – for example, eSIM data plans from orange or HolaFly It will cost you about $2-4 per day.
For more in-depth information on international data plans and eSIM, check out my guide on How to use smartphones and data plans in Europe And my country eSIM Data Plans Guide in Europe.
Compare the best eSIM data plans for Austria
Austria has three main mobile operators (A1 Telekom Austria, Magenta (T-Mobile) Austriaand Three Austria) However, it is difficult for short-term visitors and tourists to obtain an Austrian eSIM from a local provider because eSIMs are usually only offered to customers with long-term contracts.
Furthermore, the Austrian government now requires that every SIM card sold in Austria be registered, and that long-term contracts be linked to an Austrian bank.
Your only real option is to purchase a prepaid eSIM data plan designed specifically for short-term visitors. These plans are more tourist-friendly, so you won’t have to mess around with registration, weird translation issues, etc.
In this guide, I’ll focus on “tourist-friendly” eSIM plans.
Each eSIM plan I’ve listed is a little different, so pay attention to the specifics – here are the main things to consider:
- Data allowance: Plans typically give you a set amount of mobile data (i.e. 5GB, 10GB, 30GB, etc.), but other plans give you unlimited data over a set period of time (5 days, 15 days, 30 days, etc.).
- Plan length: eSIM data plans can be valid for anywhere from about 5 days to 90 days.
- Mobile hotspot tethering: Many eSIM plans don’t allow data tethering, so you can’t always use your phone as a mobile hotspot.
- Voice calls and SMS: Some eSIM plans include data only, which means the plan doesn’t include voice calls or SMS. This isn’t a big deal since you won’t be calling people anyway.
- Note: You can still use iMessage to text between iPhones but you can’t text between iPhones and Android phones. Or you can download WhatsApp to text over data (which most Europeans do).
Orange Holiday Europe eSIM (50GB)
- price: $59.90 (Check Simulation Options For details)
- Data: 50 GB
- Service speed: 4G/LTE
- Calls: Unlimited within Europe and 120 minutes outside Europe.
- Texts/SMS: Unlimited within Europe and 1000 outside Europe.
- Credit validity: 28 days
- Data binding: Allowed
- It can be used on any device (phones, tablets, hotspots…)
- This eSIM plan comes with a French phone number that can be used anywhere in Europe.
- The service works everywhere in the European Union.
Need massive amounts of data? Consider the new version Orange Holiday Europe 50GB eSIM Data Plan It’s an enhanced version of the Orange Holiday Europe eSIM. It comes with 50GB of data and is valid for 28 days (compared to 14 days with the Orange Holiday Europe plan). This eSIM also comes with a bunch of features you don’t find on other plans—including international voice calls and texting (it gives you a real French phone number that works anywhere in Europe).
The Orange Holiday Europe eSIM plan also lets you use your phone as a mobile hotspot so you can take advantage of that extra data allowance. Orange is also one of the largest mobile phone companies in Europe, so you’ll always get great coverage and fast data speeds.
Holafly Austria Unlimited eSIM Data with Calls to Europe
- Unlimited Data Rates (Check) HolaFly For details)
- 10 days: $34
- 15 days: $47
- 20 days: $54
- 30 days: $64
- 60 days: $84
- 90 days: $99
- Service speed: 5G/4G/LTE
- Call Coverage: no one
- Short message: no one
- Data binding: no
- Data service works everywhere in the EU
HolaFly It is a new eSIM provider based in Spain which I have used previously while in Europe and had a great experience. HolaFly It sells Austria-specific plans and Europe-wide data plans.
Unlike other mobile data companies, Holafly gives you unlimited data (but will throttle your data if you get too much). I also like that Holafly plans come in 5-90 day terms — so you don’t have to buy too much or too little for your particular trip.
Holafly isn’t an actual mobile carrier but leases bandwidth from local mobile provider networks – the only downside is that you’re likely to get lower priority on the local network during peak times.
Holafly does not allow data tethering in most cases, so you won’t be able to use your phone as a mobile hotspot.
You can read my in-depth article. HolaFly Review To learn more about my experiences using Holafly.
Bouygues European eSIM with Europe Connectivity
Bouygues Telecom is a major French telecom company and they recently launched their own prepaid eSIM data plan to compete with Orange Holiday Europe’s popular eSIM plan. I used a Bouygues prepaid SIM card on a previous trip to Europe, so I’m glad they’re finally offering eSIM.
There’s a lot to like about the Bouygues My European eSIM plan—especially since it comes standard with 30GB of data and unlimited calls/texts within Europe. I also like that the Bouygues eSIM plan is valid for 30 days, so it’s a great option for longer trips.
- price: $44.90 (Check Simulation Options For details)
- Data: 30 GB
- Data binding: Allowed
- Service speed: 4G/LTE
- Calls: Unlimited within Europe and international calling credit
- Texts/SMS: Unlimited within Europe and international SMS credit
- Credit validity: 30 days
- Phone number: This eSIM comes with a French phone number.
- CoverageAnywhere within the European Union (except Switzerland)
Orange Holiday Europe ESIM Program in Austria
- price: $49.90 (Check Simulation Options For details)
- Data: 30GB (recently upgraded from 20GB)
- Service speed: 4G/LTE
- Calls: Unlimited within Europe and 120 minutes outside Europe.
- Texts/SMS: Unlimited within Europe and 1000 outside Europe.
- Credit validity: 14 days
- Data binding: Allowed
- It can be used on any device (phones, tablets, hotspots…)
- This eSIM plan comes with a French phone number that can be used anywhere in Europe.
- The service works everywhere in the European Union.
the Orange Holiday Europe eSIM Data Plan The eSIM plan is the most powerful on this list because it comes with a number of features you won’t find on other plans—including international voice calls and texting (it gives you a real French phone number that works anywhere in Europe). The Orange Holiday Europe eSIM plan also lets you use your phone as a mobile hotspot.
This plan includes 20GB of data, but Orange occasionally runs a special offer where they give you an extra 10GB, but even 20GB should be enough for most users. Orange is also one of the largest mobile phone companies in Europe, so you’ll always get great coverage and fast data speeds.
The potential downside to the Orange Holiday Europe eSIM is that it’s only valid for 14 days once activated, so it’s not great for longer visits (but you can always buy a second plan).
I have used the Orange Holiday Europe plan while travelling across Europe and it has worked well. Read Orange Holiday Europe Review To hear more.
Orange vacation in Austria
- price: $29.90 (Check Simulation Options For details)
- Data: 8GB (sometimes they give you 15GB of data)
- Service speed: 4G/LTE
- Calls: Unlimited within Europe and 30 minutes outside Europe.
- Texts/SMS: Unlimited within Europe and 200 outside Europe.
- Credit validity: 14 days
- Data binding: Allowed
- It can be used on any device (phones, tablets, hotspots…)
- This eSIM plan comes with a French phone number that can be used anywhere in Europe.
- The service works everywhere in the European Union.
the Orange Holiday Zen eSIM Card This is the economy version of the Orange Holiday Europe eSIM plan mentioned above. It comes with 8GB of data and fewer minutes and SMS, otherwise it’s the same as the Orange Holiday Europe eSIM plan.
Most users will use more than 8GB of data while traveling for a week or two, but light data users could easily use less than 8GB of data during a typical 10-14 day trip.
More tips on using your mobile phone in Austria
I have written extensively about the use of Smartphones and Data Plans in Europe And tips for Buy SIM cards to visit Europe But here are some additional useful tips about using your phone in Austria.
Bring a portable battery charger.
I highly recommend using a portable battery charger while traveling to ensure your phone doesn’t run out of battery in the middle of the day. I use Anker PowerCore 10000 Because it is small and reasonably priced but there are multiple options.
Take steps to reduce mobile data usage.
It’s very easy to consume a lot of data without even knowing it because many apps keep using data in the background. Facebook, email, Instagram, Snapchat… all of these apps are constantly using data throughout the day without you even knowing it. That’s why it’s important to know how to limit your data usage.
Use airplane mode and block data for specific apps.
I’ll put my phone in airplane mode because that disables all data (but GPS still works in airplane mode). You can also disable data access for each app individually in settings. I’ll go in and turn off everything except things like Google Maps or others that I’ll use frequently – that way when I turn airplane mode off, I’ll only be using apps that will use data. Then I’ll turn airplane mode back on when I’m done.
Download offline maps
Google Maps lets you download entire city maps so they can be used offline. As an added bonus, GPS doesn’t use data, so Google Maps works fairly well offline (but not all functions work). Here’s a good example: YouTube video That explains everything.
More Europe travel tips from seasoned travelers
Check out more of my favorite articles to help you plan your trip to Austria and the rest of Europe:
James Vess is the founder of The Savvy Backpacker and author of The Savvy Backpacker’s Guide to Europe on a Budget. He has been blogging about budget travel in Europe since 2010.
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