A Time-Based Plan gives you a fixed amount of data and a fixed number of days to use it in — whichever runs out first ends the plan
This is the ordinary shape of a travel eSIM, and the one most trips want. You pick the size and the validity, and the plan holds both: a set allowance of mobile data, valid for a set period counted from the moment the plan activates.
The Two Numbers on Every Plan
Data
How much you can use in total. Small plans suit a week of maps and messaging; larger ones carry video calls, streaming and tethering
Validity
How long you have to use it — a handful of days for a city break, or months for a longer stay. The clock starts on activation, not on purchase
Which One Ends the Plan
- Use all the data before the last day, and the connection stops even though days remain
- Reach the last day with data left over, and the plan ends anyway — unused data does not carry forward
Longer validity does not mean more data, and larger data does not mean more days. They are separate dials, and every combination on a destination page is priced on its own — which is why it is worth reading both numbers rather than sorting by price alone.
If you are not sure which size to take, start from what a day of your normal phone use costs. How Much Data do I Need for My Trip? has a table, and topping up mid-trip is always possible if you guess low
