US data for Canadian travellers
Canadians own Florida in winter — the snowbird condos of Fort Lauderdale, the direct WestJet runs into Orlando, the cruise terminals full of Ontario accents every January. What Canadians also own, unfortunately, is some of the rich world's most expensive mobile roaming: C$13–16 per day just to use your own plan across the border. Two weeks at Disney World or on the Gulf coast can add C$200 per phone to the bill. Here's the 2026 picture and the way around it.
What the big three charge to roam in the USA
- Rogers — Roam Like Home: around C$16/day in the US, triggered automatically on use, capped at a monthly maximum on most plans. Some premium Rogers plans now bundle Can-US roaming in — check yours first.
- Bell — Roam Better: around C$13/day in the US, same auto-trigger pattern. Bell also sells Can-US plans with the border built in.
- Telus — Easy Roam: around C$16/day in the US after 2026's quiet rate rises; discounted or included on some 5G+ Complete tiers.
The honest first step: check whether your plan already includes US roaming. Canada is unusual — Can-US plans are common at the premium end, and if you have one, you need nothing from us. For everyone on a standard plan, the maths for a fortnight in Florida is C$182 (Bell) to C$224 (Rogers/Telus) per phone — for data you already pay for at home.
Rogers vs Bell vs Telus vs eSIM Florida, side by side
| Option | Cost for a 2-week Florida trip | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Rogers Roam Like Home | C$224 per phone (14 × C$16/day) | Auto-triggers on use; some premium plans bundle US roaming in — worth checking first |
| Bell Roam Better | C$182 per phone (14 × C$13/day) | Same auto-trigger pattern; Bell also sells dedicated Can-US plans |
| Telus Easy Roam | C$224 per phone (14 × C$16/day) | Rates rose quietly through 2026; discounted or included on some 5G+ Complete tiers |
| eSIM Florida 15GB (30 days) | £16.99 per phone, once | No daily meter, no border-crossing trigger, works from touchdown |
| Family of three, 2 weeks (Rogers/Telus) | C$672 (Rogers/Telus) or C$546 (Bell) | Each phone roams separately — none of the big three sell a family bundle |
| eSIM Florida family bundle | £44.99 per family, once | Three 15GB eSIMs, one price, no meter |
The alternative: a prepaid US eSIM for about C$29
Our 15GB / 30-day US plan is £16.99 — about C$29 at current rates, and checkout shows your price in Canadian dollars before you pay. It installs beside your Rogers/Bell/Telus SIM from a QR code, connects natively to major US networks with 5G, and only starts its 30 days when you cross the border. Your Canadian number, WhatsApp and iMessage keep working over the eSIM's data; with your Canadian line's data roaming off, Roam Like Home and friends never trigger.
- Fortnight in Orlando: ~C$29 vs C$182–224 roaming — keep C$150–195 per phone.
- Snowbird month: the 20GB / 30-day plan (£23.99, ~C$41) covers a full month for a quarter of ten days of Easy Roam.
- Family of three: the automatic bundle prices three 15GB eSIMs at £44.99 (~C$77) — versus C$546+ if three phones roam.
Made for how Canadians do Florida
- Orlando and the parks — full 5G at Disney World, Universal and Epic Universe; our Orlando guide covers the park-app data story.
- The snowbird coasts — Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Naples, Sarasota, St Pete: covered like anywhere else in Florida, with a 30-day validity that matches longer stays. Longer than a month? A second QR is two minutes away.
- Cruises from PortMiami and Port Canaveral — embarkation day and Key West port days on the eSIM; the sea-day rules are in our Caribbean cruise guide.
- The whole US, actually — the plan is US-wide, so a Buffalo shopping run or a New York stopover on the way south is covered by the same eSIM.
Before you fly (or drive): the checklist
- Phone check: eSIM-capable (iPhone XS or newer, Galaxy S20 or newer, Pixel 3 or newer) — and thanks to the CRTC, every phone sold in Canada since December 2017 is unlocked by law, so that part's done.
- Buy the plan — prices shown in CAD at checkout, QR by email instantly, 180 days to use it.
- Install on home wifi; nothing starts until you're in the US.
- At the border: US eSIM on with its data roaming enabled; Canadian line's data roaming off. That single switch is what keeps Roam Like Home at $0.
Quick answers
Does the eSIM work in Canada too? No — it's a US plan, which is the point: your Canadian SIM keeps handling home, the eSIM handles the States, and nothing overlaps or renews.
Will 2FA texts from my Canadian bank still arrive in Florida? Yes — your Canadian line stays active for texts (receiving is free on the big three), only its data is off.
What about calls? The eSIM is data-only. WhatsApp, FaceTime and Messenger calls ride it for free; answering a regular call on your Canadian line bills at your carrier's roaming voice rate, so ring back over data instead.
Is this better than Airalo or Nomad for a Canadian? The same honest comparison we give UK readers applies — see the price tables: our 15GB beats their 10GB prices, and nobody else has a family bundle.