The difference between a 3GB and a 5GB plan is usually a couple of euros, which is why the decision is worth about thirty seconds of thought. What settles it is not trip length but whether you watch video on mobile data.
What the calculator makes of a seven-day trip on each plan.
| Usage style | Over 7 days |
|---|---|
| Light — maps and messaging | 0.3 GB — 3 GB is enough |
| Typical — maps, some video, a few calls | 3.0 GB — 3 GB is enough |
| Heavy — video, calls and tethering | 10 GB — both fall short |
And over a fortnight, where the middle case moves decisively.
| Usage style | Over 14 days |
|---|---|
| Light — maps and messaging | 0.5 GB — 3 GB is enough |
| Typical — maps, some video, a few calls | 5.9 GB — both fall short |
| Heavy — video, calls and tethering | 21 GB — both fall short |
Trip length matters less than the tables suggest at first glance. What moves you between the rows is a single habit — whether you watch video on mobile data — and that does not change with the number of days.
If you use maps, messaging and browsing, 3GB covers a great deal of travel. If you stream in the evenings, neither plan is really the question and you should be looking at 10GB or wifi.
Most eSIM providers let you add data in-app within minutes, which makes the smaller plan a reasonable default: you are not choosing between enough and not enough, you are choosing between paying now and paying later if it turns out you need it.
The one case where that logic fails is arriving somewhere with no connectivity at all to buy the top-up with. If your first day is remote, buy the headroom up front.
Nothing, usually. Plans are sold with a validity window and unused gigabytes rarely roll over, so over-buying is not the cautious choice people take it for — it is simply a more expensive plan.
A week of light use fits inside 3GB with room to spare. A week of typical use sits right at the 3GB line, so 5GB is the safer choice if you would rather not think about it.
For maps, messaging and browsing, comfortably. It is video that empties it, and a single evening of streaming can take a meaningful share of the whole allowance.
Most providers allow it in-app within a few minutes. That makes starting with the smaller plan a reasonable bet, provided you will have connectivity to buy the top-up.
Significantly. Tethering carries an overhead beyond the traffic itself, and laptops fetch far more in the background than phones do. If you plan to work, size up.
Usually not. Plans are typically valid for a fixed window, so buying far more than you need is money spent rather than saved for later.