TRAVEL TECH · ESIM BY COUNTRY
Airalo Greece eSIM: the Greece plan or the EU+UK plan?
Airalo sells two eSIMs that work in Greece, and neither is cheapest for everyone. On October 24, 2026 its Greece-only plan was cheaper for fixed data (5GB for a week, $11), while its European Union + UK plan was cheaper for unlimited data ($23.50 a week vs $27). The two also use different Greek networks. Here is which one to buy for an island trip, and how to stay connected on the ferries.
Ad / affiliate disclosure: I may earn a commission if you buy an eSIM through the Airalo, Saily or Yesim links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Using hotel and cafe Wi-Fi, or a plan you already pay for, costs me nothing to recommend. PracticalPivot is not affiliated with Airalo or Saily. Prepared with AI assistance; Airalo and Saily pages were read on October 24, 2026.
The 30-second answer
Greece only, normal use (maps, ferry apps, messages): Airalo's Greece plan, 5GB for 7 days ($11) or 10GB for 30 days ($20). It is $1-$4 cheaper than the same data on Airalo's EU+UK plan.
You want unlimited data: buy Airalo's European Union and United Kingdom unlimited plan instead. A week is $23.50 vs $27 on the Greece-only plan, 30 days is $58 vs $69, and it also works if you continue to Italy, Croatia or Cyprus.
Remote islands: the Greece plan can switch between Nova and Vodafone; the EU+UK plan lists one Greek network (WIND, now Nova). If you're heading to small islands, the two-network Greece plan gives you a fallback.
Install at home on Wi-Fi before you fly; the plan starts when it first connects in Greece.
See Airalo Greece plans →
Affiliate link. Data only, no Greek phone number. Prices below were read on October 24, 2026.
Greece plan vs EU+UK plan, side by side (checked October 24, 2026)
| Plan | Airalo Greece | Airalo EU + UK (28 countries) | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1GB / 3 days | $4.00 | $4.00 | Tie |
| 3GB / 3 days | $8.50 | $8.00 | EU+UK |
| 3GB / 7 days | $9.00 | $9.00 | Tie |
| 5GB / 7 days | $11.00 | $12.00 | Greece |
| 10GB / 7 days | $19.00 | $21.00 | Greece |
| 5GB / 15 days | $11.50 | $13.00 | Greece |
| 10GB / 15 days | $19.50 | $22.00 | Greece |
| 20GB / 15 days | $35.00 | $35.00 | Tie |
| 5GB / 30 days | $12.00 | $14.00 | Greece |
| 10GB / 30 days | $20.00 | $24.00 | Greece |
| 20GB / 30 days | $35.50 | $37.00 | Greece |
| 50GB / 30 days | $42.00 | $49.00 | Greece |
| Unlimited 3 days | $11.50 | $10.00 | EU+UK |
| Unlimited 5 days | $19.00 | $16.50 | EU+UK |
| Unlimited 7 days | $27.00 | $23.50 | EU+UK |
| Unlimited 10 days | $34.00 | $28.00 | EU+UK |
| Unlimited 15 days | $48.00 | $39.00 | EU+UK |
| Unlimited 30 days | $69.00 | $58.00 | EU+UK |
| Greek network(s) listed | Nova + Vodafone | WIND (now Nova) | Greece plan has a fallback |
Per-GB math: the Greece plan's 50GB / 30 days works out to $0.84 per GB, against $2.00 per GB for 10GB / 30 days. If you will use more than about 25GB in a month, the 50GB plan beats buying 20GB and topping up. Airalo also sells a wider "Europe" plan (from $5); see the Europe eSIM guide if your trip includes non-EU countries such as Albania or Turkey.
Which plan for your Greece trip
| Trip | Light use (maps, ferry and taxi apps, messages) | Heavy use (streaming, hotspot, lots of video) |
|---|---|---|
| Long weekend in Athens | Greece 3GB / 7 days, $9 | EU+UK unlimited 3 days, $10 |
| 7 days, Athens + one or two islands | Greece 5GB / 7 days, $11 | EU+UK unlimited 7 days, $23.50 |
| 10-15 days island hopping | Greece 10GB / 15 days, $19.50 | EU+UK unlimited 15 days, $39 (Greece-only is $48) |
| 30 days or a remote-work month | Greece 10GB / 30 days, $20 | Greece 50GB / 30 days, $42 (cheaper than 30 days unlimited at $58-$69) |
| Greece plus Italy, Croatia or Cyprus | One EU+UK plan covers all of them. Airalo's EU+UK list (28 countries) includes Cyprus (PrimeTel), Croatia and Italy. | |
| Greece plus Turkey (e.g. a Kos-Bodrum day trip) | Neither plan covers Turkey. Buy a Turkey plan for that day, before you cross (see the Turkey eSIM guide: Airalo says it can't be bought inside Turkey). | |
Saily for Greece: cheaper or not?
| Plan | Saily Greece | Airalo Greece |
|---|---|---|
| 1GB | $4.49 / 7 days | $4.00 / 3 days |
| 3GB | $9.99 / 30 days | $9.00 / 7 days |
| 5GB / 30 days | $13.99 | $12.00 |
| 10GB / 30 days | $22.99 | $20.00 |
| 20GB / 30 days | $35.99 | $35.50 |
| Unlimited 15 days | $48.99 | $48.00 (EU+UK: $39.00) |
Airalo was cheaper on every matching Greece plan on October 24, 2026. Saily makes sense if you want its longer 1GB validity, its app's security features, or the 10% first-purchase code below (which brings 10GB / 30 days to about $20.69). Saily plans activate automatically on arrival and must be activated within 180 days. Yesim's Greece prices were not checked for this guide.
Island and ferry checks
| Situation | What happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| On the ferry | Signal is usually fine near ports and coasts but drops in open sea between islands. | Save your ferry e-ticket (screenshot or wallet pass) and offline maps of the next island before boarding. |
| Islands next to Turkey (Kos, Rhodes, Samos, Lesvos, Chios) | Phones near the coast can pick up a Turkish network. A Greece or EU+UK plan doesn't cover Turkey, so you may lose data, and your US line could start roaming on a Turkish network. | Keep US-line data roaming off. If data stops, go to network selection (iPhone: Settings > Cellular > your Greece eSIM > Network Selection) and pick Nova or Vodafone manually. |
| Small or remote islands | Coverage depends on which network has masts there. | Prefer the Greece plan (Nova + Vodafone). If one network has no signal, choose the other manually. |
| Hotel Wi-Fi only | Free, fine for a short Athens stay. | Download offline maps; you'll have no maps, taxi apps or ferry updates between hotspots. |
Check your US carrier first
| Carrier | Greece option | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Verizon | TravelPass $12/day; International Monthly Plan $100 with 20GB high-speed data (read October 21, 2026) | A week on TravelPass = $84 for one line, against $11-$23.50 on Airalo |
| AT&T | International Day Pass $12/day for one line (read October 21, 2026) | A week = $84 |
| T-Mobile | Some plans include data abroad at reduced speed or with a high-speed allowance | Check your plan's included-country list; T-Mobile's page could not be read for this guide |
| Free option | Hotel, cafe and ferry-terminal Wi-Fi | Works for a city break with offline maps; not for island hopping |
Common questions
Is the Airalo Greece eSIM or the EU+UK eSIM cheaper?
It depends on the plan type. On October 24, 2026, Airalo's Greece-only fixed-data plans were cheaper (5GB for 7 days $11 vs $12; 10GB for 30 days $20 vs $24), but its European Union and United Kingdom unlimited plans were cheaper than Greece-only unlimited (7 days $23.50 vs $27; 30 days $58 vs $69).
Which networks does the Airalo Greece eSIM use?
Airalo's Greece page lists Nova as the main network and Vodafone as a second network the eSIM can switch to. Its EU+UK regional plan lists only WIND for Greece, the network now branded Nova.
Which Airalo Greece plan is best for 7 days?
For maps, ferry apps and messages, the 5GB / 7-day plan ($11 on October 24, 2026). If you want unlimited data for a week, Airalo's EU+UK unlimited 7-day plan ($23.50) costs less than the Greece-only unlimited 7-day plan ($27) and also covers Italy and the rest of the EU.
Does my Greece eSIM work on the ferry?
Usually near ports and coastlines, but signal drops in open sea between islands. Download ferry e-tickets and offline maps before boarding, and near the Turkish coast (Kos, Rhodes, Samos, Lesvos) check that your phone stays on a Greek network.
Is Saily cheaper than Airalo for Greece?
Not on most plans checked October 24, 2026: 10GB for 30 days was $20 on Airalo and $22.99 on Saily. Saily's 1GB plan lasts 7 days ($4.49) against Airalo's 3 days ($4), and our code PIVOT10 takes 10% off a first Saily purchase.
How to set up an Airalo eSIM for Greece
- Check your phone: it must support eSIM and be carrier-unlocked. On iPhone: Settings > General > About, look for "Carrier Lock: No SIM restrictions".
- Choose Greece plan or EU+UK plan using the table above (fixed data: Greece; unlimited: EU+UK).
- Install at home on Wi-Fi, a day or two before you go. Don't delete the eSIM after installing.
- Label it "Greece", set Cellular Data to it, turn data roaming ON for the eSIM and OFF for your US line so no $12 day pass starts.
- When you land, give it a minute to find Nova or Vodafone. If there's no data, toggle airplane mode once, or see Airalo eSIM not working: fixes by phone.
Before you go: checklist
- Greece plan (fixed data) or EU+UK plan (unlimited / multi-country) chosen
- eSIM installed at home; phone unlocked
- Plan length covers your last day, including the flight-home day
- US line: data roaming off
- Offline maps of each island and ferry e-tickets saved
- Separate Turkey plan if you take a boat to the Turkish coast
What to do
Pick your plan from the tables and buy before your flight:
See Airalo EU + UK plans (unlimited) →
See Saily Greece plans →
Saily code PIVOT10: 10% off your first Saily purchase (all plans; applied automatically through this link).
See Yesim Greece plans →
Affiliate links. Yesim prices were not checked for this guide; compare before buying.
Related guides
- Which eSIM for your trip? (all countries)
- Europe eSIM: one plan for several countries
- Airalo Italy eSIM
- Airalo Turkey eSIM (buy before you fly)
- Airalo eSIM not working: fixes by phone
- Acropolis tickets: official EUR 30 ticket and which slots sell out
How we checked this
On October 24, 2026 I read every fixed and unlimited plan and the network list on Airalo's Greece page, the plans and 28-country network list on Airalo's European Union and United Kingdom page, and the plans on Saily's Greece page. Verizon and AT&T day-pass prices were read on their own pages on October 21, 2026. Yesim and T-Mobile were not checked, so this guide gives no prices for them. Island and ferry tips are general network behavior, not provider claims. Drafted with AI assistance and checked against those pages; the "last checked" date changes only when the facts are re-checked.