Image: AI
Update: July 18, 2026
Spoiler: If you don't feel like reading through the details, you can skip to the summary and recommendations at the end.
Standard cell phone plans are very expensive outside the EU if you want to use data there. However, there are also providers that allow you to use data outside the EU at reasonable prices.
By the way: if you want to watch German TV outside the EU, you’ll need to use a VPN to bypass geoblocking. Our recommendation: SurfShark VPN—high performance at a low price!
You can sign up for SurfShark HERE!
Rates from German Providers
German providers—whether they offer physical SIM cards or eSIMs—have the advantage that the plan can also be used in Germany. In addition, this gives you a German IP address and helps you avoid geoblocking, which significantly restricts access to German TV channels, media libraries, and services while abroad.
Lycamobile
For Turkey, Lycamobile offers three plans that provide data allowances in Germany, the EU, and Turkey.
There are 3 plans:
- Aloturka S: 10 GB in Turkey and the EU, 15 GB in Germany, Price: €8.99/28 days
- Aloturka M: 30 GB in Turkey and the EU, 40 GB in Germany; Price: €17.99 for 28 days
- Aloturka L: 39 GB in Turkey and the EU, 70 GB in Germany; Price: €22.49 for 28 days
All plans are also available as eSIMs.
Click here for the Lycamobile Aloturka M plan
Ay Yildiz
Ay Yildiz is a service provider that focuses on people with Turkish roots and on travel to Turkey.
The offerings include standard smartphone plans as well as add-on packages with data allowances in Turkey. It’s also worth noting that calls from Turkey to Germany cost only 9 cents per minute.
The following data plans are available:
- 7 GB for €9.99
- 15 GB for €14.99
- 45 GB for €29.99
- 90 GB for €49.99
The prepaid card is currently available for €1.99 with €10 in credit.
You can order the Ay Yildiz prepaid card HERE
International eSIM Provider
There are a wide variety of eSIM providers. They offer either data plans or so-called “unlimited” plans. With all of these plans, you need to read the fine print. The “unlimited” plans do NOT include unlimited high-speed data; instead, they provide only a limited amount of data per day—ranging from 1 to 5 GB, depending on the provider. Once this allowance is used up, the speed is reduced to between 0.3 and 1 Mbit. That’s still enough for emails and WhatsApp, and possibly even for Spotify, but any video content will no longer work or will only play at extremely low resolution.
When it comes to the amount of data available per day, some providers communicate this transparently, while others simply mention a "fair use" clause. With the latter, you might be surprised by when the speed reduction kicks in.
In cases where the provider did not clearly state the data allowance, I asked for that information. The providers are listed in alphabetical order.
By the way: You can also use the eSIM with a physical eSIM card in any smartphone or mobile router.
Click HERE for the physical eSIM card
Airalo
Airalo offers both unlimited plans and fixed data packages.
A) Data packets:
- 5 GB (7 days) €8.50
- 10 GB (15 days) €14.00
- 20 GB (15 days) €20.00
- 50 GB (30 days) €31.50
B) Unlimited
Airalo offers 3 GB of high-speed data per day, followed by 1 Mbit/s
- 5 days for €17.50
- 7 days for €24.50
- 10 days for €32.00
- 15 days for €44.50
You can order the Airalo eSIM here
eSIMony
eSIMony offers both fixed data plans and unlimited plans.
A) Data Packets
- 5 GB (30 days) for €7.90
- 10 GB (30 days) for €12.90
- 20 GB (30 days) for €15.90
- 50 GB (30 days) for €29.99
B) Unlimited
eSIMony offers 1 GB of high-speed data per day, followed by 1.25 Mbit/s
- 5 days for €13.90
- 7 days for €27.90
- 10 days for €22.90
- 15 days for €34.90
You can order the eSIM from eSIMony HERE
eSIM-FOX
eeSIM-FOX offers data plans and unlimited plans
A) Data Packets
- 5 GB (30 days): €12.99
- 10 GB (30 days): €15.99
- 20 GB (30 days): €19.99
- 50 GB (30 days): €35.99
B) Unlimited
eESIM-FOX provides 2 GB of high-speed data per day; after that, the speed drops to 1 Mbit/s. I had to ask for this information via WhatsApp, which makes this provider lack transparency.
- 7 days for €19.99
You can order the eSIM from eSIM-Fox HERE
WorldSIM
WORLDSIM offers 2 GB of high-speed data per day with its unlimited plans. After that, speeds continue at 1 Mbit/s.
- 10 GB (30 days) for €6.05
- 20 GB (30 days) for €9.89
- 50 GB (30 days) for €19.89
- 100 GB (30 days) for €33.54
- 3 days of unlimited access for €5.95
- 5 days of unlimited access for €7.85
- 7 days of unlimited access for €8.99
- 10 days of unlimited access for €12.24
- 15 days of unlimited access for €17.51
You can buy a WorldSIM eSIM here
Roamic
Roamic is a provider that is relatively inexpensive compared to most other providers. It offers both data plans and unlimited plans.
A) Data Packets
- 5 GB (30 days): €3.99
- 10 GB (30 days): €6.49
- 20 GB (30 days): €10.99
- 50 GB (30 days): €23.99
B) Unlimited
With its unlimited plans, Roamic offers 3 GB of high-speed data per day; after that, speeds drop to 1 Mbit/s
- 5 days for €8.99
- 7 days for €10.99
- 10 days for €13.99
- 15 days for €18.99
You can order the Roamic eSIM HERE
Saily
Saily also offers both fixed data plans and unlimited plans.
A) Data Packets
- 5 GB (30 days): €8.99
- 10 GB (30 days): €13.99
- 20 GB (30 days): €20.49
B) Unlimited
With 5 GB of high-speed data per day, Saily offers the highest high-speed data allowance of any provider. After that, speeds continue at 1 Mbit/s.
- 5 days: €16.99
- 10 days: €30.99
- 15 days: €43.49
You can order the Saily eSIM HERE
SIMbye
SIMbye offers both fixed data plans and unlimited plans
A) Data Packets
- 5 GB (30 days): €11.95
- 10 GB (30 days): €14.95
- 20 GB (30 days): €18.95
- 50 GB (30 days): €37.95
B) Unlimited
Unlimited plans include 2 GB; after that, speeds continue at 1 Mbit/s
- 7 days for €18.95
- 15 days for €28.95
You can order the SIMbye eSIM HERE
Yesim
Yesim offers both fixed data plans and unlimited plans.
A) Data Packets
- 5 GB: €9.00
- 10 GB: €14.00
- 20 GB: €22.00
- 50 GB: €39.00
B) Unlimited
- 5 days for €16.50
- 7 days for €23.10
- 10 days for €28.30
- 15 days for €37.00
You can order the YESIM eSIM HERE
Summary
It’s not easy to keep track of all the different eSIM plans available for Turkey. If you choose the wrong provider, you can quickly end up paying too much. And one thing must be clear— the high-speed data allowance for unlimited plans is capped at 1–5 GB, depending on the provider.
What would you recommend now?
- If you spend a lot of time on video platforms like YouTube or TikTok, you should definitely book Saily with unlimited data. Saily may be a bit more expensive, but with 5 GB of high-speed data per day, it offers more than any other provider.
- If you spend most of your time at the hotel with good Wi-Fi and only go on 1–3 outings, a plan with 10 GB (for a one-week stay) to 30 GB is more than enough for outings and similar activities. Here are the two providers, Roamic and Lycamobile . This is significantly cheaper than paying by the day.
- Anyone who has a Wi-Fi router with a SIM card or a smartphone without eSIM functionality must either Lycamobile or Ay Yildiz . Both are quite affordable when it comes to fixed data plans, even compared to most eSIM offers. In particular, Lycamobile stands out with 10 GB for €8.99 and 30 GB for €17.99 very affordable.
- Anyone who uses their smartphone or tablet or via their own TV stick on the hotel TV must expect data usage of 2 GB per hour . With standard international eSIM providers, geoblocking kicks in immediately and reliably prevents you from using these services. With Ay Yildiz and Lycamobile , everything runs through a German IP address, and the services work flawlessly.
- If you want to use unlimited plans at the lowest possible price, your best bet is Roamic is the best choice. They offer 3 GB of high-speed data per day at affordable prices.
- If you rely exclusively on mobile internet and want to use it for TV as well, you can't do without Ay Yildiz . No other provider offers such large data plans (up to 90 GB).
Here's a tip: You can also use eSIM plans with the physical eSIM card in routers or smartphones that aren't eSIM-compatible. You can order the physical eSIM card HERE.
Finally, an important note: All eSIMs must be activated outside of Turkey. Activation within Turkey is NOT possible!
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