Family travel
A family of four has three real options. Here is what each costs and where each one breaks, so you pick once.
Every adult and teen phone online on its own, no one tethered to a parent. A light phone runs on 5GB for a week at $9.33; the navigator on 10GB for a week at $12.44. Prices are the live catalog, checked October 22, 2026. Each phone must be eSIM-capable and unlocked.
One parent takes Unlimited for a week at $33.68 and shares it. Cheapest on paper, but everyone must stay near that phone, and the plan's 10 Mbps cap is split between every device: fine for maps and chat, slow for two tablets streaming. Most plans allow hotspot; each plan's rule is printed at checkout.
For four people sharing one connection all day, a rented pocket Wi-Fi can beat four plans on price. The costs: a pickup counter, nightly charging, a return deadline, and the same stay-together problem as hotspot.
A mixed setup: the parent who navigates on unlimited or 10GB, the other adult on 5GB, kids' tablets on hotel Wi-Fi or the parent's hotspot. It keeps both adults independent at USJ or in a station crowd, which matters more than saving a few dollars.
Install every eSIM at home on Wi-Fi the night before. Check each phone with *#06# first; a wifi-only tablet cannot take an eSIM at all.
Through hotspot, on plans that allow it. Everyone must stay near that phone and share its speed, so it suits short trips and light use.
Only if they have an eSIM-capable phone and need to be reachable on their own. Wi-fi-only tablets work on hotel Wi-Fi or a parent's hotspot.
It can be on price, depending on the rental, if all four stay together all day; see our eSIM vs pocket Wi-Fi math. For split-up days, separate eSIMs win.
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