The first time I planned a US road trip with a Caribbean cruise add-on, I'd assumed the same eSIM would carry me from the LA road-trip start through the Caribbean port stops. The Airalo North America plan I'd bought stopped at the Mexican border — Caribbean coverage required separate per-island plans. By the second cruise port I'd lost track of which plan was active and which country I was supposedly roaming on. The next trip I bought 99esim's North America plan covering all 15 countries on the itinerary and the same eSIM carried the whole trip.
Why 99esim's North America scope is genuinely different
The standard "North America regional" product across most travel-eSIM providers covers exactly 3 countries: USA, Canada, and Mexico. It's a narrow product targeted at the classic US-Canada-Mexico road-trip pattern.
99esim's North America plan reframes the region. It includes the standard 3 countries plus Costa Rica and Honduras from Central America and 10 Caribbean island nations: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles (Curaçao, Bonaire, BES area), Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Turks and Caicos. Jamaica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, and BVI are notable exclusions — those countries need separate plans.
The reframing matches a genuine travel pattern: US-based travellers combining mainland US trips with Caribbean cruises, US travellers extending to Canada and then onward to a Caribbean honeymoon, Canadian travellers heading south to the Caribbean for winter sun. Each of these patterns benefits from a single-product solution rather than per-island stacking.
Most travellers using a North America regional plan fit one of three shapes: classic US-Canada-Mexico road-trippers (the standard 3-country pattern, 7-14 days); US + Caribbean cruise visitors combining a US base with a 5-10 day cruise touching multiple Caribbean ports; and combined Mexico + Caribbean travellers (e.g., Cancún or Mexico City plus a Caribbean island add-on).
What coverage actually looks like across the region
The US has 5G across all major metros (NYC, LA, Chicago, Miami, SF, DC, Seattle, Boston, Atlanta) and continuous 4G everywhere settled. Canada has 5G across Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, and the major regional capitals; 4G across most populated areas. Mexico has 5G across Mexico City, Cancún, Guadalajara, Monterrey, and the major resort destinations; continuous 4G across most settled regions.
The Central American additions: Costa Rica has 4G across San José, the Pacific coast resorts (Tamarindo, Manuel Antonio), and the Caribbean coast at Puerto Viejo. Honduras has 4G across Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, and the Bay Islands (Roatán, Utila).
The Caribbean additions vary by island. Cayman Islands has 4G across George Town and Seven Mile Beach. Saint Lucia has 4G across Castries and Soufrière. Saint Kitts and Nevis has 4G across Basseterre and Charlestown. Anguilla, Montserrat, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Barbados, and Turks and Caicos all have 4G across their main settlements with thinning at remote beaches and outer cays. The Netherlands Antilles area (Curaçao, Bonaire, the BES islands) has 4G across the major resort and town areas.
Inter-island sailing channels and offshore boat trips lose signal mid-channel. Remote Mountain West stretches of the US, the Canadian Shield interior, the Mexican Sierra Madre interior, and outer Caribbean dive sites all thin or lose signal — plan offline maps for these segments.
How the major eSIM providers compare on North America
Coverage scope is the most differentiated dimension in this regional category — pricing comparisons are misleading without accounting for the country count.
99esim North America covers 15 countries at €6.99 / 1 GB / 7 days. Custom-plan flexibility lets you size validity precisely. The only single-product option in the tracked set covering both mainland North America and the major Caribbean islands.
Airalo North America covers 3 countries (USA + Canada + Mexico) at $6.50 / 1 GB / 3 days. Cheaper per-GB on the entry tier but the narrower scope means Caribbean stops need separate per-island plans.
Holafly North America covers 3 countries at $20.90 / 3 days unlimited. Same 3-country scope as Airalo and Nomad. The unlimited model suits content creators on US-Canada-Mexico trips who don't want to think about meter.
Nomad North America covers 3 countries at $8.00 / 1 GB / 7 days. Same 3-country scope as Airalo and Holafly. Standard 7-day validity shape.
Ubigi Americas covers 24 countries at $16 / 1 GB / 30 days. The broadest scope in the tracked set — covers North America plus Central and South America. Useful if the trip extends into Latin America.
The matrix below spells out the per-axis shape. For US-only, Mexico-only, or US-Canada-Mexico trips, the competitor 3-country plans are competitive on price. For any trip that includes a Caribbean stop on the islands 99esim covers, 99esim is the only single-product option. For trips extending into Central or South America, Ubigi's Americas plan covers the broader scope at a different per-GB structure.
Install timing: when to set it up
Install the eSIM the night before you fly, or during the layover that brought you to North America. The QR code generates immediately after payment; scan it with your phone's eSIM settings; the profile installs but doesn't activate until it first sees a tower in any covered country. The eSIM works whether you start in JFK, Toronto, Mexico City, or Nassau.
iOS 17.4+ devices can install directly from a provider's app without scanning a QR code, on providers that support it. Android users still scan a QR code, which takes thirty seconds.
Who should pick what
A US + Caribbean cruise itinerary (US base plus 5-10 day cruise touching Bahamas, Jamaica, Cayman, or Eastern Caribbean ports) fits 99esim's North America plan because it's the only single-product option covering the whole route.
A combined Mexico + Caribbean trip (Cancún + Cozumel + Caribbean island add-on) similarly fits 99esim's plan; competitor 3-country North America plans stop at the Caribbean.
A US-only road trip works on a US country plan from any provider. The regional plan is unnecessary overhead for single-country US travel.
A Canada-only or Mexico-only trip similarly fits the country plan from any provider.
A US-Canada border trip (e.g., Seattle + Vancouver, or Buffalo + Toronto) works on any of the 5 tracked providers' regional plans; pricing differences are small for the standard 3-country shape.
A US-Canada-Mexico classic road trip (PCH + Vancouver + Baja California, or similar) fits any provider's regional plan; the 3-country competitor plans are typically the cheapest per-GB.
A combined North America + South America trip wants Ubigi's Americas plan or stacked regional plans depending on duration.
A heavy streamer or content creator filming a US road trip without meter anxiety fits Holafly's North America unlimited model.
A group of three or more travelling together, particularly a family Caribbean cruise or US road trip, benefits from 99esim's group eSIM, which covers up to four devices on one purchase. None of the tracked competitors offer that product today.
A note on the Caribbean addition
The Caribbean has historically been one of the most fragmented eSIM markets — most providers sell per-island plans at premium per-GB rates due to small subscriber bases on each island. 99esim's decision to bundle 12 Caribbean islands into the North America regional plan reflects an economic argument: that island-hopping cruise travellers don't want to manage 5+ separate per-island plans for a single trip, even if the per-island rate is technically cheaper. For travellers whose Caribbean trip is genuinely single-island (a one-week Saint Lucia honeymoon, a five-day Antigua resort visit), the country plan is still cheaper. For multi-island cruise patterns, the regional plan wins on convenience and competes on total cost. The Dominican Republic and Cuba aren't included on the regional plan — those need separate country plans regardless.