Reunion eSIM: How Much Data You Need (2026)

Build the daily figure from the parts. Maps and messages come to 0.5 GB a day, which is 4 GB over 7 days on the local network your handset finds. Add social media and browsing and the rate reaches 1.5 GB a day, or 11 GB for the trip. Add streaming and it reaches 3 GB a day, or 21 GB. Past 3 GB a day the fixed tiers run out here, and unlimited days at $3.23 take over. Most Reunion travelers settle at the 1.5 GB rate.

Both shapes reach Reunion, and the five providers we score do not offer them equally. Holafly publishes unlimited daily plans across the catalogue. HelloRoam and Airalo publish them for selected destinations only. There is no unlimited option from Nomad and Saily, fixed tiers only. Holafly publishes nothing by the gigabyte, so light users have no small plan to buy. On the destination price list, fixed tiers open at $3.67 for the 1 GB plan and unlimited days open at $3.23. The shortest unlimited commitment sold here is 1 day at $3.10. Nomad publishes the lowest fixed entry rate of the group; Holafly is the reference point for the unlimited shape.

If you only check maps and send messages in Reunion, 4 GB covers 7 days. The 5 GB plan at $11.32 handles that at $2.26/GB. If you scroll social media and browse regularly, step up to the 10 GB plan at $18.43 ($1.84/GB). If you stream video or work on video calls, you need 21 GB, and the 10 GB plan at $18.43 ($1.84/GB) is the largest tier sold here, so a heavy pace needs a second purchase or an unlimited plan.

iPhone owners are covered from the XS onward. Samsung owners are covered from the Galaxy S20 onward. Pixel owners are covered from the Pixel 3 onward. Every one of those handsets still has to be carrier-unlocked, and every one should be checked with *#06# for an EID line first. Once the eSIM profile is installed, Reunion's 5G network connects with no physical SIM in the phone. The spelling varies from site to site, e-SIM and e SIM included. The technology does not.

The landing starts it. Nearly every Reunion plan opens its validity window at the first connection to a local network, not at checkout. That gap is useful: install the QR code at home over WiFi, then let the plan begin when you arrive. The 1 GB plan at $3.67 suits a short stay. The 10 GB plan at $18.43 suits a longer one. Buy 1 to 3 days before departure so a delay or a schedule change cannot burn paid days while the phone is still at home.

Reunion has 1 mobile network (Orange) running at 5G, and travel eSIMs route through those same carriers. Coverage holds up in city centres and tourist areas. The 5 GB plan at $11.32 ($2.26/GB) fits a standard Africa visit. Where providers differ is how many countries they sell at all, which decides whether the same account covers your next Africa stop. Reach is not equal across the five. Airalo, Nomad and Saily at 200, HelloRoam at 186 and Holafly at 160.

Rank the activities by what they cost you in gigabytes. Messaging and navigation sit at the bottom, inside the 0.5 GB light band. Social feeds with autoplay video sit in the middle, at the 1.5 GB moderate band. Streaming and video calls sit at the top, on the 3 GB heavy band. A Reunion traveller who turns autoplay off drops a full band, and the 5 GB plan at $11.32 then stretches further at $2.26/GB.

Count the nights, multiply by 1.5 GB, and buy the first tier above that number. For Reunion at a moderate pace that maps out as: 1 to 2 nights takes the 3 GB plan at $5.48 ($1.83/GB); 3 nights takes the 5 GB plan at $11.32 ($2.26/GB); 4 to 6 nights takes the 10 GB plan at $18.43 ($1.84/GB). The 3 GB plan holds the lowest per-GB rate here at $1.83/GB. Add 20% on top if you stream video or run navigation for whole days, because a tier that fits exactly leaves you rationing on the last morning.

Short-stay visitors commit to the 1-day block at $3.10 and stop there. Long-stay travelers and remote workers book the 30-day block, where Reunion charges $2.65 a day instead of the $3.23 base rate, a 18% saving. Full 5G speed runs to 2GB a day before fair-use terms apply. Casual travelers on maps and messaging should look at a fixed tier rather than any of these blocks.

Travelers who buy months ahead lean on the refund window; travelers who buy the night before lean on support. For the first group: HelloRoam and Holafly publish 180 days, Nomad and Saily 30 days and Airalo 14 days, all on an unactivated eSIM. For the second: HelloRoam publishes 63 languages over live chat, WhatsApp and email, around the clock, and Airalo sits at the other end of the refund ladder with 14 days. Pick the backstop that matches how you buy for Reunion. Sizing up first is still cheaper than any refund: the 3 GB plan holds the lowest rate here at $1.83/GB.