French Polynesia · roaming cost calculator
French Polynesia Roaming Price Audit: $120 on AT&T, $387.13 on an eSIM
HelloRoam is the top pick for French Polynesia on this site's rubric, though its 7-day unlimited plan there costs $254.35, at full speed for the first 2 GB a day, above the $84 a week on AT&T's $12-a-day pass, so for one week the day pass costs less, and Holafly ranks second on this site's rubric. HelloRoam refunds an unactivated eSIM for 180 days. Airalo covers 200+ destinations to HelloRoam's 185. HelloRoam's price is from its catalogue of 29 Oct 2026, rivals' from the 30 Oct 2026 price check; AT&T's rate was checked June 2026.
French Polynesia is priced two ways here, a 20GB travel eSIM at $387.13 and a US carrier day pass at $12, and both invoices arrive in dollars. HelloRoam takes payment in 31 checkout currencies, so a card in one of them pays in its own money.
French Polynesia eSIM pricing from every provider we track
HelloRoam refunds unactivated French Polynesia eSIMs for 180 days after purchase. On a local 5G network: fixed data from $23.23 for 1 GB over 7 days, and unlimited at $254.35 for 7 days of unlimited data, at full speed for the first 2 GB each day.
Get eSIMHolafly's unlimited plan in French Polynesia runs on a local 5G network at a median $3.93/day. For a 10-day trip, that totals $39.30, less than the $120 ten days of AT&T roaming at $12/day cost.
Get eSIMNomad's French Polynesia eSIM runs on local 5G towers at $2.30/GB. A 3GB plan fits a 3-4 day trip; 5GB covers most week-long visits for standard travel use.
Get eSIMAiralo runs support through in-app chat. For French Polynesia trips where setup goes smoothly — device compatible, QR code scanned before departure — most travelers never open a ticket.
Get eSIMSaily processes eSIM delivery within minutes of purchase. In French Polynesia, the plan activates on a local 5G tower automatically — no manual APN configuration required.
Get eSIMCompare providers: Airalo vs Holafly · Airalo vs Saily · Airalo vs Nomad · Airalo vs HelloRoam · Holafly vs Saily · Holafly vs Nomad · Holafly vs HelloRoam · Saily vs Nomad · Saily vs HelloRoam · Nomad vs HelloRoam
The full picture
French Polynesia international day pass rates by carrier
Every major carrier's published French Polynesia rate, side by side, with the eSIM winner highlighted.
| Carrier | Plan type | Daily | 7-day | Speed | Data limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T | International Day Pass | $12.00source | $84.00 | LTE | Plan data |
| Verizon | TravelPass | $12.00source | $84.00 | LTE | Plan data |
| T-Mobile | International Pass | $10.00*source | $50.00 | LTE | 2GB per 1 Day pass |
| eSIM · HelloRoam | 20GB data plan | — | $387.13 | 5G | 20GB |
*T-Mobile's Experience More plan includes 5GB of high-speed data abroad and Experience Beyond 15GB, then data runs at up to 256Kbps. Essentials includes texting but no data. The 1 Day International Pass costs $10; the 7-day figure is the cheapest pass mix, 10-day pass.
Compare all carrier roaming plans to see how AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Vodafone, and EE stack up against eSIM providers.
Pay-per-use cost audit
The cost of forgetting your international plan in French Polynesia
Here is how the first morning in French Polynesia plays out on AT&T pay-per-use (no plan active). You wake up, open Google Maps to find coffee nearby (~50 MB). You check email and a few attachments load (~5 MB). You scroll Instagram for 15 minutes while you wait (~20 MB). That totals 75 MB. At $2.05/MB, your first morning costs $154 before 9 AM. A 5-minute FaceTime call to confirm plans adds $154. By noon, after another hour of navigation, the bill reaches $410. These are AT&T's published pay-per-use charges. Source: AT&T rate card, June 2026.
Personalize your savings
Your French Polynesia saving against $12 a day
Adjust the trip length, the carrier and the daily data below and the calculator reprices both sides. The starting point is the 10-day average stay recorded for French Polynesia: $120 on an AT&T day pass at $12 a day, against $387.13 for a 20GB travel eSIM. Both prices buy access to the same local operators.
Network coverage
French Polynesia carrier and network analysis
Local operators own every tower in French Polynesia, Vini among them. Your carrier rents those towers at $12/day for roaming. A travel eSIM rents those same towers at $18.84/GB. The network connection is the same. The price is not. Vini provides 5G in French Polynesia's urban centers and LTE in suburban and rural zones. Both AT&T roaming and travel eSIMs fall back to LTE outside 5G zones automatically. That fallback behavior is identical. AT&T charges $12/day for it; the eSIM charges $18.84/GB.
Network attachment record
The networks behind both prices in French Polynesia
HelloRoam publishes one local operator for French Polynesia: Vini.
One operator means no fallback network.
Where Vini has no signal, an eSIM has nowhere else to attach.
HelloRoam records a 5G label against Vini.
Carrier roaming meets the same ceiling, because roaming rents local networks.
Price is what separates the two options in French Polynesia. This page prices both.
5G and 4G here are capability labels. Neither one is a speed reading.
Vini carry the eSIM in French Polynesia. Across the whole file HelloRoam names 154 operators over 185 destinations, 117 of them with a single operator and 1.48 on average. Roaming buys wholesale access to that same list.
| Operator | Network generation on file |
|---|---|
| Vini | 5G |
Source: HelloRoam package feed, read 17 August 2026. The feed publishes an operator list for every destination it sells. No speed test sits behind this table, and we ran none. The full operator map covers 185 destinations.
Pricing breakdown
How roaming and eSIM costs compare in French Polynesia
A 14-day trip to French Polynesia costs this in carrier roaming: AT&T $120, Verizon $168, T-Mobile high-speed $75. Subtract the eSIM cost ($188.40 for a 10GB plan on a local network) and the gap is $-68.40 vs AT&T.
Translated to a daily rate, the eSIM works out to $13.46/day over 14 days. AT&T and Verizon both charge $12 a day; AT&T's rate is 0.9x more per day of data. T-Mobile's International Pass is the cheapest of the three at $10/day for full-speed data in French Polynesia.
French Polynesia eSIM plans scale up from the smallest tier: 1GB at $23.23 ($23.23/GB), 3GB at $65.81 ($21.94/GB), 5GB at $103.24 ($20.65/GB), 10GB at $188.42 ($18.84/GB), 20GB at $387.13 ($19.36/GB). Pick the tier that matches your expected data use. Heavy users can take the unlimited option at $33.03/day, which totals $462.45 for 14 days, above AT&T's $120 at $12 a day.
The unlimited ladder for French Polynesia reads 1 day at $41.29, 3 days at $117.68, 7 days at $254.35, 14 days at $462.45, 30 days at $842.32. Unlimited here means 2GB a day at full speed before a fair-use policy applies. At 30 days the rate is $28.08 a day. Catalogue prices read 29 Oct 2026.
Trip cost breakdown
What French Polynesia costs across three common trip types
Three common trip types to French Polynesia and what each costs on AT&T vs a Vini eSIM:
Weekend city break (3 days, 2GB): AT&T $36 · eSIM $65.81 · saves $-29.81 (-83%) 2-week family vacation (14 days, 15GB): AT&T $120 · eSIM $387.13 · saves $-267.13 (-223%) 1-month digital nomad (30 days, 50GB): AT&T $120 · eSIM $952.33 · saves $-832.33 (-694%)
AT&T charges $12/day whether you use 50 MB or 5 GB that day. eSIM plans charge for a fixed data block purchased once. At no point in any of the three scenarios does carrier roaming cost less. Rates checked June 2026.
Airport options
French Polynesia airport connectivity
Airport SIM shops in French Polynesia primarily serve the local language market. Staff English proficiency varies and getting help with plan options takes longer when there is a language gap. An eSIM purchased online comes with English-language support and app-based troubleshooting — no language barrier between you and your 1GB data plan at $23.23.
Data planning
Data costs for 7 days in French Polynesia: carrier vs eSIM
In French Polynesia, a typical travel day looks like this: 1 hour of navigation (50 MB), 1 hour of social media (80 MB), 2 WhatsApp calls (50 MB), 30 photo uploads (300 MB). That totals roughly 480 MB, below the 1.5 GB average, which leaves room for streaming. A 7-day trip needs 11GB.
A 20GB eSIM costs $387.13 for 7 days. AT&T charges $84 for the same trip on the same local towers. For heavy data users, a 1-day unlimited plan costs $41.29, not under AT&T's $12/day pass.
Connectivity
French Polynesia internet access: WiFi coverage vs eSIM availability
Cafe WiFi in French Polynesia is open and unencrypted — fine for general browsing, risky for banking or work logins. Coverage is sparse outside cities. A travel eSIM on a local network gives you a private cellular connection for sensitive apps at $18.84/GB.
Plan your data
French Polynesia data consumption: what to expect
Verizon TravelPass bills $12/day for French Polynesia roaming. Across a 10-day trip that reaches $120 in roaming charges alone. An eSIM on a local network delivers the same 5G data for $387.13 — -223% less.
French Polynesia has one mobile operator: Vini. US carriers pay Vini for roaming access and pass that cost to you at $12/day. An eSIM connects to Vini directly at $18.84/GB — no carrier markup.
Local prices in French Polynesia are in XPF (F), but eSIM plans are priced in USD, eliminating exchange rate uncertainty on your data costs.
Quick reference
French Polynesia Travel Essentials
15/17/18
15, 17, 18 are the emergency numbers in French Polynesia. Different numbers may route to different services — save all of them before your trip. Emergency calls work from any mobile device, including travel eSIMs.
Type A/B/C/E
US plugs (Type A flat two-prong and Type B three-prong) fit French Polynesia's outlets directly. No adapter is needed for phones, laptops, or standard US electronics. Voltage is 120V — compatible with dual-voltage US chargers.
TAHT (UTC-10)
XPF (F)
Cash in XPF is preferred across most of French Polynesia outside major hotels and tourist centers. Card terminals are not common in local markets or small restaurants. Withdraw enough cash at a reliable ATM before leaving the city — rural areas may not have ATM access.
Good to know
One operator, Vini, runs all mobile coverage in French Polynesia. Carrier roaming and eSIM plans use the same infrastructure — comparing costs is the only meaningful variable.
Quick tip
French Polynesia uses XPF (F). eSIM plans charge in USD at the time of purchase — you lock in the cost before travel and avoid in-country exchange rate moves.
Step by step
Cancel carrier roaming before you land in French Polynesia
- First time using an eSIM: call your carrier or check Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock on iPhone to verify your device is unlocked — French Polynesia eSIMs require an unlocked phone
- Returning HelloRoam user: log in, select French Polynesia from recent destinations, and repurchase the 1GB plan at $23.23 — saved payment details cut checkout to under 30 seconds. Compare providers to make sure you're still getting the best rate.
- Returning user: if HelloRoam supports direct eSIM activation (no QR required), tap Activate in the app and your French Polynesia profile installs automatically before you leave home so it is ready to activate on arrival
- Disable data roaming on your carrier SIM in Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options. See the step-by-step guide to turning off data roaming for screenshots.
- Switch your active data line to the eSIM when you land in French Polynesia and you will be on 5G within seconds
- Use WiFi Calling on your home SIM line so you can receive calls and texts without paying roaming voice rates
Data tips
How to stretch your data in French Polynesia
If you stream video in French Polynesia, reduce quality settings before you start. Netflix at standard definition uses about 700 MB/hour. HD uses 3 GB/hour. Spotify audio streaming uses about 150 MB/hour at high quality, 40 MB/hour at low. Download playlists over WiFi before departure to avoid any cellular use.
Regional context
Oceania travel: French Polynesia mobile data guide
A few things to know before turning off carrier roaming in French Polynesia:
Among most expensive mobile data globally
Main islands covered; outer atolls limited
Nearby
Related destinations
6 destinations near French Polynesia are priced on the same rate card. AT&T bills $12 a day in every one of them, and the figure beside each flag is that destination's own per-gigabyte floor. The cheapest of the group is Australia at $0.71 a gigabyte.
Forgot your eSIM?
Post-arrival eSIM options in French Polynesia
Post-arrival eSIM installation in French Polynesia works from any WiFi connection. No cellular data is required to purchase or install. International airports in French Polynesia offer free WiFi throughout the arrivals area. Open your preferred provider — HelloRoam, Holafly, Nomad, Airalo, and Saily — and complete the purchase. Each one delivers the eSIM QR code by email and in-app simultaneously. If you miss the airport window, check into your hotel and use the lobby WiFi. Front desks in French Polynesia provide the WiFi password at check-in. A 1GB plan at $23.23 gives you 1GB of Vini data from the moment you scan the QR code.
Savings math
How much you save in French Polynesia
Solo traveler
Verizon TravelPass for 10 days in French Polynesia: $120. That is $12 for each 24-hour session, and a session starts on any network contact, including a background email sync. A 20GB eSIM on a local network costs $387.13 and does not bill per day. Savings: $0 (0%). Same 5G network.
Family trip
A family of four on AT&T visiting French Polynesia for 10 days: 4 lines x $12/day x 10 days = $300. Four individual 20GB eSIMs on a local network: $1548.52. Family savings: $-1248.52. Alternative: two eSIMs with tethering for two devices each costs $774.26 total. That cuts the family data bill to 258% of AT&T roaming.
AT&T roaming rate analysis
AT&T International Day Pass charges $12/day in French Polynesia. Each charge covers 24 hours from the first time your phone uses a local network, including background syncs from email, iCloud, and app updates, and AT&T bills at most 10 daily fees per line each bill cycle. Cost by duration: 7 days = $84. 10 days (average French Polynesia trip) = $120. 30 days = $120. Without the $12/day Day Pass, AT&T's pay-per-use rate is $2.05/MB, which reaches $2,099/GB. AT&T Prepaid customers cannot add Day Pass and pay this rate automatically. A 20GB eSIM on a local network costs $387.13 for 10 days. Savings: $-267.13 (-223%).
All-carrier summary
AT&T: AT&T International Day Pass costs -69% more than an eSIM for French Polynesia.
Verizon: Verizon TravelPass costs less than this eSIM plan for French Polynesia.
T-Mobile: T-Mobile's International Passes cost less than this eSIM plan for French Polynesia.
Against AT&T: $0 saved (0%). Against Verizon: $0 saved. Against T-Mobile's International Pass at $10/day: $0 saved. Against T-Mobile free tier: $0 carrier cost, but the throttle renders maps, ride-hailing, and video calls unusable. A 20GB eSIM at $387.13 delivers full 5G on a local network for less than any paid roaming option.
Quick answers
Common questions about French Polynesia data costs
Is eSIM cheaper than roaming in French Polynesia?
The eSIM price for French Polynesia starts at $387.13 for 20GB on a local network. AT&T roaming for the same 10-day trip runs $120 at $12/day. That is a $0 gap on the same cell towers. For a family of four, the combined savings reach $0. Rates checked June 2026.
How much does roaming cost in French Polynesia?
Without an international plan, AT&T charges $2,099 per gigabyte in French Polynesia. The International Day Pass reduces this to $12/day ($120 for 10 days). Verizon TravelPass charges $12/day. An eSIM on a local network: $387.13. Rates checked June 2026.
Does T-Mobile work in French Polynesia?
Yes, T-Mobile connects to a local network in French Polynesia. T-Mobile's Experience More plan includes 5GB of high-speed data abroad and Experience Beyond 15GB, then data runs at up to 256Kbps. Essentials includes texting but no data. The 1 Day International Pass costs $10. A travel eSIM at $387.13 for 20GB provides full 5G speed on the same local towers. Rates checked June 2026.
AT&T fine print for French Polynesia
$12 covers 24 hours from the first time your phone uses a foreign network, and a single background push notification at 2 AM can start it. AT&T bills at most 10 daily fees per line each bill cycle (terms read 31 Oct 2026).
iCloud Photos, email push, app updates all trigger the daily charge. A phone left in a bag with data roaming on starts a new $12 fee each time a sync lands after the last 24 hours ran out.
French Polynesia FAQ
French Polynesia eSIM & roaming questions
French Polynesia carrier roaming costs $12 a day on AT&T and on Verizon
For a 14-day trip: AT&T roaming costs $120, Verizon $168, T-Mobile's passes $75 (30-day pass). Travel eSIM plans price data as a bucket rather than a day, so 14 days costs the same as 5 at $23.23 for 1GB. Cross a border and the split between the five providers matters: Airalo reaches 200+ destinations, Nomad 200, HelloRoam 185 and Holafly 200+. This site states no Saily count. A multi-country route is the one case where paying more per gigabyte for wider coverage is the cheaper decision. Rates checked June 2026.
T-Mobile's included data in French Polynesia runs at high speed until the allowance ends
It depends on the plan. T-Mobile's Experience More plan includes 5GB of high-speed data abroad and Experience Beyond 15GB, then data runs at up to 256Kbps. Essentials includes texting but no data. For more high-speed data in French Polynesia, a week of International Passes costs $50 (10-day pass), against $84 on AT&T. On a local 5G network, fixed eSIM plans start at $18.84/GB. HelloRoam's 7-day unlimited plan has the lowest median of the five at $21.50 across 35 countries, against $27.50 on Holafly. Carrier rates checked June 2026; eSIM prices from the 30 Oct 2026 price check.
French Polynesia roaming bills by the day, not by the gigabyte
AT&T bills $12 per 24 hours from the first time your phone touches a French Polynesia tower, at most 10 fees per line each bill cycle. Verizon matches that rate. Without a pass, each megabyte costs $2.05, so one accidental gigabyte reaches $2,099. T-Mobile's Experience plans include 5GB or 15GB of high-speed data abroad, then up to 256Kbps. An eSIM bucket at 1GB for $23.23 sidesteps all three: pay once, use it until the data runs out, and face no overage. The catch is the reverse of the carriers' catch. Run the bucket dry and you buy another one, so size the plan against your real usage. Rates checked June 2026.
Hotspot caps differ by provider on French Polynesia plans
Holafly is the one to check. Its unlimited plans cap mobile hotspot at 1 GB a day, which is the trade for uncapped data on the phone itself. Fixed-data plans from Nomad, HelloRoam, Saily, and Airalo let you spend the bucket however you like, tethering included, because a gigabyte shared with a laptop is the same gigabyte. Read the plan page anyway, since a small number of budget plans restrict hotspot use. AT&T allows hotspot under International Day Pass at $12/day per line, or $84 across a week in French Polynesia. If the laptop is the point of the trip, buy fixed data on Vini at $18.84/GB rather than an unlimited day plan. Rates checked June 2026.
Paying for roaming buys no extra rural signal in French Polynesia
No. AT&T roaming and every travel eSIM ride the same local networks in French Polynesia, so the coverage map is identical and the dead spots are identical. Paying $12/day does not add a tower. What does vary across the five providers is which local networks each one holds an agreement with, and that can matter off the main roads. Check the provider's own coverage page for French Polynesia rather than assuming they are equal. Cities and tourist corridors hold steady signal; remote areas and parks can drop out entirely. Download offline maps over WiFi before you leave the city, whichever product you buy. Rates checked June 2026.
Two weeks of French Polynesia roaming costs $120 on AT&T
AT&T: $120 ($12/day x 14 days). Verizon: $168. T-Mobile at $10/day: $75. A travel eSIM on Vini for 2 weeks at 1.5 GB/day average costs roughly $395.64. That is an 80-90% saving over any paid carrier roaming option for the same connectivity.
T-Mobile reaches French Polynesia on a free tier and on a paid pass
T-Mobile's Experience More plan includes 5GB of high-speed data abroad and Experience Beyond 15GB, then data runs at up to 256Kbps. Essentials includes texting but no data. At 256Kbps GPS navigation, photo uploads and video calls stall. The 1 Day International Pass costs $10 for 2GB, and a week of passes $50 (10-day pass). A travel eSIM on Vini provides full 5G for $18.84/GB.
Verizon TravelPass costs $12 a day in French Polynesia
No. Verizon TravelPass bills $12/day in French Polynesia — $168 for a 14-day trip. A travel eSIM on Vini for the same 14 days at 1.5 GB/day costs roughly $395.64. Both connect to local 5G towers — the speed and coverage are identical. The only difference is $-227.64 in cost.
A US plan in French Polynesia without an add-on bills by the megabyte
No. Using your phone in French Polynesia without a roaming plan triggers AT&T's pay-per-use rate of $2.05/MB — $2,099 per GB. Verizon's pay-per-use rates are comparable. T-Mobile's Experience plans include 5GB or 15GB of high-speed data, then up to 256Kbps, which is too slow for maps, booking apps, or navigation. You need either a roaming plan (AT&T at $12/day, Verizon at $12/day) or a travel eSIM at $18.84/GB. The eSIM is the lower-cost option at every trip length.
A week of French Polynesia carrier roaming costs $84
AT&T: $84/week (International Day Pass at $12/day). Verizon: $84/week (TravelPass). T-Mobile: 5GB or 15GB of high-speed data included on its Experience plans, then up to 256Kbps, or $50 for a week of passes (10-day pass). The cheapest eSIM for French Polynesia starts at $18.84/GB on a local 5G network — better per-GB value than all three carriers.
Fact check
What is wrong about how people think about French Polynesia roaming
T-Mobile includes free international data
T-Mobile's Experience plans include 5GB or 15GB of high-speed data abroad, then up to 256Kbps, too slow to load a map tile in French Polynesia past the allowance. Its 1 Day International Pass costs $10. Exception: T-Mobile does not charge for calls, texts or data in Mexico and Canada; depending on the plan, up to 30GB is at high speed, then up to 256Kbps. French Polynesia is not on that list. Rates checked June 2026.
Carrier roaming is more reliable than an eSIM
Reliability is determined by the local carrier's network, not the billing layer above it. AT&T roaming in French Polynesia routes through a local network. A travel eSIM also routes through a local network. Both connections depend on local network coverage in any given area. AT&T charges $12/day for a connection with zero reliability advantage over the $23.23 eSIM.
Pay-per-use international data rates are reasonable
AT&T's pay-per-use international data rate is $2.05/MB without an active plan. At that rate, 1 GB costs $2,099. A single Google Maps navigation session in French Polynesia loads 50–100 MB — that is $102–$205 at pay-per-use. A 1GB eSIM on a local network costs $23.23 for the same data. Always activate a day pass or eSIM before your flight. Rates checked June 2026.
Our recommendation
French Polynesia mobile data: carrier charges vs eSIM price
HelloRoam vs the alternatives for French Polynesia: HelloRoam: HelloRoam covers French Polynesia on a local network and scores 9.9/10 on our rubric, the highest of the 5 providers we price. A 1GB plan costs $23.23. Unactivated plans are refundable for 180 days, and its support replies in your own language. Holafly is the alternative for heavy data users: it states no daily cap, at a 7-day unlimited median of $27.50 on 30 Oct 2026.
Learn more
Travel guides, French Polynesia
4 guides carry the parts of a French Polynesia trip this page does not price: installing the profile before departure, switching data roaming off on the home SIM, and what happens to the allowance once a fair-use policy applies. Each one reads the same rate card as this page, where AT&T bills $12 a day.
French Polynesia data at $387.13 for 20GB vs $12/day on AT&T
Carrier day passes add up: 7 days x $12/day = $84. A 20GB eSIM plan covers the same trip for $387.13.
Get a French Polynesia eSIM