Niger · roaming cost calculator
Niger Roaming Price Audit: $120 on AT&T, $90 on an eSIM
HelloRoam is the top pick for Niger: its 7-day unlimited plan costs $79.83, at full speed for the first 2 GB a day, against $84 for a week on AT&T's $12-a-day pass, a $4 gap, 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.
Niger is priced two ways here, a 20GB travel eSIM at $90 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.
Niger eSIM pricing from every provider we track
HelloRoam checks out in 31+ currencies through Stripe, with Apple Pay and Google Pay on the website and in the app. In Niger that buys fixed data from $6.99 for 1 GB over 7 days, and unlimited at $79.83 for 7 days of unlimited data, at full speed for the first 2 GB each day.
Get eSIMHolafly delivers the Niger eSIM QR code within minutes of payment. The plan activates on a local 4G LTE network on arrival — no SIM swap, no roaming toggle.
Get eSIMNomad's app tracks the remaining balance on a Niger plan but gives no hourly usage estimate. Data starts at $2.30/GB on a local 4G LTE network.
Get eSIMIn Niger, Airalo rides the same local towers your roaming SIM would use, at $2.40/GB instead of $12/day.
Get eSIMAirtel NE covers major cities and transport corridors in Niger. Saily sells into that market at $2.60/GB, and its built-in VPN adds little noticeable delay in most markets.
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
Niger roaming add-on costs across four carriers
Every major carrier's published Niger rate, side by side, with the eSIM winner highlighted.
| Carrier | Plan type | Daily | 7-day | Speed | Data limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vodafone | Roaming Passport | £6.85source | £47.95 | LTE | Fair-use |
| AT&T | International Day Pass | $12.00source | $84.00 | LTE | Plan data |
| Verizon | TravelPass | $12.00source | $84.00 | LTE | Plan data |
| eSIM · HelloRoam | 20GB data plan | — | $90.00 | 4G LTE | 20GB |
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
What AT&T charges per activity in Niger — no day pass
AT&T pay-per-use data in Niger costs $2.05/MB when no $12/day international day pass is active. At that rate, five common activities add up quickly.
5-minute FaceTime call (~75 MB): $154. 30-minute Zoom meeting (~450 MB): $922. 1 hour of Google Maps navigation (~50 MB): $102. Uploading 20 vacation photos (~200 MB): $410. 1 hour of YouTube (~500 MB): $1025. Combined, those five activities use roughly 1.3 GB — before background app refresh or iCloud sync adds anything. Rates checked June 2026. Source: AT&T international rate card.
Personalize your savings
Your Niger 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 Niger: $120 on an AT&T day pass at $12 a day, against $90 for a 20GB travel eSIM. Both prices buy access to the same local operators.
Network coverage
Which networks operate in Niger
Niger has one mobile operator: Airtel. AT&T, Verizon, and travel eSIM providers all route through a local network. There is no network variable to compare — only price. AT&T: $12/day. eSIM: $4.50/GB. Paying carrier roaming rates buys no speed advantage in Niger. The 4G LTE connection is the same on both. The network technology on a local network in Niger is 4G LTE. AT&T roaming connects to that same 4G LTE signal. A travel eSIM connects to the same signal. No speed premium exists for roaming over eSIM.
Network attachment record
The networks behind both prices in Niger
HelloRoam publishes one local operator for Niger: Airtel.
One operator means no fallback network.
Where Airtel has no signal, an eSIM has nowhere else to attach.
HelloRoam records no 5G operator for Niger.
Carrier roaming meets the same ceiling, because roaming rents local networks.
Price is what separates the two options in Niger. This page prices both.
5G and 4G here are capability labels. Neither one is a speed reading.
Airtel carry the eSIM in Niger. 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 |
|---|---|
| Airtel | 4G |
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
Per-day data costs in Niger: roaming and eSIM
AT&T International Day Pass in Niger: 10 daily fees × $12 (AT&T's cap per bill cycle) = $120. eSIM 10GB plan on a local network: $45 for the same 14 days. Difference: $75 less than AT&T (63%). Verizon TravelPass reaches $168 over the same period.
Translated to a daily rate, the eSIM works out to $3.21/day over 14 days. AT&T and Verizon both charge $12 a day; AT&T's rate is 3.7x more per day of data. T-Mobile's International Pass is the cheapest of the three at $10/day for full-speed data in Niger.
Niger eSIM plans scale up from the smallest tier: 1GB at $6.99 ($6.99/GB), 3GB at $19.49 ($6.50/GB), 5GB at $30.49 ($6.10/GB), 10GB at $48 ($4.80/GB), 20GB at $90 ($4.50/GB). Pick the tier that matches your expected data use. Heavy users can take the unlimited option at $10.37/day, which totals $145.15 for 14 days, above AT&T's $120 at $12 a day.
The unlimited ladder for Niger reads 1 day at $12.96, 3 days at $36.94, 7 days at $79.83, 14 days at $145.15, 30 days at $264.38. Unlimited here means 2GB a day at full speed before a fair-use policy applies. At 30 days the rate is $8.81 a day. Catalogue prices read 29 Oct 2026.
Trip cost breakdown
Three trip scenarios: what AT&T charges vs eSIM cost in Niger
AT&T bills $12/day for roaming in Niger — that is $0.50/hour around the clock, whether your phone is in your pocket or active. A 2GB eSIM on a local network costs $19.49 for 3 days — $0.27/hour at continuous use. Difference for a 3-day trip: $16.51.
Over 14 days, AT&T's per-hour rate stays at $0.36. A 20GB eSIM on a local network for 15GB averages $0.27/hour over the same 14 days. AT&T total: $120. eSIM total: $90. Difference: $30.
A 30-day stay at $0.17/hour on AT&T reaches $120. A 50GB eSIM on a local network covering 50GB for video calls and streaming costs $225 — $0.31/hour. Total difference over 30 days: $-105 (-87%). Rates checked June 2026.
Airport options
Niger arrival data: airport SIM vs eSIM
Buying a SIM card at the airport in Niger means waiting in line after a long flight, handing over your passport, and paying a tourist-markup price. A 1GB eSIM at $6.99 installs in 2 minutes from the provider's app. It activates on a local network the moment you turn off airplane mode.
Data planning
Niger data allowance guide: 7-day stays
Most US travelers use more data at home than abroad because they rely on WiFi less when navigating an unfamiliar city. In Niger, 1.5 GB per day is a fair budget for 7 days, totaling 11GB. A 20GB plan at $90 covers that comfortably.
At $90 for 7 days, the 20GB plan works out to $12.86/day. AT&T charges $12/day for the same network access on a local network. Both connect to the same towers. The billing model is different. For heavy data users, a 1-day unlimited plan costs $12.96, not under AT&T's $12/day pass.
Connectivity
Niger WiFi access and cellular backup
WiFi infrastructure in Niger is concentrated in luxury hotels and a few urban areas. Outside those zones, an eSIM on a local network is often the only reliable data source at $4.50/GB.
Plan your data
Planning your data usage for Niger
AT&T's International Day Pass at $12/day includes voice calls you may never use. If you rely on WhatsApp or FaceTime for calls, you are paying for bundled voice access in Niger that a data-only eSIM does not charge for. A 20GB data-only eSIM on a local network costs $90 for 10 days — 25% less than AT&T.
Niger has one mobile operator: Airtel. US carriers pay Airtel for roaming access and pass that cost to you at $12/day. An eSIM connects to Airtel directly at $4.50/GB — no carrier markup.
Local prices in Niger are in XOF (CFA), but eSIM plans are priced in USD, eliminating exchange rate uncertainty on your data costs.
Quick reference
Niger Travel Essentials
17/18
17, 18 are the emergency numbers in Niger. 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/D/E/F
US plugs (Type A flat two-prong and Type B three-prong) fit Niger's outlets directly. No adapter is needed for phones, laptops, or standard US electronics. Voltage is 120V — compatible with dual-voltage US chargers.
WAT (UTC+1)
XOF (CFA)
Cash in XOF is preferred across most of Niger 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.
Quick tip
Local prices in Niger are in XOF (CFA). eSIM plans are priced in USD, eliminating exchange rate uncertainty.
Good to know
Niger uses Type A/B/C/D/E/F power sockets. A dead phone means a dead eSIM connection — pack the right adapter to keep your device charged between venues.
Step by step
How travelers stop paying carrier rates in Niger
- Verify eSIM compatibility — any iPhone from 2018 or Samsung Galaxy S20 and later works on Niger's LTE network via Airtel NE
- Go to HelloRoam, select the Niger 1GB plan at $6.99, and complete checkout — no physical SIM needed. Not sure which provider to pick? See our provider comparison.
- On iPhone: go to Settings > Cellular > Add eSIM > Use QR Code and scan the HelloRoam code before you leave home so it is ready to activate on arrival
- On Samsung Galaxy: go to Settings > Connections > Mobile Networks, select your home carrier SIM, and turn off Data Roaming. The step-by-step roaming guide has Android screenshots.
- On Google Pixel when you land in Niger: go to Settings > Network > SIMs and set the HelloRoam eSIM as the preferred data SIM — LTE on Airtel NE confirms in seconds
- First-timer tip: set up WiFi Calling before your trip, not at the airport — some carriers require a verification step that needs a home network connection to complete
Data tips
Niger data efficiency guide
Posting to social media from Niger uses more data than browsing. Uploading one photo to Instagram uses about 3-5 MB. A 60-second video upload uses 30-100 MB depending on resolution. Set your camera to 1080p rather than 4K to cut video upload size by 75%.
Regional context
Niger carrier coverage and Africa roaming agreements
A few things to know before turning off carrier roaming in Niger:
Very limited infrastructure outside Niamey
Nearby
Related destinations
6 destinations near Niger 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 Algeria at $1.23 a gigabyte.
Forgot your eSIM?
Last-minute eSIM options for Niger arrivals
You landed in Niger without an eSIM. Here is what that costs and what you can still do.
All 5 providers — HelloRoam, Holafly, Nomad, Airalo, and Saily — allow post-arrival purchase and installation over WiFi. You do not need a local SIM to buy an eSIM. Most international airports in Niger have free WiFi in arrivals. Connect there, open a provider's app, and install a 1GB plan ($6.99 in this site's catalog) before you leave the terminal. If airport WiFi is unavailable, hotel lobby WiFi works as a fallback — most front desks in Niger give you the password at check-in. Last resort: turn on carrier data long enough to download the eSIM provider app (~5 MB, roughly $10 on AT&T pay-per-use), then switch to the installed eSIM immediately. That charge lands once, unlike AT&T's $12/day pass, which bills again every day of the trip.
Savings math
How much you save in Niger
Solo traveler
Break-even point for a solo Niger trip: day one. AT&T charges $12 for the first 24 hours. A 20GB eSIM at $90 is already cheaper than two AT&T days. By day 10, the eSIM has saved $30 total. There is no trip length at which AT&T roaming costs less than a travel eSIM for Niger.
Family trip
Verizon TravelPass charges per line, not per account. A family of four pays $48/day ($12 x 4 lines). Over 10 days in Niger: $480. Four eSIMs at $90 each: $360. Per-person savings: $30. All eight data connections (4 carrier, 4 eSIM) route through local 4G LTE towers.
AT&T roaming rate analysis
Checking voicemail on AT&T in Niger is treated as an inbound international call. That call starts a $12 Day Pass fee covering the next 24 hours, even if you did not plan to use data. A single voicemail check at 5 AM on your last morning adds $12 to your bill. Weekly AT&T cost: $84. Monthly: $120. A 20GB eSIM: $90 for 10 days on a local network. The eSIM does not charge for background triggers.
All-carrier summary
AT&T: AT&T International Day Pass costs 33% more than an eSIM for Niger.
Verizon: Verizon TravelPass costs 33% more than an eSIM for Niger.
T-Mobile: T-Mobile's International Passes cost less than this eSIM plan for Niger.
Vodafone: Vodafone bills Niger in pounds and this site holds no pound-to-dollar rate, so it states no Vodafone-versus-eSIM gap.
Against AT&T: $30 saved (25%). Against Verizon: $30 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 $90 delivers full 4G LTE on a local network for less than any paid roaming option.
Quick answers
Common questions about Niger data costs
Is eSIM cheaper than roaming in Niger?
Carrier roaming in Niger costs $120 on AT&T ($12/day for 10 days). An eSIM plan on a local network costs $90 for 20GB. Both connect to the same 4G LTE cell towers. The eSIM is cheaper by $30, a 25% reduction. Rates checked June 2026.
How much does roaming cost in Niger?
Roaming in Niger costs $12/day on AT&T ($120 for 10 days), $12/day on Verizon ($120), and $50 on T-Mobile's International Passes (10-day pass). A travel eSIM on a local network costs $90 for 20GB. Rates checked June 2026.
Does T-Mobile work in Niger?
T-Mobile works in Niger on its included allowance: 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 10 days of high-speed data, the cheapest pass mix is $50 (10-day pass). A Airtel NE eSIM delivers full 4G LTE speed for $90. Rates checked June 2026.
AT&T fine print for Niger
$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.
Niger FAQ
Niger eSIM & roaming questions
Niger carrier roaming costs $12 a day on AT&T and on Verizon
AT&T bills $12 a day for the first line and $6 for each extra line, so a family of four in Niger pays $30 a day, or $210 across a week. Verizon charges the full $12 on each line. T-Mobile's Experience plans include 5GB or 15GB of high-speed data abroad per line, then at a reduced speed. Travel eSIM plans are per device and do not share, so four phones means four plans from $6.99 for 1GB each, or one plan tethered to the rest. Holafly caps hotspot use at 1 GB per day on most plans, so a family leaning on tethering should buy fixed data instead. Rates checked June 2026.
T-Mobile's included data in Niger runs at high speed until the allowance ends
For a short trip on Experience Beyond, often yes; past the allowance, no. 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. A 7-day travel eSIM at 1.5 GB/day costs $47.25 at $4.50/GB in Niger, against $50 for a week of T-Mobile passes. HelloRoam's 7-day unlimited plan covers the same week for a median $21.50 with no gigabyte counting, against $27.50 on Holafly. Carrier rates checked June 2026; eSIM prices from the 30 Oct 2026 price check.
Niger roaming bills by the day, not by the gigabyte
At 3 days in Niger: AT&T costs $36, eSIM costs 1GB for $6.99. At 7 days: AT&T $84, eSIM same 1GB for $6.99. At 14 days: AT&T $120, eSIM same fixed rate. The eSIM billing model is flat: the longer the trip, the wider the gap. T-Mobile's included data costs nothing extra until its 5GB or 15GB allowance runs out, then runs at up to 256Kbps.
Carrier roaming beats an eSIM in Niger on one-day stops and voice-only trips
Three cases, and they are real. First, T-Mobile does not charge for data in Mexico and Canada up to its plan's high-speed allowance, and nothing priced here beats free. Second, if you need your own number live for calls and texts without WiFi, a day pass does that and a data-only travel eSIM does not. Third, if you use almost no data, one AT&T day at $12 can beat buying a whole plan for a single overnight stop. Outside those three the arithmetic favors the eSIM in Niger: $84 for a week on AT&T against $47.25 at $4.50/GB on Airtel NE. Rates checked June 2026.
Carrier roaming wins two cases in Niger and loses the rest
Rarely. AT&T and Verizon both charge $12 a day in Niger; AT&T's week costs $84. A 7-day trip at 1.5 GB/day costs about $47.25 on an eSIM at $4.50/GB, over a local 4G LTE network. Same towers, different price. Roaming does win in two cases: T-Mobile does not charge for data in Mexico and Canada up to its plan's high-speed allowance, and a day pass keeps your own number live for calls and texts, which a data-only eSIM does not. Five providers sell the eSIM side: HelloRoam, Holafly, Nomad, Airalo, and Saily. Rates checked June 2026.
US carriers reach Niger through its local operators
AT&T covers Niger at $12/day. Verizon covers most African countries at $12/day. T-Mobile includes 5GB or 15GB of high-speed data included on its Experience plans, then up to 256Kbps in Niger. A travel eSIM on Airtel NE provides full 4G LTE speeds at $4.50/GB — the same carrier infrastructure as roaming, at a fraction of the cost.
Niger mobile data carries the same load for an eSIM and for roaming
Niger has 1 carrier providing 4G LTE coverage. Urban and tourist areas have solid coverage; rural regions may have gaps. A travel eSIM connects to the same local networks carrier roaming uses, at $4.50/GB. Coverage quality is whatever the local network delivers, and it is the same either way.
A 10-day Niger trip costs $120 in carrier roaming
AT&T International Day Pass for 10 days at $12/day: $120. Verizon TravelPass at $12/day: $120. T-Mobile's International Pass at $10/day: $50. A travel eSIM on Airtel NE at $4.50/GB for 10 days at 1.5 GB/day average costs roughly $67.50. The eSIM saves over 80% versus any carrier's paid roaming option. Rates checked June 2026.
Rural Niger coverage is an operator limit, not a roaming limit
Both carrier roaming and travel eSIMs connect through local networks in Niger, and Airtel NE is one of them. Coverage outside major cities depends on how widely those networks have deployed, and the same gaps hit an eSIM and AT&T or Verizon roaming alike. Urban centers and tourist corridors have consistent signal; rural and off-road areas may have limited or no service. There is no coverage advantage to choosing carrier roaming over an eSIM.
A week of Niger 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 Niger starts at $4.50/GB on a local 4G LTE network — better per-GB value than all three carriers.
Fact check
Niger data myths travelers believe
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 Niger 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. Niger 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 Niger 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 $6.99 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 Niger loads 50–100 MB — that is $102–$205 at pay-per-use. A 1GB eSIM on a local network costs $6.99 for the same data. Always activate a day pass or eSIM before your flight. Rates checked June 2026.
Our recommendation
Which eSIM to get for Niger
Our pick for Niger: HelloRoam. HelloRoam covers Niger on a local network and scores 9.9/10 on our rubric, the highest of the 5 providers we price. A 1GB plan costs $6.99. 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, Niger
4 guides carry the parts of a Niger 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.
Niger eSIM activates in under 5 minutes. No roaming fees.
You do not need a new carrier plan for Niger. Buy an eSIM, scan the QR code, and your phone is online for $90.
Get a Niger eSIM