Austria eSIM in 2026: plans, tourist SIMs and Switzerland
Do you need an eSIM for Austria? Dated plan prices from Airalo and Austria's prepaid and tourist SIMs, why every Austrian SIM must be registered with photo ID, what Vienna Airport sells, and why Liechtenstein is covered by EU roaming but Switzerland is not.
By Nomad's Travel Guides. Published .
Researched from official and operator sources and fact-checked before publishing. Prices and rules change, so each one is dated where it appears.
This post contains affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
Staying connected in Austria is easy, and A1 now sells a Travel eSIM aimed at visitors. This guide compares an eSIM bought before you fly with an Austrian prepaid SIM, explains the registration rule, and covers Vienna Airport and the borders. Every price is dated and sourced.
Planning a route? Start with our Austria country guide.
Do you need an eSIM in Austria?
If your SIM is from an EU or EEA country, probably not. Austria is in the EU, so "Roam like at home" applies: calls, texts and data cost what they cost at home. The European Commission's Your Europe service says the regime also covers Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway "as well as in Moldova and Ukraine" (Your Europe, checked 25 October 2026).
Two catches: your operator may set a fair-use limit on roaming data, and may charge extra if, over 4 months, you spend more time and roam more abroad than at home (Your Europe). Our Italy eSIM guide explains EU roaming in more detail.
If your SIM is from outside the zone (UK, US, Canada, Australia and others), plan ahead. "Other countries are not covered by this regime", Your Europe says, though many operators extend similar offers. A data eSIM or a local plan is the practical choice.
Networks and coverage
Austria's three mobile operators:
- A1 (A1 Telekom Austria). Its prepaid range is called B.free, and the budget brand yesss! is also A1's: the yesss! site footer reads "© 2026 A1 Telekom Austria AG" (yesss!). The old bob site, bob.at, now redirects to A1's homepage.
- Magenta Telekom. Its prepaid range is called KLAX, and its terms name the company as T-Mobile Austria GmbH (Magenta, in German).
- Drei (Hutchison Drei Austria GmbH) (Drei, in German).
Smaller brands include HoT, sold in HOFER supermarkets (HoT, in German), and spusu, which sells monthly plans with no minimum term (spusu, in German). The regulator RTR's registration page links to 15 prepaid brands.
What Airalo's label means. Airalo's Austria plan names its network only as "Airalo", 4G, and says it "Operates on Airalo network in Austria" (Airalo plan page, as of 25 October 2026). We could not confirm which Austrian network it uses. We do not rank the networks; check your route and download offline maps, especially for Alpine valleys.
eSIM vs a local prepaid SIM
Every Austrian SIM must be registered with ID. Austria ended anonymous prepaid SIMs on 1 January 2019. RTR, the regulator, says that since then "ist es nicht mehr möglich, anonym einen Vertrag zu aktivieren" (it is no longer possible to activate a contract anonymously), for prepaid and postpaid alike; operators record your name, academic title and date of birth (RTR, in German). The rule now sits in § 166(2) of the Telecommunications Act 2021 (RIS, in German); operators' pages still cite the older 2003 act. The identification regulation accepts an official photo ID shown in person, or an online "Photoident" check with a selfie and a photo of your ID (RIS, in German).
In practice, a passport works. A1's Travel eSIM page asks for "photo ID (you need e.g. your passport, identity card or driving license)" (A1), and Magenta and yesss! both list a passport (Magenta, yesss!). Some online routes, such as bank identification, need an Austrian bank account (Drei, in German); choose the photo option. A SIM does not work until it is registered.
Austrian plans include EU roaming, within a separate EU data limit shown in the table.
Local prices as of 25 October 2026, in euro (EUR). USD figures are our approximate conversion at the latest European Central Bank rate, from 23 October (EUR 1 = USD 1.1193).
| Option | What you get | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 B.free Travel S | 50 GB (20 GB in the EU), 2,000 min and texts, 2 weeks | EUR 12.90 (about USD 14.44) | eSIM by email |
| A1 B.free Travel L | 50 GB (28 GB in the EU), 2,000 min and texts, 4 weeks | EUR 17.90 (about USD 20.04) | eSIM by email |
| A1 B.free starter pack | 30 or 60 GB (the page says both), 2,000 min and texts, 4 weeks | EUR 9.90 (about USD 11.08) | eSIM online or SIM in A1 shops |
| Magenta KLAX M starter | 120 GB (23 GB in the EU), 2,000 min and texts, 4 weeks | EUR 10 (about USD 11.19) | Promotion for activations to 18 November 2026; normally 60 GB |
| Magenta KLAX Unlimited starter | Unlimited data (46 GB in the EU), 3,000 min and texts, 4 weeks | EUR 25 (about USD 27.98) | Magenta shops or online |
| Drei starter pack | 60 GB in Austria, 1,000 min and texts, 4 weeks | EUR 9.90 (about USD 11.08) | EU use not stated |
| yesss! SIMple M | 100 GB (15.2 GB in the EU), 1,500 min and texts, 30 days | EUR 9.99 (about USD 11.18) | "No SIM Fee"; eSIM or SIM |
| HoT fix | 70 GB, 1,000 min or texts, 30 days | EUR 9.90 (about USD 11.08) | HOFER stores or eSIM online |
Plans renew every 4 weeks or 30 days if you have credit; otherwise they lapse to pay-as-you-go rates. Starter packs include the first period. HoT's page shows no SIM price and no EU data figure. Prices change often.
Price per GB. Magenta's promotional KLAX M is about USD 0.09 per GB (until 18 November; about USD 0.19 after), yesss! about USD 0.11 and A1's Travel S about USD 0.29. Airalo's fixed plans below run from USD 0.58 to USD 4.00.
Which wins? No Austrian operator sells a 7-day plan, so for one week the cheapest local option is a 4-week starter at about USD 11.08 to USD 11.19. Airalo's 10 GB for 7 days costs USD 10.00: about the same money, no registration, but a sixth of the data. If 10 GB covers your week, Airalo wins on convenience; if you stream or tether, a starter pack wins. For two weeks, A1's Travel S (50 GB, about USD 14.44) matches Airalo's 20 GB over 15 days (USD 14.50) on price with 2.5 times the data, plus calls. For about a month, Magenta's KLAX M (4 weeks) or yesss! SIMple M (30 days), with 100 GB or more for about USD 11.18 to USD 11.19, undercut Airalo's 50 GB for 30 days (USD 29.00). Airalo sells no unlimited plan for Austria; Magenta's is about USD 27.98 for 4 weeks.
Where to buy. Vienna Airport lists one SIM seller, the "Welcome Yesss" shop in Arrivals, open daily 7:00 to 22:00. The airport says it offers "travel tariffs from yesss!" and "yesss! SIM cards" (Vienna Airport). We found no A1, Magenta or Drei shop in the airport's shop list (Vienna Airport). A1's Travel eSIM is ordered online and arrives by email.
Airalo plans for Austria
Airalo's Austria eSIM is data-only and covers Austria only. Prices below are as shown on Airalo's Austria plans (opens Airalo in a new tab) on 25 October 2026. The page showed USD; your currency may differ.
| Data | Validity | Price (USD) | Per GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 3 days | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| 3 GB | 3 days | 5.50 | 1.83 |
| 3 GB | 7 days | 6.00 | 2.00 |
| 5 GB | 7 days | 7.00 | 1.40 |
| 10 GB | 7 days | 10.00 | 1.00 |
| 5 GB | 15 days | 7.50 | 1.50 |
| 10 GB | 15 days | 10.50 | 1.05 |
| 20 GB | 15 days | 14.50 | 0.73 |
| 5 GB | 30 days | 8.00 | 1.60 |
| 10 GB | 30 days | 11.00 | 1.10 |
| 20 GB | 30 days | 16.00 | 0.80 |
| 50 GB | 30 days | 29.00 | 0.58 |
There is no "Unlimited" tab for Austria. Airalo also sells a "Data / Calls / Texts" version, for example 10 GB with 100 minutes and 100 texts for 7 days at USD 12.50; its plan data shows an ID check (by Jumio) for that version only.
What the numbers say:
- 10 GB for 30 days costs USD 11.00, only USD 1.00 more than 10 GB for 7 days: the safer buy if your dates might change.
- Is a regional plan cheaper? If you add Switzerland, yes. Airalo's Europe plan (41 countries, including Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, Hungary and Czechia) costs USD 28.00 for 10 GB over 15 days. Separate Austria and Switzerland plans at 10 GB each cost USD 32.50 together. Its EU+UK plan (USD 22.00 for 10 GB over 15 days) covers Austria and its EU neighbours but not Switzerland or Liechtenstein.
- Alternative: Yesim. Yesim's Austria eSIM (opens Yesim in a new tab) sells data-only fixed plans, all valid for 30 days. As of 25 October 2026 it showed 10 GB for USD 19.20 and 20 GB for USD 26.40 (shown as discounts from USD 30.00 and USD 60.00). Airalo is cheaper at both sizes: USD 11.00 for 10 GB and USD 16.00 for 20 GB over 30 days in the table above.
- Hotspot: the plan details do not mention tethering; check with Airalo if you need it.
- Top-ups: Airalo says the plan is "Rechargeable online with no expiry", and its plan data shows no ID check for the data-only version.
Setting it up
Before you fly
- Check that your phone supports eSIM and is not locked to your home carrier.
- Buy and install the eSIM at home over Wi-Fi. For Airalo's Austria plan, validity starts when the eSIM first connects in Austria, not when you install it (Airalo's Austria plans (opens Airalo in a new tab)).
- Save the QR code or installation details offline in case you need to reinstall.
- Buying an Austrian eSIM instead? Do the photo-ID registration before you travel if the operator allows it; A1 says you can use its Travel eSIM "as soon as the eSIM is registered and installed".
At Vienna Airport
- Switch mobile data to the Austria eSIM line.
- Airalo's plan data lists data roaming as not required for this plan on iOS or Android. If you get no data, turning it on for the eSIM line is a common fix (our suggestion).
- If something does not work, Vienna Airport offers "free WLAN / WIFI for everyone" (Vienna Airport). We found no stated time limit.
- If you'd rather not deal with transport on arrival, Welcome Pickups (opens Welcome Pickups in a new tab) lists pre-booked, fixed-fare transfers from Vienna Airport, with the driver waiting inside Arrivals.
What to turn off
- Data roaming on your home SIM, unless you are on an EU/EEA plan that includes it.
- Automatic data switching between lines (iPhone: "Allow Cellular Data Switching"; Android phones have similar settings). It can quietly use your home SIM.
- Near the Swiss border, in Vorarlberg or Tyrol, your phone may join a Swiss network. Manual network selection on an Austrian network can avoid charges (our suggestion; we found no regulator advice).
Switzerland, Liechtenstein and the EU neighbours
Liechtenstein is in the EEA, so "Roam like at home" applies; Switzerland is not on Your Europe's list. Check your home operator's prices before a day trip to Switzerland.
Switzerland costs extra on Austrian prepaid plans too. yesss! puts all three Swiss networks in its roaming Zone 2, where prepaid data costs EUR 1.99 per 100 KB (yesss!, in German); its page shows Liechtenstein's FL1 in the EU zone. A1's Travel plans include "50 minutes & 50 texts to the EU & Switzerland", which covers calls from Austria, not data in Switzerland. Airalo's Austria plan does not cover Switzerland; its Switzerland plan costs USD 22.00 for 10 GB over 15 days, or use the Europe plan above.
Liechtenstein: Airalo's Austria plan lists Austria only, so it will not work there. An EU SIM, or an Austrian plan's EU data, does. Airalo's Liechtenstein plan is USD 17.00 for 10 GB over 15 days.
Bratislava, Budapest and Prague are all in the EU. An Austrian prepaid SIM roams there within its EU data limit; Airalo's Austria plan does not, so buy a plan per country or a regional one. Heading on? See our Hungary eSIM guide with the Budapest guide, and our Czech Republic eSIM guide with the Prague guide. Our Italy eSIM guide covers roaming into Switzerland from the south.
Quick answers
Can I make calls or send SMS? Not with Airalo's data-only plan; its calls-and-texts version adds minutes after an ID check. Every Austrian plan in the table includes 1,000 to 3,000 minutes.
Will I keep WhatsApp? Yes. WhatsApp stays linked to your registered number, not to the line carrying your data. Keep your home SIM in for verification codes.
How do I top up? Airalo tops up in its app. Austrian plans renew every 4 weeks or 30 days if you have enough credit; top up online, in the operator's app or with vouchers from shops.
Which currency? Austria has used the euro since 1 January 1999 (European Commission), so all local prices above are in euro.
Sources
Checked on 25 October 2026.
- Airalo, Austria eSIM plan page: airalo.com/austria-esim
- Airalo, Europe (Eurolink), EU+UK, Switzerland and Liechtenstein plan pages: airalo.com/europe-esim, airalo.com/eu-plus-uk-esim, airalo.com/switzerland-esim, airalo.com/liechtenstein-esim
- Your Europe, Mobile roaming costs: https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/internet-telecoms/mobile-roaming-costs/index_en.htm
- European Commission, Austria and the euro: https://economy-finance.ec.europa.eu/euro/eu-countries-and-euro/austria-and-euro_en
- European Central Bank, euro reference rates: https://www.ecb.europa.eu/stats/eurofxref/eurofxref-daily.xml
- RTR, prepaid SIM registration (German): https://www.rtr.at/TKP/was_wir_tun/telekommunikation/konsumentenservice/information/informationen_fuer_konsumenten/Wertkartenregistrierung.de.html
- RIS, Telecommunications Act 2021 § 166 (German): https://ogd.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/Bundesnormen/NOR40238624/NOR40238624.html
- RIS, Identification Regulation (IVO) §§ 3 and 5 (German): https://ogd.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/Bundesnormen/NOR40211370/NOR40211370.html, https://ogd.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/Bundesnormen/NOR40211372/NOR40211372.html
- A1, Travel eSIM, B.free prepaid plans and registration: https://www.a1.net/handys-tarife/wertkartentarife/austria-prepaid-data-esim, https://www.a1.net/handys-tarife/wertkartentarife, https://www.a1.net/handys-tarife/wertkartentarife/wertkartenregistrierung
- Magenta, KLAX prepaid, starter packs and registration (German/English): https://www.magenta.at/handytarife/wertkarte, https://shop.magenta.at/product/wertkarte/magenta-klax-m-startpaket-5494, https://shop.magenta.at/product/wertkarte/magenta-klax-unlimited-startpaket-7028, https://www.magenta.at/handytarife/wertkarte/wertkarte-registrieren
- Drei, prepaid, starter packs and registration (German): https://www.drei.at/de/shop/wertkarte/, https://www.drei.at/de/shop/wertkarte/startpakete/, https://www.drei.at/de/shop/wertkarte/wertkartenregistrierung/
- yesss!, plans, SIMple M, registration and roaming: https://www.yesss.at/en/tarife, https://www.yesss.at/en/tarife/simple-m, https://www.yesss.at/registrierung, https://www.yesss.at/en/roaming/tarife-roaming
- HoT, plans and registration (German): https://www.hot.at/tarife/, https://www.hot.at/registrierungspflicht
- spusu (German): https://www.spusu.at/
- Vienna Airport, shops, Welcome Yesss and services: https://viennaairport.com/en/shops, https://viennaairport.com/en/passengers/shops__restaurants/detailseite_shops_und_restaurants?sug_id=1682573105923&_shop=yes&_gastro=, https://viennaairport.com/en/passengers/airport
