How many GB do I actually need? The answer depends on your habits, trip length, and which apps you use.
Data Usage by Activity
- Google Maps navigation: 5–10 MB/hour
- WhatsApp messages + voice calls: 5–30 MB/hour
- Instagram browsing: 100–200 MB/hour
- Spotify music streaming: 50–150 MB/hour
- YouTube (480p): 250 MB/hour
- FaceTime / Zoom video call: 300–500 MB/hour
- Email + web browsing: 20–50 MB/hour
How Much Data by Trip Type
- Light use (maps, messaging): 2–3 GB
- Heavy social media: 5–8 GB
- Light use: 5–8 GB
- Moderate: 10–15 GB
- Heavy (video calls, remote work): Unlimited
- Moderate use: 15–20 GB
- Heavy / remote work: Unlimited plan
5 Ways to Cut Data Usage on the Road
- 1Download maps offline — Navigate without using a single MB of data
- 2Download playlists offline — Spotify and Apple Music support offline playback
- 3Use hotel and cafe Wi-Fi for video calls and uploads
- 4Turn off video autoplay in Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok settings
- 5Disable background app refresh on iPhone for non-essential apps
Our Rule of Thumb
When in doubt, go one tier up. Running out of data mid-trip — especially navigating an unfamiliar city — costs far more in stress than the extra data upfront.
Calculate your trip more precisely
Use our app-by-app breakdowns for YouTube data usage, WhatsApp data usage, and Google Maps data usage before choosing a plan.