A prepaid eSim data plan is an affordable and easy method of getting high-speed data while visiting Denmark (and the rest of Europe)—so don’t waste money on your plan’s expensive international data service package. To help you find the best prepaid eSIM for Denmark, I’ve crunched the numbers and compared multiple data plans to help you find the best option for your trip.
Quick Answer? I recommend buying an eSIM plan from either SimOptions or Holafly. Both companies offer multiple affordable prepaid data plans that work well in Denmark—continue reading this article for more in-depth, specific recommendations.
The Downside Of Using Your Current Plan’s International Data Package
Almost every mobile provider has an international data plan option but there are two significant downsides:
- They’re very expensive
- Their service is often slow, inconsistent, and has limited data caps.
For example, the AT&T International Day Pass costs $10/day. They also have their AT&T Passport plan, a monthly plan that’s either $70/month for 2GB of data or $140/month for 6GB. Then they charge an insane overage of $30 per GB. Verizon also has a $10/day pass but they knock you down to 3G speeds after 2GB each day.
And many T-Mobile customers get free “unlimited” international data but you’re only guaranteed 2g data speeds after you hit 5GB of data… which will struggle to load Google Maps or even email. T-Mobile gives you the option to pay more to get 5GB at better speeds but then you’ll be charged a premium.
These “international data plans” are 5X as expensive as buying a prepaid eSIM data plan from a third-party provider—for example, eSIM data plans from Orange or Holafly will cost you around $2-$4/day.
For more in-depth information on international data plans and eSIM, check out my guide on How To Use Smartphones and Data Plans In Europe and my Guide To eSIM data plans in Europe.
Comparing The Best eSIM Data Plans For Denmark
Like most countries in Europe, Denmark has a few major domestic mobile carriers:
However, it’s difficult for tourists to get a Danish eSIM from a local provider because eSIMs are typically only offered to customers with long-term contracts because the Danish government requires that Danish eSIM/SIM cards must be registered using a government-issued Danish Personal Identification Number that’s only available to citizens/long-term residents.
There are a few budget mobile providers that skirt this rule but they’re limited to a small number of carriers who only sell physical SIM card plans.
Therefore, your only reliable option is to buy a prepaid eSIM data plan that’s tailored for short-term visitors. These plans are much more “tourist-friendly” so you don’t have to mess with registration, weird translation issues, international payment processing problems, etc.
For this guide, I’ll focus on these “tourist-friendly” eSIM plans.
How To Evaluate a Prepaid eSIM Plan
Each eSIM plan I’ve listed below carries slightly so pay attention to the specific details—here are the main things to consider:
- Data Allowance: Prepaid data Plans typically give you a set amount of mobile data (i.e. 5GB, 10GB, 30GB, etc) but others give you unlimited data over a set amount of time (5 days, 15 days, 30 days, etc).
- Plan Length: eSIM data plans can be valid anywhere from about 5 days to 90 days once activated.
- Mobile Hot Spot Tethering: Many eSIM plans don’t allow data tethering so you can’t always use your phone as a mobile hot spot.
- Voice Calls and SMS Texting: Some eSIM plans are data only—which means it doesn’t include voice calls or SMS texting. This isn’t much of an issue since you’re probably not going to be calling people but it’s something to consider.
- NOTE: You can still use iMessage to “text” between iPhones but you can’t send messages between iPhones and Android phones. Or you can download WhatsApp to send messages over data (which is what most Europeans do).
Holafly Denmark Unlimited Data eSIM
- Prices For Unlimited Data (Check Holafly for details)
- 10 Days: $34
- 15 Days: $47
- 20 Days: $54
- 30 Days: $64
- 60 Days: $84
- 90 Days: $99
- Service Speed: 5G/4G/LTE
- Calls coverage: None
- SMS: None
- Data Tethering: No
- Data service works everywhere in the EU
Holafly is a new Spain-based eSIM provider that I previously used while in Europe and had a great experience. Holafly sells both Denmark-specific plans and Europe-wide data plans.
I like how Holafly gives you unlimited data but you will get throttled if you use excessive data. I also like how Holafly’s plans come in durations from 5 to 90 days—so you don’t have to over/underbuy for your particular trip.
Holafly isn’t an actual mobile carrier but they rent bandwidth from local mobile provider networks—the only downside is that you’re more likely to get less priority (i.e. slower speeds) on the local network during peak usage times.
Holafly doesn’t allow data tethering in most cases so you won’t be able to use your phone as a mobile hotspot.
You can read my in-depth Holafly review to learn more about my experiences using Holafly.
Bouygues My European eSIM with Europe Calling
Bouygues Telecom is a major French telecommunications company and they’ve recently released their own prepaid eSIM data plan to compete with the popular Orange Holiday Europe eSIM plan. I’ve personally used prepaid Bouygues data plans during previous trips to Europe and had good experiences—read my Bouygues My European eSIM review to learn more.
There’s a lot to like about the Bouygues My European eSIM plan—especially since it comes standard with 30GB of data and unlimited calls/texts within Europe and data tethering. I also like how this Bouygues eSIM plan is valid for 30 days so it’s a great option for longer trips.
- Price: $44.90 (Check SimOptions for details)
- Data: 30GB
- Data Tethering: Allowed
- Service Speed: 4G/LTE
- Calls: Unlimited within Europe and credit for overseas calls
- Texts/SMS: Unlimited within Europe and credit for overseas sms
- Credit validity: 30 day
- Phone Number: This eSIM card comes with a French phone number
- Coverage: Anywhere within the European Union (except Switzerland)
Orange Holiday Europe eSIM (50GB)
- Price: $59.90 (Check SimOptions for details)
- Data: 50GB
- Service Speed: 4G/LTE
- Calls: Unlimited within Europe and 120 min outside of Europe.
- Texts/SMS: Unlimited within Europe and 1000 outside of Europe.
- Credit validity: 28 day
- Data Tethering: Allowed
- Usable on any device (phones, tablets, hotspots…)
- This eSIM plan comes with a French phone number that can still be used anywhere in Europe
- Service works everywhere in the EU
Need tons of data? Consider the newly released Orange Holiday Europe 50GB eSIM data plan which is a beefed-up version of the Orange Holiday Europe eSIM. It has 50GB of data and it’s valid for 28 days (compared to 14 days with the Orange Holiday Europe plan). This eSIM also comes with many features you don’t find with other plans—including international voice calling and texts (it gives you an actual French phone number that works anywhere in Europe).
The Orange Holiday Europe eSIM plan also allows you to use your phone as a mobile hotspot so you can put that extra data allowance to good use. Orange is also one of the largest mobile companies in Europe so you’ll always get great coverage and high data speeds.
Orange Holiday Europe eSIM For Denmark
- Price: $49.90 (Check SimOptions for details)
- Data: 20GB (they sometimes give you 30GB of data)
- Service Speed: 4G/LTE
- Calls: Unlimited within Europe and 120 min outside of Europe.
- Texts/SMS: Unlimited within Europe and 1000 outside of Europe.
- Credit validity: 14 day
- Data Tethering: Allowed
- Usable on any device (phones, tablets, hotspots…)
- This eSIM plan comes with a French phone number that can still be used anywhere in Europe
- Service works everywhere in the EU
The Orange Holiday Europe eSIM data plan is another excellent eSIM plan because it comes with many features you don’t find with other plans—including international voice calling and texts (it gives you an actual French phone number that will work anywhere in Europe). The Orange Holiday Europe eSIM plan also allows you to use your phone as a mobile hotspot.
This plan comes with 20GB of data but Orange sometimes runs a special where they give you an extra 10GB—but even 20GB should be plenty of data for most users. Orange is also one of the largest mobile companies in Europe so you’ll always get great coverage and high data speeds.
The potential downside to the Orange Holiday Europe eSIM is that it’s only valid for 14 days once activated so it’s not great for longer visits (but you can always buy a second plan).
I’ve personally used the Orange Holiday Europe plan while traveling through Europe and it worked flawlessly. Read my Orange Holiday Europe review to hear more.
Orange Holiday Zen eSIM for Denmark
- Price: $29.90 (Check SimOptions for details)
- Data: 8GB (they sometimes give you 15GB of data)
- Service Speed: 4G/LTE
- Calls: Unlimited within Europe and 30 min outside of Europe.
- Texts/SMS: Unlimited within Europe and 200 outside of Europe.
- Credit validity: 14 day
- Data Tethering: Allowed
- Usable on any device (phones, tablets, hotspots…)
- This eSIM plan comes with a French phone number that can still be used anywhere in Europe
- Service works everywhere in the EU
The Orange Holiday Zen eSIM is the budget version of the Orange Holiday Europe eSIM plan listed above. It comes with 8GB of data and has fewer voice minutes and texts, otherwise, it’s the same as the Orange Holiday Europe eSIM plan.
Most users will use more than 8GB of data while traveling for a week or two but light data users could easily use less than 8GB of data during a typical 10-14 day trip.
OTHER TIPS ON USING YOUR MOBILE PHONE IN DENMARK
I’ve written multiple articles about how to use smartphones and data plans in Europe and how to buy prepaid data plans in Europe but below are more helpful tips about using your phone in Denmark and throughout Europe.
BUY A PORTABLE BATTERY CHARGER
I highly recommend packing a portable battery charger to ensure your phone doesn’t die in the middle of the day. I use Anker PowerCore 10000 because it’s tiny and affordable but there are multiple options.
TAKE STEPS TO LOWER YOUR MOBILE DATA USAGE
It’s extremely easy to unknowingly burn through data because many apps continue to use data in the background. Facebook, email, Instagram, Snapchat, podcast apps, Google Photos… these apps can all constantly use data throughout the day without you knowing it. That’s why it’s important to know how to limit your data usage.
BLOCK DATA TO SPECIFIC APPS IN YOUR SETTINGS
You can disable data access to individual apps in your phone’s settings. I turn off data access to every app except for things like Google Maps or others that I’ll use more frequently. Pay particular attention to podcast apps that automatically download episodes and photo backup apps (Google Photos, iPhoto/iCloud, etc.).
DOWNLOAD OFFLINE MAPS
Google Maps lets you download entire city maps so they can be used offline. As an added bonus, GPS doesn’t use data so offline Google Maps works fairly well (but not all functionality works). Here is a good YouTube video that explains everything.
MORE EUROPE TRAVEL TIPS FROM THE SAVVY BACKPACKER
Check out more of my favorite articles to help you plan your trip to Denmark and the rest of Europe:
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