SoftBank's 海外あんしん定額 is ¥980 a day, so 7 x ¥980 = ¥6,860 ($43.64) for a week in South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand or France, and povo's 3 GB overseas topping for 7 days is ¥1,980 to ¥2,430. Travel periods of 6 to 8 days used a median of 1.38 GB in Bcengi's 2026 sample. Paying as you go, that trip's 1.38 GB costs $2.50 in South Korea at $1.81/GB, metered by the KB. For this trip, Bcengi is about 17 times cheaper than SoftBank and about 5 times cheaper than povo.
This page covers SoftBank plans with no free days abroad, povo, and Rakuten Mobile on heavy trips. Each carrier's prices are as listed on its own website, read October 3, 2026.
SoftBank: 海外あんしん定額
SoftBank's 海外あんしん定額 (定額国L) is ¥980 a day in South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and France: 7 x ¥980 = ¥6,860 ($43.64) for a 7-day trip with SoftBank (SoftBank's website, read October 3, 2026). SoftBank charges every day you use it, however little data the day uses.
Paying as you go with Bcengi, a trip costs what its data costs. Each line below is a model for a trip of 6 to 8 days: the median (1.38 GB) and the 90th percentile (6.50 GB) from the usage report, times the country's rate on October 3, 2026.
- South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand: a median 7-day trip (1.38 GB at $1.81/GB) costs $2.50 with Bcengi; at the 90th percentile (6.50 GB at $1.81/GB), $11.77. Against SoftBank's ¥6,860 for the week, the median trip is about 17 times cheaper and the 90th percentile trip about 3.5 times cheaper.
- France rates: a median 7-day trip (1.38 GB at $1.19/GB) costs $1.64 with Bcengi; at the 90th percentile (6.50 GB at $1.19/GB), $7.74. Against SoftBank's ¥6,860 for the week, the median trip is about 27 times cheaper and the 90th percentile trip about 5.5 times cheaper.
povo: overseas data toppings
povo has no data abroad without an overseas topping. povo's 3 GB topping for 7 days is ¥1,980 in South Korea and Taiwan, ¥2,200 in the United States (including Hawaii) and Thailand, and ¥2,430 in France (povo's website, read October 3, 2026).
The trip uses 1.38 GB of the 3 GB topping, so more than half of what you paid for is left unused when the topping expires.
povo sells no second overseas topping until the first one's period ends, so with povo a trip of more than 3 GB needs the 10 GB topping for 30 days, ¥9,800 ($62.35).
- United States rates: a median 7-day trip (1.38 GB at $1.68/GB) costs $2.32 with Bcengi; at the 90th percentile (6.50 GB at $1.68/GB), $10.92. Against povo's 3 GB topping (¥2,200), the median trip is about 6 times cheaper; against povo's 10 GB topping (¥9,800), the 90th percentile trip is about 5.5 times cheaper.
- South Korea and Taiwan: a median 7-day trip (1.38 GB at $1.81/GB) costs $2.50 with Bcengi; at the 90th percentile (6.50 GB at $1.81/GB), $11.77. Against povo's 3 GB topping (¥1,980), the median trip is about 5 times cheaper; against povo's 10 GB topping (¥9,800), the 90th percentile trip is about 5.5 times cheaper.
- Thailand rates: a median 7-day trip (1.38 GB at $1.81/GB) costs $2.50 with Bcengi; at the 90th percentile (6.50 GB at $1.81/GB), $11.77. Against povo's 3 GB topping (¥2,200), the median trip is about 5.5 times cheaper; against povo's 10 GB topping (¥9,800), the 90th percentile trip is about 5.5 times cheaper.
- France rates: a median 7-day trip (1.38 GB at $1.19/GB) costs $1.64 with Bcengi; at the 90th percentile (6.50 GB at $1.19/GB), $7.74. Against povo's 3 GB topping (¥2,430), the median trip is about 9.5 times cheaper; against povo's 10 GB topping (¥9,800), the 90th percentile trip is about 8 times cheaper.
Rakuten Mobile: heavy trips
Past the 2 GB abroad that comes with the plan, Rakuten Mobile sells more data at ¥500 per GB, in 1 GB steps (Rakuten Mobile's website, read October 3, 2026). A 7-day trip at the 90th percentile uses 6.50 GB, 4.5 GB past Rakuten Mobile's 2 GB, so Rakuten Mobile charges ¥2,500 ($15.91) for 5 GB.
- France rates: at the 90th percentile, 6.50 GB at $1.19/GB is $7.74 with Bcengi. Against Rakuten Mobile's ¥2,500, the trip is about 2 times cheaper.
For how bundles and pay as you go compare, see bundles vs pay as you go.
What you get with Bcengi
- One reusable eSIM: install it once and use it on every trip.
- A balance that never expires: what one trip does not use is there for the next.
- No plan to pick: you never guess a size before you travel.
- Top up any time, by hand or with auto-refill.
- Your phone number stays on your home SIM for calls and texts; Bcengi is data only.
Japanese carrier roaming questions
How much is SoftBank's 海外あんしん定額?
SoftBank charges ¥980 a day in 定額国L, which includes South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and France.
Can povo be used abroad without a topping?
No. povo says that without an overseas data topping, not even 128 kbps low-speed data is available abroad.
How do I use a travel eSIM instead of roaming?
Install the eSIM before you leave, set it as your data line, and turn data roaming off for your SoftBank, povo or Rakuten Mobile line so it does not use data abroad. See turn roaming off on your home line.
How these figures were measured
The usage figures come from Bcengi's 2026 International Mobile Data Usage Report: a stratified random sample of 10,000 travel periods, with usage from January 1 to September 30, 2026. The figures cover every destination in the sample, not one country.
Each trip cost on this page is a model, not a bill: the GB a trip used times the per-GB rate on our pricing page on October 3, 2026. Rates can change; the pricing page always has the current ones.
Yen prices are converted to US dollars at the Federal Reserve's rate for September 25, 2026, 157.18 yen per dollar.
Updated October 3, 2026. Sources: SoftBank's 海外あんしん定額 page; povo's international roaming page; Rakuten Mobile's overseas roaming and データチャージ pages; Federal Reserve exchange rates; Bcengi 2026 International Mobile Data Usage Report; Bcengi pricing page.
