How it works

soda uses a prepaid wallet. Before payment, we show a complete preview of the current destination tariff. First confirmed usage opens a 30-day window and locks that version; within it, soda automatically compares the per-GB rate with price-protection thresholds.

Get started Start with the glossary

On this page

From install to settlement

Install

Choose destinations, not a data size. You see the full price list before you pay.

01
Use it on landing

One eSIM covers 34 countries across Europe. On other multi-country trips you switch cards in the app, and the old one keeps working until the new one is in use.

02
Automatic settlement

Every 30 days your actual usage is settled at the lowest total, automatically. Leftover balance carries to your next trip.

03

What is the 30-day pricing window?

Separately, your first confirmed usage opens a 30-day pricing window and locks the tariff version shown to you before payment; at the end of that window soda re-runs every applicable plan combination against your actual usage and charges the cheapest total.

11/01Last period settled −US$4.00
11/02Top-up US$20
30-day pricing window　11/03–12/02
11/03Window opens: first confirmed usage
11/05Settled −US$3.10
11/07Settled −US$2.00
11/09Pending −US$1.25
12/02Window ends

ExampleYour wallet lists confirmed usage, settled charges and pending estimates for this period separately, and shows which price applied to each line.

※ Figures here illustrate the interaction. A complete current-tariff preview appears before top-up; its version locks when first confirmed usage opens a window.

How do I know I am not being overcharged?

The wallet separates confirmed usage, settled charges, and pending estimates for the current pricing window.

When do I pay? Is this postpaid?

You only pay when you top up. Confirmed charges and pending estimates appear in the wallet and settle against your credit; soda never makes an automatic extra charge to your payment card. Delayed upstream usage settles when it arrives.

Wallet statement11/03–12/02

11/01Last period’s usageSettled−US$4.00
11/02Top-upCredited+US$20.00
30-day pricing window　11/03–12/02
11/05Japan eSIM usageSettled−US$3.10
11/07Japan eSIM usageSettled−US$2.00
11/09Japan eSIM usagePending−US$1.25

SettledUS$5.10

PendingUS$1.25

Charged this period (approx.)US$6.35

Limit US$30

Wallet balanceUS$19.65

Last sync 14:20 · Data covers through 11:20

ExampleIn the app, every top-up and charge is itemised like a receipt

Can I set a spending limit?

Yes. A 30-day hard budget limits the maximum exposure soda may authorise, separately from a data price platform. When credit cannot cover new capacity, soda stops adding capacity; a small amount already provisioned may remain usable briefly.

You set the spending limit Set a limit for each 30-day period and we remind you as you get close. Once you reach it, or your balance runs short, no new data is added.

What happens when I hit the spending limit I set? No new data is authorised. Capacity already issued still draws down as you use it. Raise the limit to keep going.

Charged this period and your limit

Settled US$5.10Pending US$1.25Limit US$30

ExampleCharges for this period climb step by step. Once they reach your limit, no new data is added.

Why does the wallet run a little behind?

Usage comes from the upstream carrier rather than your phone and can currently lag by up to about three hours.

Your wallet only marks the eSIM as paused after the supplier confirms it, so the status you see can lag behind what the phone is doing.

11:20Data covers through

About 3 hours

14:20Last sync

Daily usage this periodReceivedNot received yet

0.5 GB

03040506070809

ExampleThe last day’s usage isn’t all in yet, so it’s dashed for now.

Does my balance expire? Can I get a refund?

Balance never expires

Your balance never expires and carries over to your next trip.
14-day cooling-off period

For 14 days after you pay, the unspent part of a top-up can go back to the original card, once per top-up.
You see the affected eSIM before you confirm

A refund may turn off the eSIM bought with that top-up, and the app lists it before you confirm.

Glossary

A few terms you’ll see in your wallet and bills, one line each.

tariff: The price list. Each destination has one, and you see all of it before you pay.
Pricing window: The 30 days from your first confirmed usage. Prices follow the version you saw before paying, and at the end your actual usage is settled at the lowest total.
credit: The money in your wallet that pays for data, in other words your wallet balance.
Price platform: The threshold that protects the price of one block of data. It only governs that block’s price. Your spending limit is the hard budget.
Hard budget: The 30-day spending limit you set. Once it’s reached, no new data is added.
Settled / pending: Settled is what the carrier has reported and we’ve charged. Pending is our estimate for data you’ve used that the carrier hasn’t reported yet.

Frequently asked questions

How does soda price my usage?

Do I need to choose a plan or destinations first?

You do not choose a data bundle or estimate gigabytes. You do tell us your destinations in travel order so we can show the right tariff, provision a compatible line, and explain any eSIM switch before payment.

Which countries are covered? Can one eSIM cross borders?

Live markets are Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Indonesia, the Philippines, the United States, China and Macau, plus a regional line covering 34 European countries. A European trip runs on a single eSIM across all 34; other multi-country trips use country-specific eSIMs. Before you leave for the next stop, switch on the eSIM page and install the new card. Your old card keeps working until you start using the new one, so there's no gap. Switching has no fee, but the wallet needs enough balance to prepare the new card, and the app tells you how much if it falls short. All share one wallet.

What if I switch phones? Do I have to buy again?

No new purchase is needed. Sign in on the new phone, open My cards and tap “New phone or lost card” for a free reissue. How long the new card takes depends on the upstream carrier. The card on your old phone keeps working until you start using the new one, so there is no gap. The reissue itself costs nothing and your balance stays on the account, but it has to cover preparing the new card. If it falls short, the app tells you by how much.

Read the full FAQ

Sort your data before you fly

A short pre-trip check, with the line ready before you go. Your balance never expires.

Get started

How it works

From install to settlement

Install

Use it on landing

Automatic settlement